Transcription downloaded from https://yetanothersermon.host/_/church4u/sermons/87099/revival/. Disclaimer: this is an automatically generated machine transcription - there may be small errors or mistranscriptions. Please refer to the original audio if you are in any doubt. [0:00] Let's go to the Word of God. Isaiah 57. Someone was asking me if we were going to get the same sermon we had in the morning. I could do that. But no, I'm not going to do that to you. If you want to watch the morning sermon, we can watch it on YouTube. [0:15] So Isaiah 57. We're going to get there shortly. And let's pray, can we? Dear Lord, we thank you. We can get together on this night, together as the body of Christ in this place and time, that we can be the people of God, opening these precious pages of your Word. [0:32] Minister, Lord, by your Spirit's power. Lord, have us taste of heaven tonight, that we might be moved in a heavenly direction. For your glory we pray. Amen. [0:46] Amen. Tonight, my message is revival. Revival. And I put to you, we need revival. I remember way back in the Little Glory Baptist Church, when I joined their little prayer meeting, and they earnestly prayed for revival. They prayed for revival. I think they made it pretty much a habit, didn't they, Brother Peter? Yeah. [1:10] And it's a good thing to pray. And it's a good thing to pray, to believe God for revival. Why? Because we need revival. Amen? Do you believe that? You believe that we need revival? Yes, we do. Many are concerned. Unconcerned, rather. They're unconcerned. And the devil wants it that way. He wants us to be careless, compromising, weak. What does revival look like? It's the opposite of all that. [1:38] What does revival look like? It's that overwhelming essence of the presence of our Lord. It's God's presence in His church, in the assembly. And if Christ was here, if He was present in tangible form, if He was present, and He is, would there not be a deeper worship? Would there not be, if He was, you can imagine, He was sitting amongst this throne, would there not be a genuine love amongst us as God's people? [2:08] Brothers and sisters together, would there not be a stronger holiness of life? [2:38] That sense of that, that sense of that, that greater awareness of that? How can we see more of such things? Worship, love, holiness, zeal, service, fervency, prayerfulness, witness. We need revival. That's what we need. So what's stopping us? [2:57] I'll put you to put you to some roadblocks for revival. For many, their spiritual life is lacking. It's lackadaisical. Some are unconcerned. They're unconcerned for their own soul, let alone the souls of others, of the souls of never-dying men who are going to a devil's hell. [3:16] But are we concerned? We ought to be. The church, by and large, is lacking. This church is lacking. Now, I'm disappointed in this church. [3:26] You know, I could joke about, I should leave this church. It's not strong enough. It's not good enough. You know? Of course, they can't leave this church. [3:39] Like, you can sack me. But no, honestly, there's a sense where this church has got some work to do. This church, by and large, is lacking in spiritual power, in vitality. [3:51] And we can say, well, that must be their fault. Well, it's all of us. We corporate lead the church. We are the church. We are the problem. And it seems that, I'm talking generally of the church, that shallow amusements and activities have replaced the presence and unction of God, that reverence for God. [4:11] And that's not to say we can't have car rallies and picnics and such things. But there's a sense where that's the, it's almost like it becomes the focus, and it's taken the focus away from that which matters. [4:24] And it seems these days, many are sleeping and are in need of awakening, arousing up. All around us, there's this spiritual decline, it seems, in the church worldwide. [4:36] We've lost the power. We've lost the power. We need revival. We've lost the power, but friends, we can regain it. We can regain the power. [4:46] Just as it was in Samson's day, as he lay in Delilah's lap, and he did not know that God's power had left him. [4:57] And he was taken and blinded and shackled, but he did regain the power. He did regain the power. And we can regain the power that we've lost. This is the revival we need. [5:13] And we go to Isaiah 57, verse 15. Just as a bit of a launching pad, as a springboard into the subject of the Word of God, because it's throughout his work. [5:27] This need of God, of his reviving, tells us this. And we could look at verse 14, where it says, To take the stumbling block out of the way. [5:39] That's the roadblocks to revival, if you like. The stumbling block. There's things to get rid of. There's