Revive Us Again
1. Revive
"Wilt thou not revive us again: that thy people may rejoice in thee?
Shew us thy mercy, O LORD, and grant us thy salvation.
I will hear what God the LORD will speak: for he will speak peace unto his people, and to his saints: but let them not turn again to folly.
Surely his salvation is nigh them that fear him; that glory may dwell in our land.
Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other.
Truth shall spring out of the earth; and righteousness shall look down from heaven.
Yea, the LORD shall give that which is good; and our land shall yield her increase.
Righteousness shall go before him; and shall set us in the way of his steps." Psalms 85:6-13
"Wilt thou not revive us again: that thy people may rejoice in thee?" The title for this Psalm in my Bible reads, "To the chief musician..." It reminds me of a song of praise we sing often in our church, "Revive Us Again" by William P. Mackay.
"We praise Thee, O God!
For the Son of Thy love,
For Jesus Who died,
And is now gone above.
Hallelujah! Thine the glory.
Hallelujah! Amen.
Hallelujah! Thine the glory.
Revive us again."
As we say "Good-bye" to the old year and welcome the new year, let us turn away from the old life of sin and bring to life again the "righteousness and peace" we found in salvation through Jesus Christ our Lord.
2. Reborn
"There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews:
The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him.
Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born?
Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again." John 3:1-7
Many of the churches in our area schedule Revival Meetings once or twice a year. Sometimes we visit other churches having revival and members from other churches visit our church during our Revival Meetings. Revival is a time for Christians to come to life again. We can worship and re-energize our batteries so that we can go out and be a witness for the Lord. Before I begin looking at ways we can have revival in our individual lives, I want to talk about being reborn. Jesus said to Nicodemus, "Ye must be born again." We can't work our way into God's family, or even buy our way to heaven. Jesus is the only way to have salvation. When Adam and Eve sinned against God sin came into the world and every individual is born into this world of sin, lost, separated from God. God sent His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ to pay for our sin so that we can be reconciled to God. Let's continue with the words of Jesus to Nicodemus, "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God." (John 3:16-18) It is important to see that we don't do anything to be lost, we are born lost. But there is hope. Trust in the Lord and ask Him to save you. He will forgive you of your sin and give you eternal life. That is how you can be born again.
3. Remember
"Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent." Revelation 2:5
As we begin our topic, "Revive Us Again" we see that we are instructed to remember. Several times in God's Word we are told to remember. "And it shall be unto you for a fringe, that ye may look upon it, and remember all the commandments of the LORD, and do them; and that ye seek not after your own heart and your own eyes, ... That ye may remember, and do all my commandments, and be holy unto your God." (Numbers 15:39-40) "Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them;" (Ecclesiastes 12:1) "But, beloved, remember ye the words which were spoken before of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ;" (Jude 17) Remember God's Word. Remember the life God brought you from of no hope, no peace, and no joy. In the first letter to the seven churches we read, "Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen,..." From where had they fallen? What great sin had the church committed that carried such a harsh warning? "...or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent." We see the answer in the preceding verse, "Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love." (Revelation 2:4) Do you remember the first love for Christ you had when you accepted His wonderful gift of salvation? Today is the Lord's Day and a wonderful day to remember and repent. Remember your first love for the Lord. I think this is the first step we need to take in our hope of revival.
4. Repent
"Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent." Revelation 2:5
We looked at this verse yesterday in remembering. Today we take it a step further, repent. Once we remember our sin, we are to repent. We read that John the Baprist prepared the coming of the Lord in Matthew 3:1 "In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea, And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." Jesus also preached repentance. "From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." (Matthew 4:17) As we look at these verses we need to consider that to repent means more than just a simple, "I'm sorry that I got caught." Repent also carries the meaning of turning away from sin and turning to God. Ezekiel 18:30 shows us that repenting is turning away from sin. "Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways, saith the Lord GOD. Repent, and turn yourselves from all your transgressions; so iniquity shall not be your ruin." Paul also explains to King Agrippa in Acts 26:2 the action of following through, by turning to God. "But shewed first unto them of Damascus, and at Jerusalem, and throughout all the coasts of Judaea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, and do works meet for repentance." I do not believe that we can have revival in our lives or walk with God if we have unconfessed sin in our lives. Amos 3:3 asked the question, "Can two walk together, except they be agreed?" We also read in Psalms 66:18, "If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me:"
5. Resolve
Happy New Year!
