[The following is a manuscript of my sermon delivered on Sunday morning, the 25th of September, 2016. Look for the video on our Vimeo channel, http://vimeo.com/pilgrimreformedchurch.]
This past week we held revival services here at Pilgrim Reformed Church. We do it every year because… well… we’ve done it every year, for a very long time. It’s something many churches do each year, and have for a very long time. And it’s all over for another year, right? If we feel like that, then I’m afraid we’ve lost track of what revival is all about.
When we accepted Jesus as our Lord, we became a new person, just as the Apostle Paul describes often in his letters. At revival, we seek to be renewed in our love for Jesus, to get back that first love we felt when we accepted Him. We need revival every day all year long. And we also pray for the same revival we seek for ourselves to sweep across the land, bringing non-believers to Jesus and reinvigorating those believers whose faith in our Lord may be low, or who may be straying a bit off the straight and narrow path.
I believe Paul encapsulates both these aspects of revival in his letter to the church in Ephesus. Please listen and follow along to the lesson that Paul gave them and left for us, from Ephesians chapter 4, verses 17 through 24, and I’ll be reading from the Contemporary English Version of our Holy Bible…
When we accepted Jesus as our Lord, we became a new person, just as the Apostle Paul describes often in his letters. At revival, we seek to be renewed in our love for Jesus, to get back that first love we felt when we accepted Him. We need revival every day all year long. And we also pray for the same revival we seek for ourselves to sweep across the land, bringing non-believers to Jesus and reinvigorating those believers whose faith in our Lord may be low, or who may be straying a bit off the straight and narrow path.
I believe Paul encapsulates both these aspects of revival in his letter to the church in Ephesus. Please listen and follow along to the lesson that Paul gave them and left for us, from Ephesians chapter 4, verses 17 through 24, and I’ll be reading from the Contemporary English Version of our Holy Bible…
17 As a follower of the Lord, I order you to stop living like stupid, godless people. 18 Their minds are in the dark, and they are stubborn and ignorant and have missed out on the life that comes from God. They no longer have any feelings about what is right, 19 and they are so greedy that they do all kinds of indecent things.
20-21 But that isn’t what you were taught about Jesus Christ. He is the truth, and you heard about him and learned about him. 22 You were told that your foolish desires will destroy you and that you must give up your old way of life with all its bad habits. 23 Let the Spirit change your way of thinking 24 and make you into a new person. You were created to be like God, and so you must please him and be truly holy.
--Ephesians 4:17-24 (CEV)
Let us pray… Father God, we come together in the name of Your Son Jesus to worship You and to listen for Your voice in our life. We pray to You, Father, that You might speak Your will for us into our hearts and our lives. Help us to hear and understand Your message for us this day. In the glorious name of Jesus we pray. Amen.
The story is told about a man who retired after many years in the British Army. One day a friend who knew about his long and distinguished army career decided to play a prank on him. As the old soldier walked down the street with his arms full of packages, the jokester sneaked up behind him and shouted, "Attention!" Without hesitation, the former military man stood straight and dropped his arms to his side, and every package went tumbling to the sidewalk. Without a conscious thought, the veteran was doing what comes naturally for a soldier.
You see, he was still stuck in the past, still wearing his military discipline and persona. He had not made the change into his new life, the new person that he now was. For him, snapping to attention was simply business as usual.
And then there was this new Christian who read through all the Gospels and most of the Epistles. At that point she told a friend that she next wanted to read a book on church history. When her friend asked why, the woman replied, "I'm curious. I've been wondering when Christians started to become so unlike Christ."
That’s a phenomenon we’ve all seen, isn’t it? There are plenty of folks who consider themselves to be Christian, but their normal daily lives seem to be anything but Christ-like. What kind of example can they set for others?
You know, it really can be frustrating talking to some people about God, about Jesus and salvation. They shrug us off by saying, "You have your belief and I have mine." Or, "I won't tell you how to live if you won't tell me how to live." How do we respond to that?
Well, we respond by telling them and showing them that our belief in Christ makes sense. Our belief gives life meaning, both now and for eternity. There are people all around us whose lives have no meaning or hope. They're caught in Satan’s spider web of sin, living "like stupid, godless people", as we just read in verse 17 of our scripture. Our role, as followers of the Lord Jesus, is to demonstrate that a life of faith does make sense.
