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[0:00] Music This morning we want to talk about revival, the subject of God's reviving of His church.

[0:29] And revival is a theme that is a beautiful one to take to heart. You think of a shoot coming out of the dry ground. We'll go to our first scripture which is Isaiah 57 verse 15.

[0:44] Where we'll kind of launch this from. Isaiah 57 verse 15. God says this. For thus saith the high and lofty one that inhabitseth eternity.

[0:59] His name is holy. I dwell in the high and holy place. With him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit.

[1:10] To revive the spirit of the humble. And to revive the heart of the contrite ones. You see the word revive. Revive. Revive that means to live again. To revitalise.

[1:22] To restore. To recover. And revival. Someone has said means God revealing Himself to man in awe full and irresistible power.

[1:32] Think of the awe that we have of God. There's a sense of awe that He strikes us with. It's awe full. And it's irresistible. The power of God. Where He revives His dear ones.

[1:44] And it's a reawakening that comes to us. A renewal. A rebirth. A resuscitation. You know. A reconstruction. It's like some churches need some resuscitation.

[1:56] We could all do with some. Couldn't we? To be revived. To be revived again. And Paul hears the word refreshed. As he spoke in 2 Timothy 1 verse 16.

[2:07] He referred to a man. Onesiphorus. And he said that this man often refreshed him. Refreshed him. Now some people can be a breath of fresh air. Can't they? A breath of fresh air.

[2:19] A refreshing. I saw a remark about this church. That coming here was a breath of fresh air. So that was a blessing to hear that. And friends we need that breath of fresh air.

[2:29] Don't we? That reviving of God. That refreshing of God. By His Spirit. It's got the sense of throw open a window. So the fresh air can come. Into a closed up stale room.

[2:41] Don't you like to have some fresh air in your room? Some fresh air through that window. That's the sense of the presence of God isn't it? The refreshing of God. It's a refreshing thing.

[2:53] Versus a stale thing. And Duncan Campbell. An old time preacher said. Of revival. He defined it as a community. Saturated with God. Don't you want that this morning?

[3:05] To be saturated with God. Amen. To be that sponge. As it were. Our cry to the Lord is. Revive us. Again. Make us live again.

[3:16] Make us alive. By your Holy Spirit. With that fullness of your Spirit. And in our text we see three keys. I put to you three keys. For revival. Firstly.

[3:27] The revival that we need. Is a revival of holiness. A revival of holiness. We see. It speaks there. Of this one. Of whom it says.

[3:37] For thus saith the high. And lofty one. That inhabits earth. Eternity. His name is holy. I dwell. In the high.

[3:49] And holy place. So let's capture again. That sense of. Who our great God is. He's the one. Who is high. And lofty. He inhabits eternity. And.

[4:00] You have that sense of his holiness today. Afresh. The Lord Jesus Christ himself. Is called. The holy one. As it reads of him. In Acts 3.

[4:10] 14. When Peter challenged the crown. Says. But you denied. The holy one. And the just. And desired a murderer. To be granted unto you.

[4:22] And they refused that prince of life. And they chose the. Murderer. Barabbas. What a. Exchange.

[4:33] They made. He is holy. Our Lord God. The Lord Jesus. He is holy. And he inhabits eternity. He's been from ever. And will be forever.

[4:45] He is eternal. And with him it says. The Lord Jesus. Hebrews 13. A. Jesus Christ. The same. The same.

[4:56] Yesterday. Today. And. Forever. He is the same. Yesterday. He's the same. Today. And he will be the same. Forever. He is the source.

[5:06] And true revival. Means sensing. The holiness. Of our. Awesome God. He is. Truly holy. And let us hold him. In that awe. And reverence.

[5:17] And have that. Love for him. That honour for him. That he justly. Deserves. It says of our Lord. In Habakkuk 113. It reads in part. Thou art of purer eyes.

[5:29] Than to behold. Evil. And canst not look. On iniquity. So this one. Of whom we speak. He's got very pure eyes. And he cannot look on.

[5:40] Evil. So he's holy. He is holy. Revolver means that. Gaining afresh. Of that sense. Of his righteousness. And rejecting the world.

[5:51] His vain idols. In exchange. For this one. Who is the holy. Holy. Holy God. And our life. Becomes pleasing.

[6:02] In his sight. Let's live again. In sensing the holiness. Of our Lord. This day. How high and holy. How high and lofty. How holy.

[6:12] He truly is. And capture that. In some measure. The holiness of this one. It's about knowing. The holy one. That's what holiness is. It's about knowing the holy.

[6:24] Loving the holy one. The holy one. Who actually comes. And he dwells within us. He lives in us. Through us. And it's really. Holiness is. Letting that holy one.

[6:35] Fill the hole. H-O-L-E. In our heart. And he matches. H-O-L-E. Doesn't he? And because there's a God shaped vacuum. Inside of us.