"I am resolved what to do,..." Luke 16:4
Today is a day of new beginnings! The first day in the year 2014. When I was young I thought the year 2000 seemed so far away and now it seems like a long way behind me. You may have had many changes in the past year, or you may seem to be in the same place today, as you were a year ago. Do you look for changes in the coming year? Many will make New Year's Resolutions today and try to stick with them as long as they can. I wonder how many will begin, (1) Eat Healthy, (2) Exercise, (3) Lose Weight? Those are certainly goals I would like to achieve, but in all honesty, those are not as important to me as they once were. The more I read and study God's Word and the more I pray, the more I think about laying up treasure in heaven and doing all I can for the cause of Christ. Let's put those same resolutions in a spiritual realm. (1) Eat Healthy. No matter what our spiritual age we can read God's Word and grow. "As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby: If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious." (I Peter 2:2-3). I would like to challenge you to read the Bible through. You can read the entire Bible through in a year by reading 23 chapters each week. Reading 4 chapters daily, Monday through Saturday, or reading 3 chapters these 6 days and 5 chapters on Sunday would carry you through the complete Word of God in a year. (2) Exercise. What kind of spiritual exercise can we do this year? "For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come." (I Timothy 4:8) God commands us to live holy lives. "But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy." ( Peter 1:15-16) (3) Lose Weight. You may be thinking, how can I lose weight spiritually. We see the answer in Hebrews 12:1 "Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God." Lay aside the weight of sin in our lives. These are three great resolutions to help us live a victorious Christian life in the coming year.
6. Rejoice
"Rejoice evermore." I Thessalonians 5:16
We come to a New Year in a dark world. Some may think that there is nothing to rejoice about in our day and age. But, let us remember that we just came out of the Christmas season and that gives us great hope in which to rejoice.
"7 And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.
8 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.
9 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.
10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
12 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,
14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men." Luke 2:7-14
So today I rejoice. Though sinfulness abounds in this dark dreary day, we have a Savior. We have hope. We have joy. We have peace. We have a reason to live, and love, and rejoice in God our Savior. "Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice." Philippians 4:4
7. Renew
"7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
8 Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice.
9 Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities.
10 Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.
11 Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me.
12 Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.
13 Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee." Psalms 51:7-13
Psalm 51 is a great Psalm to start the year. Yesterday we looked at the word, "Rejoice" found in verse 8, and today we move on to verse 10. "Create in me a clean heart; O God, and renew a right spirit within me." Some have compared the New Year to having a clean fresh slate, forgetting the past, and starting afresh. Only God can give us that clean heart. When we confess our sins to Him and turn from our wicked ways, He can create in us a clean heart, and renew a right spirit within our souls. We can then gain strength to face the new days ahead. "But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint." (Isaiah 40:31)
8. Restore
"Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit. Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee." Psalms 51:12-13
We are back again in Psalms 51, today in verse 12 and 13. "Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit. Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee." We talked earlier about the first letter to the seven churches in the book of Revelation and the warning by the Spirit that they had left their first love. This was the first church. No doubt many of them knew the Lord Jesus as He walked here on this earth. They heard Peter and Paul preach the gospel message. Some may have been among the three thousand saved on the day of Pentecost. Yet, over time they left their first love. If they could drift away from God after such experiences, then we can see how we can begin to go through the motions, and serve God out of habit instead of fervent love. This 51st Psalm, though written so many years ago, can help us in this day of apostasy. Can you pray this prayer today?
"7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
8 Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice.
9 Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities.
10 Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.
11 Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me.
12 Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.
13 Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee." (Psalm 51:7-13)
9. Request
"Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:6-7
"Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need." Hebrews 4:14-16
I am so thankful that I can go to the throne of grace and let my "requests be made known unto God." My heart is saddened today as I found out that a dear, sweet, Christian young lady died this morning with the flu and pneumonia. I am praying for her family as they try to find peace in the midst of sorrow. I have been sick over a week and know so many more who are also sick and I pray that God will send healing grace.
