1 00:00:00,260 --> 00:00:04,640 Verses six and seven of our psalm are 2 00:00:04,640 --> 00:00:07,280 the basis for our message this morning. 3 00:00:07,400 --> 00:00:09,440 Wilt thou not revive us again that thy 4 00:00:09,440 --> 00:00:11,180 people may rejoice in thee? 5 00:00:11,580 --> 00:00:14,780 Show us thy mercy, O Lord, and grant 6 00:00:14,780 --> 00:00:16,880 us thy salvation. 7 00:00:17,020 --> 00:00:19,340 We want to talk this morning about the 8 00:00:19,340 --> 00:00:21,600 subject of revival. 9 00:00:22,500 --> 00:00:24,740 As we look at the events occurring in 10 00:00:24,740 --> 00:00:27,880 our nation and around the world, particularly in 11 00:00:27,880 --> 00:00:32,400 the Middle East, we wonder, where is it 12 00:00:32,400 --> 00:00:32,960 all heading? 13 00:00:34,100 --> 00:00:36,460 Are we on the brink of World War 14 00:00:36,460 --> 00:00:39,720 III, as some speculate that we could be? 15 00:00:40,860 --> 00:00:43,160 Are we about to see the prophecies of 16 00:00:43,160 --> 00:00:48,640 Ezekiel 38 and 39 concerning the Islamic invasion 17 00:00:48,640 --> 00:00:49,980 of Israel fulfilled? 18 00:00:53,220 --> 00:00:57,820 Is the church about to be raptured, ushering 19 00:00:57,820 --> 00:01:00,280 in the judgment of the Great Tribulation? 20 00:01:01,420 --> 00:01:06,040 From a biblical standpoint, any one or all 21 00:01:06,040 --> 00:01:08,120 of these are a possibility. 22 00:01:08,900 --> 00:01:11,800 The world certainly does seem ripe for judgment, 23 00:01:12,020 --> 00:01:12,420 doesn't it? 24 00:01:13,020 --> 00:01:16,140 Our nation certainly does seem ripe for judgment. 25 00:01:16,320 --> 00:01:18,240 As we look at the things that go 26 00:01:18,240 --> 00:01:20,740 on around us each day, we often wonder, 27 00:01:21,280 --> 00:01:23,280 how much longer can it go on? 28 00:01:23,440 --> 00:01:25,120 How much worse can it get? 29 00:01:25,840 --> 00:01:28,420 It does seem that we could be on 30 00:01:28,420 --> 00:01:30,360 the threshold of judgment. 31 00:01:31,140 --> 00:01:36,420 Consider the recent outcry in Britain over the 32 00:01:36,420 --> 00:01:38,900 visit of creationist Ken Ham. 33 00:01:39,040 --> 00:01:40,900 We're all, I think, familiar with Ken Ham. 34 00:01:41,060 --> 00:01:44,600 He's the president of Answers in Genesis Ministry. 35 00:01:44,680 --> 00:01:47,000 And he goes around the country and around 36 00:01:47,000 --> 00:01:47,400 the world. 37 00:01:47,480 --> 00:01:48,100 He's an Australian. 38 00:01:48,240 --> 00:01:49,900 He goes around the world speaking on the 39 00:01:49,900 --> 00:01:53,640 subject of creationism and contending with those who 40 00:01:53,640 --> 00:01:55,700 are promoting the evolutionary theory. 41 00:01:55,860 --> 00:01:58,100 Well, he recently made a trip to Britain. 42 00:01:58,540 --> 00:02:00,840 And believe it or not, his trip to 43 00:02:00,840 --> 00:02:04,500 Britain was covered by every major newspaper in 44 00:02:04,500 --> 00:02:04,960 the UK. 45 00:02:05,640 --> 00:02:08,160 And boy, they came out of the woodwork 46 00:02:08,160 --> 00:02:11,640 to attack Ken Ham and his message. 47 00:02:11,900 --> 00:02:14,540 Listen to some of the quotes from the 48 00:02:14,540 --> 00:02:15,840 British newspapers. 49 00:02:15,840 --> 00:02:18,820 Here's a quote from an American professor who 50 00:02:18,820 --> 00:02:21,640 had to get his shots in. 51 00:02:21,760 --> 00:02:23,780 And so he wrote to one of the 52 00:02:23,780 --> 00:02:24,600 British papers. 53 00:02:24,940 --> 00:02:29,640 American professor Neil Shanks of East Tennessee State 54 00:02:29,640 --> 00:02:33,520 University declared, if the experience in the US 55 00:02:33,520 --> 00:02:37,560 is anything to go by, this attempt by 56 00:02:37,560 --> 00:02:42,500 assorted Christian fundamentalist Taliban wannabes to turn the 57 00:02:42,500 --> 00:02:44,780 clock of science back to the Middle Ages 58 00:02:45,250 --> 00:02:47,600 will not stop with biology. 59 00:02:49,000 --> 00:02:52,260 The Guardian, one of the leading newspapers in 60 00:02:52,260 --> 00:02:56,520 England, stated this, the creation myths are based 61 00:02:56,520 --> 00:02:58,980 on nothing but the fantasies of the ignorant 62 00:02:58,980 --> 00:03:00,380 who lived long ago. 63 00:03:00,740 --> 00:03:03,620 To tell our children that ancient traditions, the 64 00:03:03,620 --> 00:03:07,580 dreams of our uneducated forefathers and holy writings, 65 00:03:07,680 --> 00:03:10,600 which must not be questioned or impugned for 66 00:03:10,600 --> 00:03:13,820 fear of blasphemy, are sources of authority about 67 00:03:13,820 --> 00:03:17,080 the world on a par with science is 68 00:03:17,080 --> 00:03:17,800 a travesty. 69 00:03:18,760 --> 00:03:23,540 Quoting Richard Dawkins, the professor from Oxford and 70 00:03:23,540 --> 00:03:28,120 great opponent of creationism, he stated to the 71 00:03:28,120 --> 00:03:30,380 press, any science teacher who denies that the 72 00:03:30,380 --> 00:03:33,120 world is billions or even millions of years 73 00:03:33,120 --> 00:03:36,420 old is teaching children a preposterous, mind-shrinking 74 00:03:36,420 --> 00:03:37,280 falsehood. 75 00:03:37,840 --> 00:03:41,640 These men disgrace the honorable profession of teacher. 76 00:03:42,620 --> 00:03:44,240 Then one other quote from one of the 77 00:03:44,240 --> 00:03:46,320 papers, so long as the antibodies of common 78 00:03:46,320 --> 00:03:49,520 sense are all around, early exposure to religion 79 00:03:49,520 --> 00:03:51,400 can provide a sort of inoculation. 80 00:03:52,040 --> 00:03:54,560 And I would personally encourage bands of hooded 81 00:03:54,560 --> 00:03:58,400 nuns, creepy evangelists, bearded rabbis, and one-eyed 82 00:03:58,400 --> 00:04:03,080 imams to tour our primary schools, wailing incantations 83 00:04:03,080 --> 00:04:04,680 and scaring the wits out of the kids 84 00:04:04,680 --> 00:04:07,860 as a living demonstration of the madness of 85 00:04:07,860 --> 00:04:08,340 religion. 86 00:04:08,960 --> 00:04:11,600 This is just an example of the rhetoric 87 00:04:11,600 --> 00:04:16,200 coming from many of the journalists and many 88 00:04:16,200 --> 00:04:19,380 of the key humanistic leaders in Britain. 89 00:04:19,480 --> 00:04:21,520 And of course, the outcry in this country, 90 00:04:21,880 --> 00:04:24,740 whenever we talk of the subject of creation 91 00:04:24,740 --> 00:04:26,100 is very similar. 92 00:04:26,100 --> 00:04:28,420 And as we look at that, it seems 93 00:04:28,420 --> 00:04:31,420 to me that boy judgment must be coming. 94 00:04:31,980 --> 00:04:35,340 How could the Lord continue to tolerate this 95 00:04:35,340 --> 00:04:35,980 sort of thing? 96 00:04:36,480 --> 00:04:37,800 As many of you know, this past week, 97 00:04:37,900 --> 00:04:40,360 the U.S. Supreme Court voted in a 98 00:04:40,360 --> 00:04:42,860 six to three decision to protect under the 99 00:04:42,860 --> 00:04:46,480 banner of free speech, certain forms of child 100 00:04:46,480 --> 00:04:47,040 pornography. 101 00:04:48,640 --> 00:04:53,790 There are presently 20 cases in U.S. 102 00:04:53,890 --> 00:04:57,550 courts attacking the public display of the 10 103 00:04:57,550 --> 00:05:02,510 commandments and all around us in our society 104 00:05:02,510 --> 00:05:05,530 here in the United States and throughout the 105 00:05:05,530 --> 00:05:12,250 world, we see indicators that judgment seems to 106 00:05:12,250 --> 00:05:14,350 be very near. 107 00:05:14,450 --> 00:05:17,610 The world does indeed seem ripe for judgment, 108 00:05:17,790 --> 00:05:21,810 but there is another possibility. 109 00:05:22,510 --> 00:05:26,410 And that's the possibility of revival in the 110 00:05:26,410 --> 00:05:31,290 church and a spiritual awakening in the nation. 