[6:47] And that holy one. Is the one who fills that. Hole. That is in our heart. He is life. Our life. He is our righteousness. It's how.

[6:58] How. We should. Cleanse ourselves. There's an application. A practical side. To holiness. Having therefore. All these promises. The promises of God. Paul says.

[7:09] Dearly beloved. He says. Let us cleanse ourselves. From all filthiness. Of the flesh. And spirit. Perfecting. Holiness in. The fear of God. When we say.

[7:20] There's a separation. That happens. A separation. Happens. To a holy life. A holy living. A modesty.

[7:31] A purity. An integrity. Right standards. Right living. There's a practical side. Of separation. Which we're going to talk a bit more. About tonight.

[7:43] I heard a preacher. And he said this. We've raised the bar. As the expression goes. And I'm quoting him here. He said. We've raised the bar. In communications. You know. We've got all sorts of gadgets now.

[7:54] We've got HDTV. We've got satellite ditches. We've got high speed internet. We've raised the bar. In communications. We've raised the bar. In transportations. You know.

[8:04] There's much better cars now. With all sorts of gadgetry. We've got better planes. And all kinds of transportation. We've raised the bar. In the area of education. We've raised the bar.

[8:15] In the area of medication. Of financial remuneration. But somehow. In this country. We're not raising the bar. In the area of sanctification. Sanctification.

[8:26] Which means holiness. The bar is lower today. In the average church. Than it ever has been. In the history. Of the church. And we've raised the bar. In communication.

[8:37] Transportation. Education. Medication. Who knows what. But. What about sanctification. It's like the bar's been lowered. There's a loss of sanctification.

[8:48] Sanctification. People don't care about. Living right. About doing. What's right. In the sight of God. And. It's like. We're not honouring.

[8:59] Our God. Like. We. We ought to be. I ought to be. Friends. It's about raising the bar. How can we please our God?

[9:10] Holiness. Should be something that fires us up. God turns us right side up. When we get saved. Something happens. On the inside of us. And our holiness really. Is his holiness.

[9:21] That's the holiness we need. Not a holiness that's manufactured. Of our own making. But that he. The holy ones. Should reside in us. Dwell in us. And live out. Our lives through us.

[9:34] And yet. Sometimes we. Settle for. What the world thinks is okay. It's like someone. Mentioned about movies. You know. The world rates movies. PG. PG-13.

[9:45] Are much worse. But God rates things. As either right or wrong. As either godly or ungodly. As either righteous or unrighteous. You know. The world would see. You know.

[9:55] And I've seen. The ratings on some. Movies. And had a look at them. And I think. Wow. How is that even rated PG-13? Because of some of the stuff that's in there. The content. And yet we.

[10:06] We kind of. Get barraged with it. So much. That we get numb. And we get. Unfeeling. Insensitive. That actually. That's not pleasing to God. It's not right. It's not righteous.

[10:17] It's not holy. And we know. The psalmist said. In Psalm 101. Verse. 3. He says. In part. I'll set. No wicked thing. Before. Mine eyes.

[10:28] He said. I'm going to make a determination. That I'm going to decide. That my eyes are going to look at that. Which is. Worthy. Not wicked. I'm going to set. No wicked thing. Before mine eyes. So we can think of that.

[10:39] In every department. Practically wise. Of our lives. And you know. We've all got to. Make that. Stand before God. Humbly. And receptively.

[10:50] To God. Young girls. Learn to grow. To become a woman. Of integrity. Now decide now. While you're young. Don't wear clothes. That show off your body. That's not holiness.

[11:02] Now don't let the latest trends. And fashion. Set your standards. Let God lead you. What is pleasing to God. What would honour our God. And we learn morality. From the word of God.

[11:12] From God's word. It's the word that sets the standard. It's the word that leads us. God leads us through his word. And this is the manual for life. It's the instructions for life.

[11:23] And it tells us how. How to do the honest thing. How to do the honourable thing. The godly thing. And that can practically wise. In human relations. And you know. Keeping our temper.

[11:34] And keeping. Keeping that. That right standing. With God. And with others. In our lives. You know. Those qualities and values. That we choose for our lives.

[11:44] Are those that matter to God. That's what counts. And it affects every department. Of our lives. What we would choose to watch. On TV. The kind of music. We would listen to.

[11:55] And it all affects us. Doesn't it? It all affects us. The way that we think. Our attitude. Holiness. It's about practicalities. And it's about. Relationship with God.

[12:06] Keeping your faith strong. Standing your ground. Now brother. Sister. You can make a difference. One by one. Each one of us. Standing up for Jesus. As we sum.

[12:17] And standing up for Christ. For truth. God. Will bless you for that. So friends. Today. Be different. In a good way. There's a good way. To be different.

