Participants: Scott Moore
Series Code: OTR
Program Code: OTR000765
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01:01 The title of our message is the "Science of Revival. "
01:06 The "Science of Revival. " 01:10 Little Ann lay in her hospital bed 01:12 and her father was there at her side, 01:15 and she began to whisper something 01:17 through her parched lips. 01:20 He told her, Ann, it will be okay. 01:23 It will be okay. 01:26 Yet still she tried to whisper 01:28 with the last amount of strength that she had. 01:31 And so her father got down closer to her bed 01:34 and even closer, almost to where he could feel 01:39 the wind from her whisper hitting his ear. 01:43 And she said to him how much does it cost you 01:49 to keep me alive for a year? 01:54 You can imagine her father was, 01:56 was quite disturbed by this simple question 01:58 from his little daughter. 02:00 And he said it's all right, it doesn't matter. 02:03 She said, papa, how much does it cost? 02:10 And he told her how much it cost 02:12 and she said, papa, promise me this, 02:17 promise me that you will take that money every year 02:21 and buy Bibles and give those Bibles 02:24 to little boys and little girls who don't have one. 02:30 And as soon as he made that promise, 02:34 little Ann took her last breath. 02:38 What was it that caused this little girl 02:42 to be so in love with her Bible, 02:46 that her very last dying wish would be 02:49 that her father would make sure 02:51 that other children get their Bibles. 02:54 I believe that during this message 02:55 we are going to find out what little Ann saw in her Bible. 03:01 But before we begin to open out the word of God 03:05 we are going to pray, so if you will pray with me. 03:12 Father in Heaven, we're very grateful 03:13 that you have given us 03:14 this opportunity to study your word. 03:19 Lord, no matter where we are, 03:21 we ask that you will bless us as we open your word now. 03:26 Send your spirit to enlighten our minds 03:29 so that we can rightly comprehend 03:31 what you wrote through Your prophets. 03:36 And Father, we pray this 03:37 in the name of Jesus Christ, amen. 03:42 My friends, I would like you to open your Bible 03:44 to the Old Testament Book of Psalms. 03:47 We're going to the Old Testament Book of Psalms, 03:49 and we're going to turn to Psalm 85, 03:52 Psalm 85 and verse 6, 03:57 Psalm 85 and verse 6. 04:04 The word of God reads like this in Psalm 85:6. 04:08 The Psalmist writes "Wilt thou not revive us again, 04:14 that thy people may rejoice in thee?" 04:18 Now, that word revive right there 04:20 is a combination of two words. 04:23 The first part of that word is "Re," "R, E" 04:26 and it means again or anew. 04:29 The last part of that word comes 04:31 from a word called "Vivere" which means to live. 04:35 So, the Psalmist is asking the question right here, 04:38 will you not cause us to live again? 04:42 Will you not give us a new life? 04:46 Now, friend, I have a question for you. 04:49 Was the Psalmist dead when the Psalmist was writing this? 04:53 Obviously not, because dead people 04:56 don't write things, do they. 04:58 The Psalmist here is not speaking of physical death 05:01 but the Psalmist is speaking of a spiritual death. 05:06 "Wilt thou not revive us or make us alive again. " 05:13 Why was the Psalmist asking this question? 05:18 The Bible answers that for us 05:19 in the New Testament Book of Romans. 05:21 Let's turn to the right in our Bibles 05:23 to the New Testament Book of Romans. 05:27 Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts, Romans, 05:31 we're going to Romans Chapter 6 and verse 23, 05:36 Romans Chapter 6 and verse 23, 05:39 why was the Psalmist asking to be made alive again? 05:45 The Bible says here in Romans 6:23, 05:48 "For the wages of sin is death, 05:53 but the gift of God is eternal life 05:56 through Jesus Christ our Lord. " 06:00 The wages of sin is death. 06:04 The Psalmist understood that 06:08 because of his sin he was dead. 06:14 Now, maybe today some of us are thinking, 06:17 you know, that does not apply to me. 06:21 But the Bible says in Romans Chapter 3 and verse 23. 06:28 "For all have sinned and comes short of the glory of God. " 06:33 Romans Chapter 3 and verse 23. 06:36 Because of the transgression of God's moral law 06:40 the Psalmist knew that without a new life 06:44 from his Creator, he was dead. 06:53 He is making a passionate plea 06:56 that his Creator will cause him to live again. 07:04 So, how is it, friend, how is it that you and I 07:10 can live a new life through Christ Jesus. 07:14 That life that was promised in the Book of Romans, 07:17 Chapter 6 and verse 23. 07:20 How can we do that? 07:24 Let's turn, we're gonna look at three ingredients 07:28 in this "Science of Revival," three ingredients, 07:31 and we're gonna find the first ingredient 07:34 in the New Testament Book of First Peter. 07:37 So, we're gonna turn again to the right in our Bibles 07:40 to the New Testament Book of First Peter, Chapter 1. 07:45 First Peter, you'll find Hebrew's there, 07:49 James, just keep going to the right past James, 07:52 we're gonna come to First Peter, Chapter 1 07:55 and the verse we're looking for is verse 23. 