111 00:05:31,750 --> 00:05:35,110 Now, I know it's hard to believe that 112 00:05:35,110 --> 00:05:36,970 that might be able to happen at this 113 00:05:36,970 --> 00:05:39,930 stage, but this morning we want to take 114 00:05:39,930 --> 00:05:43,030 a quick overview of American history and we'll 115 00:05:43,030 --> 00:05:45,170 find that as bad as it is right 116 00:05:45,170 --> 00:05:49,050 now, it has been bad in the past. 117 00:05:50,030 --> 00:05:53,790 So there is the possibility based on the 118 00:05:53,790 --> 00:05:58,050 scriptures and what we know from history that 119 00:05:58,050 --> 00:06:01,550 there could be another move of the spirit 120 00:06:01,550 --> 00:06:02,130 of God. 121 00:06:02,510 --> 00:06:07,010 America in the past has experienced three great 122 00:06:07,010 --> 00:06:10,150 awakenings, and they're referred to as great awakenings 123 00:06:10,150 --> 00:06:12,510 because they were movements of the spirit of 124 00:06:12,510 --> 00:06:14,910 God that impacted the very core of the 125 00:06:14,910 --> 00:06:18,690 nation, touched the entire nation and actually altered 126 00:06:18,690 --> 00:06:21,690 the course of our history. 127 00:06:22,290 --> 00:06:25,230 We've had three great awakenings in the history 128 00:06:25,230 --> 00:06:30,250 of our nation and several smaller moves of 129 00:06:30,250 --> 00:06:34,050 the spirit of God that have impacted local 130 00:06:34,050 --> 00:06:34,670 areas. 131 00:06:35,490 --> 00:06:40,470 But yet some might say, I think we're 132 00:06:40,470 --> 00:06:41,650 just too far gone. 133 00:06:42,510 --> 00:06:44,150 We've gone too far. 134 00:06:44,290 --> 00:06:47,710 America, there's no way that we could see 135 00:06:47,710 --> 00:06:51,870 a turn at the place that we're in 136 00:06:51,870 --> 00:06:52,690 right now. 137 00:06:52,790 --> 00:06:55,170 And, you know, that might be true. 138 00:06:55,870 --> 00:06:58,530 That might be true, but there are a 139 00:06:58,530 --> 00:07:00,550 few things that we need to remember when 140 00:07:00,550 --> 00:07:03,350 we think about this whole issue of judgment 141 00:07:03,350 --> 00:07:07,930 or the possibility of revival. 142 00:07:08,290 --> 00:07:09,850 The few things that we need to remember 143 00:07:09,850 --> 00:07:14,190 are number one, according to Isaiah 28, 21. 144 00:07:16,410 --> 00:07:19,750 Judgment is the Lord's strange work. 145 00:07:23,920 --> 00:07:26,380 Judgment is something that God is reluctant to 146 00:07:26,380 --> 00:07:26,700 do. 147 00:07:28,060 --> 00:07:30,780 And I think history itself testifies to that. 148 00:07:31,480 --> 00:07:34,600 Think of all of the wickedness that has 149 00:07:34,600 --> 00:07:35,800 gone on historically. 150 00:07:36,440 --> 00:07:39,860 Think of all the sin and the disregard 151 00:07:39,860 --> 00:07:43,360 for God and his laws and how few 152 00:07:43,360 --> 00:07:47,060 times God has really intervened in judgment. 153 00:07:47,260 --> 00:07:49,580 We see a God who is reluctant to 154 00:07:49,580 --> 00:07:50,000 judge. 155 00:07:50,500 --> 00:07:53,860 And according to Isaiah, judgment is God's strange 156 00:07:53,860 --> 00:07:54,200 work. 157 00:07:54,260 --> 00:07:56,520 It's not something that he delights in doing. 158 00:07:56,880 --> 00:07:58,540 It's not something that he longs to do. 159 00:07:58,620 --> 00:08:00,080 As a matter of fact, through the prophets, 160 00:08:00,160 --> 00:08:02,200 God said, I take no pleasure in the 161 00:08:02,200 --> 00:08:02,940 death of the wicked. 162 00:08:03,740 --> 00:08:05,400 When Israel was at the height of their 163 00:08:05,400 --> 00:08:07,740 wickedness, God would plead with them and say, 164 00:08:07,880 --> 00:08:11,120 oh, turn Israel, turn backsliding daughter. 165 00:08:11,720 --> 00:08:13,860 And we see that God is reluctant to 166 00:08:13,860 --> 00:08:14,120 judge. 167 00:08:14,420 --> 00:08:15,400 We need to remember that. 168 00:08:15,540 --> 00:08:18,180 Secondly, we need to remember that according to 169 00:08:18,180 --> 00:08:23,820 Micah 718, God delights in showing mercy. 170 00:08:25,280 --> 00:08:27,340 That is something that the Lord delights in 171 00:08:27,340 --> 00:08:27,500 doing. 172 00:08:27,620 --> 00:08:29,920 He's reluctant to judge, but he delights in 173 00:08:29,920 --> 00:08:30,700 showing mercy. 174 00:08:31,419 --> 00:08:35,320 And we have an excellent opportunity to see 175 00:08:35,320 --> 00:08:37,360 mercy demonstrated. 176 00:08:37,820 --> 00:08:41,600 Mercy means not getting what you deserve. 177 00:08:41,740 --> 00:08:43,760 Now, do we deserve to be judged as 178 00:08:43,760 --> 00:08:44,140 a nation? 179 00:08:44,260 --> 00:08:46,000 Does the world itself deserve judgment? 180 00:08:46,140 --> 00:08:47,460 I would say absolutely. 181 00:08:48,500 --> 00:08:50,780 But yet, because we deserve it, we cannot 182 00:08:50,780 --> 00:08:54,380 finally draw the conclusion that that is what 183 00:08:54,380 --> 00:08:55,840 we have in our immediate future. 184 00:08:56,080 --> 00:08:59,820 It could be that God would like to 185 00:08:59,820 --> 00:09:03,720 show mercy because he delights in showing mercy. 186 00:09:04,360 --> 00:09:06,200 So we've got to remember that it's a 187 00:09:06,200 --> 00:09:07,360 strange work to judge. 188 00:09:07,460 --> 00:09:08,600 He delights in showing mercy. 189 00:09:08,600 --> 00:09:12,460 And we also need to remember history beginning 190 00:09:12,460 --> 00:09:13,520 with the history of Israel. 191 00:09:14,580 --> 00:09:16,680 There were many times in the history of 192 00:09:16,680 --> 00:09:19,520 the nation of Israel where it seemed that 193 00:09:19,520 --> 00:09:22,080 they had come to the end. 194 00:09:22,780 --> 00:09:25,520 And of course, as Pastor Chuck is taking 195 00:09:25,520 --> 00:09:28,240 us through the history right now, we're seeing 196 00:09:28,240 --> 00:09:34,180 how miserably the Israelites failed in their commitment 197 00:09:34,180 --> 00:09:34,720 to God. 198 00:09:35,220 --> 00:09:36,940 And there are many times, as you study 199 00:09:36,940 --> 00:09:39,200 that history, where it seems that they're on 200 00:09:39,200 --> 00:09:42,200 the brink of extinction because of their sin. 201 00:09:42,660 --> 00:09:44,420 The book of Judges is a great example. 202 00:09:45,160 --> 00:09:48,360 The book of Judges covers approximately a 335 203 00:09:48,360 --> 00:09:49,600 year period of time. 204 00:09:50,400 --> 00:09:51,680 And at the end of the book of 205 00:09:51,680 --> 00:09:55,360 Judges, you pretty much feel like it's hopeless. 206 00:09:56,380 --> 00:10:00,080 There's nothing that could happen that would alter 207 00:10:00,080 --> 00:10:02,480 the course of Israel's history at that point. 208 00:10:02,600 --> 00:10:04,860 But yet we find that God wasn't finished 209 00:10:04,860 --> 00:10:05,380 with them. 210 00:10:05,560 --> 00:10:09,520 And the book of Judges ends with the 211 00:10:09,520 --> 00:10:13,440 reign of Samuel as a prophet. 212 00:10:13,970 --> 00:10:17,760 And then ultimately with David coming in as 213 00:10:17,760 --> 00:10:20,780 the king and a new day of mercy 214 00:10:20,780 --> 00:10:22,140 and grace upon the people. 215 00:10:23,240 --> 00:10:25,920 So where it seemed like judgment was inevitable, 216 00:10:26,340 --> 00:10:30,260 we see that God had mercy in store 217 00:10:30,260 --> 00:10:30,840 for the people. 218 00:10:31,100 --> 00:10:32,580 We see the same thing as we follow 219 00:10:32,580 --> 00:10:33,500 the history of Judah. 220 00:10:33,920 --> 00:10:37,240 Under the reign of Ahaz, it seemed that 221 00:10:37,240 --> 00:10:38,500 things couldn't get any worse. 222 00:10:38,720 --> 00:10:40,800 And then God raises up Hezekiah. 223 00:10:41,400 --> 00:10:43,520 And there's times of refreshing from the presence 224 00:10:43,520 --> 00:10:44,060 of the Lord. 225 00:10:44,560 --> 00:10:47,900 There's a revival that occurs during the reign 226 00:10:47,900 --> 00:10:50,820 of Manasseh, 55 year reign of wickedness. 