In this crazy world of aimlessness and despair, we can live with purpose and hope. But we can’t do that, nor can we set that example, if we go back to business as usual after Revival.
It shouldn’t be all that tough to talk to folks about God and Jesus. Our heavenly Father makes it kind of easy for us. This is what God says in the Book of Jeremiah, chapter 23, verses 23 and 24…
The story is told about a man who retired after many years in the British Army. One day a friend who knew about his long and distinguished army career decided to play a prank on him. As the old soldier walked down the street with his arms full of packages, the jokester sneaked up behind him and shouted, "Attention!" Without hesitation, the former military man stood straight and dropped his arms to his side, and every package went tumbling to the sidewalk. Without a conscious thought, the veteran was doing what comes naturally for a soldier.
You see, he was still stuck in the past, still wearing his military discipline and persona. He had not made the change into his new life, the new person that he now was. For him, snapping to attention was simply business as usual.
And then there was this new Christian who read through all the Gospels and most of the Epistles. At that point she told a friend that she next wanted to read a book on church history. When her friend asked why, the woman replied, "I'm curious. I've been wondering when Christians started to become so unlike Christ."
That’s a phenomenon we’ve all seen, isn’t it? There are plenty of folks who consider themselves to be Christian, but their normal daily lives seem to be anything but Christ-like. What kind of example can they set for others?
You know, it really can be frustrating talking to some people about God, about Jesus and salvation. They shrug us off by saying, "You have your belief and I have mine." Or, "I won't tell you how to live if you won't tell me how to live." How do we respond to that?
Well, we respond by telling them and showing them that our belief in Christ makes sense. Our belief gives life meaning, both now and for eternity. There are people all around us whose lives have no meaning or hope. They're caught in Satan’s spider web of sin, living "like stupid, godless people", as we just read in verse 17 of our scripture. Our role, as followers of the Lord Jesus, is to demonstrate that a life of faith does make sense.
In this crazy world of aimlessness and despair, we can live with purpose and hope. But we can’t do that, nor can we set that example, if we go back to business as usual after Revival.
It shouldn’t be all that tough to talk to folks about God and Jesus. Our heavenly Father makes it kind of easy for us. This is what God says in the Book of Jeremiah, chapter 23, verses 23 and 24…
23 “Am I a God near at hand,” says the Lord,
“And not a God afar off?
24 Can anyone hide himself in secret places,
So I shall not see him?” says the Lord;
“Do I not fill heaven and earth?” says the Lord.
--Jeremiah 23:23-24 (NKJV)
God is always close by, not in some far off place like some people think. He is everywhere, always near if we need Him, filling heaven and earth. In fact, since He is everywhere, there is no place that we can go to hide from Him. There is nowhere that He cannot see us, believers and non-believers alike.
Paul understands this, and carries it a little further. In his Book of Acts, the Apostle Luke recorded for us an address Paul gave to the Areopagus in Athens. Listen to what Paul said in Acts chapter 17, verses 24 through 31…
Paul understands this, and carries it a little further. In his Book of Acts, the Apostle Luke recorded for us an address Paul gave to the Areopagus in Athens. Listen to what Paul said in Acts chapter 17, verses 24 through 31…
24 “God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands. 25 Nor is He worshiped with men’s hands, as though He needed anything, since He gives to all life, breath, and all things. 26 And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings, 27 so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; 28 for in Him we live and move and have our being, as also some of your own poets have said, ‘For we are also His offspring.’ 29 Therefore, since we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone, something shaped by art and man’s devising. 30 Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent, 31 because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead.”
--Acts 17:24-31 (NKJV)
Back in verse 18 of our scripture reading from Ephesians, Paul says that those “stupid, godless people” are stubborn and ignorant, and they’ve missed out on the life that comes from God. Well, in verse 30 of what I just read from Acts, Paul reassures us that God has overlooked our ignorance, or as Paul puts it, “these times of ignorance”. But there was a “but” following that reassurance. God overlooked our times of ignorance, but He commands all people everywhere to repent!
Ignorance is simply not knowing. But now we know, and we can’t use that as an excuse. We know all about Jesus and what He did for us. We can no longer plead ignorance. Nor can we continue business as usual. We must repent, all of us everywhere. We must turn from our sinful, disobedient ways and dedicate or rededicate our lives to Jesus!
