Are you ready for revival (Sermon)

Are you ready for revival? No, I mean are you really ready for revival? Before you answer, maybe we need to define what revival is -- it is the renewal of spiritual fervor, or the rekindling of one's fire for the Lord. So, are you ready for revival?

As I asked myself that question some time back, God took me to a familiar passage of scripture, 2 Chron. 7.14, ane God began to show me that in order to be ready for revival, we need to make some preparations that will allow us to receive what God intends to send unto us this week.

The passage begins, "If my people, called by my name" - Is that any of you this morning? Is there someone here who calls Christ their savior and Lord? Am I in the right place today? God is looking for men and women who will be His, not just in name, but in every aspect of their life.

So if my people who are called by my name. . ."Will Humble themselves" - in Hebrew, the verse starts with this word. It should read "If they will humble themselves, my people who are called by my name." Are we willing to set aside our own pride, and humble ourselves? Are we willing to get on our face before God, and cry out to him for a fresh fire to fall in this place? In church, humility is a dirty word. We like to talk about all that we have accomplished and what we've done for Christ, but if you want to experience more of God, you have to set aside your spiritual pedigree, lay down your religious resume, and come to the cross with nothing but yourself, sinful and selfish.

So if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves. . ."And pray" - You can't sit under the preaching of Rev. Mooney for very long without learning a little bit about prayer. Church, you have a powerful presence of prayer in this place. But hear me, church, you need to keep praying! There are some sitting here now, even as I said that, that you know you haven't pressed in to prayer like you need to, and God is calling some here to commit to a deeper prayer life. Prayer is where we are renewed with the power.

So if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray. . ."And will seek my face" Too often, we seek the hand of God instead of the face of God. You see, the hands of God represent His works we see all around us, but his face reflects God's nature and who he really is. Three big differences between faces and hands.

First, faces are beautiful. I remember like it was yesterday, standing in this very church and looking back that aisle as the most beautiful creature I've ever seen walked down. I was about to change my life forever--to say "I do to my wife." And in that moment, her face captivated me. I couldn't take my eyes off her. God's face is beautiful -- it will captivate us, and it will keep us from sin; the hand can't do that. You see, I don't want to do anything to bring pain and tears to the beautiful face of God or cause Him to turn His face from me.

Secondly, faces speak. Hands don't speak. When we seek the face of God, we will begin to hear His voice. Didn't Jesus say we as His sheep would hear His voice?

Third, faces smile and laugh. Hands can't express delight. The smile of God shows us the delight He takes in us. And His laughter helps us to loosen up. The church often takes itself too seriously. How can we ever hope to win the world for Christ when we sit in the pews looking like we've been sucking on lemons? We ought to be a people full of joy!

If my people who are called by name will humble themselves and pray, and will seek my face. . ." And turn from their sins" The words in the Greek literally mean to turn from the ways of the wicked ones. What unconfessed sin is keeping you from receiving from God? I'm not talking about some overt sin, but the stuff that only you and God know. If you really want to experience revival, you need to get rid of that garbage that has built up in your life. And for many that means dealing with the idols as well. Idol is anything that pushes Christ from the center of our life. Experiencing Christ is a bit like making a pie chart of your life. To increase how much of God you have, something else has to shrink. What things in your life are crowding out God?

So we have the conditions for revival. If my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray, and will seek my face, and turn from their sins. Now comes the payoff. Then -- I will hear in heaven, and I will forgive their sins, and I will heal their land. Church, if we will humble ourselves, confessing our sin, get on our face before Almight God and cry out for his face - his presence to be revealed in this place, we'll be ready to have revival. Church, God is about to do a new thing, a might work in your midst. And He wants to start this very week . . . if we are willing. Are you really ready for revival?

Will you bow your heads with me?

Heavenly Father, we come before you with nothing to offer exept our sin, our pride, and our weaknesses. Yet you call us to come and seek you. Lord, we want to experience revival this week, not just a series of meetings, but God, we want you to rekindle your fire, to renew our fervor. Allow your word to take root within us this morning, and allow us to deal frankly with anything that would keep you from having your way in our hearts and lives this week. We ask this in the name our Jesus. Amen.