07:59 How is it that we can live a new life? 08:05 The Bible gives us the answer right here, 08:08 the first ingredient in the "Science of Revival. " 08:11 The word of God reads in First Peter, Chapter 1 verse 23, 08:15 "Being born again, not of corruptible seed 08:19 but of incorruptible, by the word of God 08:27 which lives and abides forever. " 08:31 So, friends, if you and I are going to be born again, 08:33 if we are going to live this life 08:36 that is new in Christ Jesus, 08:39 we will find that life in the word of God. 08:44 Do you see this from the scripture? 08:47 The Bible plainly says that we're born again 08:50 not of corruptible seed, 08:51 but of incorruptible by the word of God. 08:57 So, if you and I want to live a life that is new, 09:02 if we want to live a life to the glory of God 09:05 that life will be based on the Bible. 09:10 That new life will come from the study of the word of God. 09:18 The Psalmist asks to be revived. 09:21 The word of God says that if we want that new life, 09:23 if we want to be made alive 09:25 that we're born again by the word of God. 09:31 The first ingredient that we have found here 09:34 is that diligent, earnest study of the word of God 09:41 recreates our hearts. 09:46 Look at what happened to the hearts of men 09:48 when they began to study the Bible. 09:52 Let's go now for the first time 09:53 to the left in our Bibles. 09:56 Let's go to the left, we're gonna go 09:57 to the New Testament Book of Luke. 10:00 Luke Chapter 24, Matthew, Mark, Luke, 10:06 the third book of the New Testament, 10:08 we're going to Luke 24 10:14 and we're going to begin reading in verse 27. 10:18 Prior to verse 27, these two disciples are walking 10:21 on the road to Emmaus, they're lamenting the death of Jesus 10:26 and all of a sudden as they're walking 10:27 this third individual comes and begins to walk with them. 10:33 And they're lamenting to this individual 10:35 that walks with them about Jesus. 10:40 And then let's start in verse 25 rather than 27. 10:44 "Then he", talking of Jesus said unto them 10:47 you'll notice if you've a red letter edition Bible 10:49 that this is written in red here. 10:51 This is Jesus talking, Jesus says, 10:53 "O fools and slow of heart to believe all 10:59 that the prophets have spoken. 11:02 Ought not Christ to have suffered these things 11:05 and to enter into his glory " Verse 27 this is the key, 11:12 "And beginning at Moses and all the prophets 11:18 he expounded unto them in all the scriptures 11:21 the things concerning himself. " 11:25 Now friends, you may, you may think this is odd, 11:27 how could, how could those men understand all of that 11:31 when Jesus was just laying it out for them. 11:33 In the first century Galilean culture, 11:37 all little boys had to memorize the Torah. 11:40 Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy. 11:45 They had it memorized by the age of 10. 11:49 And here Jesus begins at Moses and all the prophets 11:55 and He gives these disciples a Bible study. 12:01 What was the reaction of these men's hearts? 12:06 Let's continue reading verse 28, 12:10 the Bible says in Luke 24 and verse 28, 12:14 "And they drew nigh unto the village, 12:16 whither they were went, 12:17 and he made as though he would have gone further, 12:21 but they constrained him, saying, 12:23 Abide with us for it is toward evening, 12:26 and the day is far spent. 12:28 And he went in to tarry with them. " 12:31 Instead of going on further 12:32 he goes in with these men, verse 30. 12:38 "And it came to pass, as he sat at meat with them, 12:43 he took bread, and blessed it, 12:45 and brake, and gave it to them. " 12:49 And the Bible says "that their eyes were opened," 12:56 they knew then that it was Jesus. 13:00 It says "And their eyes were opened" 13:02 verse 31 "And they knew Him 13:04 and he vanished out of their sight. " 13:10 Verse 32, "They said one to another, 13:14 did not our hearts burn within us 13:18 while he talked with us by the way, 13:21 and while he opened to us the scriptures?" 13:25 Jesus has a Bible study with these men 13:28 and their heart begins to flame with a flame 13:32 that only comes from the word of God, 13:34 they were experiencing new birth. 13:38 They were experiencing being born again 13:43 by the word of God. 13:49 Now, my friend, how is it with you? 13:52 How is it with your Bible study? 13:57 Could you spend more time? 14:01 Could you make a more diligent effort to be born again 14:04 by the only way the Bible says we can be born again, 14:09 by the word of God. 14:15 The Psalmist wrote more on this, 14:16 let's turn back to the left in our Bibles again 14:19 and we're gonna go to Psalm 119, Psalm 119 14:24 and then we will go to verse 9. 14:27 So we're back in the Old Testament, Psalm 119 14:33 and we are going to begin in verse 9. 14:39 The word of God reads in Psalm 119 verse 9, 14:42 "Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way?" 14:46 The Bible asked this question 14:47 and the Bible wants to know the answer, 14:49 how can a young man cleanse his way? 14:53 And the answer given by the Psalmist himself, 14:57 is by taking heat there to according to thy word. 15:04 Verse 11 the Psalmist writes, 15:07 "Thy word have I hid in my heart, 15:11 that I might not sin against thee. " 15:15 Friends, it is only through diligent Bible study 15:19 that our hearts begin to burn with the flame 15:22 that God has put in us. 15:28 We must spend time studying the word of God 15:31 if we want to live the life that is new. 15:38 Look here what the Psalmist says further 15:40 in this same chapter, the same Psalm rather, 15:44 look at verse 107, 15:46 Psalm 119-107. 