10. Repair
"And now for a little space grace hath been shewed from the LORD our God, to leave us a remnant to escape, and to give us a nail in his holy place, that our God may lighten our eyes, and give us a little reviving in our bondage. For we were bondmen; yet our God hath not forsaken us in our bondage, but hath extended mercy unto us in the sight of the kings of Persia, to give us a reviving, to set up the house of our God, and to repair the desolations thereof, and to give us a wall in Judah and in Jerusalem." Ezra 9:8-9
As we continue in our study on having revival in our lives we come today to the book of Ezra where we find the remnant of Israelites who returned to Jerusalem gave God the glory for His mercy in reviving them and helping them repair the wall. I think that if we are going to have revival in our nation, we must first have revival in our personal lives and in our homes and churches. I believe that in order to bring Christians back to life we need to do some repairs. The Children of Israel needed to repair the wall. In our society the wall of separation between the world and God's children has been broken down. Paul expressed this to the church in II Corinthians 6:14-18 "Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty." How can the world see the Light of Christ shining through us if we are living just like them? The Israelites also had to repair the house of God. There are many beautiful churches all across our land and many dedicated people make sure they are kept clean and even the church yards are kept well manicured. But what about the real church? Again we look to Paul in I Corinthians 6:19-20. "What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's." If we truly want revival in our lives in hopes that it will spread across our land, then we need to live clean holy lives and repair the breeches of sin which have broken down our homes and churches.
11. Rebuild
"7 They sent a letter unto him, wherein was written thus; Unto Darius the king, all peace.
8 Be it known unto the king, that we went into the province of Judea, to the house of the great God, which is builded with great stones, and timber is laid in the walls, and this work goeth fast on, and prospereth in their hands.
9 Then asked we those elders, and said unto them thus, Who commanded you to build this house, and to make up these walls?
10 We asked their names also, to certify thee, that we might write the names of the men that were the chief of them.
11 And thus they returned us answer, saying, We are the servants of the God of heaven and earth, and build the house that was builded these many years ago, which a great king of Israel builded and set up." Ezra 5:7-11
Chapter 3 of Nehemiah gives us the names of the families of the remnant of Israel and each section of the wall that they repaired in Jerusalem. Several years ago we looked at the books of Ezra and Nehemiah in our study, "A Time To Build." We can learn a great deal from the struggles they encountered with the enemies and how they overcame and worked until they finished building the wall and the temple. We saw yesterday how the people repaired the wall, and today I want to see how they rebuilt the temple. My Mom has asked me to help her tear down her deck when the weather improves. She said it is too old to repair, but she hopes to be able to leave the foundation and rebuild the deck. Maybe you feel like certain situations in your life have gone too far in the wrong direction to repair. If that is the case, then it may be time to rebuild. But before you start to rebuild... check your foundation. We see the sure foundation in Isaiah 28:16 "Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation:..." and II Timothy 2:19 "Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity." Paul also tells us in I Corinthians 3:11-14. "For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is. If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward." It is not too late for you to start rebuilding your life, just make sure you build on the sure foundation of Jesus Christ, and lay up treasures of gold, silver, and precious stones in heaven.
12. Return
"Even from the days of your fathers ye are gone away from mine ordinances, and have not kept them. Return unto me, and I will return unto you, saith the LORD of hosts. But ye said, Wherein shall we return?" Malachi 3:7
"Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon." Isaiah 55:7
God sent the prophets to His children pleading with them to return to Him. We find this same thought in II Chronicles 7:14. "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." All of these are in the Old Testament but we find the same idea in the teachings of Jesus.
"11 And he said, A certain man had two sons:
12 And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me. And he divided unto them his living.
13 And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living.
14 And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want.
15 And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine.
16 And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him.
17 And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father's have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!
18 I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee,
19 And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants.
20 And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him.
21 And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son.
22 But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet:
23 And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry:
24 For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry." (Luke 15:11-24)
The Lord is merciful. If you have strayed from God, don't you think it is time you went back to the Father's house?
