LET’S HAVE A REVIVAL

                                                                                                               II CHRONICLES 15                            

Pastor Rick Jackson

Can we have a revival? "Sure we can Brother Rick, just call an evangelist and set up a meeting." Really a meeting is not a revival. You hope the meeting produces revival but of course that's not always the case. You can have meetings without revival but you can also have revival without meetings. What does an evangelist do then? He preaches the Word of God hoping to get sinners saved and saints right with God. When God's people get right with God usually sinners will be saved and more saints get right with God and more sinners get saved and soon you have revival! A bringing back to life! The saints begin to show spiritual life, the lost gain spiritual life, the church shows life and we have revival. Can it happen? Yes, that's actually what God wants to be the norm for His people. Let's look at a revival in the Bible and see what happened.

I. They started with GREAT PROMISES (v. 1-2, 7:14, Mt. 10:33, James 4:6-10)

II. They had GREAT POTENTIAL (v. 3-6, 14:4, 16:9, Eph. 6:10)

III. They had GREAT PROVISION (v. 7, Joshua 1:6-9, Mk. 9:41, I Co. 15:58)

IV. They had a GREAT PATTERN (v.8-13)

1. Cleanse the life (v. 8a) Nothing else than a new beginning of obedience to God. Just as in the case of a converted sinner, the first step is a deep repentance, a breaking down of heart, a getting down into the dust before God, with deep humility, and a forsaking of sin. - Charles G. Finney

2. Call upon the Lord (v. 8b) Go home, lock yourself in your room, kneel down in the middle of your floor. Draw a chalk mark all around yourself and ask God to start the revival inside that chalk mark. When He has answered your prayer, the revival will be on. - Evangelist Gypsy Smith

3. Covenant together (v. 9-15, Matthew 18:19-20]

Newspapermen from London went to see firsthand the marvelous happenings of the great Welsh revival at the turn-of-the-century. On their arrival in Wales one of them asked a policeman where the Welsh revival was. Drawing himself to his full height he laid his hand over his heart and proudly proclaimed: “Gentlemen, the Welsh revival is inside this uniform!” He had caught the holy fire.

My friends we have the same things! We can have revival! The question is will we pay the cost?