some stumbling blocks, which we'll talk further on. The stumbling blocks to take out of the way. [5:52] And then verse 15, it says this. For thus saith the high and lofty one, that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is holy. [6:03] I dwell in the high and holy place with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit. To revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones. [6:21] Friends, this text tells us of the high and holy Lord, the one who inhabits eternity. His throne is heaven, and it shows him condescending to be with us, with such as us, his presence. [6:36] It tells us of this awesome God, who we know, as in Christ, he took upon him the form of a servant. He stepped down from that heavenly throne, down the stairs, down, down, down to this very planet, to be born a man. [6:53] It tells us of this awesome God would deign to visit such frail creatures as we. In this earth, that he would also will to fill us with his reviving spirit. [7:07] It says this one who inhabits eternity, his name is holy. He also dwells, not only in the high and holy place, but in the very hearts and spirits of those who trust him. [7:19] And he, our majestic Lord, it says he responds to our humility. I think this is the key point. Humility can be lacking. [7:33] It's one of those roadblocks I've put to you. How? We have need of revival. We've need of revival because every church needs revival. [7:45] We could point the finger to others and say they need revival, but friends, this church needs revival. And it's about us recalibrating, finding God's direction, using God's compass to know his will, to find what are the roadblocks stopping us and what is the roadway to revival. [8:06] We need revival. What is revival? What is revival? It's a changed life. It's a bringing back to life. It's a breakthrough. It's God's dwelling with man. [8:18] Friends, there is a roadway to revival. And it is the road less traveled. What is that road called? It's the humility highway. [8:32] Humility. The high and holy one. The one who is high and lofty. Who inhabits eternity. He dwells with the one who is of contrite and humble spirit. [8:43] The roadway to revival is the humility highway. It's that renewal of a godly spirit. It's that humility of heart. Such as we seek after God. [8:54] A humility of soul. A conviction of sin. A turning from it. A repentance. A bringing of rejoicing. God says, I dwell in the high and holy place with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit. [9:10] Contrite meaning repentant. With broken heart. A heart with contrition. With repentance of sin. And a humble spirit. And he says that he wants to revive the spirit of the humble. [9:24] And to revive the heart of the contrite ones. Where is the revival? It's been said many years back when there was revival in Wales. [9:36] This might be a common illustration. That a man went down to Wales. And he was looking for where is the revival? Where is it? I want to find it. I want to go to it. And he got out to this country place. [9:48] And there was a policeman there standing on the street corner. On the village square. And the man approached the police officer. And he said, where is the Welsh revival? And the man in blue drew himself up to his full height. [10:02] Patted his chest. And he said this. He said, the Welsh revival sir. Is under these buttons. That's where the revival is brother. That's where the revival is sister. [10:14] It's inside of us. It was inside that policeman's uniform. Friends, the Lord promises revival. And it starts inside a human soul. Now you might say, well revival is the times of old. [10:28] It's times of revival. Of reformation. Times of revival. Of outpouring. But friends, they were human then. Just as you are human now. Why should it be any less possible for God. [10:43] To effect a revival. Inside of your shirt. As it were. Inside of your person. He says he will revive the spirit of the humble. [10:55] And friends, that's what we earnestly seek after. In this hot time of year. I know I've got some plants that I'm worried about. And there's some drooping plants. [11:08] And I've had to make particular note. To water them. And friends, we need that. Heavenly rain, don't we? [11:20] We need that heavenly. Nutrition. That the water of God. The water of his word. That's what we need. For the drooping plant. [11:32] Flowers droop. But when placed in fresh water. They revive. Will we be humble enough? To depend upon God. To be as a plant. [11:43] Wanting his refreshing. Friends, the word tells us of. Even on a graveyard. Full of dead bones. And the question is raised. [11:54] Can these dead bones live? And the answer is they can't. God's life can be imparted into. Deadness. And that is truly