13. Render
"What shall I render unto the LORD for all his benefits toward me?" Psalms 116:12
When I hear the word, "render", I think of an old TV show where Andy Griffith is speaking of someone singing a song and he says, "Start rendering." Other than this example, I can't recall ever hearing the word used except for in the Bible. The most common Biblical example which comes to mind is found in the gospels. "And they watched him, and sent forth spies, which should feign themselves just men, that they might take hold of his words, that so they might deliver him unto the power and authority of the governor. And they asked him, saying, Master, we know that thou sayest and teachest rightly, neither acceptest thou the person of any, but teachest the way of God truly: Is it lawful for us to give tribute unto Caesar, or no? But he perceived their craftiness, and said unto them, Why tempt ye me? Shew me a penny. Whose image and superscription hath it? They answered and said, Caesar's. And he said unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which be Caesar's, and unto God the things which be God's." (Luke 20:20-25) Jesus taught that we are to pay our taxes and we are also to give our tithes and offerings to God. We can render thanks to God. "For what thanks can we render to God again for you, for all the joy wherewith we joy for your sakes before our God;" (I Thessalonians 3:9) In Psalms 56:12 we are shown that we can also render praise to God. "...I will render praises unto thee." In these verses we see that to render is to give that which is due. I don't know about you, but I could never render to God all that is due Him. He gave His only begotten Son to die and save me from eternal separation and torment in hell. He gives me the air that I breathe and ability to move about and live each day. He supplies all my needs and gives me many of my heart's desires. Just thinking about it makes me realize how far behind I am in rendering to God those things which He so righteously deserves.
14. Receive or Reject
"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God." John 3:16-18
After we reach a certain age, we make choices every day of our lives. It begins when we wake up in the morning. We make a choice, "Am I going to stay in bed all day, or am I going to get up?" Now I know that there are circumstances that seem to make the choice for us, but we make the choice. We learn to use logic to make our choices. For example, "What am I going to wear?" This choice can depend on many things, such as, where am I going to be, what is the weather like, and what do I have to wear that is clean. My sons would often grab a pair of jeans and t-shirt and not think about it, but I learned that if we wanted to get to school on time I had to make my daughter pick out what she wanted to wear the night before. Today I am asking you to think about the most important choice of your life. Will you receive or reject Jesus as your Savior? We just came through the Christmas season and I believe that there are many people who would say, "I would never reject Jesus." Yet they have never made the choice to receive His wonderful gift of salvation, and in putting it off they are rejecting Christ. Many are familiar with John 3:16, "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." That is a great verse and it gives the truth of the gospel, but we can't stop there. "For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God." If you have not received the Lord, then you have rejected the Lord. There is no middle ground. There are people in our church that hear the gospel message preached time and time again. They know that Romans 3:23, "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;" applies to them. They have heard Romans 6:23, "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." Some can quote John 3:16 and Romans 10:9-10. "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation." Let the Holy Spirit speak to your heart today and make sure you made the right choice. Have you received Jesus, or are you rejecting Him? One more question, "How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation...?" (Hebrews 2:3)
15. Reap
"Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith." Galatians 6:7-10
All my life I have heard the saying, "You reap what you sow." In these verses we see that it is not just a saying, but the solemn truth of God's Word. Yet, because we don't reap immediately, we tend to push it aside in our mind. I think about the life of Jacob and how he cheated and tricked his father into thinking he was the older son so that he could receive the blessing. Jacob had to run for his life and worked seven years for Rachel, whom he loved, only to find out the next morning that he had been tricked into marrying her older sister. There are many living today in sin who think they are getting by with it, and that no one knows what they are doing. God sees all as we read in Proverbs 15:3, "The eyes of the LORD are in every place, beholding the evil and the good." So, let us sow righteousness. Let us sow seeds of kindness. Let us sow the seed of God's Holy Word. And let us remember II Corinthians 9:6 "But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully." I close with Hosea 10:12, "Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the LORD, till he come and rain righteousness upon you."
16. "Reaching The Uttermost Part"
"But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth." Acts 1:8
During one of my visits to my Son and his family last year my grandchildren, aged 6 and 4, were so excited about the missionaries who had visited their church. They remembered great details about the Colson family and the island life around Chuuk, Micronesia. My daughter-in-law gave me this book, "Reaching The Uttermost Part" written by Andrea Colson about their missionary journeys to the neighboring islands where they have a radio ministry and work for the Lord. I really enjoyed reading how God is using Andrea, her sister Alisha, brother Matthew and their parents to reach those who have never had the chance to hear the gospel. Reading the book made me realize how little I do to give out the gospel message. Andrea's book is available for sale on Amazon.com. In my emails to Andrea she said that she uses her facebook page as her information site. Please pray for the Colson family as they reach out to the uttermost part. If you would like to read more about them and see beautiful pictures of their work in Micronesia look her up on facebook under andreainchuuk. I also want to encourage you to do what you can to reach others for the Lord.
