The Road to Revival

Hello. Thank you for being on the Monday Night Revival Prayer Call, and we are again so honored that you would be with us tonight to pray for revival. The challenge tonight is called The Road to Revival.

Great true revivals of the past have always involved the awesome presence and power of God and His Holy Spirit. Such revivals restored the churches and caused Christians to have a vital and fervent relationship with God so that the good news went out through them to the surrounding areas, to their city, and eventually to their country, affecting and changing the thoughts and moral behaviors of people towards the true God and to each other. So the question is, who will bring revival? Well, true revival comes from God the Father, Jesus Christ, and from His Holy Spirit.

So we depend on the Lord to render heavens. And the next question is, when will revival take place? The timing is in the hands of God. God wants revival more than we do, yet we have a part, and God says, draw near to me, and I will draw near to you.

So if we don't draw near to God, will that be a cause of lack of revival? I believe so. God says, seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you. And then God wants us to have a part in revival.

And in 2 Chronicles 7, verse 14, is a description from God, and there it says, If my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from the wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and heal their land. Now here God gives us four steps to do if we want to do revival. Number one, I need to humble myself, and it includes weeping, mourning, and fasting.

And I'll explain that more in just a moment. Number two, we need to pray, and pray includes confession and repentance. Number three, we need to seek God's face.

We are close to God when we dwell in the secret place of the Most High and remain under His shadow. So when we are in the shadow of a person, we are close to him or to her. Number four, we need to turn from wicked ways.

The question is, do you love Jesus with your first love again? Or is it a second love or third love? He requires first love. Do you stay away from sexual immorality? Do you not allow false doctrines in your church? Do you make sure you don't have a dead church doing things people want instead of what God wants? And never, never give in to being lukewarm. A man by the name of Nehemiah is described in the Old Testament of the Bible.

A great revival broke out in Israel in the city of Jerusalem during his time, and he had a great part. Nehemiah was used by God to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem, which were broken down. So Nehemiah went on a journey to Jerusalem in Israel to rebuild the walls.

Now, his story includes seven steps. Before Nehemiah went to Jerusalem, he was a wine taster. He was a cup bearer, as per the Bible, to King Artaxerxes of Persia, as described in Nehemiah chapter one.

And if you want to follow, you can refer in your Bibles to Nehemiah chapter two, sorry, in Nehemiah chapter one, verse one. And Nehemiah was in Persia. In today's language, Persia is Iran.

In his role of cup bearer, Nehemiah was responsible for tasting the wines for the king. This made Nehemiah's role as a position of considerable trust and responsibility to the king, knowing that someone else would intercept an assassination attempt, made King Artaxerxes feel protected, and he would only give that job to a person that he trusted highly and that could not be bought. It's fascinating to see that God had put Nehemiah as a Jewish person into this position of trust for a Persian king.

It wasn't the city of Shushan of Persia, as per Nehemiah. Despite Nehemiah's position, yes, in the palace, like most Jews living in other lands, his heart longed for his homeland, the promised land that lay in ruins. Jerusalem was some 1,400 kilometers away from Shushan.

Some of the Jews had made their way back from Babylon, where they had been slaves to the Babylonians. After 70 years of exile, they were returning to Jerusalem and inhabit what had been the nation of Israel. Their lack of progress was brought to the attention of Nehemiah.

He heard news of people in distress and broken walls back home. A person by the name of Han Nye reported those who survived the exile and are back in the province are in great affliction and reproach. There was great trouble and disgrace, and the walls of Jerusalem are broken down.

Let us now read the words from the book of Nehemiah, chapter one, verses one to four. And in verse one of Nehemiah, it says, the words of Nehemiah, the son of Hacaliah, and it came to pass in the month of Jisru in the 20th year, as I was in Shushan, the palace. So Nehemiah was Jewish.

This took place 464 years before Christ. He was in Persia, which today is Iran in the palace of Shushan, about 1,400 kilometers away from Jerusalem. Verse two, that Han Nye, one of my brethren, came, he and certain men of Judah, and I asked them concerning the Jews that had escaped, which were left in the captivity, and concerning Jerusalem.

And here, Han Nye reported about the state of the city of Jerusalem, and he talked more in verse three, and there Nehemiah reports, and they said unto me, the remnant that are left of the captivity there in the province are in great affliction and reproach. The wall of Jerusalem also is broken down, and the gates thereof are burned with fire. And it came to, and then in verse four, and it came to pass when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept and mourned certain days, and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven.

So Nehemiah was a court official, and he was a man, yet when he heard that his fellow Jewish people were in trouble a long way away from him, and that also the city of Jerusalem were down, what did he do? What did he do? And scripture tells us he wept, and he humbled himself before God. Now the Lord Jesus wept for the people when coming into Jerusalem. God the Father wept for his people in the book of Jeremiah.

