Audio from Senior Pastor Vaughn Drawdy on Sunday morning July 22nd, 2018.
These sermon notes are made available through the YouVersion free Bible app.
https://www.bible.com/events/449982
Psalm 1:1-3 NIV
Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, 2 but whose delight is in the law of the Lord,and who meditates on his law day and night. 3 That person is like a tree planted by streams of water,which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither—whatever they do prospers.
Last week my dad’s church had nightly revival services. His twin brother was the guest speaker each night. From last Sunday night to Thursday night, the families of Westminster Baptist Church gathered at 7pm, sang songs, heard some good singing by different ones, mom and dad, uncle Ron and aunt Joyce, then Uncle Ron preached followed by a closing song.
Many of us have been to revival services like this through the years, even gathered at Mt. Zion campground a couple of weeks ago.
Why? What is the purpose in these services that we call REVIVAL?
Now some may say in these churches, “Well we’ve always done it and it’s what we do in July.” Maybe, but why?
What is the purpose for REVIVAL?
One resource I read said it this way:
Revival refers to a spiritual reawakening from a state of dormancy or stagnation in the life of a believer. It encompasses the resurfacing of a love for God, an appreciation of God's holiness, a passion for His Word and His church, a convicting awareness of personal and corporate sin, a spirit of humility, and a desire for repentance and growth in righteousness. Revival invigorates and sometimes deepens a believer's faith, opening his or her eyes to the truth in a fresh, new way. It generally involves the connotation of a fresh start with a clean slate, marking a new beginning of a life lived in obedience to God. Revival breaks the charm and power of the world, which blinds the eyes of men, and generates both the will and power to live in the world but not of the world.
We need REVIVAL. Our lives need revival. Our homes need revival. Churches need revival. Christians throughout this community, and across this land need revival.
God, through His Holy Spirit, calls us to revival in a number of situations. Christ's letters to the seven churches reveal some circumstances that may necessitate revival. In the letter to Ephesus, Christ praised the church for their perseverance and discernment, but He stated that they had forsaken their first love (Revelation 2:4-5 4 Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first. 5 Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place).
Many times as the excitement of acceptance to Christ grows cold, we lose the zeal that we had at first. We become bogged down in the ritual, going through the motions, but we no longer experience the joy of serving Christ. Revival helps restore that first love and passion for Christ. The cares and worries of life can beat us down, leaving us emotionally, physically, and spiritually exhausted. Revival can lift us up to new hope and faith.
Sometimes in life we don’t walk the right path, or delight in the God’s Word. We don’t enjoy talking with Him or worshiping Him. We don’t study His Word, learn His Word, meditate on His Word.
The result, we are like a tree planted by the streams of water but we fail to drink. We wither and we don’t prosper.
Years ago I took CPR and and became a CPR/EFR instructor. In Emergency First Response training, it prepared you for situations where you may find someone lying unconscious and needing assistance. SO you go over, assess the situation, call 911, if know heart beat and their are not breathing you start CPR. If you have a AED you hook the up and press the button waiting to see it they need to be shocked back to bring their heart back into rhythm. This person needs REVIVAL. To be brought back to life.
Have you ever felt that way? Maybe not where your heart has literally stopped, but where you feel you need a Spiritual shock to restart your passion. Maybe you feel this way right now.
-God wants your to know Him. Walk with Him, Live in Him. He wants to strengthen you with His presence and His Word.
-God has provided streams of living water for us to drink from.
-Notice in verse 3 (Ps. 1) it did not say “STREAM” but “STREAMS”
-There is so much for us to drink from it pours over us like a great cascading river.
(All the water flowing over Niagara falls is noting compared to God’s provision of living water.)
So how can we be revived?
Some may think we need a revival service. Well, there's nothing wrong with that. But the provision for revival can be fulfilled in our daily walk.
1. It starts with REPENTANCE. (Getting on the right path)
We walk toward what our eyes focus upon. Jesus gave us the direction of His focus when He was teaching His disciples how to pray and focus their lives:
Matthew 6:9-13 (NIV) “‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, 10 your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
2. Acknowledge who owns the day, in see it a provision and a blessing.
Mathew 6:11 Give us today our daily bread.
-In Exodus God told Moses to lead the Israelites out of Egypt so that they could go and worship Him. But the people grumbled, grew weary, became like those trees that didn’t drink from the streams of living water. They simply wanted physical provision and nothing more.
-God wanted them to a people that had faith in Him. To know that man does not live by bread alone, physical food, but by every Word that proceeds from the mouth of God.
-He wanted them to be strong and find nourishment in His presence, in His way of life, in His precepts. That is why He told Joshua in Joshua 1:7-9 (NIV) 7 “Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. 8 Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. 9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” 12 And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.’
Jesus echos the same for us in Matt. 6:33
Matthew 6:25-34 (NIV)
25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? 28 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? 31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
CLOSING Thoughts:
As you leave here today and start your week. Read and reread this passage. Meditate on it. Think about the need for spiritual revival in all the areas of your life. Where do streams of living water need to flow into your life. As God reveals them to you, redirect your walk toward Him. Drink from His living water.
John 7:37-38 (NIV) 37 On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. 38 Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.”
Start your day off in God’s presence, talk with Him, worship Him. Open His Word. I good place nourishing book to read is John. Read it and reread it. Meditate on it. Ask God to help you be nourished in Him.