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Sunday 14 September 2014

'REVIVE US O LORD'

Rev. Brian Wilkie
By Rev. Brian Wilkie                                                                                    

Pastor of St. Andrew's Christian Community
Rockland, Ontario


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PODCAST LINK to CFRA broadcast - Sunday, September 14th, 2014:
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Broadcast Notes:
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‘Revive us O Lord

Welcome to Good News In the Morning a program of words and music bringing a Christian message of hope and encouragement to those who are looking for intelligent meaningful and spirited approach to faith and to life.

This program is sponsored by Good News Christian Ministries PO Box 184 Rideau Ferry, Ontario K0G 1W0. I'm your host today, Brian Wilkie of St. Andrew's Christian church in Rockland. As always I want to start by thanking you our listeners. We are so grateful for your encouragement and support. Please remember that you can always visit our website for materials to encourage and support you in your Christian walk.

If you miss an episode of the show you can go to our website and download the podcast or the MP3 of our broadcast. Details can be found on our website.

The Scripture I want to share with you today is a wonderfully refreshing Psalm from the Old Testament, it’s Psalm 85, and this is what the psalmist writes:
You showed favor to your land, O Lord;
you restored the fortunes of Jacob.
2     You forgave the iniquity of your people
and covered all their sins.    Selah
3     You set aside all your wrath
and turned from your fierce anger.
4    Restore us again, O God our Savior,
and put away your displeasure toward us.
5     Will you be angry with us forever?
Will you prolong your anger through all generations?
6    Will you not revive us again,
that your people may rejoice in you?
7     Show us your unfailing love, O Lord,
and grant us your salvation.
8    I will listen to what God the Lord will say;
he promises peace to his people, his saints—
but let them not return to folly.
9    Surely his salvation is near those who fear him,
that his glory may dwell in our land.
10   Love and faithfulness meet together;
righteousness and peace kiss each other.
11    Faithfulness springs forth from the earth,
and righteousness looks down from heaven.
12   The Lord will indeed give what is good,
and our land will yield its harvest.
13   Righteousness goes before him
and prepares the way for his steps. (NIV)
This is the Word of God.