17. Revolt
"4 Ah sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a seed of evildoers, children that are corrupters: they have forsaken the LORD, they have provoked the Holy One of Israel unto anger, they are gone away backward.
5 Why should ye be stricken any more? ye will revolt more and more: the whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint.
6 From the sole of the foot even unto the head there is no soundness in it; but wounds, and bruises, and putrifying sores: they have not been closed, neither bound up, neither mollified with ointment.
7 Your country is desolate, your cities are burned with fire: your land, strangers devour it in your presence, and it is desolate, as overthrown by strangers." Isaiah 1:4-7
This message from God was given by the prophet Isaiah hundreds of years before Christ came to earth. When Preacher Woods read the text Sunday evening it sounded as if God could be giving the message to our nation today. When we look around and see how revolting sin has become in our country we can imagine that God could look down on us and address us, "Ah sinful nation." Preacher Woods gave us four things that we need in our nation today.
(1) A Personal Master - A Savior
(2) Praying Mothers and Fathers - Praying Church Members - "Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not." (Jeremiah 33:3)
(3) Preaching Ministers - "Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine." (II Timothy 4:2)
(4) Passionate Members of the Nation and Passionate Members of God's Church
Please pray for our nation.
18. Reverence And Respect
"Ye shall keep my sabbaths, and reverence my sanctuary: I am the LORD." Leviticus 19:30
"Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear:" Hebrews 12:28
"I will meditate in thy precepts, and have respect unto thy ways. I will delight myself in thy statutes: I will not forget thy word." Psalms 119:15-16
In our devotions yesterday we looked at how our nation has gone so far away from the Biblical truths that we were founded on. One of the first changes I noticed as I was growing up was the lack of reverence and respect for the things of God. When I was a young girl there were many things that people just did not do on Sunday. You did not see people out mowing their yards or washing their cars because everyone considered Sunday to be the Lord's day. We never heard of someone vandalizing a church or cemetery. People, in general, had a fear of God and the things of God. No one stood up in court to demand that The Ten Commandments be taken down from public places. It was unheard of for someone to object over a nativity scene or the word "Christmas". Maybe, as Christians, we have failed to live separated lives and show a true reverence and respect for the things of God. Christians need to take a righteous stand for good and live holy lives, "Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy." (I Peter 1:16)
19. Reason
"Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool." Isaiah 1:18
God is a holy righteous God and I could never aproach God in my low estate and ask Him to reason with me. On television those who pray are often shown as weak insecure people who plead with God to reason with them and let things go their way. In our verse above the Lord is inviting us to "Come now, and let us reason together..." Three times in the book of Hebrews the writer makes it clear that the invitation to come is today. "Wherefore (as the Holy Ghost saith, To day if ye will hear his voice,.. While it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation... Again, he limiteth a certain day, saying in David, To day, after so long a time; as it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts." Hebrews 3:7, 15 and 4:7) We are not promised tomorrow. "...Now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation." (II Corinthians 6:2) Will you listen and respond to God's invitation? He can take away our sins and make us as white as snow. God extends His invitation again in Isaiah 45:21-23. "Tell ye, and bring them near; yea, let them take counsel together: who hath declared this from ancient time? who hath told it from that time? have not I the LORD? and there is no God else beside me; a just God and a Saviour; there is none beside me. Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else. I have sworn by myself, the word is gone out of my mouth in righteousness, and shall not return, That unto me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear." Paul even reminds us of this in the New Testament. "For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God. So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God." (Romans 14:11-12) Won't you come to God now while He stands with arms open wide with mercy and grace?
