Genuine Revival
Genuine Revival
Nehemiah 8
8 1 all the people came together as one in the square before the Water Gate. They told Ezra the teacher of the Law to bring out the Book of the Law of Moses, which the Lord had commanded for Israel.
2 So on the first day of the seventh month Ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly, which was made up of men and women and all who were able to understand. 3 He read it aloud from daybreak till noon as he faced the square before the Water Gate in the presence of the men, women and others who could understand. And all the people listened attentively to the Book of the Law.
4 Ezra the teacher of the Law stood on a high wooden platform built for the occasion. Beside him on his right stood Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Uriah, Hilkiah and Maaseiah; and on his left were Pedaiah, Mishael, Malkijah, Hashum, Hashbaddanah, Zechariah and Meshullam.
5 Ezra opened the book. All the people could see him because he was standing above them; and as he opened it, the people all stood up. 6 Ezra praised the Lord, the great God; and all the people lifted their hands and responded, “Amen! Amen!” Then they bowed down and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground.
7 The Levites—Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan and Pelaiah—instructed the people in the Law while the people were standing there. 8 They read from the Book of the Law of God, making it clear[a] and giving the meaning so that the people understood what was being read.
9 Then Nehemiah the governor, Ezra the priest and teacher of the Law, and the Levites who were instructing the people said to them all, “This day is holy to the Lord your God. Do not mourn or weep.” For all the people had been weeping as they listened to the words of the Law.
10 Nehemiah said, “Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”
11 The Levites calmed all the people, saying, “Be still, for this is a holy day. Do not grieve.”
12 Then all the people went away to eat and drink, to send portions of food and to celebrate with great joy, because they now understood the words that had been made known to them.
13 On the second day of the month, the heads of all the families, along with the priests and the Levites, gathered around Ezra the teacher to give attention to the words of the Law. 14 They found written in the Law, which the Lord had commanded through Moses, that the Israelites were to live in temporary shelters during the festival of the seventh month 15 and that they should proclaim this word and spread it throughout their towns and in Jerusalem: “Go out into the hill country and bring back branches from olive and wild olive trees, and from myrtles, palms and shade trees, to make temporary shelters”—as it is written.[b]
16 So the people went out and brought back branches and built themselves temporary shelters on their own roofs, in their courtyards, in the courts of the house of God and in the square by the Water Gate and the one by the Gate of Ephraim. 17 The whole company that had returned from exile built temporary shelters and lived in them. From the days of Joshua son of Nun until that day, the Israelites had not celebrated it like this. And their joy was very great.
18 Day after day, from the first day to the last, Ezra read from the Book of the Law of God. They celebrated the festival for seven days, and on the eighth day, in accordance with the regulation, there was an assembly.
Introduction:
What we need today is genuine revival. I mean genuine heart changing, earth shattering, spirit filled revival. But how do we get this?
I believe there is a recipe for genuine revival found in the book of Nehemiah. God brought revival to Nehemiah and His people. They did something impossible for men (rebuilt the walls and gates of Jerusalem in 52 days), but possible for God. We need to remember, no matter how bad our situation is God is able to change our situation and us.
God revived the hearts of the people to start rebuilding the walls. They worked while mocked and attacked, and yet they still completed the walls. Nehemiah knew the renewal he hoped for required more than rebuilt walls—the people needed renewal and revival.
So let's look at God’s recipe for revival found in the book of Nehemiah.
- Recipe for revival.
What are the characteristics of the revival in Nehemiah? How can we begin to experience revival in our lives and in our church communities?
- Unity (vs1)
If we want true, genuine revival we must first seek unity.
The first thing that we notice is how the people assembled as “one man.” There was no division amongst the people.
When God revives the people of God, it spans gender, race, socio-economic status, and theological differences. The people of God come together to pray, to study the Word, and to serve together, and in the midst of this, God moves. Wherever people are unified, God blesses.
2. The Word (vs2-5)
they exalted the Word, meaning they had a high respect and desire for whatever God said. Through Ezra’s leadership, God’s people were reestablished as a people of the book. From this vivid scene we learn much about honoring God’s Word and about how that Word speaks to all.
They Understood (2-3)
This takes the Word beyond just reading it! Since understanding was the goal, the people were radically and substantially changed.
They Obeyed (13-17)
They were obedient to the word. This was beautiful, simple obedience. Their attitude was that God said it, so we will do it. When they read it in the Word, they did what the Word said.