227 00:10:52,620 --> 00:10:54,780 Again, it seemed like there was no possibility 228 00:10:54,780 --> 00:10:57,480 that anything good could ever come after the 229 00:10:57,480 --> 00:10:58,180 reign of Manasseh. 230 00:10:58,580 --> 00:11:01,820 But Josiah rises up and through Josiah, God 231 00:11:01,820 --> 00:11:05,220 once again brings a time of refreshment. 232 00:11:05,340 --> 00:11:07,140 And then as we follow the history out 233 00:11:07,140 --> 00:11:10,320 to the New Testament period, how much darker 234 00:11:10,320 --> 00:11:13,880 could things have gotten than Herod being the 235 00:11:13,880 --> 00:11:15,360 king over the Jews at the time of 236 00:11:15,360 --> 00:11:16,320 the birth of Christ? 237 00:11:17,120 --> 00:11:20,060 The lowest point in their history, a non 238 00:11:20,060 --> 00:11:22,040 -Jew sitting upon the throne known as the 239 00:11:22,040 --> 00:11:23,140 king of the Jews. 240 00:11:24,240 --> 00:11:26,900 And yet it was during that dark, dark 241 00:11:26,900 --> 00:11:29,400 hour that Jesus Christ came. 242 00:11:29,940 --> 00:11:31,800 And following the coming of Jesus Christ, of 243 00:11:31,800 --> 00:11:33,180 course, came the day of Pentecost. 244 00:11:33,420 --> 00:11:35,780 And once again, a fresh work of God's 245 00:11:35,780 --> 00:11:37,200 spirit among the people. 246 00:11:37,800 --> 00:11:40,060 Now, as we follow history from the day 247 00:11:40,060 --> 00:11:42,900 of Pentecost up until today, we could take 248 00:11:42,900 --> 00:11:48,380 surveys of various regions, various nations, and we 249 00:11:48,380 --> 00:11:51,660 could find similar stories as to what we 250 00:11:51,660 --> 00:11:53,900 see in the history of the nation of 251 00:11:53,900 --> 00:11:54,140 Israel. 252 00:11:54,320 --> 00:11:56,780 But we want to concentrate particularly this morning 253 00:11:56,780 --> 00:11:58,920 on our own country, the United States of 254 00:11:58,920 --> 00:11:59,340 America. 255 00:12:00,300 --> 00:12:03,760 We tend to think that up until modern 256 00:12:03,760 --> 00:12:08,940 times, America was a solidly Christian nation with 257 00:12:08,940 --> 00:12:12,360 a high moral standard originally established by our 258 00:12:12,360 --> 00:12:15,720 founding fathers and only recently undermined by the 259 00:12:15,720 --> 00:12:18,040 infiltration of liberals into our culture. 260 00:12:19,260 --> 00:12:24,500 This somewhat inaccurate view of history can, I 261 00:12:24,500 --> 00:12:28,020 believe, undermine our hope in the possibility of 262 00:12:28,020 --> 00:12:30,140 God doing a great work in our day. 263 00:12:30,340 --> 00:12:32,940 You see, if we think it's as bad 264 00:12:32,940 --> 00:12:35,100 as it's ever been and because it's so 265 00:12:35,100 --> 00:12:37,660 bad, nothing good can happen in the future, 266 00:12:37,880 --> 00:12:40,000 then we're not going to be looking forward 267 00:12:40,000 --> 00:12:42,040 in faith to the possibility of God doing 268 00:12:42,040 --> 00:12:42,460 something. 269 00:12:43,020 --> 00:12:45,340 But if we are thinking that way, it's 270 00:12:45,340 --> 00:12:47,960 because we don't have a totally accurate view 271 00:12:47,960 --> 00:12:48,580 of our history. 272 00:12:49,360 --> 00:12:51,640 As we go back in the history of 273 00:12:51,640 --> 00:12:53,760 our country, we find that there were times 274 00:12:53,760 --> 00:12:57,600 that were in many ways similar to the 275 00:12:57,600 --> 00:12:59,300 times that we're living in today. 276 00:12:59,860 --> 00:13:01,480 Let me give you some examples. 277 00:13:02,380 --> 00:13:07,220 Americans in the late 1700s were greatly influenced 278 00:13:07,220 --> 00:13:10,500 by the writings of Voltaire and Rousseau in 279 00:13:10,500 --> 00:13:14,740 France and by Thomas Paine and Ethan Allen 280 00:13:14,740 --> 00:13:16,760 here in America. 281 00:13:16,980 --> 00:13:18,400 Let me quote to you from the writings 282 00:13:18,400 --> 00:13:19,520 of Paine and Allen. 283 00:13:20,200 --> 00:13:23,460 Paine, in his book, Age of Reason, he 284 00:13:23,460 --> 00:13:25,660 said, It is impossible to conceive a story 285 00:13:25,660 --> 00:13:28,520 more derogatory to the Almighty, more inconsistent with 286 00:13:28,520 --> 00:13:31,180 his wisdom, more contradictory to his power than 287 00:13:31,180 --> 00:13:33,280 this story of the Bible is. 288 00:13:34,340 --> 00:13:36,620 He was a very popular writer at the 289 00:13:36,620 --> 00:13:36,980 time. 290 00:13:37,400 --> 00:13:40,600 Ethan Allen, in his book, Reason, the Only 291 00:13:40,600 --> 00:13:43,080 Oracle of Man, he said the doctrine of 292 00:13:43,080 --> 00:13:45,580 the Trinity is destitute of foundation and tends 293 00:13:45,580 --> 00:13:47,880 manifestly to superstition and idolatry. 294 00:13:48,120 --> 00:13:50,960 As to the atonement, Allen declared, There could 295 00:13:50,960 --> 00:13:53,720 be no justice or goodness in one being 296 00:13:53,720 --> 00:13:57,200 suffering for another, nor is it all at 297 00:13:57,200 --> 00:13:59,760 all compatible with reason to suppose that God 298 00:13:59,760 --> 00:14:03,120 was the contriver of such a propitiation. 299 00:14:04,100 --> 00:14:05,320 And then a man who was more or 300 00:14:05,320 --> 00:14:07,180 less the disciple of both of these men, 301 00:14:07,440 --> 00:14:10,140 writing a bit later, Elihu Palmer, in his 302 00:14:10,140 --> 00:14:13,160 book, Principles of Nature, he said this, The 303 00:14:13,160 --> 00:14:16,420 simple truth is that their pretended savior is 304 00:14:16,420 --> 00:14:19,200 nothing more than an illegitimate Jew, and their 305 00:14:19,200 --> 00:14:21,300 hopes of salvation through him rest on no 306 00:14:21,300 --> 00:14:23,860 better foundation than that of fornication or adultery. 307 00:14:24,360 --> 00:14:26,640 The Bible is a book whose indecency and 308 00:14:26,640 --> 00:14:31,020 immorality shock all common sense and common honesty. 309 00:14:31,800 --> 00:14:35,240 A big fan of Thomas Paine was Thomas 310 00:14:35,240 --> 00:14:35,740 Jefferson. 311 00:14:36,460 --> 00:14:38,420 He was a great admirer of Thomas Paine, 312 00:14:38,920 --> 00:14:40,960 and he held to many of the same 313 00:14:40,960 --> 00:14:41,320 views. 314 00:14:41,700 --> 00:14:43,540 Such was the thinking of the day. 315 00:14:44,540 --> 00:14:45,760 That was the thinking of the day. 316 00:14:45,840 --> 00:14:47,040 Let me give you an example of the 317 00:14:47,040 --> 00:14:48,860 moral and social conditions at the time. 318 00:14:49,660 --> 00:14:51,140 Drunkenness became epidemic. 319 00:14:52,060 --> 00:14:54,980 Out of a population of 5,300,000 320 00:14:54,980 --> 00:14:56,260 were confirmed drunkards. 321 00:14:56,880 --> 00:14:59,200 They were burying 15,000 of them each 322 00:14:59,200 --> 00:14:59,500 year. 323 00:15:00,420 --> 00:15:03,160 Profanity was of the most shocking kind. 324 00:15:03,700 --> 00:15:05,300 For the first time in the history of 325 00:15:05,300 --> 00:15:07,340 the American settlement, women were afraid to go 326 00:15:07,340 --> 00:15:08,760 out at night for fear of assault. 327 00:15:09,240 --> 00:15:11,220 Bank robberies were a daily occurrence. 328 00:15:12,020 --> 00:15:14,060 The Chief Justice of the United States, John 329 00:15:14,060 --> 00:15:17,000 Marshall, wrote to the Bishop of Virginia, James 330 00:15:17,000 --> 00:15:20,360 Madison, that the church was too far gone 331 00:15:20,360 --> 00:15:21,780 to ever be redeemed. 332 00:15:22,560 --> 00:15:24,880 Voltaire and Paine had declared Christianity will be 333 00:15:24,880 --> 00:15:26,660 forgotten in 30 years. 334 00:15:27,600 --> 00:15:30,180 The colleges of the day were bastions of 335 00:15:30,180 --> 00:15:30,780 infidelity. 