a work of God. [12:05] Is it not? These dead bones. They can do nothing. But God can do everything. Revival speaks of a restoration. Of neglect. I know the soft folk love furniture. [12:17] Restoration. To revive. Those long neglected furniture pieces. To be made as new again. And friends. If people can revive furniture. If people can revive furniture. [12:29] Surely God can revive your soul. You may ask preacher. Why do we need revival? We need revival. Because there's a complacency. [12:39] That can so easily sap. And overtake. And infect us. And we need a revival. Because there's a lack of concern. [12:50] For the lost. For souls. We need revival. We must have it. God's reviving. God's life. So how then may we have a revival? [13:03] Revival comes by the word of God. See in Nehemiah. When they stood behind a pulpit of wood. And they took the book of God. As it were. The scriptures of the time. [13:14] And they went to the word. They took the book. And there was revival. It's such that this word speaks to dry bones. And they live. [13:26] It's a returning to the first love. God's reviving. It's a renewing. It's an obedience to the word. Revival. It is the presence of God. [13:37] Such that the holy. The high one. Should come and dwell. With the humble one. It's God's radical. Transforming power. Friends. I put to you. Tonight. [13:48] That this is not just some. Possibility. Of some academic. Method. [13:59] Of some theoretical. System. Of some. Machination of man. That it is the promise of God. It is the word of God. [14:11] It is his word. That it is possible. That the presence of God. That the visitation of God. Can come to such as we. We can enter in. Question is. [14:22] Will we? Are there those roadblocks. To revival. Those things that would tend us to. To hold back. To refrain. To not believe. Now when I'm speaking of revival. [14:35] I'm not talking about some. Crazy antics. Or some. Hullabaloo. Some. Showmanship. Of supposed signs and wonders. And latter day revelations. [14:45] I'm talking about a biblical revival. A revival. A reverence for God. A love for God. A zeal for God. For his word. For his truth. For doctrine. A revival that's biblical. [14:58] That's what we're talking about. Tonight. And our Lord wills that for us. To restore our joy. Our zeal. To receive his grace. A renewing of the spirit of our mind. [15:10] A renewing of the sense of the fear of God. He is real. He is real tonight. What then must we do? We may have revival. [15:21] But there is a cost. There's a price to pay. There are no shortcuts. What must we have? We must have a humble. And contrite spirit. [15:33] Friends. That's it. We must have a contrite. And a humble spirit. In other words. We must get things right. With God. And with men. He wills to restore that. [15:45] Which the locust has eaten. The devil wants to rob you of your joy. Of your love. Of your heart for God. He wants to dim your vision. And steal your joy. [15:55] Joy. But we must as we bow our will. Believe God. And return unto the Lord. Come to him. In contrition. [16:05] In humility. With a heart. That wants him. To confess. To. Confess our great need of him. Friends. Revival. Is it cry. [16:17] For more of God. More about Jesus. Would I know. More. More. I want more. I want more. And the Lord longs for his people. To want more of him. [16:28] To get right with him. To rekindle the flame. And friends. He beckons to the backslider. Don't stay there. Come back. [16:40] Restore. Refresh. David. David. David knew. His spiritual lows. As David crashed. At the. Foulness of his sin. In Psalm 51. [16:53] Some would have cast him on the scrap heap. But God saw. That even in David. He had a heart. After God. As a God's own heart. [17:05] God in his mercy. Restored him. Revived him. He sought the Lord. That the Lord would restore unto him. The joy of his salvation. And he got it back. Amen. [17:16] You can too. Believer. Backslider. God is gracious. Praise him. David had to come humbly. As we see in Psalm 51. [17:27] The brokenness of David. Then we see the restoration. The revival of David. May we too. Seek after God. With that spiritual thirst and hunger. That burden. [17:37] For revival. May we be as the woman. In Mark 5. You might want to turn there. Mark 5. Of a woman who needed God's word. She needed a miracle. She needed God's touch. [17:50] Mark 5. It tells you of her. That she pushed through the crowd. To reach out and touch. The ham of his garment. Mark 5. [18:04] 24. Friends. This is real. He's the same Lord. And your need is the same. You can touch the hem of his garment. And receive. His. [18:15] Ministry today. You can touch the hem of his garment today. Mark 5. 