[12:28] A preacher. Put it. Jesus is coming again. And nothing dirty. Will enter heaven. We need to get. Right with God. Don't we? We need to keep right with God. Walk.

[12:39] Walk closely with God. Live in his grace. Live. In his. Pleasure. Are we living holy? Are we living right? And this is not about. Man made rules.

[12:49] And standards. But. It's about that. Closeness. It's our Lord. It's what would honour. And please my. Mighty God. And my greatest. Friend. My saviour.

[13:01] My Lord. Revival. It means living again. Living again. It's life straightened down. It's a life. A fulfilled life. A lifestyle. Real life.

[13:14] Living the way. God wants us to live. Now when you're witnessing to someone. I know. Really. We're talking to people. At the doorstep. Sometimes. Who are dead.

[13:24] Dead. Dead in trespasses and sins. They don't know revival. They don't know life. They're dead. As I once was. They're dead in their trespasses and sins. And we're here.

[13:35] As. As each one of you. Witnesses in your own personal way. You're a communicator of God's life. And. Friends. As Christians. We ought to live holy lives.

[13:47] Obeying. God's truth. In every. Part of our life. And this means Bible life. Being the best that we can. Honouring our great Lord.

[13:58] In devotion. In pleasing him. Having a pure mind. And asking. Your Lord. To show you how. Show you how. Where do.

[14:09] Things fall short. Is it in your home? Is it in your workplace? Is it in your thought life? Is it in. Entertainment. A place that you might occupy. That might be questionable.

[14:22] Or. Will it be that which would honour him. And bless him. And be something. That is. Eternal. Of value. In eternity. Ask the Lord to show you how.

[14:32] To live. To show his holiness. And to expose. Our own wretchedness. And beware about the influence of others. In our lives.

[14:43] John 8.44 says. As a son. They are children. Of the devil. Wow. That's. That's something to consider. Isn't it? When seeking a spouse for life.

[14:54] Seek to find a Christian mate. Very important. It's the most important. Consideration. As you're married one. Is not a Christian.

[15:05] Pray for them. And ask God. To give you grace. To see them. Trust Christ. That you can be. By your example. A witness to that one. That you've married. But of course.

[15:16] If you've yet to marry. Don't marry such a one. Friends. There's children of the devil. And that's not to say. They can't be saved. Because I was once a child. A child of the devil. Amen. We all were.

[15:27] But God helping us. We can. Lead others. To become. Children of God. James 4. 4. It says. Pretty strong words here. It says. He adulterers. And adulteresses.

[15:38] Knowing not that. Friendship of the world. Is amnesty. Is hateful. With God. It's contemptible. He hates that. That friendship of the world. Is hatred towards God. This whoever therefore.

[15:49] Will be a friend of the world. Is the enemy. Of God. What a contrast. That is. Friends. Our world is rotten. To the core. We live in a bankrupt nation.

[16:00] Morally. Bankrupt. Isn't it? These are days of immorality. When we see laws that have passed. Even in our own. State government. Of abortion. Of corruption.

[16:11] And more to come. God help us. We love. We love and live for a holy God. But this world. Lives for another God. Small g. They're children of the devil.

[16:21] And we need to pray for these people. And not say. You know. When we witness. Let's go out with fear and trembling. You know. To have. That fear.

[16:32] That holy fear. That. It's the. Eternal things. That we're talking about. When we. Reaching out. And friends. These are days of immorality.

[16:43] That we're living in. Are you filled with a holy God? The Bible says you are. Yeah. It's real. It's. It's the reality. Some. It doesn't always feel like it.

[16:54] But it says we're filled. With a holy God. The holy God. The thrice. Holy God. And we can be full of his life. His power. There's a quote here about.

[17:08] Worship. And. I'm quoting here. There's no place in a worship service for. Entertainment. Now we had some. Performers. As the. As the world would. Term them today.

[17:18] But they weren't here to perform for you. Here to worship the Lord. To encourage us to have a heart. Of worship today. Now the quote goes on. There's no place in a worship service for. Entertainment.

[17:29] The people are not. In need of seeing how clever a man is. But how holy. God is. That's what church is. Isn't it? I carry on. They need an encounter. With him.

[17:40] Yet so often. A congregation. Lives more impressed. With the. Singer. Than the saviour. More impressed. With the personality. Of the preacher. Than the power. Of the Holy Spirit.

[17:52] That's when things go wrong. Isn't it? Amen. It's not about whoever's preaching. It's about God's spirit. That's what we want. His spirit. To be.

[18:03] At work. As we. Hear his word together. As we. Prayerfully. Humbly. Seek. His will. The quote goes on.

[18:14] In entertainment. The focus is on man. While in worship. The focus is always. On God. Today. It seems that. Especially in the world. Of Christian music. God is often being used.