336 00:15:31,560 --> 00:15:32,420 Nothing's changed. 337 00:15:33,220 --> 00:15:35,520 A poll taken at Harvard had discovered not 338 00:15:35,520 --> 00:15:37,560 one believer in the whole student body. 339 00:15:38,280 --> 00:15:41,660 At Princeton, two believers and only five students 340 00:15:41,660 --> 00:15:44,140 that didn't belong to the filthy speech movement 341 00:15:44,140 --> 00:15:44,760 of the day. 342 00:15:45,540 --> 00:15:46,660 Students rioted. 343 00:15:46,760 --> 00:15:48,940 They held a mock communion at Williams College, 344 00:15:50,040 --> 00:15:51,900 and they put on anti-Christian plays at 345 00:15:51,900 --> 00:15:52,220 Dartmouth. 346 00:15:52,680 --> 00:15:54,640 They took a Bible and burned it in 347 00:15:54,640 --> 00:15:55,720 a public bonfire. 348 00:15:56,360 --> 00:15:58,720 Christians were so few on campuses in the 349 00:15:58,720 --> 00:16:02,200 1790s that they met in secret and kept 350 00:16:02,200 --> 00:16:05,940 their minutes in code so that no one 351 00:16:05,940 --> 00:16:07,000 would know who they were. 352 00:16:07,620 --> 00:16:11,180 The church historian Kenneth Scott Latourette wrote, it 353 00:16:11,180 --> 00:16:14,420 seemed that Christianity was about to be ushered 354 00:16:14,420 --> 00:16:15,900 out of the affairs of men. 355 00:16:16,080 --> 00:16:18,380 That is part of our history. 356 00:16:18,960 --> 00:16:21,140 We don't realize that so often. 357 00:16:21,360 --> 00:16:24,420 We live with these assumptions, that all things 358 00:16:24,420 --> 00:16:25,860 were so wonderful back then. 359 00:16:26,480 --> 00:16:29,140 What happened to change things? 360 00:16:29,800 --> 00:16:32,180 Well, what happened is the second great awakening 361 00:16:32,180 --> 00:16:36,740 occurred beginning in the 1790s and going all 362 00:16:36,740 --> 00:16:39,280 the way through to about 1840. 363 00:16:39,880 --> 00:16:40,900 Let me read you the account. 364 00:16:41,020 --> 00:16:43,160 The awakening broke out first in Connecticut, then 365 00:16:43,160 --> 00:16:46,620 spread to Massachusetts and all the seaboard states. 366 00:16:46,840 --> 00:16:49,600 A man named James McGreedy, pastor of three 367 00:16:49,600 --> 00:16:52,460 small churches in Logan County, Kentucky, wrote in 368 00:16:52,460 --> 00:16:55,120 his diary that the winter of 1799 was 369 00:16:55,120 --> 00:16:57,980 for the most part weeping and mourning with 370 00:16:57,980 --> 00:16:58,960 the people of God. 371 00:17:00,040 --> 00:17:02,000 Lawlessness prevailed everywhere. 372 00:17:02,760 --> 00:17:06,599 Then in the summer of 1800, the great 373 00:17:06,599 --> 00:17:07,960 Kentucky revival came. 374 00:17:08,520 --> 00:17:12,339 11,000 people came to a communion service. 375 00:17:12,540 --> 00:17:14,660 Out of the second great awakening came the 376 00:17:14,660 --> 00:17:16,160 whole modern missionary movement. 377 00:17:16,280 --> 00:17:18,319 Out of it came the abolition of slavery 378 00:17:18,319 --> 00:17:21,980 and popular education, Bible societies and Sunday school, 379 00:17:22,220 --> 00:17:24,300 along with countless social benefits. 380 00:17:24,420 --> 00:17:26,140 You see, the things that we look back 381 00:17:26,140 --> 00:17:30,180 on and tend to use as references to 382 00:17:30,180 --> 00:17:31,800 support our idea that we've always been a 383 00:17:31,800 --> 00:17:32,420 Christian country. 384 00:17:32,740 --> 00:17:35,000 These are things that were the result of 385 00:17:35,000 --> 00:17:35,760 the great awakening. 386 00:17:38,480 --> 00:17:43,660 It's my position this morning that there is 387 00:17:43,660 --> 00:17:46,920 the possibility, although it looks bleak, although it 388 00:17:46,920 --> 00:17:50,340 seems that once again, Christianity could be ushered 389 00:17:50,340 --> 00:17:51,540 out of the affairs of men. 390 00:17:52,440 --> 00:17:55,460 I believe that it's possible that God might 391 00:17:55,460 --> 00:17:59,240 want to once again work in a special 392 00:17:59,240 --> 00:18:02,200 way, pouring out his spirit, bringing revival to 393 00:18:02,200 --> 00:18:05,800 the church and awakening to those outside the 394 00:18:05,800 --> 00:18:06,220 church. 395 00:18:06,320 --> 00:18:09,400 And so let's talk now about the subject 396 00:18:09,400 --> 00:18:10,060 of revival. 397 00:18:10,080 --> 00:18:11,020 What is revival? 398 00:18:11,880 --> 00:18:13,160 We hear about it. 399 00:18:13,300 --> 00:18:14,800 Sometimes you're driving down the road and you 400 00:18:14,800 --> 00:18:17,120 see a sign out in front of a 401 00:18:17,120 --> 00:18:19,780 church says revival this week, 730. 402 00:18:24,340 --> 00:18:29,000 Revival is something that does have application to 403 00:18:29,000 --> 00:18:33,210 the church, but I don't think it's something 404 00:18:33,210 --> 00:18:36,970 that we can plan in that sort of 405 00:18:36,970 --> 00:18:37,270 a way. 406 00:18:37,690 --> 00:18:39,690 I do think there are things that we 407 00:18:39,690 --> 00:18:42,730 can do that will lend themselves to revival. 408 00:18:42,850 --> 00:18:44,310 And next Sunday, we're going to talk about 409 00:18:44,310 --> 00:18:44,710 that. 410 00:18:46,490 --> 00:18:48,990 But ultimately, I believe that revival is something 411 00:18:48,990 --> 00:18:51,850 that is up to the sovereign choice of 412 00:18:51,850 --> 00:18:52,190 God. 413 00:18:53,110 --> 00:18:55,470 But as we look at history and as 414 00:18:55,470 --> 00:18:57,790 we look at where we are today, I 415 00:18:57,790 --> 00:18:58,510 believe that. 416 00:18:59,710 --> 00:19:02,990 Although conditions are certainly ripe for judgment, they 417 00:19:02,990 --> 00:19:06,630 are also ripe for revival because this is 418 00:19:06,630 --> 00:19:09,430 the kind of environment that revival so often 419 00:19:09,430 --> 00:19:10,270 occurs in. 420 00:19:10,510 --> 00:19:12,230 Let me give you a definition of revival. 421 00:19:12,830 --> 00:19:16,370 Revival is a special season of refreshing when 422 00:19:16,370 --> 00:19:20,890 many believers simultaneously experience a deep Holy Spirit 423 00:19:20,890 --> 00:19:25,230 conviction of sin, resulting in their confession and 424 00:19:25,230 --> 00:19:28,170 renunciation of sin and a renewal of their 425 00:19:28,170 --> 00:19:29,530 dedication to the Lord. 426 00:19:30,630 --> 00:19:33,310 Revival leads to a new commitment to holiness, 427 00:19:33,850 --> 00:19:39,430 a fresh evangelistic zeal and a missionary vision. 428 00:19:40,470 --> 00:19:42,690 You see, revival is something that God does 429 00:19:42,690 --> 00:19:44,450 for his people. 430 00:19:45,730 --> 00:19:47,290 When we have. 431 00:19:48,590 --> 00:19:52,030 Backslidden, maybe not outwardly backslidden, maybe we're still 432 00:19:52,030 --> 00:19:53,890 going to church, we're still carrying around our 433 00:19:53,890 --> 00:19:56,390 Bibles, we're still going through the motions. 434 00:19:56,970 --> 00:19:59,010 But yet in our hearts, we've moved away 435 00:19:59,010 --> 00:20:03,190 from that place of intimacy and total commitment 436 00:20:03,190 --> 00:20:05,550 to the Lord Jesus Christ. 437 00:20:06,590 --> 00:20:07,850 When do revivals come? 438 00:20:09,030 --> 00:20:11,450 Revival is usually preceded by a time of 439 00:20:11,450 --> 00:20:15,290 spiritual depression, apathy and gross sin in which 440 00:20:15,290 --> 00:20:18,070 the majority of nominal Christians are hardly different 441 00:20:18,070 --> 00:20:21,310 in any substantive way from the members of 442 00:20:21,310 --> 00:20:22,490 secular society. 443 00:20:23,630 --> 00:20:25,930 You see, the big problem in our country 444 00:20:25,930 --> 00:20:29,290 today, we talk about how come, you know, 445 00:20:29,350 --> 00:20:30,990 things keep going from bad to worse. 