24. Through 34. It says. Jesus. And Jesus went with him. [18:28] And much people followed him. And thronged him. It was a big crowd. And a certain woman which had an issue of blood. Twelve years. And had suffered many things of many physicians. [18:39] And had spent all. That she had. And was nothing better. But rather grew worse. When she had heard of Jesus. Came in the press behind. [18:51] And touched his garment. She came through the press. This pressing crowd. This pressing throng. She came in. And touched. His garment. Verse 28. [19:03] For. She said. If I may touch. But his clothes. I shall be. Whole. And straightway. The fountain. Of blood. [19:13] Was dried up. And she felt in her body. That she was healed of that plague. And Jesus. Immediately. Knowing. In himself. That virtue had gone out of him. Turned about. [19:24] In the press. In this crowded place. He turned about. And said. Who? Touched. My clothes. And his disciples. Said unto him. [19:34] Thou seest the multitude. Thronging thee. And say's thou. Who touched me. And he looked round about. To see her. That had done this thing. But the woman. [19:46] Fearing and trembling. Knowing. What was done in her. Came and fell down. Before him. And told him. All the truth. And he said unto her. [19:56] Daughter. Thy faith. Hath made. The whole. Go in peace. And behold. Thy plague. She believed. [20:07] And she touched. The hem of his garment. Friends. We can touch. As it were. Touch. The hem of his garment. Today. And he will heal. He will revive. Touch him. [20:19] By faith. Today. That's revival. He can take that dread soul. Malady. Of backsliding. Away. And restore you. [20:31] It comes. Revival comes from. His presence. That's where we find it. That closeness of God. That nearness of him. That sense of his presence. [20:41] Of his holiness. That he is amongst us. And we can reach out. And touch him. Will you. But. In faith. Simply reach out. For him. [20:52] That cry. And cry for revival. That crying out. Now may we have that. That same pushing through today. The same pushing through. Of that woman. That same pressing through. [21:04] That same praying through. That she had. To be. With him. In his presence. Revival. It's the visitation of God. [21:15] Taking hold of him. Tapping into his power. Receiving. In humility. She was fearing and trembling. Receiving. We must touch him today. [21:26] Receive from him. And as we. Sense that. Consciousness of our sin. Our unworthiness. We sense his nearness. That we would dare. To approach him. That sense of our sin. [21:39] That exercise of our heart. Our love. Of repentance. In fear and trembling. As we cast ourself. Upon him. We can be. [21:50] Revived. Only God can bring revival. It's not manufactured. Or planned. Or. Made by men. [22:02] It must come from heaven. And friends. It can. He can set us on fire. He can. And he will. Revive the spirit. It says. Of the humble. And revive the heart. [22:13] Of the contrite ones. But. We must do our part. In that. We must. Place ourselves. At God's disposal. Make yourself. Available for him. [22:25] Be a channel. Be willing. For God to fill. And overflow. Set ablaze. To be. Dare I say. Obsessed. [22:37] Some people. That are a bit. Obsessed. In this church. Obsessive. In a good way. It tells us so. In 1 Corinthians 16. 15. Of the house of Stephanas. It says. [22:47] They have addicted themselves. To the ministry of the saints. These people are over the top. And down the other side. They were addicted. To the ministry. [22:58] Of the saints. To serving God. And God's people. Or don't we have the same heart. That's a good addiction to have. We've had an addiction course. [23:09] But please don't. Don't be delivered. From that addiction. As it were. Being addicted to. The ministry of the saints. To be so addicted. That God. [23:21] Possesses you. That God obsesses you. To be so addicted. That would be a good thing. That you would. And I know. [23:32] I was blessed today. Someone saw a need. And they met the need. And that's a blessing. There's many needs. People don't always notice. But people. Who notice. That's a blessing. [23:44] To notice a need. We have some need. To pick some people up tonight. And that need was met. And it's about being thoughtful. About being. Looking. [23:57] And seeing need. And meeting that need. Being so addicted. That we'll see a need. And we'll step into the gap. Friends. We must have a holy visitation of God. [24:08] That's what we need. And we might think of that. Well that's. Yesteryear. That's Wesley. And Finney. And Whitfield. And Booth. That's others. Some would have questioned about some of those names. [24:20] But we know. There's. In yesteryear. There was. Men. And women. Of God. Used. Mightily. Of God. [24:30] In mission. In ministry. Nations were moved. Communities were moved. Turned upside