[18:25] To display man's talent. Rather than man's talent. Being used. To display God. We must strive. With all our being. To keep. The congregation's focus.

[18:35] Where it needs to be. God. After all. Is our audience. In worship. You know. Really. It's almost like. The song leader. That. It isn't sort of. You know.

[18:46] Facing you. But. We're facing God. Together. Isn't it? He is our audience. Our God. Is our audience. And it goes on. His quote. His approval. Is that we need to seek. And the only applause.

[18:57] That we need to seek. Is the applause. Of nail scarred hands. End quote. There's a lot of truth there. Isn't it? That. You know. Our worship time. It's not to make us feel good.

[19:08] Although it might. Make us feel good. But it's about. Honouring. And blessing. And praising. And lifting up. His name. The name of Jesus. Friends.

[19:18] We need a mighty revival. Every church needs a revival. We all need. Individually. Revival. And friends. Revival. Is the pouring out. Of his Holy Spirit. And.

[19:29] Who is his Holy Spirit? One of his names. Is the Spirit. Of holiness. That's one of his names. We need the old time power. Divine visitation. Divine intervention.

[19:40] And as a Christian. Think of it. Your body. Is the temple. Of the Holy Spirit. As we read in. 1 Corinthians 6. From 19 through 20. It says what?

[19:51] No you're not. That your body is the temple. Of the Holy Ghost. Which is in you. Which you have of God. And. You are not your own. For you are brought with a Christ.

[20:02] Therefore. Glorify God. In your body. And in your spirit. Which are God's. It's hard to wrap your mind around it. Really isn't it? To think.

[20:12] That your very body. Is a capsule. A container. A vessel. For the Holy Spirit. Living in you. And. God's Holy Spirit. Living in us. Is the only way. You can live a holy life.

[20:24] Isn't it? We can try and try. Of our own strength. And effort. But it must be the Holy Spirit. Living in you. That is by. Which.

[20:36] You can live a holy life. And so. The question is. Who is running your life? That is the question. We are the dwelling place of Christ. You are not your own.

[20:49] You are brought with a price. I quote here. Out of this life. I shall never take. Things of silver and gold. I make. All that I cherish.

[20:59] And hoard away. After I leave. On this earth. Must stay. Though I call it mine. And boast its worth. I must give it up. When I leave. This earth. All that I gather.

[21:10] And all that I keep. I must leave behind. When I fall asleep. And I often wonder. What shall I own. In that other life. When I pass alone. Shall the great judge say.

[21:21] When my task is through. That my spirit has gathered. Some riches too. Or shall at last. It might be mine. To find. That all I've worked for. I've left behind.

[21:32] You know. We can think of these things. Of. Of the things of life. Of. Of the things of mortality. And it's easy to. To miss the whole point.

[21:43] I have a little video. I was going to try to. Chew there. But it's not working. But it's got the sense. Of a man running. Running. Gut. Running after a. A. A. A. A. A.

[21:54] A. Running. And. Held on. Kind of like a. Fishing line. And he never reaches it. And then he just falls into the grave. And that's what some people. Live their lives like. It's just vanity.

[22:04] It's wasted. A life without God. Is a wasted. Wasted life. Friends. So the revival that we need. Is a revival. Of holiness. And friends. A holy life costs.

[22:15] A holy life pays you. A revival of holiness. Secondly. We need a revival of humility. A holy one says. That he will dwell. In. That humble spirit.

[22:28] For thus saved the high and lofty one. That inhabiteth of eternity. His name is holy. I dwell in the high and holy place. But it goes on to say. With him also. That is of a contrite.

[22:39] And humble spirit. Friends. It's a revival of humility. That we need. And humility means. An entire dependence on God. You know. What was the devil's biggest sin?

[22:50] It was pride. And it's the same. With you and me. Pride can be poisonous. Toxic. When we get so. Self inflated. That we don't. Humble ourselves. And God wants us to be.

[23:04] Humbling ourselves. Revival means. We humble ourselves. We bow down. And we surrender to our God. We love him. We honour him. We want to have his lordship.

[23:14] Afresh. And acknowledge his realm. Over our lives. And a revival. Of humility. Means a bowing down. To the Lord Jesus. And these are coming. To the extremity.

[23:27] Of ourselves. Before him. And lifting up. Of Jesus. A turning from sin. A complete rededication. To God. And his work. You know.

[23:37] Believers here today. We're saved. But there's a sanctifying work. But we don't miss that. We want to see that. Growth. Revival. Is that reviving again.

[23:49] That humbling of ourselves again. That time of prayer. That time of dependence upon God. A reliance upon him. An earnest pleading. An interceding. An earnest and prayerful waiting upon God.

[24:01] God wants us to get to that stage. By stage. By stage. From glory. To glory. To glory. Let's not just stay. At the beginning stage. Let's press on.