446 00:20:31,050 --> 00:20:32,830 And what about all the conversions that are 447 00:20:32,830 --> 00:20:34,530 taking place and all the churches that are 448 00:20:34,530 --> 00:20:35,230 rising up? 449 00:20:35,230 --> 00:20:37,310 And we see a lot of activity. 450 00:20:38,370 --> 00:20:41,690 But when you start analyzing things closely, you 451 00:20:41,690 --> 00:20:44,510 find that although churches are filling up with 452 00:20:44,510 --> 00:20:47,350 people, there's not a whole lot of difference 453 00:20:47,350 --> 00:20:49,350 between the lifestyle of those in the churches 454 00:20:49,350 --> 00:20:50,690 and those outside the churches. 455 00:20:51,670 --> 00:20:54,210 And so, great numbers of people flocking to 456 00:20:54,210 --> 00:20:59,030 a place to worship does not necessarily indicate 457 00:20:59,030 --> 00:21:00,230 that everything's right. 458 00:21:01,510 --> 00:21:03,490 What indicates that everything's right is that we're 459 00:21:03,490 --> 00:21:05,630 living lives that are glorifying God. 460 00:21:06,830 --> 00:21:09,390 And revival is that time of refreshment, that 461 00:21:09,390 --> 00:21:12,070 time when God moves once again and he 462 00:21:12,070 --> 00:21:15,270 convicts us and he calls us to put 463 00:21:15,270 --> 00:21:17,590 aside things that maybe we've allowed to creep 464 00:21:17,590 --> 00:21:20,750 into our lives after being a Christian for 465 00:21:20,750 --> 00:21:21,190 some time. 466 00:21:21,470 --> 00:21:22,430 You all know how it is when you 467 00:21:22,430 --> 00:21:23,410 first became a Christian. 468 00:21:23,530 --> 00:21:24,990 In a sense, you were reckless when it 469 00:21:24,990 --> 00:21:27,110 came to your commitment to the Lord and 470 00:21:27,110 --> 00:21:30,570 your just casting off of the things of 471 00:21:30,570 --> 00:21:30,970 the world. 472 00:21:31,990 --> 00:21:33,790 You just didn't want to have anything to 473 00:21:33,790 --> 00:21:35,650 do with the world, everything, just throw it 474 00:21:35,650 --> 00:21:38,530 out, put it in the rubbish bin, burn 475 00:21:38,530 --> 00:21:38,750 it. 476 00:21:41,390 --> 00:21:44,770 But as time goes on, you start to 477 00:21:44,770 --> 00:21:46,410 grow a little bit cold and your heart 478 00:21:46,410 --> 00:21:47,610 becomes a bit hardened. 479 00:21:47,630 --> 00:21:50,590 And then you start slowly bringing those things 480 00:21:50,590 --> 00:21:51,650 back into your life. 481 00:21:51,730 --> 00:21:54,130 And pretty soon the cares of this life, 482 00:21:54,210 --> 00:21:56,150 the deceitfulness of riches, the desire for other 483 00:21:56,150 --> 00:21:58,570 things come in and they begin to choke 484 00:21:58,570 --> 00:21:59,250 out the word. 485 00:21:59,330 --> 00:22:01,050 It's at those times that we need to 486 00:22:01,050 --> 00:22:01,750 be revived. 487 00:22:03,010 --> 00:22:06,490 And so revival is primarily for the people 488 00:22:06,490 --> 00:22:06,850 of God. 489 00:22:06,930 --> 00:22:13,270 Now, awakening is something that comes alongside revival 490 00:22:13,270 --> 00:22:16,710 and impacts those outside the church, bringing them 491 00:22:16,710 --> 00:22:18,050 to a saving faith in Christ. 492 00:22:18,390 --> 00:22:24,170 And generally speaking, revival and awakening happen simultaneously 493 00:22:24,170 --> 00:22:28,530 as God begins to move in his church 494 00:22:28,530 --> 00:22:31,350 by his spirit, bringing a fresh conviction of 495 00:22:31,350 --> 00:22:33,350 sin and a fresh call to commitment. 496 00:22:33,750 --> 00:22:36,510 God also begins to work in the society 497 00:22:36,510 --> 00:22:39,270 outside, beginning to convict people of sin. 498 00:22:39,570 --> 00:22:41,930 Isn't that the great need in our country 499 00:22:41,930 --> 00:22:44,450 today, that people would come under the conviction 500 00:22:44,450 --> 00:22:44,950 of sin? 501 00:22:45,890 --> 00:22:47,790 Today, when you talk to people about sin, 502 00:22:47,910 --> 00:22:49,790 they dismiss the whole idea. 503 00:22:49,910 --> 00:22:51,230 There's no such thing people say. 504 00:22:51,830 --> 00:22:54,450 How can you convince a person who doesn't 505 00:22:54,450 --> 00:22:56,670 believe that there's any sort of truth at 506 00:22:56,670 --> 00:22:57,050 all? 507 00:22:58,370 --> 00:23:01,230 That there is truth and that one of 508 00:23:01,230 --> 00:23:03,410 the truths is the issue of sin. 509 00:23:04,110 --> 00:23:06,450 We need something more than our ability to 510 00:23:06,450 --> 00:23:06,730 argue. 511 00:23:06,870 --> 00:23:08,390 We need the power of the spirit of 512 00:23:08,390 --> 00:23:08,710 God. 513 00:23:09,230 --> 00:23:11,990 But when God begins to move among his 514 00:23:11,990 --> 00:23:15,970 people and to spark revival, he generally also 515 00:23:15,970 --> 00:23:18,650 begins to move out in the culture and 516 00:23:18,650 --> 00:23:21,010 bring conviction of sin. 517 00:23:21,830 --> 00:23:26,470 Awakenings begin in periods of cultural distortion and 518 00:23:26,470 --> 00:23:28,090 grave personal stress. 519 00:23:28,410 --> 00:23:30,550 When we lose faith in the legitimacy of 520 00:23:30,550 --> 00:23:33,150 our norms, the viability of our institutions and 521 00:23:33,150 --> 00:23:34,970 the authority of our leaders in church and 522 00:23:34,970 --> 00:23:35,210 state. 523 00:23:35,390 --> 00:23:36,910 Does that describe where we're at today? 524 00:23:38,310 --> 00:23:41,570 We are ripe for one or the other. 525 00:23:41,710 --> 00:23:44,390 We're ripe for judgment, certainly, but we're also 526 00:23:44,390 --> 00:23:46,090 ripe for a revival. 527 00:23:46,810 --> 00:23:48,330 We're ripe for an awakening. 528 00:23:48,910 --> 00:23:50,730 And I believe that as the people of 529 00:23:50,730 --> 00:23:54,630 God, we ought to anticipate that God might 530 00:23:54,630 --> 00:23:56,950 indeed show mercy because he delights to do 531 00:23:56,950 --> 00:23:57,150 it. 532 00:23:58,050 --> 00:24:00,710 And that he might once again work in 533 00:24:00,710 --> 00:24:01,430 this sort of way. 534 00:24:01,490 --> 00:24:02,650 Should we hope for revival? 535 00:24:02,830 --> 00:24:03,990 I believe that we should. 536 00:24:05,350 --> 00:24:07,270 And there are three reasons why I believe 537 00:24:07,270 --> 00:24:07,570 that. 538 00:24:07,970 --> 00:24:09,510 And I just mentioned the first one, God 539 00:24:09,510 --> 00:24:10,670 delights to show mercy. 540 00:24:11,910 --> 00:24:13,910 It's God's delight to show mercy. 541 00:24:14,010 --> 00:24:15,210 He takes pleasure in it. 542 00:24:15,870 --> 00:24:16,690 He enjoys it. 543 00:24:16,830 --> 00:24:18,530 And, you know, sometimes when I'm praying for 544 00:24:18,530 --> 00:24:21,770 the situation and, you know, in my frustration, 545 00:24:21,770 --> 00:24:23,670 I'm calling out to God to do something. 546 00:24:23,750 --> 00:24:25,450 And many times I'm saying, Lord, judge this 547 00:24:25,450 --> 00:24:25,890 place. 548 00:24:25,890 --> 00:24:28,250 And and then I think, you know, I 549 00:24:28,250 --> 00:24:30,010 have to stop and pause and think I 550 00:24:30,010 --> 00:24:31,370 was just like these people. 551 00:24:32,370 --> 00:24:35,190 And many of you, you would say the 552 00:24:35,190 --> 00:24:35,610 same thing. 553 00:24:35,830 --> 00:24:37,050 I was just like that. 554 00:24:37,730 --> 00:24:39,510 I at one time lived my life for 555 00:24:39,510 --> 00:24:39,830 myself. 556 00:24:40,030 --> 00:24:41,470 I had no regard for God or the 557 00:24:41,470 --> 00:24:42,010 things of God. 558 00:24:42,130 --> 00:24:42,790 I wasn't interested. 559 00:24:43,310 --> 00:24:46,850 I was living in sin and rebelling against 560 00:24:46,850 --> 00:24:50,770 God and frankly, didn't really care about any 561 00:24:50,770 --> 00:24:51,330 of this. 562 00:24:52,290 --> 00:24:54,450 And yet God did what he showed mercy 563 00:24:54,450 --> 00:24:55,550 on me. 564 00:24:55,630 --> 00:24:57,910 And so sometimes as I'm crying out in 565 00:24:57,910 --> 00:25:00,070 prayer and as I'm, you know, saying God 566 00:25:00,070 --> 00:25:03,830 judge, suddenly my own life flashes before me 567 00:25:03,830 --> 00:25:05,270 and I think, oh, maybe I'm praying the 568 00:25:05,270 --> 00:25:05,730 wrong thing. 