down. Hotels were empty. [24:43] And churches were filled. There was a holy move. Of God. An impartation. An intervention. An empowerment. From on high. And we must have. [24:54] Friends. If we must. If we can't believe God for it. We must have a sweeping away. Of all the hinders. Those roadblocks. What are they? Those stumbling blocks. [25:05] Friends. You might. Have. The thought to identify. What are the roadblocks for you. They might be different from those for me. And. Anything that will be a stumbling block. [25:17] Anything that's. That's. Blocking your. Getting to him. Is something to. Prayerfully. Seek God. [25:29] To take you out of the way. It's like. You know. We've had occasion lately. There was. I was driving down. Main north. [25:40] And there was a. There was a broken down car. And I was able to move around it. And go. Forward. We can think. We could have been stuck there for ages. [25:51] Think of roadblocks. Sometimes we get stuck spiritually. We've got to move around. Get around the roadblock. Take it out of the way. You know. There was a certain town. [26:03] Where there'd be no revival. It was. The church was dead. People weren't getting saved. The people in the church were unconverted. There was a spiritual desolation. [26:14] In this little town. And in this town. There was an old blacksmith. And he stammered so greatly. That his speech was painful to listen to. He couldn't answer his words. It was like he could hardly speak. [26:27] But this blacksmith. As he labored in his shop. He got a burden. A burden for his town. He got a burden for his church. He got a burden. He got an agony so great. [26:38] That he locked the door. And he went to prayer. And he spent the afternoon in prayer. And he prevailed with God. And he went to the pastor. Who reluctantly afforded him. [26:51] An opportunity to have a meeting. But with no hope. That there'd be anyone turn up. And they called the prayer time. And the room was more than filled. [27:02] And all was silent for a time. And one sinner broke out in tears. And begged if anyone could pray. Pray for me. He said. And others followed. People under deep conviction. [27:14] And from every quarter of the town. People came. Under this conviction of God. And this old man. who prayed in his shop. [27:26] Was the beginning. Of revival. A powerful revival. Followed on. And you might think for yourself. Who am I? You can pray. You can pray. [27:37] I know some of you are fasting and praying. You can take God seriously. That you believe in prayer. You believe in the power of prayer. And you not only believe in it. You practice it. [27:47] And this stammering man. He prevailed with God. He had power with God. And God moved. This humble man. It's going to take humble people. Humble people. [27:59] People will be humble enough. To say. I depend on God. I'm going to ask him. For his grace. I'm going to take hold of him. And not let him go. By faith. Friends. That's revival. [28:10] It's the outflow of the spirit of God. Through the regenerated spirit of man. We sing our Lord. In John 7. In the last day of the great day of the feast. It says. The Lord Jesus stood. [28:21] He cried out. If any man thirst. Let him come unto me. And drink. He that believeth on me. The scripture said. [28:32] Out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. But this he spake of the spirit. Which they that believeth on him should receive. For the Holy Ghost was not yet given. [28:43] Because that Jesus was not yet glorified. He says. If any man thirst. Then come unto me and drink. Are you thirsty for God? You can. You can be thirsty. [28:53] Maybe you should get thirsty. Don't drink for a while. Get thirsty. But not. There's no water here. No. [29:05] We could. I could. I could preach for another couple of hours. And then you start to get thirsty. But we're not talking about thirsty for the water of this world. But thirsty for the water of the word. That's what we love to get thirsty for. [29:16] Don't we? Thirsty for the spirit of God. That out of our belly shall flow rivers of living water. That God can do a steep spiritual work in us by faith. Friends. [29:26] I believe God. I believe this book. God is still able to minister. We might say. That's yesteryear. That's of a time that's past. [29:39] But friends. God is still on the throne. And he can still work. And in effect a reviving. Friends. A reviving of spirit. A reviving of heart. Deep within. Him. You know this promise of God. [29:53] Is not time constrained. He that believeth on me. As the scriptures have said. Out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. That's a promise isn't it? [30:04] That we can have a soul saving revival. That we can be a vessel. For him to flow through. It's going to take