On Those Who Believe That a Revival Is Needed and Is Possible...
Preparing the way of the Lord involves speaking to God about revival in prayer and speaking to men with the fruit of that prayer.
Andrew Murray emphasizes the critical role of believers in preparing for revival through prayer and intercession. He calls for a deep humility and self-sacrifice as we seek God's insight into our spiritual state and the condition of the church. By confessing sins and standing in the gap, believers can become instruments of God's strength and grace. The process may be gradual, but earnest prayer and speaking to others about God's will can ignite a movement of revival. Ultimately, as individuals begin to understand God's desires for His church, a collective awakening and blessing will follow.
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On those who believe that a revival is needed and is possible rests the solemn responsibility of preparing the way of the Lord in speaking to God and men and women about it. To God we speak about it in prayer. We ask him to open our own eyes and hearts, and those of our church, to what he thinks and says of the spiritual life he finds. We confess our own sin and the sin of our brethren. We give ourselves to stand in the gap, to take hold of his strength. We ask the Spirit to give us the consciousness of being intercessors, who in tender love, and yet in holy zeal and truth, speak to God about the state in which his church is. Not in the spirit of judgment, or self-exaltation, but in deep humility and the spirit of self-sacrifice, we ask God to show us if it is true what we think we see -- that the spirit of self-will and the world is robbing the church of its power to continue and carry out the work Christ began. We ask God to reveal to us if and how deliverance can come.
And so we get prepared to lift up our testimony and speak to our brethren. It may be, not at once: the fire may burn long in our bones. It may be, not to large audiences, or with any marked result. But if our speaking to men be the fruit of much speaking to God, of real waiting on him for revival, it must tell. As one hear and another there -- this is usually God's way -- begins to see what really is God's will concerning his church, and what the cause of her failure, and what the pat of restoration, and what the certainty of the visitation of his grace, prayer will become more urgent and believing, and the blessing will come.
(Excerpted from The Coming Revival, by Andrew Murray , pg. 14)
Sermon Outline
- The Responsibility of Preparing the Way of the Lord
- The Importance of Intercession
- The Role of Humility and Self-Sacrifice
- Speaking to God about Revival
- Speaking to Men about Revival
- Confessing Sin and Seeking Strength
- Seeking the Spirit's Consciousness
- Judging Ourselves, Not Others
- Seeking God's Will and Deliverance
Key Quotes
“We ask the Spirit to give us the consciousness of being intercessors, who in tender love, and yet in holy zeal and truth, speak to God about the state in which his church is.” — Andrew Murray
“If our speaking to men be the fruit of much speaking to God, of real waiting on him for revival, it must tell.” — Andrew Murray
Application Points
- Make prayer a priority in seeking God's will and deliverance for the church.
- Seek the Spirit's consciousness to speak to God about the state of the church.
- Approach the topic of revival with humility and self-sacrifice, avoiding judgment and self-exaltation.