15:52 The psalmist says, 15:53 "I am afflicted very much, quicken me. " 15:58 That word quicken is an old English word 16:00 for make me alive please. 16:06 The Bible says, "I am afflicted very much, 16:09 quicken me make me alive O Lord, 16:12 according to thy word. " 16:19 The Psalmist understood his, 16:22 the answer to his own question. 16:25 Will you not revive us again O Lord? 16:30 And here he says make me alive again according to thy word. 16:34 The first ingredient in the "Science of Revival" 16:39 is diligent Bible study. 16:43 My wife and I had the opportunity 16:45 to do some Bible work here in the United States 16:50 and we were following up some little cards, 16:52 you know, you drop them off at people's houses 16:55 or you mail them to their houses and they mail it back, 16:57 it's like a Bible study request card. 17:01 And we got this little Bible study request card 17:04 and we went to this address 17:07 but the people there didn't speak 17:09 the same language that we spoke. 17:11 So, we were able to help them find somebody 17:13 they could speak their language to study with them, 17:15 but we knew that the Lord had us 17:17 in that particular apartment complex for a reason. 17:22 So we began to knock on the doors 17:23 adjacent to that apartment, 17:27 and we went to one door and there was, 17:29 we knocked on his door there was a man that came out, 17:31 he had on one of those, those T-Shirts 17:34 that guys wear that don't have sleeves, 17:35 they're just like a tank top T-Shirt. 17:38 He had tattoos all over himself and he said, 17:40 what do you want? 17:42 And I thought to myself, Lord, please help me. 17:46 And I said, we're looking for people 17:49 that would like to study the Word of God. 17:52 He says, man, I'm all into that. 17:54 I thought to myself, oh! Isn't this neat? 17:58 He said not only am I into it, but this is a Hathaway house. 18:03 You can come here on Sunday evening 18:05 and over 40 men are required to be here, 18:10 you can present to them 18:11 that you want to study the Bible with them 18:13 and if they want to stay they'll stay. 18:15 We can't force them to stay, but you can ask them. 18:18 So that's exactly what we did. 18:20 You can imagine my wife and I 18:21 are sitting in this house 18:22 as these men begin to file in on that Sunday evening. 18:26 And my wife and I are sitting real close to each other 18:28 and the more people that got there, 18:29 the closer we sat to each other, 18:31 getting comfort, you know. 18:32 We've never been in this situation before, 18:36 and we made our appeal for men to stay 18:38 by for Bible study. Four men stayed. 18:43 There was another man that stayed 18:45 in the kitchen of this apartment 18:47 while we were having the Bible study. 18:51 The following week he did the same thing. 18:54 The following week he did the same thing, 18:56 but the fourth week he came in 19:00 and he sat down in the study. 19:03 And after the study he said, can I talk to you? 19:10 I need to talk to you in private. 19:13 You know, here I am, I'm just a real green soul winner, 19:16 I didn't want to be alone with this man 19:18 because of his background. 19:20 I was a little, little, little scared and I said, 19:23 well, where do you want to meet? 19:24 He said well, how about here on the front porch. 19:26 And I said okay, we'll meet on the front porch. 19:29 So we went out on the front porch, 19:30 he said look, I've been listening 19:34 for the last several weeks and I came in there today. 19:41 Yesterday I had a, a drug screen 19:46 and I know that the drug screen 19:47 is going to come back dirty, 19:51 but I know now that when I go back to jail, 19:54 he knew he was going, I will not go alone. 19:59 I will take God's word which is hidden in my heart 20:02 and I will come out not a dirty drug screen man 20:05 but a clean one. 20:10 God's word is the beginning 20:17 of our new life. 20:23 Maybe you have been neglecting the study of God's word. 20:29 It has become not so much a priority in your life. 20:37 And today the Spirit of God 20:40 is impressing you to take your Bible, 20:45 and to blow the dust right off the cover. 20:53 But we said we were gonna have three ingredients, 20:55 didn't we? to the "Science of Revival. " 21:00 Turn with me to Romans the 10th Chapter, 21:03 so we're gonna go to the right 21:05 back to the New Testament, 21:06 Romans Chapter 10 and verse 17. 21:11 Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts, 21:13 Romans Chapter 10 and verse 17. 21:20 The Bible says in Romans Chapter 10 and verse 17. 21:23 "So then faith comes by hearing, 21:27 and hearing by," what? "The word of God". 21:31 So friends our faith is going to increase as we do what? 21:36 As we study the word of God. 21:40 Now, Jesus had something 21:41 very interesting to say about faith. 