a humble vessel. [30:15] It's going to take us saying. It's not me. It's my doing. They all just want to be a humble container of God. A channel of God. And this is what we can believe God for. People. Tonight. [30:26] And just as the word promises it. It's about us. Seizing hold of that promise. And making it ours. To believe God. To pray for revival. [30:38] May it start in you. You know you might think. Well others will pray. The revival will come as others pray. Revivals will come. Revival will come. As some big name preacher comes to town. [30:51] Or some event that we plan. Some great crusade meeting. Or some great. Who knows. Some manufactured event. [31:04] But no. It starts in the individual soul. Of the humble one. And what must we do. Press in. Press in. Trust him. Realize your great need of his mercies. [31:16] Friends. We need his grace. His great grace. We need it now. As we ever needed it. As we ever. Must have. His never failing. Compassions. To lean upon his great grace. [31:29] As we realize our dependence is upon him. As he says without me you can do nothing. Friends. It's not of us. It's not unto us. [31:41] But unto him. The glory is due. And it says in Lamentations 3. It is of the Lord's mercies. That we are not consumed. Because his compassions. Fail not. [31:52] They are new every morning. Great is. Thy faithfulness. The Lord is my portion. Saith my soul. Therefore. Will I hope in him. Now it's a blessed scripture there. [32:04] Lamentations 3. 22 through 24. You might want to jot that one down. It's of his mercies. We are not consumed. His mercies. His compassions. [32:14] Fail not. Great is his faithfulness. The Lord is my portion. I will hope in him. Friends. May we seek hard after God. [32:26] And he shows his glory. To put aside those roadblocks to revival. To see that roadway to revival. It's a humility of heart. He promises. The one whose name is holy. [32:38] Promises these things. Enter in. And our Lord says. Always pray. Luke 18 verse 1. Now really. Don't wait. To the prayer meeting. [32:50] Always pray. Always pray. Be praying. At work. Be praying. At school. Be praying. At home. As a church. Maybe be praying. Earnestly praying. [33:01] Persistently praying. Fervently praying. And praying for revival. Amongst other things. The word tells us. We must have a solemn assembly. And that's not to say. [33:14] Church can't be a. You know. We have a little bit of fun. Now and again. But there's a sense. Where. It's a solemn assembly. And I'm not meaning to. To be frivolous here. To be irreverent here. [33:28] But there is a sense of a solemn assembly. This is solemn. This is serious. This is heaven and hell. This is souls. This is. There's nothing more important than this. And we must answer in. [33:40] To that solemn assembly. With that trembling. That reverence. With that holy hush. As the woman. In Mark 5. She was. Trambling. And tells her son. [33:52] They tremble. At the word. This is. A book that. Scary. It's fearful. It's. [34:10] How do you put it? It's. It's a good sense of that trembling. It's. Wow. That's what it is. I can't put it into. Anything more. Eloquent than that. [34:21] Let's keep believing this book. Amen. Let's believe by faith. The promises of his word. Let's by faith. Receive it. And act upon it. That we can go to him. [34:32] Yes. Today. That we can touch. Him. Touch. The very hem. Of his garment. That we can press towards him. Friends. It's real. He's real. [34:42] Do not hold back. And revival. Happens. As we enter in. As with that seriousness of soul. This is serious. You know. [34:53] I hear of ones. And I know. As I've referred this morning. Where there's. Grief. And loss. People are stepping into eternity. [35:04] We ought to. Take these things. Very seriously. You know. Of loved ones. There's loved ones. In my. [35:15] Circle of influence. That I don't know. I fear for their soul. Where are they going? God. Do a work. [35:27] May I not. Hold back. From speaking up. This is solemn. Serious. And. Friends. This holy God. We ought to have an encounter with him. [35:38] Such that we would. Place ourselves. As it were. Not in his shoes. Because he took them off. But as it were. Before the burning bush. That we could come. And enter in. [35:49] Before the holy God. And get that encounter with him. And friends. It's going to take a turn around. He says. I will dwell. With such a one. The high and holy one. [36:00] The high and lofty one. The one who inhabits eternity. He comes to you. To me. And he says. Be still. And know. That I am God. And we must have revival. [36:12] And. It's going to take a holy desperation. A deep conviction of sin. An agonizing. To be. Right with God. What is that roadblock? What is that stumbling block? [36:23] What's