[24:12] Towards the mark. Let's see God grow us. A famous writer of. An author about prayer. Particularly. Brother Bounds. Says. He who does not pray.

[24:24] Robs himself of God's help. And places himself where God cannot help him. And prayer. Do we miss prayer? Do we neglect to pray? It takes humility to pray.

[24:35] Because we actually are saying. Lord I depend upon you. I need your help. Do we have that kind of humility? Revival is there. Brother. Sister. Pray. As John the Baptist said.

[24:46] He said. He must increase. But I must decrease. He must increase. But I must decrease. They kind of. One follows the other.

[24:57] Doesn't it? As he fills us. We empty ourselves. Of our self. And humility. It begins as we seek after God. You know. It starts at salvation.

[25:09] Doesn't it? That. Lord I'm a sinner. Save my soul. And we're saved. But that's just the beginning. He wants us to keep on decreasing. And he wants to keep on increasing.

[25:21] As we live for Christ. That righteousness. That right living. That right thinking. That right talking. It follows on. As we humble ourselves. We'll grow in our faith. We'll grow in our walk with God.

[25:32] As we seek after him. And friends. There's a desperate need. To travail. To get right with God. Sometimes we can just stay. At the beginning. And not go on.

[25:44] Not go on. To grow. Our Lord wants us to be a man. A woman. With a contrite. And humble spirit.

[25:56] Now isn't it wonderful. When you reach out to someone. And they weep tears. Of repentance. When God breaks them up. From the inside out. And the floodgates open.

[26:07] Through their eyes. And what a beautiful thing it is to see. When someone trusts Christ. And you see. The floodgates open. As they're broken up. Before God. They're broken up.

[26:18] For their sin. They're willing to repent. They're willing to change. And God is doing a work. From the inside out. And Lord. Don't we need that. That travailing.

[26:28] We can travail in prayer. To see. People trust Christ. And the tears may not always flow. But there's that sense where. There's a breaking up. Of the fallow ground.

[26:39] Isn't there? There's a breaking up. Of the fallow ground. And here's another quote. I'm embarrassed to be part of the church today. Because I believe it's an embarrassment. To a holy God. Most of our joy.

[26:50] Is clapping our hands. And having a good time. And then afterwards. We talk all the nonsense of the world. And the quote goes on. Entertainment. Is the devil's substitute for joy. Because there isn't enough power.

[27:02] In the house of God. People are always looking for something. To take its place. Now we can have a whole lot of hullabaloo. And raisin the tans. And have a whole lot of noise. And this.

[27:14] The true. Presence of God. That's what we need. We don't have a substitute. For the real thing. And the real thing is humility. It's a reviving.

[27:25] It's a reviving of the humility. Of the spirit of the humble. For as he lifts us up. As we bow down. And maybe sometimes he's got to get us down. So he can lift us up. Sometimes those down times.

[27:37] And where he puts us for a time. So he can lift us up. By his hand. Amen. He can lift us up. He can give us that spirit to live. That fresh outpouring. Of himself.

[27:48] And we can ask ourselves. Do people see. Jesus in me. Does Jesus live in me. So much that others can see. The difference that he makes.

[27:59] Friends. We need a revival. A revival of holiness. A holy one. A revival of humility. And thirdly. We're seeing. We need a revival of the heart. A revival.

[28:11] That is heart deep. The holy one says. That he will revive. The heart of the. Contrite ones. For thus saith the high. And lofty one.

[28:22] That inhabit of eternity. His name is holy. I dwell in the high. And holy place. Where? With him also. That is of a. Contrite. A humble spirit. To revive the spirit.

[28:33] Of the humble. To revive the heart. Of the contrite ones. Friends. God is interested in the heart of many. Not the brains. Or the brawn. Now we might have a lot of brains.

[28:45] Or we think we have. A lot of brawn. But God is interested in the heart. It's a heart work. That's what God does. A work in the heart. And he wants a heart. He wants your heart. He wants my heart.

[28:56] He wants a heart. To be broken up. To see. I need God. He wants a heart. To be willing. To yield to his will. A heart that is contrite. And repentant. A heart. Made clean.

[29:07] By his grace. By his blood. Friends. God wants to do a revival. Of the heart. In every soul. And when we sing. As we reach out.

[29:18] As I talked before. It's a heart work. As we witness. We're just instruments of God. God helping us to be. In all of our frailty. And feebleness.

[29:29] And inability. Humanly. So when you go witnessing. Here's the. Here's the. Method. Sanctify.

[29:41] Sanctify. Sanctify the Lord. God. In your heart. And be ready. Always give an answer. To every man. That asketh the reason. Of the hope. That is in you. With meekness.

[29:51] And fear. Peter urges. Set apart the Lord. Set him apart. Sanctify him. In your heart. Set him apart. In your heart. And then you'll be ready.

