A Measure of Revival in Our Bondage (Video)

Challenges with mandates and where we see things going and it can be a little alarming and Sometimes we can get upset and not focused on the right things And many people are in bondage right now I don't know if you've been following a lot of the news but the addiction recovery centers and the opiate increase of actually overdosing on opioids and alcoholism and every everything that there's a bondage is taking place and really really Grabbing hold of God's people. So I'm gonna just read briefly out of Ezra I believe we have Ezra chapter 9 up there on the screen It's interesting because Ezra was called of God to rebuild the city of Jerusalem in turbulence times He was called to rebuild that city that really the temple and then Nehemiah came to rebuild the wall around the temple to To rebuild a place that was in rubbish to rebuild in the midst of Bondage and being they're really slaves They were taken away captive and God called Cyrus by name early on before he's even born that said you will begin to rebuild these ruins and This is the cry of Ezra that we find that the sermon title is a measure of revival in our bondage Ezra 9 5 to 6 at the evening sacrifice This is interesting. It's almost reminded me of tonight at the evening sacrifice their sacrifice was their time of worship It would be where their sins would be atoned for and it was a it was a time of meeting God And he said I rose from my fasting So there was some mourning taking place and and having torn my garment and my robe I fell on my knees and I spread out my hands to the Lord God What a beautiful picture of what God is already doing and I said, oh my god, I am too ashamed and I am humiliated to lift up my face to you. I Think he read our mail tonight Our iniquities have risen higher than our heads and our guilt has grown up to the heavens This is a man in deep turmoil. This is a man Desperate that God desperate to have God honored again and desperate to see God's temple because you see to them the temple Represented God's presence God's power. It was there It was it was their image Israel's image God was there the God of all kings the God who governs Jehovah Jireh Jehovah and he see all the names of God that temple represented that and then they were taken over by their enemies They were they were destroyed and wiped out and so he's in that that that place of turmoil And we can grab from this a few things the seriousness of sin He was he was he was ashamed He was guilt-ridden and there's a big movement out there long for 20 30 years now that it's it's not good to be guilty they say and I know what they're saying, but they're way off because it's okay to fill the Condemnation that the sin is putting on us to fill that so we give it to the the the person who takes away the shame and the guilt and Filling the consequences of this and the seriousness of sin. There was no fear of the Lord in that place I'm actually gonna talk about that in Genesis 20 I believe it was Abram he comes in and Abraham and he comes in and and and he realizes there's no fear of God in this place The seriousness of this issue and we see that he tore his clothes Now tearing was costly. You can't just go to TJ Maxx and You can't just walk into target and and there they ripped off their clothes to show utter disgust and and just It was like what the Pharisees would do they would they would rip their garments and that's why Jesus said do not rip your garments I want to see your heart rip not your not your clothing not this outward expression And so he tore his robe He tore his garments and just said he God we cry out to you and I realized there is a cost to experiencing God There is a cost to experiencing God When we come to church when we persevere when we press in when we remove things there is that cost but that cost far outweighs the pain of regret That we experience later and there's an interesting word here He was ashamed and then my mind instantly went to Jeremiah when he said they are not ashamed of their detestable Conduct they have no shame at all. They do not even know how to blush That's a true sign of a society that is depraved and declining. They've lost They've lost that ability to blush to have shame over sin and We just keep getting more perverted and more perverted and there's a school district now I don't know if you saw on the news where they had like lap dances at a pep rally on with the principal and teachers and It's just it's that people can't believe it. I can't call it a depraved society on the road road to judgment moral depravity and that's why we have to be more vocal than ever but ever before with the with a voice of love and understanding with that that that boldness to warn people Like some Tim a second Timothy three, but know this that in the last days Perilous times will come look at this list men will be lovers of themselves lovers of money Boasters proud have we never seen more of that the boasting the pump the proud the blasphemies. They're disobedient to parents I often tell kids and even our kids boy if I tried that with my dad whoo-hoo-hoo He would you have me go out to the tree and pick the twig a switch Disobedient to parents unthankful unholy unloving unforgiving slanders without self-control brutal despisers of good traitors headstrong haughty lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God Now, here's the key having a form of godliness but denying the power thereof So even the people that are depraved have a form of godliness They shape God into what they want God to be God and that's you'll see it. God just loves me for who I am. I was born this way Who are you to judge? I hold God dear in my heart God is everything to me and really what they're saying is there is no one true and living God they are conforming God to their image and their likeness and what they want God to be and This really hit me this morning The wearing of sackcloth and ashes you'll hear that Have you ever have you ever back when there was almond orchards in Quartz Hill anybody remember that? My job was to have this big piece of wood with a big thing a big rubber head on it and you would just hit That trees it was a big look like a I don't know like a huge hammer and you just hit those branches and you just knock down all the almonds and and you would put them in bags like sackcloth and If you it even rubbed your arm wrong, it was oh, what is that? It's the most uncomfortable feeling you've ever had and they would actually put this on They would and they would throw the the sackcloth and ashes They would take ashes and dirt and throw it just that just that the utter remorse and just there's no way to dig deeper than Throw the dust on your head and and wear the sackcloth and show God that they are in a season of mourning Now, of course, we don't do that and I don't necessarily would encourage that there's no biblical mandate other than fasting and and being desperate for more of God and Sorrow over our sin But what's interesting is often the actions match the desperation how you act shows us how desperate you are and That's why I've been saying since Kovat really is America is mad, but she's not broken She's angry, but she's not humble See if there was a if there was a true desperation for more of God We could not sit enough people on a Monday or a Friday We just couldn't the amount of people who called this their home church if everyone came we would have