I hope that we can bend our hearts toward the idea of revival or renewal, and examine what that means for us and for our generation.
Revival and Renewal is an important theme of the church.  It is something that has been a part of the history of the church in all generations. Our history here in North America has been marked by strong revival sentiments through a number of eras. Tent revivals, and revivals that went from city to city and spread in what was called the Great Awakening. In Britain, the same thing occurred with revivals during the era of the Reformation, and the emergence of Wesleyanism. There are so many other times in the past, and in so many places around the world today, and even in our own society there are so many hints and hopes of revival.
There is so much to speak about the way that revival has changed our faith as Christians,  has strengthened us, and has increased the impact of the Gospel in the World, and affected our Society.
We will get a look at what it means in a few moments, but first I'd like you to hear this song, New every Morning is the Love, from the Album, A Celebration of Hymns. Please listen to this with me.
What is revival? In the Psalm which we just read, the psalmist tells us about God restoring the fortunes of Jacob and showing favour to the land.
Now in the time of Israel, revival had to do with the whole nation, the Jewish people, whose identity was in their faith in God. That whole nation was to be revived and restored. We see that call to that in the book of Deuteronomy, where God says to his people that should they fall away from him, he says, “If my people, who are called by my name, should humble themselves, and turn from their wickedness and pray, then I will restore them, then I will restore their land.”
This was a message which the Israelites had to take advantage of over and over again. The Hebrew people did find themselves being tempted and drawn into distractions and diversions, and wickedness and injustice, and sliding downhill. But God forever remembers his promises and this Psalmist calls upon God to restore them as they turn from their wickedness, and restore them as God forgives them for their sins.
For them and for us to be restored begins with the recognition that we have fallen. Yes, we’ve fallen as we all know, from the very beginning – Adam fell, and with him all humanity has fallen. But in addition, we too, are like the early church in Ephesus, which is told, in the book of Revelation, “remember the height from which you have fallen, return to your first love.” That call in revival is, first of all, to the believers in Jesus Christ – to us, to you and me! To return to that first love.
Do you remember that heady excitement when you first discovered that Jesus loves you? When the songs of praise and thanksgiving were just filling your heart, and they ran through your minds when you woke up in the morning, and when you went to sleep at night. Those days when you were so filled with joy at the love of God, when his salvation was everything to you. In those days obeying Him was such a light burden, not even a burden at all, perhaps. Remember your first love?
Do you remember what happened when the routine of life, or just the familiarity of the Gospel somehow caused it to lose its deep impact on you? Of course, there is something about infatuation and enthusiasm that sometimes needs to make way for a deeper resolve that isn’t about giddiness and happiness.  But even that deeper resolve sometimes fades as we spend years serving God, AND pursuing our agenda. There is the temptation to give more and more of our lives to fulfilling our own hopes and dreams, instead of seeing what God wants. That is the trap that we as Christians fall into. That’s why we, first and foremost, need revival.
Do you sometimes find that instead of having love for those who don’t agree with you, that you’ve gotten into a battle framework, a mindset of argumentativeness, instead of hopefulness that the mind and love of Christ might enter their hearts? Have you lost hopefulness and have you become more of a burden to your neighbours than a source and witness to joy and love. Do you need revival and renewal? How shall we find it and what shall we do?
Historically it has always started with the people of God. When Christians are renewed the church is renewed, and when the church is renewed, the society sees a much more credible and believable witness. When the Holy Spirit is working more powerfully in us, God uses us more powerfully in brining others to the Good News.
What are we to do? I often turn to an old sermon by Charles Finney, called Breaking Up the Fallow Ground. He used the image of a field that has not been cultivated in a long time. It was now growing up with wild things, and it hadn’t been sown for a number of years. In order to use it again as a productive field, it need to have the plow go through it deeply and repeatedly to break up the hard lumps, to get rid of the weeds and growth that didn’t belong there. It really needed some strong attention in order to become productive again. Finney wrote in detail about examining our lives for those places where sin had crept in; for those things we had started to excuse because, “well, they really didn’t matter much;” and for the lack of attention we had towards God.
Are your devotions the same as they once were? Have you grown in your devotion to God? Do you spend more time, or have you grown tired of his Word? Have you grown hopeless in Prayer?
Well, we need to recognise those things, resolve in our hearts, and ask the Lord’s help to break up the fallow ground in our hearts, to restore to us that love and joy, that excitement to know Christ more and to make Him known.
God will, and in fact, through Jesus Christ he already has put aside his wrath and displeasure as the Psalmist asked. We know that God will not be displeased with us forever; but can we stop being bitter towards God? Can we stop being a little bit self indulgent in our relationship with God, and stop being covetous of the world around us, but simple turn to God and ask him to renew in us a right spirit, and to create in us a clean heart.
You know that God wants to give us joy. God wants us to rejoice in him. God wants to restore us again. And the psalmist makes it so clear. In the words of his plea we hear the words of Jesus, when he promises these things to us. For Jesus says, “I have come so that you may have life, and that abundantly,” “I have come so that my joy may be in you and your joy may be full.” When we fall away from God we start to seek joy and happiness through other pursuits. It seems like we’ve actually lost faith that God will fulfill his promise. But not this psalmist! This psalmist hadn’t even met Jesus or heard his promises, and yet he is able to call to God to God to restore him. Don’t lose faith! But call upon him, and call upon him again and again.
And here is what the psalmist anticipates when it comes to revival:
Love and faithfulness meet together; righteousness and peace kiss each other. Faithfulness springs forth from the earth, and righteousness looks down from heaven. The LORD will indeed give what is good, and our land will yield its harvest. Righteousness goes before him and prepares the way for his steps.
What a glorious promise we have, what a glorious hope we have, that is made even more sure through the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by the gift he’s given us of his Holy Spirit. So personally we can count on revival, if we will turn again to our Lord.
Now as we continue this thought, I just want you to pause for a second, and here these words of praise which are sung by Sarah Groves. It is called You are Wonderful, and it speaks of the glory and goodness of God. Listen to this with me will you?
It’s a delight to think of how wonderful God is; to remember over and over again; to tune our ears to hymns and songs that delight in God. In fact let me just take this moment to say, that should you visit our website after this broadcast and go to the transcript of this message, could you leave me a comment with one of your favourite hymns or songs of praise, and especially hymns or songs that speak of revival or renewal personally and corporately, and that speak of the renewal of God’s work through the nation and through the world. I’d love to hear about some of your choices on that topic.
Now personal revival is so important, but God uses the personal revival of Christians within the church to do so much more than just change our hearts and attitudes. God uses revived and rededicated Christians to change the world. I just love the Quote of Bill Hybels, the founding pastor of Willow Creek Church in Chicago, who says that from a biblical standpoint, the local congregation is the hope of the world. He is saying that God has given the message of salvation in Jesus Christ to the local congregation. It’s not by great billboards and great structures and worldwide associations that God reaches and changes the world, it is by you, and your brothers and sisters in your little church (or your big one); Having a credible profession of faith; Having some joy because of Jesus. Having some overflowing love, so that when you tell of Jesus, people say, “I want to listen to that person. He’s got something, she’s got a way of going through hard times that I need right now. Or he’s got a way of bringing some peace into situations which are distressed.

