An Outcry for Spiritual Awakening
Isaiah 64:1-5 (NKJV) 1 Oh, that You would rend the heavens! That You would come down! That the mountains might shake at Your presence— 2 As fire burns brushwood, As fire causes water to boil— To make Your name known to Your adversaries, That the nations may tremble at Your presence! 3 When You did awesome things for which we did not look, You came down, The mountains shook at Your presence. 4 For since the beginning of the world Men have not heard nor perceived by the ear, Nor has the eye seen any God besides You, Who acts for the one who waits for Him. 5 You meet him who rejoices and does righteousness, Who remembers You in Your ways. You are indeed angry, for we have sinned— In these ways we continue; And we need to be saved.
Introduction:
Hab. 3:2 ………. O LORD, revive Your work in the midst of the years! In the midst of the years make it known;
- Reviving comes and first counteracts spiritual decline in our life and in the Church.
- This is followed by a season of repenting, waling, the process of humbling oneself and getting back on track.
- Reviving then creates spiritual momentum in our life and in the Church.
1.Our outcry for a Spiritual awakening.
Isaiah 64:1 (NKJV) Oh, that You would rend the heavens! That You would come down!
- We need a spiritual awakening.
1.1. We always need another spiritual awakening.
1.2 Nothing else in this life will ever satisfy the soul of man other than the Holy Spirit glorifying Christ through us.
1.3. The Lord has worked, from the beginning, with special dispensations of great moves of the Spirit of the Lord.
1.4. A quote from Authur Wallis – In Thy Day of Power “decline and decay are inherent in fallen nature and are not confined simply to the physical and moral realm, but invade and influence even the spiritual. This is right large not only in the history of Israel but also across the pages of the New Testament and the subsequent history of the Church. It has please God to counteract this deadly tendency to depart by working at special seasons in places and extra ordinary power.”
1.5 Illustration: of the ancient mountain reservoir that flowed gently down the mountain into the town in the valley below. The stream went unnoticed most of the days and was an unspectacular sight. Until one day some cracks began to appear in the reservoir and before long the walls gave way. The bank could not contain it, trees were uprooted, and the landscape was changed. Such is the nature of times of outpouring.
2. When the fire of spiritual awakening begins to happen.
Isa. 64:2 As fire burns brushwood, As fire causes water to boil— To make Your name known to Your adversaries, That the nations may tremble at Your presence!
2.1 The fire of God falls and chaff begins to be consumed.
2.2 Like a fire is never quenched so are the aspirations of man and lust of the flesh never quenched.
2.3 As Fire causes water to boil so does the Spirit of God in the heart of man cause our love for Christ to boil over out of our life.
2.4. Ela… think about how hard it is to satisfy the flesh: The moment we think we have what we were grasping for something else sticks up it’s head and our pursuit to the next is on again.
2.5 All the while knowing but not knowing that only one thing can actually satisfy the heart of man.
3.When the Lord shows up with Spiritual awakening Nations and people tremble.
Isa. 64:2 … That the nations may tremble at Your presence!
3.1 The effect of a Holy God upon a people a nation when He shows up on the scene.
3.2. When the fear of a Holy God far out weighs the fear of the judgment of man.
3.3. Ela… Like standing in the presence of someone well renown. Katrina story of Joel Olsteen showing up.
3.4. Ela… on the world of sports and music: Grown men turn into children wanting autographs, sweaty wrist bands, under shirts…. then if that is not enough those items become items of value.
3.5. Anthropolatry running rapid in our society – the worship of humans.
4. Wait on the Lord and the Lord will act on your behalf.
4 For since the beginning of the world Men have not heard nor perceived by the ear, Nor has the eye seen any God besides You, Who acts for the one who waits for Him.
4.1 There is one God.
4.2 Our one God is a jealous God.
4.3. He is jealous for your time, your worship, your life, for you.
4.4. Ela… I have seen the effects of great men traveling the world for the gospel, business people traveling the world for money, when all our family or husband or wife needed was us. Give me a shack, but just just give it to me me with you in it.
4.5 This is the Lord attitude about us. He wants us. He wants you. He wants all of us.
4.6 It is in this waiting where our desires die and are reborn.
4.7 Yes, it is like your desires then get saved.