stopping me? How can I be more bold. To share my faith. To not care. What anyone says. To be that powerful witness. That I need to be. [36:35] You know. Friends. We had need. Of revival. Yesterday. There was a car. In the car park. And. It was. It was. In a bad way. I would love to testify. [36:46] That I got in. Sat down. And turned the key. And just my touch. Made that car to start. But. It wasn't so. But. I'm sure there's a lot of. [36:56] Prayerfulness. In Peter. As his car was out there. In the car park. Just here. And. And he was. Concerned for his vehicle. It needed a resurrection. It needed a revival. [37:08] And it came to life again. Now. The. The life came back. We call it the RAA. But. But the life came back. In time. That the vehicle. Was revived. [37:20] How is the vehicle. Of your life. The vehicle. Of your life. We could use. Another analogy. And. As Peter said. He checked the. The fluid levels. [37:30] He checked the oil. And the water. Have you checked your oil. Lately. Matthew 25. Talks about. The oil. As the symbol. Of spiritual life. Of relationship. [37:41] With God. And a psalm. That neglected the oil. As it were. Have you checked your oil. Lately. In that sense of. That spiritual condition. That preparation. [37:52] That heart. Relationship. With God. There's that sense. Where we. What about the vehicle. That is your life. Does it need. Revival. [38:03] Does it need. Maybe it needs to be taken. To the wreckers. And. And a total. A total makeover. A replacement. And he needs a new vehicle. [38:13] You know. To help. Brother Peter. Get a new car. But no. Honestly. We need to have a revival. Don't we. That even this old wreck. That is this vehicle. Can be revived. That it can be refreshed. [38:25] That it can be given. A whole new engine. And a whole new future. A whole new life. And that's what God can do. For such as we. I'm being a bit. Frivolous here. [38:36] The sense where. Well we are a vehicle. And God wants to use you. He wants you. To be. Driving. Forward. In your spiritual life. And friends. We need the revival. [38:47] Of God. It's his sovereign work. And it's the work of God. Revival is the work of God. And one thing that. I reflect on though. As it says. Of the work of God. And as the scriptures say. [38:58] Revive thy work. O Lord. It is his work. Reviving. But. It also says. We are. Laborous together. With God. You're part of the work of God. [39:08] Amen. Every one of you. Every one of us. We are part of the work of God. That is saved here. We are workers. Together with God. That the revival work. We are part of it. [39:19] You are part of it. So do something for the Lord. While you can. It's important. Don't wait till you're old and grey. Like me. [39:30] No. Do something for God now. Don't waste. The opportunities that you have. To be a co-worker for God. The work of revival. Amen. [39:41] Praise him. I'm looking at what I've got to say. And I'm conscious. I'm going to labor this. Because I'm talking about sleepiness. And about awakening. From slumber. [39:51] And so far. So good. You're still awake. But we've been asleep too long. Amen. We've been asleep too long. We slept long enough. It's time to shake it off. And wake up. [40:03] To awake our conscience. To realize that our inclination is to drifting. Isn't it? My inclination is to drift. But God wants us to be firm and steadfast. [40:15] Not to be drifting. Not to be backsliding. But to be touching the hem of his garment. Friends. That's what we need. And it's been said. If you attempt to talk with a dying man. [40:28] About sport or business. As they're on their deathbed. They're no longer interested in hearing about the footy score. Or the cricket goings on. Or you name it. [40:38] They're no longer interested in the current affairs. About who the President of the United States is. It's kind of irrelevant. When they're lying on their deathbed. They see what's important. [40:50] Don't they? That's what they see. People who are dying. Recognize that what we often forget. That we're standing on the brink of another world. So said William Law. [41:02] Who was an old time Puritan I think. In the 1600s. People who are dying. Recognize what we often forget. That we are standing on the brink. Of another world. [41:15] It's solemn. It's serious. It's a solemn assembly. This evening. Friends. Christ is coming. It tells. Isaiah 2. Talks about. [41:26] How the lofty looks of man. Shall be humbled. And it says that the Lord alone. Shall be exalted. In that day. Friends. We want the Lord to be exalted. That's revival. [41:37] I could say much more. But. Friends. It's about. Christ being exalted. Not man being exalted. Not some denomination name. Not some ministering of man. [41:48] To be exalted. It says in that day. This