21:46 Jesus had something very interesting to say about faith 21:49 and how it ties in to God's word. 21:53 Let's turn to the left, let's go back to the left now 21:56 and let's go to the New Testament Book of Luke 21:59 the 18th Chapter. So we're turning to the left, 22:03 past Acts, past John, here we are in Luke 22:06 and we're going to Luke 18 22:09 and we will begin reading in verse 1. 22:12 Now, as we read verse 1, 22:14 I want you to put your thinking cap on, 22:17 because I'm going to ask us and we're going to see 22:20 what is God saying here from this verse. 22:23 Now, the Bible says, 22:25 "And he spake a parable unto them to this end, 22:29 that men ought always to pray, and not to faint. " 22:36 So what is the purpose of this parable? 22:40 Jesus says, right, the Bible says right here in verse 1 22:43 that the purpose of this parable 22:45 is to teach men to pray. 22:50 Then we have this parable. 22:52 This parable goes on to say verse 2, 22:55 "There was in a city a judge, which feared not God, 22:59 neither regarded man. 23:01 And there was a widow in that city 23:04 and she came unto Him saying, 23:06 avenge me of my adversary, 23:09 and he would not for a while. 23:13 And he would not for a while, 23:14 but afterward he said within himself, 23:17 though I fear not God, nor regard man. 23:21 Yet because this widow troubleth me, 23:23 I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming 23:27 she weary me. "And the Lord said, 23:30 Hear what the unjust judge saith. 23:35 And shall not God avenge his own elect, 23:38 which cry day and night unto him, 23:40 though he bear long with them?" 23:41 Listen to what Jesus says in verse 8, he says, 23:47 "I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. " 23:50 Then he asks this question? 23:53 "Nevertheless when the Son of man comes, 23:56 shall he find faith on the earth?" 24:00 Where does faith come from? 24:02 Studying the word of God. 24:07 Now, the purpose of this parable 24:09 is to teach people to pray. 24:11 But Jesus ends this parable with a question. 24:15 The question is when the Son of Man comes 24:18 will He find faith on the earth? 24:21 Will He find people studying the word of God? 24:26 My friends, the Bible is quite clear 24:28 that as we begin to study God's word we will recognize 24:33 that our life does not line up with God's word. 24:39 And when our life doesn't line up with God's word, 24:42 it creates in us this friction. 24:46 It creates in us this friction 24:50 we want to go one way but God's word says 24:52 go another way. 24:56 As we begin to study God's word, 24:59 the Spirit of God begins to speak to our hearts. 25:06 And then we have to make a decision, 25:08 if we're gonna follow what God has said or not? 25:15 And that leads us to prayer. 25:20 Diligent Bible study, 25:22 the first ingredient in the "Science of Revival. " 25:27 The second the Bible is telling us 25:29 in this prescription for revival, 25:32 the "Science of Revival" is prayer. 25:38 Jesus says, when He comes 25:39 will He find people studying the word of God? 25:46 Will He find people studying to the point 25:48 that they end up on their knees 25:53 with a repentant heart. 25:59 Every promise, every promise in the word of God 26:03 furnishes us with subject matter for prayer. 26:08 Presenting the pledged word of Jehovah as our assurance. 26:13 The Psalmist said in Psalm 55:17 26:17 that he prayed evening, morning and noon. 26:24 How often, my friend, do you pray? 26:29 The Psalmist in Psalm 55:17 is not saying 26:32 that he sits down at dinner and says, 26:35 dear Jesus, thank you for this food, amen. 26:38 And then he gets up in the morning and he says, 26:40 O dear Jesus, thank you again for this food, amen. 26:43 And then he goes to lunch, 26:44 thank you Jesus, for this food, amen. 26:46 That is not what the Psalmist is saying there. 26:48 Let's go back to Psalm 55:17. 26:51 Turn to the left in your Bible 26:53 the Old Testament book of Psalm, 26:55 then we're going to Psalm 55:17. 27:03 Let's look at verse 16 it says, 27:05 "As for me, I will call upon God, 27:08 and the Lord shall save me. 27:11 Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, 27:14 and cry aloud, and He shall hear my voice. " 27:19 Friends, there is power in prayer. 27:26 The New Testament Book of James says 27:29 that the fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. 27:34 And then it goes on to describe a man who prayed. 27:39 Let's look at this, let's go to James 27:42 to the right in our Bibles, 27:43 almost back to the Book of Revelation but not quite. 27:47 You're gonna come to the T-section 27:49 of the New Testament then you're gonna 27:50 go through Hebrews, then you're gonna be in James, 27:54 we're going to James the 5th Chapter and verse 16. 28:00 James Chapter 5 and verse 16, 28:06 the Bible says in James Chapter 5 and verse 16. 28:10 "Confess your faults one to another, 28:13 and pray for one another, that you may be healed. 28:16 The effectual fervent prayer 28:19 of a righteous man availeth much. " 28:24 Verse 17, "Elias was a man subject 28:28 to like passions as we are, 28:31 and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain, 28:35 and it rained not on the earth 28:37 by the space of three years and six months. " 28:42 Verse 18, "And he prayed again, 28:44 and the heaven gave rain, 28:45 and the earth brought forth her fruit. " 28:48 How is it that when this man prayed 28:52 the rain stopped for three and half years. 