20. Rescue
"Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. And of some have compassion, making a difference: And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh." Jude 21-23
Yesterday the message went out to those who are lost. "Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool." (Isaiah 1:18) Today the message is to those who are saved. God has a purpose for your life. We have instructions from our Lord in Mark 16:15. "And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature." If is our job, as Christians, to give out the gospel message to all the world. What is the gospel message? That Jesus, born of a virgin, the only begotten Son of God, came to give His life to pay for the sins of those who will believe. He died, and rose again the third day, giving us victory over death, hell and the grave. Jude gives us two ways to give out the message. The first is through compassion. Those who feel like there is no hope for their sinful lives need love and compassion. They need to know that God loves them and wants to save them. Showing God's love will make a difference in this world. Next, Jude says, "And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh." I think this method is for those who feel like they can make it to heaven on their own. They think the works of their flesh are good enough to get them into heaven. They need to have their eyes opened to Romans 3:23, "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;" And Romans 6:23, "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." I am afraid that there are many people today who believe that their church membership and good deeds are all they need. Those are the ones we need to save with fear. I end with these sad words of our Lord found in Matthew 7:21-23 "Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity."
21. Rely
"I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth." Psalms 121:1-2
These two verses are my Mom's favorite verses in the Bible. Last summer when I was making my Bible Verse Book we drove to the mountains to spend the day so I could take pictures of her looking "unto the hills". The weather was perfect and we had a nice day walking on some of those hills. I suppose in Bible times of war many looked at the mountains hoping to see an army come to fight for them. The Psalmist who wrote these verses knew that his help came from the Lord. He knew that he could rely on God. I read a very good illustration of this in II Kings this morning.
"8 Then the king of Syria warred against Israel, and took counsel with his servants, saying, In such and such a place shall be my camp.
9 And the man of God sent unto the king of Israel, saying, Beware that thou pass not such a place; for thither the Syrians are come down.
10 And the king of Israel sent to the place which the man of God told him and warned him of, and saved himself there, not once nor twice.
11 Therefore the heart of the king of Syria was sore troubled for this thing; and he called his servants, and said unto them, Will ye not shew me which of us is for the king of Israel?
12 And one of his servants said, None, my lord, O king: but Elisha, the prophet that is in Israel, telleth the king of Israel the words that thou speakest in thy bedchamber.
13 And he said, Go and spy where he is, that I may send and fetch him. And it was told him, saying, Behold, he is in Dothan.
14 Therefore sent he thither horses, and chariots, and a great host: and they came by night, and compassed the city about.
15 And when the servant of the man of God was risen early, and gone forth, behold, an host compassed the city both with horses and chariots. And his servant said unto him, Alas, my master! how shall we do?
16 And he answered, Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them.
17 And Elisha prayed, and said, LORD, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the LORD opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha." II Kings 6:8-17)
The book of Matthew ends with the great commission of Jesus, but it also has a promise. "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen." (Matthew 28:19-10) Since the Lord has promised to be with us always, we can surely rely on His Word.
22. What Does God Require?
This is the last entry of our thoughts on "Revive Us Again". We have looked at our need to Receive Christ, and Repent of our sins. There are times when we need to Remember where He brought us from and Return to Him. We saw that sometimes we need to Renew, Repair, and Rebuild the right things in our lives. The Lord wants us to Reach others and Rejoice in God our Savior. We end our series today with the question, "What does God require?" In the Old Testament God gave the Ten Commandments and the law and the Children of Israel were required to keep the law. "And now, Israel, what doth the LORD thy God require of thee, but to fear the LORD thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the LORD thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul, To keep the commandments of the LORD, and his statutes, which I command thee this day for thy good?" (Deuteronomy 10:12-13) There were even laws for offering sacrifices because they could not keep the law. After hundreds of years and countless failures the Prophet Micah again answered the question in Micah 6:8. "He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?" Those are some good guidelines to live by. What a difference it would make if all people would do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with God!
Then we come to the New Testament. A lawyer asked Jesus which was the greatest commandment. " Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets." (Matthew 22:37-40) Jesus also said in John 13:34, "A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another." These are all good and true commandments, but in John 3:5-7 Jesus gives us the one requirement to have eternal life. "Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again." There are many good verses in the Bible which show us the way to live, "Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you." (I Thessalonians 5:16-18) But the one thing that God requires is what Jesus told Nicodemus, "Ye must be born again."
"Reaching The Uttermost Part" by Andrea Colson