569 00:25:08,400 --> 00:25:09,840 And I thank God that people were praying 570 00:25:09,840 --> 00:25:11,280 for me, not that God would judge me, 571 00:25:11,340 --> 00:25:12,440 that God would save me. 572 00:25:13,760 --> 00:25:16,840 And we as God's people, I believe that 573 00:25:16,840 --> 00:25:20,060 because God delights to show mercy, we ought 574 00:25:20,060 --> 00:25:22,640 to anticipate that perhaps at this dark hour 575 00:25:22,640 --> 00:25:24,680 he might show mercy. 576 00:25:25,400 --> 00:25:27,560 Secondly, I believe that we should hope for 577 00:25:27,560 --> 00:25:30,880 revival because the scripture speaks of the spirit 578 00:25:30,880 --> 00:25:32,580 being poured out in the last days. 579 00:25:32,920 --> 00:25:34,540 This is the promise all through the Bible. 580 00:25:35,700 --> 00:25:36,800 In the last days, I will pour out 581 00:25:36,800 --> 00:25:38,660 my spirit on all flesh, says the Lord. 582 00:25:39,260 --> 00:25:41,260 Now, the closer we get to the second 583 00:25:41,260 --> 00:25:43,780 coming of Christ, the further down the road 584 00:25:43,780 --> 00:25:45,040 of the last days we go. 585 00:25:46,400 --> 00:25:49,660 And so I believe that we can biblically 586 00:25:49,660 --> 00:25:53,540 anticipate outpourings of the spirit of God as 587 00:25:53,540 --> 00:25:56,140 we get closer and closer to the coming 588 00:25:56,140 --> 00:25:57,700 of the Lord Jesus Christ. 589 00:25:58,580 --> 00:26:00,000 And so as we look around the world 590 00:26:00,000 --> 00:26:01,460 today and we see so many things that 591 00:26:01,460 --> 00:26:03,880 seem to indicate that the coming of Christ 592 00:26:03,880 --> 00:26:04,540 is soon. 593 00:26:06,570 --> 00:26:09,450 And I'm all for anticipating the rapture. 594 00:26:09,510 --> 00:26:11,290 And that certainly would be the most desirable 595 00:26:11,290 --> 00:26:12,670 thing from our perspective. 596 00:26:12,710 --> 00:26:14,450 But at the same time, I want to 597 00:26:14,450 --> 00:26:16,670 realize that God might want to do something 598 00:26:16,670 --> 00:26:17,230 fresh. 599 00:26:18,110 --> 00:26:21,710 God might want to push the pause button 600 00:26:21,710 --> 00:26:23,590 for a bit. 601 00:26:25,030 --> 00:26:28,390 You know, because our time frame is not 602 00:26:28,390 --> 00:26:30,050 necessarily God's time frame. 603 00:26:30,470 --> 00:26:32,010 And God has done that historically. 604 00:26:32,170 --> 00:26:34,410 It seems that there are times when it 605 00:26:34,410 --> 00:26:36,370 seems that everything is coming unraveled and it's 606 00:26:36,370 --> 00:26:37,730 all just about to come to an end. 607 00:26:37,850 --> 00:26:39,570 And then the Lord just hits pause. 608 00:26:40,890 --> 00:26:46,250 And things change and God moves by his 609 00:26:46,250 --> 00:26:48,670 spirit and he gives a time of refreshment 610 00:26:48,670 --> 00:26:53,470 and blessing, and then he hits pause again 611 00:26:53,470 --> 00:26:56,790 and we're back rolling and we head further 612 00:26:56,790 --> 00:26:57,530 down the road. 613 00:26:57,650 --> 00:27:00,250 And who knows, but what God might perhaps 614 00:27:00,250 --> 00:27:01,990 hit the pause button in the future. 615 00:27:02,610 --> 00:27:05,030 It looks like everything's coming down the wire 616 00:27:05,030 --> 00:27:06,990 right this moment, and it could be, but 617 00:27:06,990 --> 00:27:08,650 perhaps not. 618 00:27:09,430 --> 00:27:11,910 The third reason why I think we should 619 00:27:11,910 --> 00:27:14,730 hope for revival is because, and this is 620 00:27:14,730 --> 00:27:20,130 purely subjective, it seems to me that God 621 00:27:20,130 --> 00:27:21,490 is moving in that direction. 622 00:27:22,670 --> 00:27:26,270 As I personally look at things, it seems 623 00:27:26,270 --> 00:27:29,670 to me, although I can look at the 624 00:27:29,670 --> 00:27:31,510 international situation, I can look at the Middle 625 00:27:31,510 --> 00:27:33,510 East crisis, and there are many things that 626 00:27:33,510 --> 00:27:35,110 seem to point in the direction of the 627 00:27:35,110 --> 00:27:35,630 second coming. 628 00:27:35,810 --> 00:27:37,230 Yet I look at other things and it 629 00:27:37,230 --> 00:27:40,130 seems that there's still something that God wants 630 00:27:40,130 --> 00:27:40,550 to do. 631 00:27:41,670 --> 00:27:46,510 And I take that from just my own 632 00:27:46,510 --> 00:27:49,310 understanding of what God is doing in the 633 00:27:49,310 --> 00:27:53,310 ministry of Calvary Chapel and the expansion of 634 00:27:53,310 --> 00:27:54,710 the ministry of Calvary Chapel. 635 00:27:55,410 --> 00:27:57,150 Not to say that Calvary Chapel is the 636 00:27:57,150 --> 00:27:59,130 only ministry God's doing something, and he's doing 637 00:27:59,130 --> 00:28:01,650 things through a lot of ministries, and we 638 00:28:01,650 --> 00:28:02,730 thank God for that. 639 00:28:03,290 --> 00:28:04,750 But I'm not involved in those, so I 640 00:28:04,750 --> 00:28:06,170 don't know the details, but I do know 641 00:28:06,170 --> 00:28:07,630 the details of what he's doing here. 642 00:28:07,950 --> 00:28:09,290 And as I look at what he's doing 643 00:28:09,290 --> 00:28:11,490 through the ministry of Calvary Chapel, I think, 644 00:28:11,590 --> 00:28:13,110 Lord, it seems like you're on the move. 645 00:28:13,170 --> 00:28:16,250 It seems like you're preparing for something significant 646 00:28:16,250 --> 00:28:17,310 in the future. 647 00:28:18,570 --> 00:28:20,890 Here we are now as a ministry, we've 648 00:28:20,890 --> 00:28:24,770 grown, we've got over a thousand churches affiliated, 649 00:28:25,310 --> 00:28:29,830 and weekly we get stacks of applications for 650 00:28:29,830 --> 00:28:30,590 affiliation. 651 00:28:30,870 --> 00:28:33,410 People are wanting to join in with what 652 00:28:33,410 --> 00:28:34,050 God is doing. 653 00:28:34,310 --> 00:28:37,030 New churches are being planted, new men are 654 00:28:37,030 --> 00:28:39,050 being raised up to spread the gospel. 655 00:28:39,670 --> 00:28:40,830 And if you look at a map of 656 00:28:40,830 --> 00:28:43,370 the United States where 10 years ago we 657 00:28:43,370 --> 00:28:46,270 had the West Coast and just little, you 658 00:28:46,270 --> 00:28:49,310 know, smatterings on the East Coast, we're starting 659 00:28:49,310 --> 00:28:51,330 to see the U.S. map filled in 660 00:28:51,330 --> 00:28:52,710 with churches throughout the country. 661 00:28:52,950 --> 00:28:54,430 And then if we look on an international 662 00:28:54,430 --> 00:28:56,450 level, we're seeing that God is opening the 663 00:28:56,450 --> 00:28:57,250 doors internationally. 664 00:28:58,010 --> 00:29:00,210 We have the Bible College and the extension 665 00:29:00,210 --> 00:29:03,670 campuses where we literally have thousands of young 666 00:29:03,670 --> 00:29:06,290 men and women preparing themselves for service to 667 00:29:06,290 --> 00:29:06,650 God. 668 00:29:07,570 --> 00:29:08,890 And I look at that and I think, 669 00:29:08,970 --> 00:29:11,310 okay, Lord, it seems like this is all 670 00:29:11,310 --> 00:29:13,590 preparatory for something in the future. 671 00:29:14,770 --> 00:29:16,790 I think of how when I first went 672 00:29:16,790 --> 00:29:19,470 into Europe many years ago, there was nothing 673 00:29:19,470 --> 00:29:19,690 there. 674 00:29:19,870 --> 00:29:23,110 Now we have facilities, we have conference centers, 675 00:29:23,210 --> 00:29:26,830 we have Bible colleges, we have churches planted. 