When we are revived, ourselves, we show something to the world of the great work that the Holy Spirit can do. It’s not something we can do, it’s not some thing we can pretend or fake. It is a genuine transformation that God gives and allows to be his witness into the world around him.

Are there many complaints today that the church is not giving a credible witness? Some times that is just someone’s bad attitude. But sometimes, let’s face it, it’s the truth. We have not been everything that God calls us to be. And that is, let’s face it, not God’s fault.
But what happens when the church is renewed? It’s wondrous to see, and to know that revival that have filled counties, provinces and countries with a renewed turning to God, most often have not been started by clergy or great preachers. Now such people, with roles in the church have important parts to play, but so often it has been done by the rededication of a single soul to God. It has so often be accomplished through ordinary people whose hearts have been renewed in compassion for their community and their world.

So often it’s someone who the world might dismiss as past their prime, someone who is older but has turned around and now is spending hours in prayer. That prayer is used by God to bring another person, and another person to faith. It is important to know that we, as little as we are (or as little as we think we are) can make a difference through letting God renew us. It might be through your witness, it might be through your prayer. It might be through God calling you into another kind of service of him, but God can use you to be a part of renewal or revival in the world.

We always think of grand things, of movements that spring up suddenly and fill thousands of people, bringing them in to auditoriums and tents, with conversions en mass. That would we wonderful I’m sure. But wouldn’t it be great just to see that neighbour come to Jesus, for whom you have been praying for years; Or that child of yours; Perhaps not being impacted by your renewed witness, but toughed by someone else who has come to a rich and beautiful faith. Perhaps by renewal God will send workers into the harvest to reap where you have sown, and bring joy where you have gone out in tears.

Revival of our society is so important. We think that we can manage as a world with prosperity, industry and a strong economy, and the right political party in charge. But really, deep down, don’t we know that it’s a change of heart and a work of the Holy Spirit of God that will preserve the good of our society, and restrain the evil that so often creeps in.

We need revival, and we can be a part of it starting with ourselves. I want you to continue to think about this and just take a look at how God has revived Israel in Scriptures, how he has given such a great message in the New Testament of the power of the holy Spirit to help us in this, so that the goodness of God might be renewed in our hearts and we would pursue him until he gives us that renewal of which the psalmist speaks.

We’re going to conclude this message for today, and I want to thank you listeners for your encouragement and support. We are so glad for those of you who are able support our ministry financially. Good News Ministries has only one major cost? The four hosts Brent Russett, George Sinclair, Juliet Schimpf and myself are volunteers. So the people who manage our website, organize our events and operate our board don’t cost us anything! Yet your gift can help us to continue to meet that one vital expense, the cost of broadcasting, which enables us to reach you and over 7000 listeners in the Ottawa River Valley. If you can please make a cheque payable to Good News Christian Ministries and send it to P.O. Box 184 Rideau Ferry, Ontario K0G 1W0 we will be happy to send you a receipt at income tax time. I also want to encourage you to tell others about this program

Be sure to worship in a church where the gospel is soundly proclaimed and lived out with compassion, integrity and resolve. Now to conclude our program I would like to have you listen to this Gospel Medley by Revival.

I do pray that the Lord will hold your heart and you would know Jesus personally and profoundly. May the Holy Spirit reside deep within your heart, may the heavenly Father surround you with his constant and abiding and accompanying love.
Good News InThe Morning is produced in the Studios of News Talk Radio 580 CFRA.

- Rev. Brian Wilkie
St. Andrew's Christian Community, Rockland, Ontario
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To listen to the above broadcast, click on the following link:

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