[30:03] To give an answer. Honor him. We see. The heart. Is where God. Focuses his work. And. When it came time.

[30:15] To find a king. Samuel. Said. Of David. To come. The Lord had sought. Him. A man.

[30:26] After his. Own heart. God is looking for a people. With heart. A heart for God. Friends. Brothers. Sisters. Be sensitive to God.

[30:36] Be tender hearted. Be kind hearted. Be loving hearted. How is your heart condition? Is your heart. Hard. Is your heart. Hateful. Is your heart. Not tender.

[30:48] Let your heart. Be touched by him. That you would be. One who have a heart. After God's great heart. Is your heart right today? Friends. Is your heart right?

[31:00] Maybe there's things. To get sorted. When God points something out. And we know. Lord. I know that's not right. I know that's not right.

[31:11] That's in me. I know it's not right. It's something his spirit does. Isn't it?

[31:21] It's God's conviction. That unsettles our heart. And we talked about it.

[31:31] Wednesday night. The difference between condemnation. Which is of the devil. You know. You're hopeless. You've got no hope. You know. Give it up. That's condemnation. Don't even try to be a Christian.

[31:43] Condemnation. And then you've got conviction. Which is. Yes. There's things that need sorting here. There's a heart problem here. There's a sin problem here. That's conviction.

[31:53] But. I will lift you up. Jesus says. I will lift you up. That's conviction. The conviction of the Holy Spirit. Yes. You've got a sin problem. But I'm the saviour. And I can touch your heart.

[32:05] I can save you. I can heal you. I can fix that. Heart problem. Friends. It's a big difference. Isn't it? Pray that God will give you that conviction of heart. That conviction of your heart.

[32:16] Friends. Revival. It takes a repentance. A conviction. A contrition over sin. Stop brushing it under the carpet. And deal with it. Deal with it.

[32:26] Deal with it before God. God is calling his people to repent. To turn around. To look at our sin. To look at our heart. Our attitude. And revival.

[32:37] It's that awakening of the Holy Spirit. Saying. Yes Lord. Do that work in my heart. Touch my heart. By your hand. God can do that today.

[32:50] In you. In me. It says. It's warfare that we're in. That it's not carnal. This warfare is not carnal. It's a spiritual thing.

[33:01] And it says how it can be bold. Not carnal. But mighty. It says. Through God. Mighty through God. So they're pulling down strongholds. And every thought. High thing. That exalted itself.

[33:13] Against the knowledge of God. And bringing into captivity. Every thought. To the obedience of Christ. Wouldn't that be wonderful. That yet. Every thought. Every. Every. E-V-E-R-Y.

[33:25] Thought. Would be in obedience to Christ. Wow. That would be. That is the ultimate. Isn't it? That yet. Every thought. Would be. Harnessed by Christ.

[33:39] That would be. Yes. Lord. I obey you. In every. Even my thoughts. I obey you. Let alone my actions. And wouldn't that be wonderful. That's the revival of the heart.

[33:51] Isn't it? Wouldn't that be something. It says we can have it. It says we can aspire to it. We've got to cast down some things.

[34:02] Some high things. Prideful things. Selfish things. Carnal things. We've got to cast them down. Throw them down. And break them to smithereens.

[34:13] Amen. Break them down. And stomp on them with your feet. And smash them to pieces. And pulverize them. I'm sort of paraphrasing it here. They say to cast down those things.

[34:23] That are against God. And bring every thought. Every thought. Captive. Is every high thing cast down? Don't we need some humility?

[34:36] Don't we need some grace? Don't we need a heart touch? Have we got to that point? Every thought. Every thought. Captive. Held. By him.

[34:46] Every high thing. Cast down. We can pray for that, can't we? Pray for that for your life. Pray for that for your family. Pray for that for your situation.

[34:59] Freedom can only come as we give him our heart. Friends. It's a heart-deen word. The adoration of your heart. The love of your heart. What is it? Is it Christ?

[35:10] Ordin' it to be? Friends. God promises something where our heart cries out for God. We see Isaiah told. Told. As the Lord gave him these words.

[35:22] I will pour water upon him that is thirsty. And floods upon the dry ground. I will pour my spirit upon thy seed. And my blessing upon thine offspring.

[35:35] He wants to pour water on who? Who? The thirsty. The thirsty. God begins with thirsty souls. Are you thirsty today? No, we need to turn the heat up a bit.

[35:47] Now make yourself get thirsty. I mean get thirsty this morning. We've got refreshments coming. No, but we need the refreshment from above, don't we? Don't we need the refreshment from Jesus?

[35:58] He says, I'll pour my spirit out. That's what we need. God's looking for thirsty souls. And he begins there. With hearts longing for his blessing. His spirit.