676 00:29:28,510 --> 00:29:30,850 And we're, you know, going in 10 years 677 00:29:30,850 --> 00:29:32,010 ago, there was nothing there. 678 00:29:32,110 --> 00:29:34,110 And we were working with just, you know, 679 00:29:34,170 --> 00:29:36,010 small groups of people in homes and things 680 00:29:36,010 --> 00:29:36,390 like that. 681 00:29:36,630 --> 00:29:38,390 Now I look and I see, Lord, you've 682 00:29:38,390 --> 00:29:40,810 laid the groundwork, you've laid a foundation. 683 00:29:40,810 --> 00:29:42,810 And it just seems hard for me to 684 00:29:42,810 --> 00:29:45,150 believe that God would have laid a foundation 685 00:29:45,150 --> 00:29:46,890 to not erect the structure. 686 00:29:49,100 --> 00:29:53,240 I look at the expanding of the radio 687 00:29:53,240 --> 00:29:57,240 ministry and the more than 350 radio stations 688 00:29:57,240 --> 00:30:01,520 that are part of Calvary Chapel and how 689 00:30:01,520 --> 00:30:04,660 we're getting calls every day from people all 690 00:30:04,660 --> 00:30:07,220 over the country who are saying, this radio 691 00:30:07,220 --> 00:30:09,420 station has revolutionized my life. 692 00:30:11,060 --> 00:30:13,580 And they're going back to their churches, not 693 00:30:13,580 --> 00:30:15,440 Calvary Chapel churches necessarily. 694 00:30:15,560 --> 00:30:16,960 They're going to their Lutheran church or their 695 00:30:16,960 --> 00:30:19,000 Episcopal church or their Presbyterian church or their 696 00:30:19,000 --> 00:30:19,560 Baptist church. 697 00:30:19,780 --> 00:30:21,640 And they're going back and saying, man, God's 698 00:30:21,640 --> 00:30:23,900 really touched me through this radio station, encouraging 699 00:30:23,900 --> 00:30:26,060 people to tune in and God's doing something 700 00:30:26,060 --> 00:30:26,320 there. 701 00:30:26,620 --> 00:30:27,560 And again, I look at that and I 702 00:30:27,560 --> 00:30:30,340 just think, well, Lord, it seems peculiar that 703 00:30:30,340 --> 00:30:32,400 you would build all of this stuff up 704 00:30:32,400 --> 00:30:33,840 and then just sort of pull the plug. 705 00:30:34,600 --> 00:30:36,080 Now, like I said, this is purely subjective. 706 00:30:36,120 --> 00:30:37,080 I could be dead wrong. 707 00:30:38,980 --> 00:30:42,420 But as I look at this, it's because 708 00:30:42,420 --> 00:30:44,720 of what I see happening in our own 709 00:30:44,720 --> 00:30:48,780 ministry that I think we ought to be 710 00:30:48,780 --> 00:30:50,140 hoping for revival. 711 00:30:51,950 --> 00:30:54,090 Now, is revival guaranteed? 712 00:30:55,090 --> 00:31:00,250 Can we say dogmatically, authoritatively, if we do 713 00:31:00,250 --> 00:31:03,470 these things and God is obligated to bring 714 00:31:03,470 --> 00:31:06,710 revival and absolutely it's going to happen? 715 00:31:07,430 --> 00:31:08,830 Is revival guaranteed? 716 00:31:09,050 --> 00:31:09,850 Let me quote A. 717 00:31:09,890 --> 00:31:10,110 W. 718 00:31:10,230 --> 00:31:12,110 Tozer to answer that question. 719 00:31:12,970 --> 00:31:15,310 What God and his sovereignty may yet do 720 00:31:15,310 --> 00:31:17,870 on a worldwide scale, I do not claim 721 00:31:17,870 --> 00:31:18,310 to know. 722 00:31:19,250 --> 00:31:21,010 But what he will do for the plain 723 00:31:21,010 --> 00:31:22,850 man or woman who seeks his face, I 724 00:31:22,850 --> 00:31:24,950 believe I do know and can tell others. 725 00:31:25,450 --> 00:31:27,490 Let any man turn to God in earnest. 726 00:31:28,030 --> 00:31:30,770 Let him begin to exercise himself unto godliness. 727 00:31:31,350 --> 00:31:33,290 Let him seek to develop his powers of 728 00:31:33,290 --> 00:31:36,330 spiritual receptivity by trust and obedience and humility, 729 00:31:36,530 --> 00:31:38,930 and the results will exceed anything he may 730 00:31:38,930 --> 00:31:41,730 have hoped in his leaner and weaker days. 731 00:31:42,730 --> 00:31:45,450 Is there a worldwide awakening coming? 732 00:31:45,710 --> 00:31:47,930 Is there a national revival and awakening coming? 733 00:31:48,110 --> 00:31:48,790 I don't know. 734 00:31:49,490 --> 00:31:50,810 But this is what I do know. 735 00:31:51,150 --> 00:31:54,450 There can be a personal revival that will 736 00:31:54,450 --> 00:31:56,910 come for any man or woman who says, 737 00:31:57,010 --> 00:31:58,710 Lord, I want all of you. 738 00:31:59,050 --> 00:32:00,530 I want to be sold out. 739 00:32:00,650 --> 00:32:02,510 In some cases, Lord, I want to get 740 00:32:02,510 --> 00:32:04,410 back to where I was in those early 741 00:32:04,410 --> 00:32:05,230 days as a Christian. 742 00:32:05,350 --> 00:32:07,170 I want that passion, that fire. 743 00:32:07,590 --> 00:32:09,250 I want you to be the priority in 744 00:32:09,250 --> 00:32:10,190 my life once again. 745 00:32:11,290 --> 00:32:15,170 Revival will come for us individually if we 746 00:32:15,170 --> 00:32:15,690 seek it. 747 00:32:16,170 --> 00:32:17,930 And inevitably, if it comes for us individually, 748 00:32:18,050 --> 00:32:19,990 it's going to touch others. 749 00:32:20,690 --> 00:32:21,750 You know, as I mentioned, there have been 750 00:32:21,750 --> 00:32:23,470 the great awakenings and then there have been 751 00:32:23,470 --> 00:32:25,390 lesser moves to the spirit of God that 752 00:32:25,390 --> 00:32:28,050 have not necessarily impacted the whole nation or 753 00:32:28,050 --> 00:32:31,830 the world, but they've impacted certain regions. 754 00:32:33,150 --> 00:32:35,770 So it's possible that you might have an 755 00:32:35,770 --> 00:32:39,110 Orange County revival or an L.A. County 756 00:32:39,110 --> 00:32:43,050 revival, a Southern California revival, something like that. 757 00:32:43,710 --> 00:32:45,330 But then it's also possible that it could 758 00:32:45,330 --> 00:32:47,770 spread across the country and around the world. 759 00:32:49,470 --> 00:32:51,450 Personal revival is indeed guaranteed. 760 00:32:53,130 --> 00:32:55,990 And so I close this morning with this. 761 00:32:57,010 --> 00:32:58,290 Where does revival start? 762 00:32:58,850 --> 00:33:00,230 Well, I think we've already answered it. 763 00:33:00,250 --> 00:33:02,050 It starts with us. 764 00:33:02,770 --> 00:33:04,310 It starts with me. 765 00:33:04,950 --> 00:33:06,530 And as I mentioned, next Sunday, we're going 766 00:33:06,530 --> 00:33:11,330 to look at things that will lend to 767 00:33:11,330 --> 00:33:14,310 revival and things that will also hinder revival. 768 00:33:14,550 --> 00:33:16,070 And I would really encourage you to be 769 00:33:16,070 --> 00:33:18,790 praying this week that God would be preparing 770 00:33:18,790 --> 00:33:20,230 your heart for that. 771 00:33:21,750 --> 00:33:24,430 But revival starts with me. 772 00:33:25,750 --> 00:33:29,050 It starts with me and my determination to 773 00:33:29,050 --> 00:33:31,530 get right with God completely. 774 00:33:33,650 --> 00:33:36,430 Here's a good prayer I suggest. 775 00:33:38,050 --> 00:33:40,050 God, if there's anything that's come into my 776 00:33:40,050 --> 00:33:42,830 life that's not of you, then I pray 777 00:33:42,830 --> 00:33:43,730 you'd remove it. 778 00:33:44,410 --> 00:33:47,230 And God, if there's anything lacking from my 779 00:33:47,230 --> 00:33:48,930 life that you want to instill in it, 780 00:33:48,970 --> 00:33:50,270 God, I pray that you'd bring it. 781 00:33:50,430 --> 00:33:50,950 And you know what? 782 00:33:50,950 --> 00:33:53,050 You pray that sincerely and God will do 783 00:33:53,050 --> 00:33:53,250 it. 784 00:33:54,150 --> 00:33:56,870 And that will begin the revival. 785 00:33:57,370 --> 00:34:03,350 The Welsh revival of 1904-1905 began with 786 00:34:03,350 --> 00:34:07,290 a young woman publicly proclaiming, I love the 787 00:34:07,290 --> 00:34:09,510 Lord Jesus Christ with all my heart. 788 00:34:10,489 --> 00:34:14,469 A few months later, 100,000 people from 789 00:34:14,469 --> 00:34:16,590 all walks of life were proclaiming the same 790 00:34:16,590 --> 00:34:16,909 thing. 