So you might say to me, well I'm a man, I don't weep. May I ask why not? Aren't there people dying out there? Isn't judgment coming from God in the book of Revelation? What about family members? Is it perhaps that our hearts have grown stony? Are there some hard parts that have developed in our hearts where the tears evade us, where we no longer weep or cry? May I suggest the first step in the road to revival is humility and weeping for lost people we know, and that the walls of our countries are down, or you may want to weep concerning any besetting sin in your or my life if we can't get rid of it. If I compare this to myself today in my time, I need to ask myself, when is the last time I have wept for lost family members? What about you? When is the last time I have wept for lost neighbors? What about you? When is the last time I have wept for the lost city I am in where the walls are broken down? What about you? When is the last time I have wept for all the lost people in our lost country where the walls are broken down? What about you? Have stones formed in our hearts? Are our hearts stony? In Nehemiah 1 verse 4, we find another humility step, which is mourning, because if you remember in verse 4, it said, and it came to pass when I heard these words that I sat down and wept and mourned certain days and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven.

Mourning is an expression of grief and sorrow. In our case, more often sorrow relates to when people die that are near to us, when loved ones die. But what about weeping for the decline of morality in your country or my country? What about weeping for loss in faith and people falling away from the faith? Or what about mourning for judgments of God and God just gave us another judgment in Canada whereby the government passed a new hate law and part of the Bible is now considered hate in Canada? Or perhaps we want to mourn for the loss of safety.

At the beginning and before the hour, we briefly talked about food and about oil. Maybe this winter and next year we will feel the effects of the heat and the war where much oil is taken away from us. Will that cause us to mourn before God? Mourning includes bodily pain in addition to tears.

There might be chest pain, a racing heart, upset stomach, not wanting to eat, headaches, sleeplessness, and so on. Scripture does not give us all that Nehemiah mourned for. He had heard concerning the Jews that had escaped and that the city had broken walls.

Perhaps he also mourned because God had judged his own nations where thousands upon thousands were killed and the rest had to go to Babylon as slaves for 70 years. God repaid sin. Won't he repay sin in our countries? God loves us and is love but he also hates sin and he will not stand by forever in the walls of our country.

If the walls of our country are down, our greatest danger to us is God himself. God has always brought more judgment where nations did not change and persisted in evil and you can read that in the book of Judges. You can read that in Jeremiah and God has declared judgment over Canada and the United States.

God has given us over as Christians and the Christian church to reprobate minds. In Nehemiah 1 verse 4 we just read we also find another step about humility and that is fasting. When we fast it is a deep spiritual commitment to God.

In Isaiah 58 verse 6 God says, is not this the fast that I have chosen to lose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens and to let the oppressed grow free and that you break every yoke. So God has made us through faith in him. Ambassadors for Christ and ministers of reconciliation praise God.

God enables us to break every yoke through him our mighty God, through faith and through his son the Lord Jesus Christ and through the power of the Holy Spirit. But we will only experience it if we do. It's no good to just talk about it or tell others about it.

If we don't do we will not experience this great great gift from God. Then in Nehemiah 1 verse 6 we find the furthest step in our road to revival which is praying. Nehemiah prayed without ceasing as per Nehemiah 1 verse 6 and there it says let thine ear now be attentive and thine eyes open that thou mayest hear the prayer of thy servant which I pray before thee now day and night for the children of Israel thy servants and confess the sins of the children of Israel which we have sinned against thee both I and my father's house have sinned.

So here this very good Christian is saying no I have sinned too as a Christian. In Nehemiah 1 verse 6 we find also besides prayer that Nehemiah is confessing the sins of his nation, the sins of his father's house and confessing his own sin. And then the same verse also indicates that he wanted to repent and making a u-turn from sin.

And then in Nehemiah chapter 1 verse 11 we find another step in the road to revival which is doing. It's doing something about the situation and there in Nehemiah 1 verse 11 Nehemiah said O Lord he prayed O Lord I beseech thee let now thine ear be attentive to the prayer of thy servant and to the prayer of thy servants who desire to fear thy name. Fearing God gives us wisdom beloved.

So many of you use a cop-out but if you read the book of Revelation and you understand it you will also fear God. Love him but also fear him because he will not stand for sin. And then Nehemiah went on and he said who desire to fear thy name and prosper.

So Nehemiah asked to prosper I pray thee thy servant this day and grant him mercy in the sight of this man for I was the king's cup bearer. Now Nehemiah here does not ask to prosper meaning money or wealth. He speaks about his relationship with this man which is king Artaxerxes.

Nehemiah is willing to risk his life by asking king Artaxerxes to allow him to leave his job. In those days you were killed for no longer supporting your king. In addition Nehemiah wanted to ask the king for help him to reach Jerusalem and also have building materials.