They Rejoiced (10,12,17)
They were grieved by the gap between what the Word said they should be and what they were. After hearing and understanding the Word, they were grieved because they were aware of their own sin.
They had read the book. They had come face to face with their imperfections. But God had not eliminated them. He was reviving them. They should have joy because God was working in and on their lives.
Because of their great obedience to God’s word, there was very great gladness. We often are deceived into thinking the path of gladness is in doing what we want to do, but gladness and freedom come only through obedience.
3. Worship (vs6)
True revival will start and end with worship. We will look beyond the feelings for our own self fulfillment and joy and we will seek to praise a Holy God.
Likewise, when genuine revival comes we will have God as the primary target of our worship. The reason we will worship will be Jesus and Jesus alone.
Revival is about restoring the heart of worship back to each and every believer. It starts by seeing the love of God until that love breaks us down, empties us, and then fills us until it pours out of us and touches our neighbor.
4. Conviction (vs9)
We must recognize and repent of our sin. How can we have genuine revival if our own sin has no effect on us?
As the people listened to the Word of God, they began to weep. as the Word of God was listened to, people had genuine remorse. In every revival, there have been great waves of repentance. People were cut to the heart over their sins and repented. This is the natural response of somebody who has seen or experienced God.
As we come near God, he comes near us. Then, we, by necessity, mourn and repent of our sins, and then he lifts us up. He revives us; he strengthens us; he renews us.
5. Joy (vs10-12)
Repentance cannot come without tears. At first they are tears of remorse, sorrow, agony, and pain. But they soon turn to tears of joy as we come to understand the truth of God made evident in repentance.
They were joyful. Why? What God had done for them. When they recognized their sin and repented they were filled with joy.
How can we know what Christ has done for us and not be joyful? Revival is a time of joy! Joy for the grace that God bestows in you and I.
6. Obedience (vs13-18)
We must be obedient. Revival will happen when we are obedient to the Lord. They were obedient to the Word of God. Obedience to Scripture is a necessary part of revival. In revivals, genuine conversion brings about great repentance and obedience. People start following Christ, and it changes their life.
7. Prayer (vs1:4)
1:4 When I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven.
PUSH - Pray Until Something Happens.
Global movements of God's Spirit have always begun with prayer. Every revival began with people gathering together to pray. They gathered, prayed, and God moved to restore the land.What kind of work would God be pleased to do if we committed to praying?
III. What does this mean for me?
- Let us strive for unity! We must respond to this individually by forgiving anybody who has hurt us, especially in the body of Christ, and seeking reconciliation. Corporately as churches, we must seek to unify with other parts of Christ’s body so that the body of Christ can be more effective.
- Decay in a community, a church or a nation will result from a lack of devotion to God’s Word. Are you willing to devote yourself to the study and teaching of Scripture? This is a necessary aspect of revival. God looks for those who are devoted to the study and teaching of his Word, and he uses them mightily to revive his people.
- Why do we gather and why do we worship? What is the object of your worship? When we come to worship and make Christ our object of affection and worship, we find joy and delight and happiness in God.
- Are you still mourning over your sin and the sin of your community? Or have you just accepted it or, even worse, are you rejoicing in it, like the world? True believers are mourners, and they also receive the comfort of God. He comforts them as he forgives their sin. He comforts them as he turns their church or their community around in revival.
- God is enjoyed. It is a prayer that God would revive his people precisely so that they might enjoy him! Thus the reason God wants us to enjoy him is because he is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him (Piper).
- One of the reasons that obedience is a common characteristic of revival is because obedience is a characteristic of genuine conversion. In revivals, genuine conversion brings about great repentance and obedience. People start following Christ, and it changes their life. Sadly, most churches are full of people who call him, “Lord,” and yet practice a lifestyle of disobedience.
Are we obedient to the Word of God? Do we practice obedience as a lifestyle? Obedience gives us assurance of salvation, but it also brings God’s blessings on his people. Revivals have always been characterized by obedience because it is proof of genuine conversion and it also brings God’s blessing.
7. When we are lacking revival in our own lives and in the church, we are too busy to pray. We are too busy to pray individually and too busy to pray corporately. Therefore, revival tarries both individually and corporately.
Do we not see the need for corporate prayer? Do we not see the need to gather together and intercede over the church, government policies, and over our nation? It is there where God’s presence is manifest, and he moves on behalf of his people.