791 00:34:18,030 --> 00:34:18,929 But that was the spark. 792 00:34:19,090 --> 00:34:21,409 It was one young woman standing up in 793 00:34:21,409 --> 00:34:24,790 a meeting in absolute purity and sincerity and 794 00:34:24,790 --> 00:34:27,909 just expressing what was happening in her heart 795 00:34:27,909 --> 00:34:28,389 that moment. 796 00:34:28,530 --> 00:34:30,290 I love the Lord Jesus Christ with all 797 00:34:30,290 --> 00:34:30,710 my heart. 798 00:34:31,010 --> 00:34:35,090 And that sparked a fire that changed the 799 00:34:35,090 --> 00:34:38,710 course of history for many people and not 800 00:34:38,710 --> 00:34:40,429 only for Wales, but for many other nations 801 00:34:40,429 --> 00:34:42,050 because it spread out from there to other 802 00:34:42,050 --> 00:34:42,429 places. 803 00:34:44,270 --> 00:34:46,210 And this is the searching question that I 804 00:34:46,210 --> 00:34:47,050 leave you with today. 805 00:34:50,199 --> 00:34:52,300 Do you love the Lord Jesus Christ with 806 00:34:52,300 --> 00:34:52,860 all your heart? 807 00:34:54,199 --> 00:34:59,200 Can you affirm that not around your peers, 808 00:34:59,200 --> 00:35:04,060 not to impress anyone publicly, but standing before 809 00:35:04,060 --> 00:35:04,560 God? 810 00:35:05,740 --> 00:35:08,000 Can you affirm I love the Lord Jesus 811 00:35:08,000 --> 00:35:09,180 Christ with all my heart? 812 00:35:09,740 --> 00:35:12,240 Can you say honestly, Lord, to the best 813 00:35:12,240 --> 00:35:13,640 of my knowledge and the best of my 814 00:35:13,640 --> 00:35:15,740 ability, I am completely sold out to you 815 00:35:15,740 --> 00:35:17,500 and committed to doing your will. 816 00:35:18,140 --> 00:35:21,480 If you cannot say that today, then I 817 00:35:21,480 --> 00:35:22,680 suggest you need revival. 818 00:35:24,240 --> 00:35:26,880 You need revival because that's where we need 819 00:35:26,880 --> 00:35:27,240 to be. 820 00:35:27,380 --> 00:35:28,600 That's where we ought to be. 821 00:35:29,240 --> 00:35:31,720 That's where God's people are called to be. 822 00:35:32,840 --> 00:35:36,380 And remember, it all begins with us. 823 00:35:37,360 --> 00:35:39,540 We look out at our world and we 824 00:35:39,540 --> 00:35:41,240 wonder how bad is it going to get? 825 00:35:41,560 --> 00:35:44,560 We have the ability to influence. 826 00:35:45,060 --> 00:35:47,640 You know, we have so much emphasis on 827 00:35:47,640 --> 00:35:50,040 political things and we've got to get the 828 00:35:50,040 --> 00:35:51,640 right people in office and so forth. 829 00:35:51,700 --> 00:35:53,160 And have you ever noticed when we get 830 00:35:53,160 --> 00:35:54,680 a good candidate, we can't get him voted 831 00:35:54,680 --> 00:35:55,060 in? 832 00:35:56,580 --> 00:35:58,280 Why can't we get him voted in? 833 00:35:59,140 --> 00:36:02,200 Because people don't agree with what he stands 834 00:36:02,200 --> 00:36:02,520 for. 835 00:36:02,740 --> 00:36:03,940 How do you change that? 836 00:36:04,240 --> 00:36:06,780 Well, people get saved in their worldview changes. 837 00:36:07,580 --> 00:36:09,020 Their priorities change. 838 00:36:09,840 --> 00:36:15,260 Their thinking process changes and they change who 839 00:36:15,260 --> 00:36:15,920 they vote for. 840 00:36:18,850 --> 00:36:22,550 You see, some people emphasize the need for 841 00:36:22,550 --> 00:36:25,750 social reform and political involvement and all of 842 00:36:25,750 --> 00:36:26,190 those things. 843 00:36:26,270 --> 00:36:29,830 But, you know, those are things that really 844 00:36:29,830 --> 00:36:33,890 have proven not to be that effective. 845 00:36:34,570 --> 00:36:36,670 And the way change has been brought about. 846 00:36:36,750 --> 00:36:37,930 And this is what I think we fail 847 00:36:37,930 --> 00:36:40,550 to realize because we don't understand totally our 848 00:36:40,550 --> 00:36:40,870 history. 849 00:36:41,430 --> 00:36:44,770 The way things have changed has not been 850 00:36:44,770 --> 00:36:47,930 through forcing things in the political realm, but 851 00:36:47,930 --> 00:36:50,310 the way things have changed is because the 852 00:36:50,310 --> 00:36:51,370 church has been revived. 853 00:36:51,850 --> 00:36:54,850 The society has been awakened and that's changed 854 00:36:54,850 --> 00:36:57,270 everything from the bottom to the top. 855 00:36:58,230 --> 00:37:00,670 And we need a drastic change in our 856 00:37:00,670 --> 00:37:01,430 culture today. 857 00:37:02,210 --> 00:37:04,990 The only way it's going to come is 858 00:37:04,990 --> 00:37:06,090 if it comes this way. 859 00:37:06,630 --> 00:37:09,590 We don't know what God has in store 860 00:37:09,590 --> 00:37:12,430 for sure, but I think, as I said, 861 00:37:13,330 --> 00:37:17,130 we should hope for revival and allow God 862 00:37:17,130 --> 00:37:18,270 to begin it with us. 863 00:37:18,790 --> 00:37:19,430 Let's pray. 864 00:37:20,650 --> 00:37:24,710 Lord, we do pray today that revival would 865 00:37:24,710 --> 00:37:29,050 begin right here with us, right in our 866 00:37:29,050 --> 00:37:29,530 hearts. 867 00:37:30,850 --> 00:37:33,410 And as we stand before you today, Lord, 868 00:37:33,470 --> 00:37:36,610 like an open book, you know us, you 869 00:37:36,610 --> 00:37:38,590 know our down-sitting, our uprising, you know 870 00:37:38,590 --> 00:37:39,790 our thoughts are far off. 871 00:37:41,310 --> 00:37:43,750 Lord, we pray with the psalmist, search me, 872 00:37:43,810 --> 00:37:44,970 O God, and know my heart. 873 00:37:46,090 --> 00:37:48,130 Try me and know my thoughts and see 874 00:37:48,130 --> 00:37:51,210 if there be any wicked way in me. 875 00:37:52,530 --> 00:37:54,130 Lead me in the way everlasting. 876 00:37:55,250 --> 00:37:56,950 Lord, that we might be able to say 877 00:37:56,950 --> 00:38:00,970 with an absolute sincerity that we love the 878 00:38:00,970 --> 00:38:03,630 Lord Jesus Christ with all of our hearts. 879 00:38:04,150 --> 00:38:05,950 To that end, we pray that you would 880 00:38:05,950 --> 00:38:07,270 work by your spirit today. 881 00:38:07,830 --> 00:38:08,270 Amen. 882 00:38:09,030 --> 00:38:09,950 Let's stand together. 883 00:38:12,610 --> 00:38:14,070 Let God work in your midst. 884 00:38:14,190 --> 00:38:16,170 You know, I do believe that there's something 885 00:38:16,170 --> 00:38:16,690 stirring. 886 00:38:17,570 --> 00:38:19,610 And I know a number of young people 887 00:38:19,610 --> 00:38:24,130 right around our church here who a year 888 00:38:24,130 --> 00:38:26,550 ago, many of them were into drugs and 889 00:38:26,550 --> 00:38:27,090 alcohol. 890 00:38:28,070 --> 00:38:29,990 Some of them were into just, you know, 891 00:38:30,090 --> 00:38:32,150 being part of the culture, spending their time, 892 00:38:32,370 --> 00:38:35,290 music and movies and just the typical entertainment 893 00:38:35,290 --> 00:38:35,950 sort of thing. 894 00:38:36,110 --> 00:38:38,110 But something's happening and God's moving. 895 00:38:38,830 --> 00:38:40,250 And now they're gathering together. 896 00:38:40,370 --> 00:38:42,330 And instead of being involved in those things, 897 00:38:42,490 --> 00:38:43,270 they're coming together. 898 00:38:43,390 --> 00:38:44,550 They've got their Bibles out. 899 00:38:44,770 --> 00:38:46,890 They're sharing scriptures with each other. 900 00:38:47,050 --> 00:38:48,150 They're worshiping the Lord. 901 00:38:48,250 --> 00:38:50,270 They're praying that God would touch their friends. 902 00:38:50,670 --> 00:38:53,410 And to me, that's an indicator that God 903 00:38:53,410 --> 00:38:54,190 is on the move. 904 00:38:54,830 --> 00:38:56,190 May he do that with all of us, 905 00:38:56,330 --> 00:38:57,230 regardless of age. 906 00:38:58,350 --> 00:38:58,990 God bless you.