REVIVE ME, O LORD

For whoever finds Me finds life and wins approval from the Lord. (Proverbs 8.35)

          Throughout the Church there are pockets of people who make up the remnant truly seeking revival; people who pray fervently every day that God will revive His Church, and come to the rescue of His people. But not everyone has the same ― or even the right ― idea about revival. Here’s a quote by one Christian writer: "Many have an idyllic and sweet idea of revival. And they pray to this end. But our prayer should be to expose sin and lies, first in our own hearts and then in the churches. To pray for a great conviction of sin and that man would crumble and surrender at the terrifying presence of a Holy God. Then they would find the sweet, rapturous joy of being at peace with their God!... Do you still want revival? We must pray and PREACH to this end. If we are silent, or silenced, many in the churches will perish." - Jeri Woods.

          How easy it is to pray that the Lord will revive His Church, casting our eyes towards all those people whom we personally consider need reviving the most. How easy it is to point the finger at others as we consider just why thy Church is in the state that it is in. Of course the problem is easily recognised, because the whole problem of the back-slidden is the same as that of the unsaved --- the problem of sin in their lives. Change that and you change everything. Fix that problem and the solution is plainly seen.

          Yet, surely, the problem when we look at the sin in people's lives is that we do so all too often from an outside viewpoint, considering that, because we are praying so fervently for REVIVAL, and for the SALVATION of others, that we must be pretty good, and pretty sin-free! Yet the truth is such a long way from this in reality.

• Our recognition that there is a problem is a blessing.
• Our acceptance that it is a problem caused by sin is a blessing.
• Our understanding that it can be resolved through the prayers of repentant sinners is a blessing.
• When we can recognise, accept, and understand that we are a part of the problem, then that too is a blessing.

          In praying for revival the first thing is to lay yourself before God, confessing that you are a sinner, repenting of every bit of sin that stains your life and seeking God's forgiveness. Of course, one of the issues regarding forgiveness is that before we can expect to be forgiven ourselves then we need to ensure that we have forgiven others, and so it is important to search your heart and forgive everyone whom you have ever wronged, no matter how far back in your life you need to go.

          Do you want REVIVAL with all of your heart, all of your mind and all of your soul? If you do then you need to understand that it comes at a personal cost. Just as our Lord Jesus Christ gave everything possible in order that all people might be forgiven their sins and be reconciled to God through Him, so we must also be prepared to give everything that we have if we are to truly answer His call to 'Follow Me.'

          When Jesus calls you to follow Him, if you choose to respond then it's a call to follow Him to every place, even to the Cross. Not a response that can be made by the faint-hearted or the weak, for to be a true Christian takes great strength, great humility, and great compassion.

He calls you to follow Him:

• Into the darkest places - in order that His light might shine from you.
• To touch the sick - that His healing touch might revive and renew them.
• To reach out to the lonely and the depressed - that your hands, words and compassion, might convey His comfort.
• To seek out the lost - that you might, in His name, bring them home to the fold.
• To proclaim the Gospel of Repentance, Forgiveness and Reconciliation - the same gospel message that God sent Jesus to bring to the world in the beginning.

          It's not easy being a Christian. It means far more than going to church once or even twice on a Sunday. It's a 24/7 thing! It means that you have to give up the world but not give up on the world. The burden is a heavy one, being burdened for the lost, yet Jesus will carry the burden for you if you only hand it over to Him. He said: Come to Me, all you who are weary and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light. (Matthew 11: 28-30)

          If we are to fulfil Christ’s call to us to follow Him then we must be confident in our faith, and in order to be confident Christians we must first learn to accept ourselves for who we are, for only when we can accept ourselves can we be accepted in the fullest sense by others. We need to be confident about who we are and what our purpose is. we need to understand the journey that we are on, the means of travel, the destination and how we can get there. So often we waste time seeking the approval of others, failing in confidence to go on with our journey without their approval that what we are doing, and the manner in which we are doing it, is the best and right way. In her book, Approval Addiction, Joyce Meyer points out the need to first discover, and accept, exactly who you are, helping you to face the fears that bind you to the past, so that you can shake them off once and for all. In her closing words she says this: learn to please God, not people. You have His approval, and that is all you really need.

          You want REVIVAL? Well then, get on your knees and confess everything that is wrong in your life, begging God to forgive you. Let REVIVAL start with you, and then see how infectious it can become.

Amen

(Sermon preached by Rev’d Colin Gordon-Farleigh, at Nant Hall Presbyterian Church, Prestatyn, North Wales, January 11th 2009)