[36:08] And you can see that. When you're witnessing it. We had our little team that goes out. Thank God for them. Saturday mornings. When you're out there witnessing to people for Christ.

[36:20] You notice there's a difference between those who are thirsty. And those who are not. Some people are thirsty. Some people just couldn't care less. They're drinking their lives full of other things.

[36:34] But they're not thirsty for God. And it makes such a difference. When you see someone thirsty. Wow. That's a blessing, isn't it? When you see someone. Yeah. I'm interested. I want to hear more.

[36:44] Tell me about Jesus. They've got a thirst. May we have a thirst. Brothers and sisters. Every one of you. Of us. May we have this thirst after God. The things of God.

[36:55] To rise up against apathy. Not fill ourselves with that. When should I take away the thirst for God? I know some of you talk about fasting.

[37:06] It's a good thing, isn't it? Sometimes it's just. And physically. But even more so spiritually. Just to have that. Denying a self.

[37:18] And that. Holding on to God. That we're seeing on Him. Someone said. Men on fire for God can melt the hardest heart.

[37:32] Friends. Give of your best to the Master. He wants you men, women of God. To be on fire. On fire for God. Think of when you first got saved.

[37:44] Are you still there? Have you still got that fire? Or has it. Dwindled a little. You know. That flame can sputter and fizzle.

[37:55] Somewhat. But. Fire it up again. Friends. And the church in our world today is backslidden. Friends. The church by and large. Is backslidden. And look.

[38:06] And we're not any interest here. I can't say it's all there. Then. It's here too. Isn't it? Backsliding. Basically. we can all weaken God wants us to strengthen strengthen the things that remain now the church of God God's church, we're meant to be a living vibrant, militant band of believers, we should be absolutely radical if people get radical with placards and banners and make some big fuss about the coronavirus and the lockdowns and have some big protest meetings, what do we do church, the church of God pretty much nothing really we need revival for survival revival for survival now God can warm up our hearts, can't he don't you want that don't you want to be warmed up in your heart it's like the Lord did with his with the two men on the road to Damascus we see as he talked with them and they didn't realise who he was at the first and they said did not our heart burn within us while he talked with us by the way when he opened up the scriptures friends you know as we spend time with our Lord as he opens up the scriptures there's a heart warming you know some preacher of old said that his heart was strangely warmed when he got saved and friends another quote from uh a man of God of old he said we need a heart warming you know the early believers they knew Jesus and they upset the world they worried the devil they gave wicked rulers insomnia they started something that jails couldn't knock up fire couldn't burn water couldn't drown swords couldn't kill it was a heart warming that's what that's what started it you know I was talking to someone just before you know the the government's clamping down uh this that and the other thank God we're doing a fixed seating if we had fixed seating we'd have to be wearing masks today so thank God we've got a chance we can move around so we're not we don't have to comply with that rule but who knows what they're going to do next week you know honestly and we know there's going to come a place where well we don't we don't accept that it's not we're not at that place yet but friends the clamping down the the the restriction the the government intrusion into the worship of a holy God starting to get close to a point where no we're not not buying that and I know someone was telling me before that uh well they couldn't stop um what's it Paul and Silas singing in prison so if it comes to it you know we might have to have our singing in the prison you know that's the crazy world we're in isn't it now we're not at that point yet but

[41:12] I'm just trying to make the point we need a heartwarming that nothing's going to stop us from our Lord's mission and every one of us has this mission Paul says you know the one I've sent you therefore brethren by the masses of God that you present your bodies a living sacrifice holy acceptable unto God which is your reasonable service just present your bodies just say Lord here am I here I am take all of me put yourself on the altar as it were revival it comes from God it's the fresh life that new life that he brings into us when we say and he wants us to have it ever more so as we grow closer is he your first love has your first love gone a bit hmm say so pray seek after God go back to where you were and refresh your love many of today's Christians they love the world their career their possessions their worldly ways more than they love God and I urge you today love God love God with all your heart your soul your mind your strength it's a choice it's a decision it's about coming to that presenting of yourselves and our feelings can be affected by circumstances you know we believe us we're Christians by faith the promises of God we're saved yes yet there's more there's more than he wants a yielding a yielding again a yielding again a presenting again of your bodies as a living sacrifice day by day to have that contrition of heart to keep close accounts with God and the word contrite it means to be humble and repentant before God crushed by the sense of guilt and sinfulness friends it says the sacrifices of God are a broken spirit a broken and a contrite heart oh God they will not despise crushed by the guilt the sinfulness sometimes we miss that we can we can go blasé on a

