10-12-07 #Disciple Bible Study Titled: “Committed for Revival”

[Disciple]

“Committed for Revival”
2 Chronicles 14:2, 15:17
Intro.
Will revival come to us?
I think it depends in great part on how we go about seeking for and inviting God to be here.

ILL- Paul Harvey told a story of an attractive flight attendant who was being bothered by two very flirtatious men- one at the front of the plane and one at the back- she was very much upset by their forward advances but she continued doing her job- near the end of the flight the man at the front wrote down his address and gave it to her along with a key to this apartment – he said, “See you tonight.”- she took the key and the address and walked to the back of the plane- she handed them to the other man, winked and said “Don’t be late”- I can imagine that evening there were two very disappointed men-
Have you ever been disappointed when someone you were looking for just didn’t show up? Maybe they didn’t show up because they didn’t appreciate the way they were invited
If we expect God to show up for our revival time we must be committed to revival happening here. Revival in your life- in your church- in your community will not happen if we expect God to show up just so we can use him rather than serve him
Commitment is the cost of a genuine revival. Revival will not happen until it is desired- the level of your commitment will determine the level of revival and renewal. In a sermon, Raymond Perkins said- We should never separate God’s commitment to renewal from man’s renewal to commitment. God will come to us when we come to him with commitment
Deut. 4:29
For us to have a genuine, successful revival, we must have a full commitment of ourselves to seeking for the Lord with all of our heart and all our soul
The Scripture we read from 2 Chronicles 14 & 15 is about the king of Judah, whose name is Asa- Asa led the kingdom of Judah in a great revival and renewal to the Lord, but there was nothing in his past history that would indicate he would do this-
His great-grandpa was Solomon- we know that at the end of Solomon’s life he had married many women and built many places of worship and his heart was turned from God. His Grandpa was Rehoboam and the Bible says he did not seek the Lord with all his heart. His daddy was Abijah and we’re told that Abijah committed all the sins his father had done before him and his heart was not fully devoted to the Lord.
Now Asa is king and he has committed his heart fully to the Lord all his life- We can learn some lessons about commitment and revival from Asa
I. Commitment Relies on God’s Power For Victory
We can see the beginning of revival and renewal in the actions of Asa- Some of the first things he does is tear down the altars and sacred stones and Ashram poles used for worship of pagan gods. He commands the people of Judah to see the Lord and obey his laws and commands.
For the first ten years, Asa and Judah had peace and rest, but as is always the case, a major test came to Asa and it is in this test that we see revival and renewal really taking place
2 Chron. 14:9-10 tells us that Zerah went out to meet Asa in battle and that Zerah had a vast army
Here is where we see how commitment relies on God’s power for victory
2 Chron. 15:11
Asa finds himself in a desperate situation but yet he is confident- he cries to the Lord in prayer. God alone is able to help the powerless against the mighty- v. 11. This is expressing complete dependence on God. Another way of reading this might be ‘you do not take into account numbers when you come to assist’. Asa confesses his own weakness and the limitless power of God to give the victory
Revival will not come as a result of our strength and ability but because of God’s faithfulness and power- God is the determining factor
ILL- Have you ever tried to use an electrical appliance but you just couldn’t get it to come on? - then you realized that it wasn’t plugged in- the power was there all the time but you just hadn’t tapped into it- when we fail to tap in the power of God we cannot expect victory- full commitment relies on the power of God for victory
Some might think that having a great revival in our church and community is against all odds- but remember, God does not take into account numbers when he comes to assist-
Eph 3:20
What are you asking God to do for revival here?
II. Full Commitment Takes Bold Action To Please God
When Asa became king of Judah among the first things he did was to get rid of the idols that the people had been worshiping
That was a good beginning for bringing revival and renewal- It’s a good beginning place for us too- what is there in your life today that is standing between you and God? What is there that is keeping you from being completely committed to God? What is there that is keeping you from seeking the Lord with all your heart and with all your soul? What do you need to get rid of so you can be fully committed to the Lord today?
God sent a prophet name Azariah to Asa and note what he tells him-
2 Chron 15:2
Now note how Asa responds to God’s message-
2 Chron. 15:8
Asa got bold he wasn’t afraid to do the right thing to please God- Idol worship had become popular in Judah- most of the people worshipped idols- Probably some of the people didn’t like what Asa did, but he didn’t care. He wasn’t afraid to do bold things to please God
You can see the most courageous thing he did
2 Chron. 15: 16
Asa attacked the problem in his own family- Sometimes the most difficult situation lies within our own family- Maybe your husband or your wife or you children don’t want to do the right thing- Maybe they aren’t really interested in being fully committed to the Lord with all their heart and soul. Maybe it isn’t the most popular thing for your to stand up and say, “This is revival week at church and we are going to attend Sunday morning, Sunday night, Monday night, Tuesday night, and Wednesday night”
For revival to come to you and to your church, someone has to take courage and stand up and take bold action to please God What will you boldly do this week in your life? What will you boldly do to remove what is keeping you from being revived in your life and relationship with God?
Will you renew yourself? Will be bold and do that which might be unpopular with some, but it right with God and pleasing to him?
III. Full Commitment Repairs The Broken Things That Matter To God
I need to clarify something I said a moment ago-
Asa tore down the idols and cut down the Asherah poles that the people had been worshipping, but I want you to notice something you may have missed, it is an extremely important point-
2 Chron 15:8
Not only did Asa tear down the detestable things, but more importantly he repaired what really mattered most to the Lord- the alter of sacrifice
The idols dishonored the Lord, so Asa removed them-but he also restored what brought honor to the Lord
What are some things that need to be repaired today to bring honor and glory to God? We need to repair our commitment to the Scriptures- How sad to see so many in the church culture ignoring the clear, plain teaching of the Scripture- What happens today in the church is based more on man’s opinions or feelings than on ‘thus saith the Lord’ we need a total commitment to the Word of God
But we need to repair the unity of the church- Why is it that we can readily understand that when a sports team plays as a team and is united they win, but we have a hard time understanding and accepting that in the church?
We are allowing selfishness to control our lives we want and demand our way in the church and anyone who disagrees with us we refuse to have a loyalty and unity with them
We take sides and divide and we try to choose people to be on our side. God must look at the church today and weep. How sad it is when we who call ourselves Christians refuse to do the things necessary to get along with each other and to honor God in our lives
We need to repair our witness for the Lord Jesus Christ- Too often we cower and we don’t want to many to know we’re Christians-We won’t stand up and speak up for Christ because we don’t want anyone to thing we are fanatics about Christ. But isn’t that exactly what God wants us to be? - Doesn’t he want us to be so fanatical about our relationship with him that we have to tell everyone we see and know about him?
Conc.
Do you really want revival to come to your life?
What are you willing to commit to make it happen? Nothing great ever happened without commitment. Nothing great ever happened without enthusiasm
In the kingdom of Judah, revival and renewal came because one man was willing to commit all of his heart and all of his soul to the Lord- Do not underestimate the power of just one person who is seeking for God with all their heart and soul and who will be fully committed to the Lord for all their life
Will you be that one person?
Do you need the saving touch of God today?