28:58 How is it? Well, let's go back to that, 29:01 let's go back to that story. 29:03 Let's turn back to the Old Testament 29:05 Book of First Kings, turning to the left 29:08 we're going to First Kings, oh, look at that, 29:11 my Bible plopped right opened to the spot there. 29:14 May be yours did the same, I don't know, 29:15 may be you at home had your Bible 29:17 plopped open to the right spot. 29:19 We're going to First Kings Chapter 18, 29:23 First Kings Chapter 18, we're going to read in verse 1. 29:27 The Bible says in First Kings Chapter 18 in verse 1. 29:31 "And it came to pass after many days, 29:34 that the word of the Lord came to Elijah 29:37 in the third year, saying, Go, show thyself unto Ahab, 29:43 and I will send rain upon the earth. " 29:47 So, the Lord here tells Elijah, 29:51 go see Ahab and tell Ahab that I'm gonna make it rain. 29:56 So that's exactly what Elijah does. 29:59 Look at verse 36, same chapter, 30:01 Chapter 18 of First Kings verse 36. 30:06 The Bible says, "And it came to pass 30:09 there at the time of the evening sacrifice, 30:12 that Elijah the prophet came near, 30:15 and said, Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel, 30:20 let it be known this day that thou art God in Israel, 30:26 and that I am thy servant, 30:28 and that I've done all these things at thy word. " 30:31 Verse 37, "Hear me, O Lord, hear me, 30:35 that this people may know that thou art the Lord God, 30:40 and that thou hast turned their heart back again. 30:46 Then the fire of the Lord fell 30:47 and consumed the burnt sacrifice, 30:49 and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, 30:50 and licked up the water that was in the trench. " 30:55 Let's continue to go down there in verse 39, 30:58 "And when all the people saw it, 30:59 they fell on their faces, and they said, the Lord, 31:01 He is the God, the Lord, He is the God. 31:04 And Elijah said unto them, Take the prophets of Baal, 31:06 let not one of them escape. 31:08 And they took them and Elijah brought them down 31:10 to the brook Kishon, and slew them there. 31:13 And Elijah said unto Ahab, Get thee up, 31:17 eat and drink for there is a sound of abundance of rain. 31:22 So Ahab went up to eat and to drink. 31:25 And Elijah went up to the top of Carmel, 31:28 and he sat himself down upon the earth, 31:30 and put his face between his knees. " 31:33 Elijah kneels down on top of this mountain 31:36 and he begins to pray, he begins to pray for rain, 31:40 he begins to pray the very thing 31:44 that God told him would happen. 31:47 And friends, when you and I pray, 31:49 what God has promised, God will deliver. 31:54 Because as soon as it leaves the word, 31:56 as soon as the word leaves the Lord's mouth it is done. 32:01 If you and I will only begin to study our Bibles, 32:06 the Spirit of God will begin to convict our hearts, 32:10 and we will be forced to our knees in prayer. 32:18 Sometimes God's word says to us, 32:22 you need to go this way. 32:25 Our hearts in every bit of our fleshly nature says, 32:28 you want to go that way. 32:35 Sometimes we love that way 32:38 and we're not sure about God's way. 32:42 Maybe in your own life you have been struggling 32:46 with that very thing, you know from your study 32:50 of the word of God that some things that you are doing 32:54 are just not pleasing to Jesus. 33:00 And you've been having this inner struggle 33:02 because you love the sin, 33:06 but you also love your Savior. 33:08 Friends, that's when you get down on your knees 33:11 and you pray, God in heaven. 33:15 You know that I want to go your way, 33:19 but I want to go this way, help me to hate this way, 33:24 and to love Your away. 33:26 God knows, friend, God knows if you love it, 33:30 you're not pulling the wool over God's eyes. 33:33 God knows if you love that sin, 33:34 tell Him, admit it and say, Lord, help me. 33:41 Just like the Psalmist said, "Save me. " 33:51 The first ingredient in the "Science of Revival" 33:57 is diligent Bible study. 34:01 The second ingredient in the "Science for Revival" 34:06 is sincere and earnest prayer. 34:12 My friends, prayer is the breath of the soul. 34:18 You try it, whether you're here 34:21 or whether you're at home, you try it. 34:23 Hold your breath, turn the timer on 34:26 and tell me how long can you hold your breath. 34:30 I've asked people to do this in the past and the longest 34:33 we got to was like four minutes 34:35 and twenty one seconds and he was blue 34:37 before he took his breath. 34:39 Well, maybe not literally blue, but you know what I mean. 34:46 Prayer is the breath of the soul. 34:53 Is your soul breathing? 35:00 Prayer is the breath of the soul. 35:03 It is the secret of spiritual power. 35:08 No other means of grace can be substituted 35:11 and the health of the soul be preserved. 35:14 Prayer brings the heart into immediate contact 35:17 with the Well-spring of life, and strengthens the sinew 35:23 and muscle of the religious experience. 35:27 Neglect the exercise of prayer, 35:30 or engage in prayer spasmodically, 35:33 as seems convenient, 35:36 and you will lose your hold on God. 35:47 Neglect the exercise of prayer and the spiritual faculties 35:52 of your life will lose their vitality. 35:55 You will lose that new life. 36:05 The first ingredient, diligent Bible study. 