is Isaiah 2. It should be a good one to write down. Verse 11. It says. The Lord alone. Shall be exalted. In that day. [42:00] And I. Spurgeon. Gave a great. Sermon on that. That. It's about the Lord being exalted. The day of the Lord is coming. He shall be exalted. [42:10] And. Friends. The lofty. And proud ones. Will be brought low. And. For the meantime. Are you right with God? [42:23] Am I right with God? I'm not. Pointing to you. Saying. Let's. Let's. Take this seriously today. And. The word tells us. Humble yourselves. Under the mighty hand of God. [42:35] God wants to revive his church. And not this church only. Every church. Even the. The churches we might think. Well they're right off track. That God by his sovereign. [42:48] Move. Can touch. Every church. We're not. We're not. Such that we say. [42:59] We're the only one. But. God. Needs. Every church. To be moved. Let me close with a final little. [43:12] Illustration here. Just. To picture it. Of Satan. Meeting with the emissaries of hell. All these little demons. And he was giving them jobs to do. [43:23] And he was saying. How they could send them down to earth. To wreak havoc and destruction. Damnation. And. Different angels. Fallen angels. Demons. Demons. Came to Satan. [43:34] And one came to him and said. I will go. I'll go for you Satan. Satan said. If I send you. What will you tell the children of man? I will tell the children of man. There is no heaven. [43:46] Satan said. They will not believe you. There's a bit of heaven in every human heart. In the end. Everyone knows what's right and good. You may not go. You may not go. [43:57] Then another demon came forward. Darker and fouler than the first. And he said to Satan. I'll go. Satan said. If I send you. What will you tell the children of man? [44:08] He said. I will tell them. There is. No hell. No. Satan looked at him and said. Oh no. They will not believe you. For in every human heart. There's a thing called conscience. [44:20] There's the inner voice that testifies. To the truth. That not only will good be triumphant. But evil. Will be defeated. You may not go. Then one last creature stepped forward. [44:32] And he came from the darkest place of all. And Satan said to him. If I send you. What will you say to women? To men? To send them to the destruction of their souls. [44:45] He said. I will tell them. There is. No hurry. Satan said go. Now Satan wants you to think. There's no hurry. There's no hurry. [44:56] There's no need for you to hurry to get right with God. Take your time. You know. Some would think. Oh yeah. I've got a bit on my calendar. I've got some plans. [45:06] Some things. Some other things. I've got a love of other things. And then. Maybe God will not get. Get what's left. [45:18] The leftovers of my life. There's no hurry. To get right with God. There's no hurry. Satan wants you to think that. [45:28] Doesn't he? Satan wants you to think. There's no hurry to take it seriously. There's no hurry to think about. What's my spiritual life really like? There's no hurry to think about. Well maybe this book is true. [45:39] And I've got to get ready for eternity. There's no hurry. I've got plenty of time up my sleeve. I'm fit and healthy. I've got years ahead of me. [45:49] Then I'll think about my soul. There's no hurry. For me to be a stronger Christian. There's no hurry. For me to get saved. There's no hurry for me to get right with God. [46:00] Friends. That's just what the devil wants you to think. We've got no assurance of time ahead. [46:12] That's left. We only have a now. And friends I urge you. Touch the hem of his garment. Ask God to do a work in your soul. [46:24] Let's pray. Let's pray. Lord God your name is holy. You are the high and lofty one. [46:35] You inhabit eternity. Dear God we pray for each soul here gathered. In the hearing of this Lord that. Each one might know. The state of their soul. [46:48] That they might know. That heaven is their home. Because they're trusted. In the work of the cross. In Christ's part. And his penalty paid. [47:00] For them. That we can know. Your saving grace today. Lord that by your mercy. We can be saved. And we are saved. [47:11] By faith. As we trust. That promise. And receive that gift. Of salvation. Lord we pray that each one. Might further be stirred. In a good way. [47:21] To. Have that conviction of heart. That reviving of heart. The reviving of the soul. Lord that we can. [47:33] Meet with you. That we can touch the hem of your garment. That we can pray. And keep on praying. That we can believe for your. Touch. For our church. For our. Families. [47:45] Our. Friends. That we can be. Channels. Only. Revive our heart. And our spirit today. [47:56] Bless you. Lord. Lord Jesus. In a precious name. Amen. Amen.