Nehemiah was a living sacrifice and that is what God asks of us. A thought had developed in Nehemiah's heart which is given in Nehemiah chapter 2 verse 12 and there Nehemiah said and I rose in the night and some few men with me neither told I any man what God had put in my heart to do at Jerusalem neither was there any beast with me save the beast that I rode upon. So God had put into his heart to rebuild the walls that were broken down but he needed to do something about it.

Has God put on your heart certain things to do with this help? They won't happen if you don't do. If you don't attempt to do with God's help you will not experience his mighty power. You answer me I'm not Nehemiah I could never do what God put on this man's heart but with God's help you can.

God has made us ambassadors for Christ Jesus beloved. He's also made us ministers of reconciliation. You are called and I'm called.

Nehemiah asked for help from the king to carry out his call later on rebuilding the wall in Jerusalem. He asked for help also from the Jewish population. He asked every person to come and carry a stone to the wall and help rebuild the wall.

Likewise we must ask for help from our Christian friends believers and church members. We must ask everyone to bring one stone to bring a living stone and to help us. First Peter 2 5 says ye also as lively or living stones are built up in a spiritual house a holy priesthood to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.

So we are living stones and we have to get other living stones to rebuild our country to rebuild what is happening to do with the help of God. Nehemiah understood what God wanted him to do and then he took actual steps towards doing the will of God. He went to Jerusalem to rebuild the walls and asked all in Jerusalem to help and bring a stone to the wall.

Nehemiah experienced great revival. The wall was finished in 52 days a great miracle. You see Nehemiah was an ordinary man.

He was a wine taster. He was no architect. He was not equipped to do the work God wanted him to do from a human perspective.

But you see we deal with a mighty wonderful incredible God. With him all things are possible beloved. So Nehemiah acted in faith and trusted God and he risked his life to do it beloved.

So God acted and responded. He took steps on the road to revival and you and I need to do the same to do the will of God. We now understand God's steps for revival.

We had started with the four steps in 2 Chronicles 7 verse 14. If we want a road to revival number one let us humble ourselves and Nehemiah illustrated for us that humbling ourselves includes weeping mourning and fasting beloved. Humbling ourselves includes weeping mourning and fasting.

Number two pray. Nehemiah prayed and he included confession and repenting also for himself beloved. Number three seek God's face.

Nehemiah drew near to God and he depended on God's help in all things and he risked his life. He became a living sacrifice. Number four turn from wicked ways.

Nehemiah was just a wine taster but he did not want to be lukewarm. Just talk about the broken walls of Jerusalem. He said no God is telling me in my mind to do something.

I am going to do the will of God. I will not be lukewarm. So God promised if we do these things which he requires us to do in 2 Chronicles 7 verse 14 he will heal our lands beloved.

Praise God. For Christians will you please pray to see what God wants you to do to bring revival to your country. Will you start by helping people with broken lives? Will you do something to rebuild the walls in broken lives even if you need help yourself? Will you ask every Christian to help bring a living stone a person to receive Christ Jesus as their savior to change the environment of your country? You see if there are more and more Christians we have a voice.

We're not the tail anymore. We can be the head. If there are things that I mentioned in the beginning and they're not I first address myself because you see I'm a speck of dust.

I'm a servant of most high God and he said to his disciples to consider that and to keep that in mind when others ask you what you're doing and they were to answer I am an unprofitable servant doing my service that God has called me to do. So I ask God for me to help me to do God's will and I ask God for you to do God's will. Love Jesus with your first love.

Stay away from sexual immorality. Do not allow false doctrines. Make sure you don't have a dead church doing things people want instead of what God wants and never give in to being lukewarm.

What changes are you willing to make in your life as a Christian with God's help to do God's will? The Lord is asking you. Change and revival will come if you and I learn from Nehemiah. For non-Christians there are those who are not yet following Jesus as the Lord and Savior and you can find peace and purpose in your life and be right with God through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ to attain eternity in heaven and also please follow him.

Let us pray. Heavenly Father I thank you so much for your wonderful example through Nehemiah Lord who was a wine taster Lord and yet you used him mightily to bring revival later on to Israel to rebuild broken walls Lord and so you also reminded us to stay away from wicked things and the Lord Jesus reminded five churches in Revelation 2 and 3 to give him first love again to stay away from sexual immorality to not allow false doctrines to make sure that there is no dead church doing things people want instead of what you require and never give in to being lukewarm. So Lord help me to help my sisters and brothers on the call and let us unite that you might come to a point where you say I'm going to rend the heaven and I'm going to allow my Holy Spirit to be one more time among us in a direct way to bring a great revival perhaps before you return Lord Jesus and so we pray and we ask and we plead with you and we do so in Jesus name amen and amen.

So thank you for listening to this.