36:11 The second ingredient, sincere and earnest prayer. 36:17 But sincere studying the Bible and praying 36:20 with all of your heart, 36:21 leads you to the third ingredient 36:23 in this "Science of Revival. " 36:27 Turn with me to the Old Testament 36:29 Book of First Samuel, that's to the left 36:32 from where we're here in Kings. 36:35 Let's turn to the left, 36:36 First Samuel Chapter 12 and verse 23, 36:43 First Samuel Chapter 12 and verse 23. 36:51 The word of God reads like this "Moreover as for me, 36:56 God forbid that I should sin against the Lord 37:00 in ceasing to pray for you. " 37:04 Who do we sin against when we cease to pray 37:07 for people that we know? The Lord God. 37:11 "God forbid that I should sin against the Lord 37:13 in ceasing to pray for you but," 37:15 and that is an important but right there, my friend, 37:20 "but I will teach you the good and the right way. " 37:28 Studying our Bible causes us to pray, 37:33 because our lives do not line up with the word of God. 37:38 And friends, as we are praying for God 37:40 to continue to revive our lives through His word. 37:43 God puts his burden on our hearts, 37:46 for all of his people. 37:52 And then we too, just like right here 37:58 in verse 23 of First Samuel Chapter 12. 38:01 We too, we want to teach our friends, 38:04 our family, our loved ones, 38:07 even our enemies the good and the right way. 38:14 The third ingredient of the "Science of Revival" 38:19 is witnessing. 38:21 Inside your own church you call this fellowship, 38:26 outside of your church you call this witnessing, ministry. 38:33 Turn with me to Jeremiah 20 and verse 9. 38:37 That's to the right from where we are, 38:38 you're gonna go past Psalms, you're gonna go past Proverbs 38:42 Isaiah, Jeremiah. 38:45 Jeremiah Chapter 20 and verse 9. 38:51 Jeremiah the 20 Chapter and verse 9. 38:57 Jeremiah says here, "I will not make mention of him, 39:02 or speak any more in his name. 39:04 But His word was in mine heart as a burning fire 39:08 shut up in my bones, 39:10 and I was weary with forbearing, 39:12 and I could not stay. " 39:14 I could not stand it he says. 39:16 I didn't want to teach other people what God was saying. 39:19 I didn't want to share God's word with other people. 39:22 But because he was so intimately associated with God 39:25 through Bible study and with prayer he had to do it. 39:29 He couldn't stand not sharing it. 39:33 And how is it with you. 39:37 How is it with you, my friend? 39:45 How is it with you? Jeremiah says that 39:49 "It just became inside of him like a burning fire. " 39:54 You remember those disciples, 39:56 those disciples walking on the roads to Emmaus, 39:58 when Jesus gave them that Bible study. 40:00 They said, did not our hearts burn within us. 40:07 You know some, some mornings I make it a habit 40:09 of every morning to have a time of devotion, 40:12 a time when I spend time in the word of God, 40:14 studying God's word, 40:16 comparing that with commentaries just praying. 40:21 And sometimes God will just begin to give you a message 40:24 and you can't write it as fast as He is giving it. 40:27 And your heart begins to burn within you 40:29 and you just want to share that with someone. 40:33 You know they say, practice makes perfect. 40:36 You're gonna wake up tomorrow. 40:39 And you're going to remember the sermon. 40:42 You're going to have special time with God in His word. 40:47 And when you get with your family 40:49 around the breakfast table, 40:51 tell me that you have breakfast with your family. 40:55 When you get around that table at work, 40:58 I know you talk with your friends at work. 41:02 Share with them what God showed you that day. 41:09 And you will see your knowledge, 41:12 your understanding of the word of God increased 41:15 because as you share it, it comes right back. 41:20 Three ingredients, the first one is diligent Bible study, 41:28 number two, sincere and earnest prayer, 41:33 number three is witnessing, inside the church fellowship, 41:37 outside the church you call it ministry. 41:40 Jeremiah said "I can't take it anymore, 41:42 I have to share it. " 41:45 Turn with me to the New Testament Book of Luke. 41:48 The New Testament Book of Luke, 41:49 that's to the right from Jeremiah. 41:51 Matthew, Mark, Luke in the New Testament. 41:54 We're going to Luke the 8 Chapter. 41:57 Luke Chapter 8. 42:00 We will begin reading in verse 38. 42:06 But before we - I tell you, we read 38, 42:08 I'm gonna tell you what happens before then. 42:10 There is this man that's possessed of demons, 42:13 Jesus cast the demons out of this man. 42:15 These demons go into a herd of pigs, 42:16 the pigs drown themselves 42:18 because they're full of demons. 42:19 The people that were, the pig herders, 42:22 go into town and into the city and they tell them, 42:25 hey look, we just lost our livelihood. 42:28 All these people come out and they send Jesus away. 42:34 Luke Chapter 8 verse 38, 42:37 "Now the man out of whom the devils 42:39 were departed besought him. " 42:41 He starts to talk to Jesus. 42:44 This man is praying to Jesus in person. 