[43:40] Christian walk and not always think am I pleasing God with these steps that I've taken with the decisions that I'm intending David knew what he was talking about he was saved but sin came and his world crumbled and he was broken over his sin God did a heart deep work in David and believer you can have times where sin just strikes your heart but God's door is open he says to this man will I look even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit and trembles at my word God will look to you you need to have a heart a sensitivity that contriteness of spirit you need to tremble at his word take it as read don't try to skirt around the verses you don't like take it as read from cover to cover let it be your guide how you live your life your home life your heart life don't try to skirt around what it says tremble at his word and it says of the saved the Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart he says such as being of a contrite spirit you might feel broken today things aren't how you want them to be

[45:12] God is near you you might not feel like it when you're broken God is near you he is nigh unto them you who have a broken heart you who are contrite the word contrite literally means crushed or beaten to pieces the Lord wants us to be broken over our sin it's easy for us to think about our sin and justify it and say well I'm not as bad as this one or that one actually it's this one you've got to look at that's the one it's your sin not theirs not others it's you I'm talking me it's us we've got to be crushed sometimes say Lord I know I'm not right with you I need to get this sorted God points the finger in love in conviction that he will lift us with a heart a hand reaching out he springs conviction and a heart for God is a glad heart we need people with a heart for God that's what we need what's your heart after what is it your heart is obsessed about when you think about how you how you interpret what do you love it's what you talk about it's what you think about it's what what you're possessed with and what you're constantly dwelling on and mindful of and it's what occupies your mind and your thinking all the time is it Jesus a heart for God is a glad heart yet here someone said this smile you're saved heaven bound a lost sheep found angels all around doctrinally sound soon to leave this ground one day to be crowned there's joy for the believer heaven bound a lost sheep found angels all around doctrinally sound soon to leave this ground one day to be crowned

[47:18] God gives you a glad heart when you're saved may not always feel like it there's still in the human lot of life the just the rain falls on the just and the unjust you know I've got some flooding at home the situations where situations aren't how you want it to be but you can still have the joy the joy unspeakable and full of glory it's not dependent on what's happening on this planet it's a joy that's in the heart and we've got reason to sing as much as we're restricted on that front but we can shout you know when the choir comes out you can do some shouting you can say hallelujah you can say amen maybe you can hum along you know we've got reason for joy this morning haven't we to praise God to praise him another quote here what God wants is not to fill up empty pews it's not concern about filling empty churches it's concern about filling empty hearts and empty lives and empty eyes that have no vision empty hearts that have no passion and empty wills that have no purpose he wants to fill us he wants to refill us doesn't he don't you want to be filled to be filled to overflow will you allow him to fill you today your friends and you your heart fill your heart with love with conviction with passion to warm your heart friends he can he will are we willing to be reckless so as the men's opinions when the truth is at stake won't count you know

[48:55] Wesley prints in the fields against popular custom this was unheard of this was what's the word it wasn't a dumb thing Luther nailed his protest to the church door you know it was going against everything that was accepted it was shocking it was radical revival of that too that we would be so revived that we won't care about human opinions and revival friends it starts with you holiness his holiness heart longing yearning open for his working humility let him have his way and we need that revival power that deep hunger that burden for souls to get burdened you're working with unsaved people some of you get a burden pray for them God will show you how to reach out let us pray pray for our families pray for our loved ones pray for the unsaved let's get some old-fashioned praying and believing God and some soul winning fire in us some Christ exalting passion some refreshing some renewing of his spirit of our devotion friends there's a wonderful blessing we can know the Lord is nigh unto them that of a broken spirit and so the search has been of a contrite spirit friends

[50:27] I'll just wrap up here with again these final words it says this for thus saved the high and lofty one that inhabit of eternity his name is holy I dwell he says in the high and holy place but more than that he says he dwells in you and me it says with him also there's a contrite and humble spirit to revive the spirit of the humble to revive the heart of the contrite ones that's the revival we need let's seek after that friends today I've been talking largely really to those that are believers you might say preacher I'm not saved I'm actually one of the living dead I'm dead in my trespasses and sins I don't know Jesus he says I've come that you might have life and have it more abundantly he that has the son has life he that has not the son of God has not life friends it's one or the other you've either got life or you haven't got it and we that have life

[51:31] God wants to regenerate that life to refresh to refire to reflood with his filling with that wonderful ministry that revival that revival it starts with humility it happens in the heart and friends it can be to his praise in your life and mine let's pray Lord we thank you for your word for this truth that you the high and lofty one you that inhabits eternity can even dwell in human hearts such as ours by faith as we trust as we receive your gift of salvation in Christ of the cross paying for our sin and bearing our penalty and guilt and receiving that gift of salvation Lord there's nothing more that we have to do to be saved than that and yet you want us to carry on to go forward to grow to go on to go ahead to keep on growing Lord revive us refresh us your church these people here and those watching from afar let each one be refreshed spiritually we pray

[52:39]  Lord humble us take us to a place of contrition where we've broken up over our sin those things that displease and dishonour you Lord God help us to be a people for your prize and change this timely pride Amen