In His revelation to the Apostle John, Jesus showed the disciple what befalls mankind after the sixth trumpet sounds, the aftermath of three great plagues. Listen to verses 20 and 21 of Revelation chapter 9…
Ignorance is simply not knowing. But now we know, and we can’t use that as an excuse. We know all about Jesus and what He did for us. We can no longer plead ignorance. Nor can we continue business as usual. We must repent, all of us everywhere. We must turn from our sinful, disobedient ways and dedicate or rededicate our lives to Jesus!
In His revelation to the Apostle John, Jesus showed the disciple what befalls mankind after the sixth trumpet sounds, the aftermath of three great plagues. Listen to verses 20 and 21 of Revelation chapter 9…
20 But the rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands, that they should not worship demons, and idols of gold, silver, brass, stone, and wood, which can neither see nor hear nor walk. 21 And they did not repent of their murders or their sorceries or their sexual immorality or their thefts.
--Revelation 9:20-21 (NKJV)
Some people will not repent, not even when the world is falling apart at their feet. Some will not turn from their sinful, lustful ways, even if their eternal soul depends on it. Some people are doomed to eternal torment, even though they could have so easily avoided it, if they weren’t so intent on doing business as usual.
Family, we must make sure we are not among those people. We must try our best to keep our loved ones from being in that group.
The three nights we call “revival” have concluded for this year, but we cannot let the true revival of our spirit and our determination to serve Jesus end for the year along with it. We can’t just step back and say it was nice and wait for early September 2017. We have no assurance September 2017 will come around. Jesus might come back to call His church home before then. We don’t know, but since we don’t know, we need to redouble our efforts at saving the lost and rescuing the perishing.
Let’s not go back to business as usual. Let’s rededicate ourselves to our Christ Jesus, our Lord.
In the holy name of Jesus. Amen.
Let us pray… Father God, we need You so much right now - in our personal lives and across our nation. Our land is torn, our people divided and pitted against each other. Where there should be love there is animosity. We turn to You, Father, just as we have in past times of darkness. Help us, please Father.
Hear us now, Father, as we come to You in the silence, repenting of our disobedient ways, praying for Your forgiveness and mercy…
Lord Jesus, You brought light into a world of darkness. You brought love with You everywhere You went. And it is love You expect us to show and to hold in our hearts. Not just for those who love us, but even for those who hate us. How else can we show Your love than by loving the unlovable, by loving those who work against us, by loving all as we love ourselves, as You love us. Help us, please Lord, to make showing You and Your love our new business as usual.
This we pray in Your glorious name, Christ Jesus, our Lord and Master, the one true Son of God, in whom we place all our hope, all our trust. Amen.
Family, we must make sure we are not among those people. We must try our best to keep our loved ones from being in that group.
The three nights we call “revival” have concluded for this year, but we cannot let the true revival of our spirit and our determination to serve Jesus end for the year along with it. We can’t just step back and say it was nice and wait for early September 2017. We have no assurance September 2017 will come around. Jesus might come back to call His church home before then. We don’t know, but since we don’t know, we need to redouble our efforts at saving the lost and rescuing the perishing.
Let’s not go back to business as usual. Let’s rededicate ourselves to our Christ Jesus, our Lord.
In the holy name of Jesus. Amen.
Let us pray… Father God, we need You so much right now - in our personal lives and across our nation. Our land is torn, our people divided and pitted against each other. Where there should be love there is animosity. We turn to You, Father, just as we have in past times of darkness. Help us, please Father.
Hear us now, Father, as we come to You in the silence, repenting of our disobedient ways, praying for Your forgiveness and mercy…
Lord Jesus, You brought light into a world of darkness. You brought love with You everywhere You went. And it is love You expect us to show and to hold in our hearts. Not just for those who love us, but even for those who hate us. How else can we show Your love than by loving the unlovable, by loving those who work against us, by loving all as we love ourselves, as You love us. Help us, please Lord, to make showing You and Your love our new business as usual.
This we pray in Your glorious name, Christ Jesus, our Lord and Master, the one true Son of God, in whom we place all our hope, all our trust. Amen.