42:52 And he is, the Bible says that, 42:53 "He besought him that he might be with him. " 42:57 He said, Jesus please these people don't like You 43:01 and I'm the reason, don't let me stay here, 43:04 take me with You. 43:09 Jesus says to this man, "Return to your own house, 43:15 and show how great things God has done unto thee. " 43:22 Jesus tells him, you can't just pray 43:27 and study the Bible all the time. 43:30 You have to go share that with other people. 43:36 Now it's quite interesting that right here, 43:38 Jesus didn't say you must go to seminary, 43:42 it's quite interesting Jesus didn't say here, 43:44 you must go to a training school. 43:47 Friends, when you fall in love with the author of life, 43:50 Jesus Christ, immediately you want to start 43:54 sharing Him with other people. 44:01 "And he went his way," verse 39 44:03 "and published throughout the whole city 44:04 how great things Jesus had done unto him. " 44:07 And if we had the time, we would 44:08 compare scripture with scripture 44:10 and we would find out that when Jesus came back 44:11 to this town, this town was waiting for Jesus 44:14 because of that man's testimony. 44:22 The whole town was then ready to hear 44:24 what Jesus had to say. 44:30 As witnesses for Christ, we are to tell what we know. 44:36 What we ourselves have seen and heard and felt. 44:43 If we have been following Jesus step by step, 44:46 we will have something right to the point to tell 44:49 concerning the way in which He has led us. 44:52 We can tell others how we have tested His promises, 44:54 and found the promises true. 44:59 We can bear witness to what we have known 45:01 of the grace of Christ. 45:03 Friends, this is the witness for which our Lord calls 45:07 and for want of which the world is perishing. 45:19 How is it with you, my friend? 45:23 How is your Bible study going on a daily basis? 45:27 You know, when my daughter Samantha was born, 45:30 my wife had to feed her like every three hours. 45:34 She had to eat. 45:38 Now she eats the same amount of times as we eat. 45:44 And yet many Christians think that 45:46 they can go to church one day a week. 45:50 Get all the food they need for the week, 45:55 and live on it until the next church day. 46:02 You're starving yourself. 46:08 Friends, how's your prayer life. 46:14 Prayer is the breath of the soul, 46:17 is your soul breathing? 46:23 Prayer is the secret of spiritual power. 46:32 Does it contain any power in your life? 46:40 Witnessing is the outlet for the input 46:44 of Bible study and prayer. 46:49 It's quite interesting, a good friend of mine 46:51 and I were at lunch one day, 46:53 and he told me about how he went to this church service. 46:58 And in this church service, 46:59 there was a lady upfront that was preaching 47:01 and in the back there was a young man 47:04 that had like 30 bags of potato chips around him. 47:09 He would open very noisily one bag of potato chips 47:12 and just begin to stuff them. 47:16 The potato chips falling all over his clothes, 47:18 hitting the floor in the back of the church. 47:21 It was annoying to the people that were sitting around him. 47:23 It was distracting to the people 47:25 that were closer to the front. 47:28 This lady just kept preaching, 47:31 she just kept carrying on up there, 47:33 preaching about the power of witnessing for Jesus Christ. 47:36 And how that is the only outlet for Bible study 47:39 and for prayer. 47:41 This young man in the back, yeah, 47:43 right there near where you're sitting, 47:45 he just kept shoving those potato chips in his mouth. 47:51 And it got bigger and bigger and bigger, 47:59 in just about the time her sermon 48:02 was finished he popped, 48:07 and she said, that's what happens 48:10 when you don't have an outlet 48:13 for your Bible study and your prayer, you will pop. 48:20 Your spiritual life will be as nothing. 48:29 I remember when I was first converted, 48:32 I was talking to a very good friend of mine, 48:34 and I've known him all of my life. 48:37 He said to me, that fire you have, I had that once. 48:44 Don't worry, it'll go away. 48:48 And I looked at my friend and I said, 48:51 God forbid 48:54 that my spiritual life end up like yours. 49:00 Dear friend, maybe God has spoken to you today. 49:05 Maybe you have realized that you should be 49:07 studying the word of God more. 49:10 Something you have realized that you should be 49:12 studying the word of God. 49:19 Some of you that study the word of God 49:21 know already that your prayer life 49:24 is not what it should be. 49:30 Maybe you want to change that 49:33 with a decision today. 49:41 Maybe you're just like that little girl whose last wish 49:45 was that other children would get Bibles maybe like you. 49:48 You want to begin to share that with other people. 50:02 It all begins with the study of God's word. 50:10 It goes then to prayer and then to witnessing. 50:18 Now some people will say, you know, 50:19 I don't witness anymore because the last time 50:22 I witnessed, I got a door shut on my face 50:24 Some people say I don't witness anymore 50:26 because the last time I witnessed 50:28 somebody told me that I was stupid for doing that. 50:30 The last time I witnessed, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. 50:37 There was an evangelist 50:40 who traveled around to different areas. 50:45 He went to this rural church to hold a meeting. 50:48 He was used to staying in an hotel, 50:50 you understand but, this the local elder 50:52 of this church said, you know my friend 50:54 you stay at our house, 50:55 we have a very nice big farmhouse, 50:57 the children have moved away. 50:58 It'll be nice for you to be in the country 51:00 and to relax a little. 51:01 Well, he thought he was already in the country 51:03 being in such a rural setting, 51:05 but he decided that he would give it a go. 51:08 And so he went to his home, very nice family, 51:13 lived on this farm, they put him up 51:15 in the second storey room. 51:18 Had a view out of the window out onto the farm 51:21 and he could see all the animals. 51:24 And he got out his big city alarm clock, 51:27 not with the battery 'cause you know, 51:28 he was going to a rural area, 51:30 he didn't know if he'd have any electricity. 51:31 But he brought the windup clock.. 51:33 Chook, chook, chook, chook, chook, chook, 51:36 chook, chook, chook, set the alarm. 51:39 You know one of those ringers has a hammer on it. 51:43 He set the alarm for the next morning. 51:45 He went to sleep in this big old tall bed, 51:47 you know, how farm house beds are, 51:49 right, they're taller than normal. 51:52 He laid down in that bed and he just went to sleep, 51:56 knowing that that alarm clock would be the next thing 51:58 he heard in the morning. 52:02 The next morning just as sun was starting to come 52:05 into that window, he heard, 52:06 cock-a-doodle-doo. cock-a-doodle-doo. 52:14 He looked at the alarm clock, 'cause he never heard it make 52:16 that sound before, but it wasn't time to get up. 52:19 He looked outside and on top of the barn 52:21 was this big ruby red rooster, 52:25 just crowing for all he was worth. 52:28 Have those real nice big long tail feather 52:30 sticking up in the air, 52:31 just crowing for all he's worth. 52:36 The evangelist said well, maybe the Lord just wants 52:38 me to have some more time studying and praying today. 52:42 So he got up, that night he had his evangelistic meeting 52:48 and then he went home and he went to bed, 52:50 and he set his alarm clock. 52:53 And the next morning just as the Sun began to come up 52:55 over the horizon, he was awoken with a jolt. 52:59 Cock-a-doodle-doo. That old rooster just crowing 53:05 his heart out, doing his job, 53:08 doing what a rooster is supposed to do. 53:14 The rooster did this consistently for two weeks. 53:19 The evangelistic eventually stopped 53:21 even setting the alarm clock. 53:25 He just waited for the old rooster to wake him up. 53:33 One of the days when they didn't have 53:34 a meeting that night, he stayed on the farm 53:38 and he watched the animals. 53:41 He watched the horses as they were grazing in the field. 53:44 He watched the cows as they were out there 53:46 with the horses. 53:49 He watched the pigs in the pigpen, 53:52 he watched the rooster and all the hens in their pen. 53:59 Then he noticed, this rooster flew up onto the post, 54:04 right beside the pigpen. 54:06 They just put some more slop 54:08 down there in the pigpen you understand. 54:11 And this rooster looks at that slop down there 54:13 and he sees maybe a kernel of corn 54:15 or something and he walks it. 54:18 So he just hops down in there, starts pecking away. 54:24 And all of a sudden out of nowhere 54:26 comes this big old pig, grabs the rooster 54:29 by the tail feathers and slings that rooster 54:33 right out of right out of the pigpen. 54:39 But he kept the feathers. 54:46 Evangelist watched as that rooster went over 54:48 and hid himself underneath the barn. 54:54 That night the evangelist didn't set his alarm clock 54:58 because the rooster had always been there. 55:03 The next morning he woke up late, 55:08 what happened to the rooster? 55:12 The very same thing that happens to many Christians 55:16 who have a door shut on their face. 55:18 The very same thing that happens to many Christians, 55:21 who have said, you're stupid for sharing 55:22 that in a public manner. 55:24 The very same thing that happens to Christians 55:26 whose friends say, don't worry that fire will go out. 55:32 The rooster got his feathers a little ruffled 55:34 and he refused to do his job. 55:40 Friends, as we study our Bibles, 55:44 God convicts our hearts of how 55:47 we are not inline with His word. 55:53 As we study our Bibles, we recognize that 55:56 we are not yet what God desires us to be. 56:01 And it causes us to pray. 56:04 And we may want to go the world's way, 56:06 but Jesus wants us to go His way, 56:08 and we fall down and we pray, Lord, help me, you know, 56:11 I love it, help me to hate it. 56:12 Help me to do what You want me to do. 56:17 And as we are praying for our very own lives, 56:22 God convicts us that we too need to be sharing His word 56:27 with our friends, with our family 56:30 and even with our enemies. 56:37 Friends, won't you start that revival today. 56:43 Won't you get down on your carpet at home 56:46 and draw one of those circles, you know, 56:48 how you used to do when you were a kid, 56:51 and kneel down in that circle. 56:54 And you say, Lord, revive me again, 56:59 make me what you want me to be. 57:01 Friend, at home is that your desire? 57:06 Let's pray. Father, we ask that you 57:11 will give us good Bible study prayer and opportunity 57:15 to witness, in Jesus' name, Amen. |
Revised 2014-12-17