to put speakers out in the front area What because there's a desperation and that's why we love leading this church because there's a desperation for more of God and People are calling me up for talk to a friend in Tennessee. I just did an interview with Christian Broadcasting news and you know, they're hearing about like what what is going on in, California and you're in LA County What what is what is this? We can't get churches to do where what it's God people are desperate That's the the good thing about California is it will drive you to your knees if you don't move it will drive you to your knees And we have to remember that that can be a blessing because in the most broken desperate spot, that's where God is at That's where he's not up in the northern. Well, I better not say it but friends up there I was gonna say north northern, Idaho by Canadian, you know, Coeur d'Alene. Yeah, and Montana and I mean, it's great good go for it But they're really God's gonna say I'm gonna take a desperate broken people. So we get upset look what's happening And yes, it's something get upset about but also in that bondage in that desperation God will give us a measure of revival because desperate people do desperate things. They might actually come to church every night Can you believe that desperate people do desperate things? And I can hear it and I know it's difficult. I know it's challenging and I've mentioned that we might keep doing this next week I don't know yet. We're praying We're just kind of seeing what God wants to do but and I knew it was coming and I don't blame people but I can tell them some people like I Are we really doing that? And I say hey, listen, you don't have to be here Stay home. Yeah, I mean and I mean I'm not being but just Enjoy your evening go have dinner. I don't please don't feel compelled But for some of us we have got to grab the hem of his garment and not let go for some of us We are so hungry that we need to meet God in account I tell you what I've never felt this good in the course of entire week than I have this week as God is my witness I've never felt this good now. Sometimes the mornings are difficult the afternoons dip I mean it's there's difficult days but when you get into the presence of God and you begin to worship him and and you see desperate people do desperate things and so Our actions always match the desperation. So that's what Ezra did He just didn't say oh, well this kind of stinks, but let's go eat. He said that he ripped. He ripped. Oh often He just tore it off and cried out in desperation. He said Oh God, I'm so ashamed look look at what they're feeding our children in the schools and the perversion on Facebook and Instagram and there should be a Blushing and a shame good saying God help us that we are desperate to hear from you So thank God for where we are in California right now because it presses us down and we get on our knees and says that's A humble people I can use out of California out of Los Angeles County. I'm gonna bring a sense of revival Yeah, just think about that for a minute of all the places There's no church right now that I know of that is meeting every single night in the whole of United States I'm sure there are of course, but that you just don't see that desperation and that's encouraging and To have dozens and dozens come to the altar. I don't even know what that what I don't have a definition for that I don't know how that happened. I'm still perplexed But God is showing up when we see here the beauty of brokenness the beauty of brokenness and humility crushes pride and I struggled this morning. I really did saying God we talked about this a lot What's going on here? And I was just reminded that Why does an accountant talk about money? Why is a fireman talk about fire? That's what this is what the church does. We remind ourselves of the importance of humility and Brokenness and and that being emptied for more of God and the reason God isn't using many people is they're too full of themselves So there has to be a period of there has to be a brokenness that takes place Because the bottom line unless we get our heart, right? We will not experience God How can he pour into you if you're already full and the verse 7 we see that he's saying here since the days of our fathers Remember, there's a plea. He said oh my god. I'm too ashamed Humiliated our sins have risen higher than our heads and our guilt has grown to the heavens And do you ever feel that way you look at that actually people supporting? murdering a child Right before birth or right after birth or in the womb it's like and then the sex trafficking and the perversion and the mockery and the it's it's like the stench of sin must be reaching up to the nostrils of God and there is a just a just a Something that overcomes you and you say Oh God help us And so then he goes into that since the days of our fathers to this day. We have been very guilty and for our iniquities in other words for our Kings meaning for our leaders for a priest like our pastors and we have Delivered you have delivered us into the hands of our enemy to the sword to captivity to plunder and to Humiliation as it is this day Humiliation is interesting because when God humiliates a nation It looks like it's almost looking now with with our work the view of America in the world We were feared we were respected We were reverenced because God was doing amazing things hundred years ago or even 50 years ago and and now the humiliation And I guarantee Russia and China are not real worried about our current administration They're strategically doing things I'm sure I don't know but but but that's my concern is with judgment There's always humiliation and he said the sword there's danger. There's warfare Captivity there's bondage and then plundering that the God is allowed allows plundering to go on and on and on Death bondage loss and humiliation is a sign of judgment at this point people say well, this is heavy Why did I even come tonight? Well, guess what? Here's why we came we see here the power of intercession and confession the power of intercession and confession that turns the tide of God will often say is that is is that the cries of my people that I talked about a few nights ago is that I? Wanted to do this and Jeremiah believe he says I Relented from doing this because I heard your cries and Ezra now is talking about Oh God Would you stay your hand of judgment? And so the power of intercession and confession Can you imagine if the church tonight even here would come forward and just intercede on behalf of our nation on behalf of our state? And saying God we intercede and you might say well that doesn't make a lot of sense. Trust me Hollywood's not going to repent Washington's not going to repent Sacramento is not going to repent because God says if my people Humble themselves and pray and seek my face if we come and we intercede on behalf of the land Intercession is so important that God told Ezekiel Ezekiel I sought for a man from among my people who would stand in the gap and build a wall before me and my Judgment, but I found no one to intercede before you intercession Because it's people crying out for others Moses interceded David interceded the greatest act of intercession ever bestowed upon Mankind was a cross on Calvary that God interceded on behalf of our sin And he said God he said father. I will take that wrath. I will take that judgment I will intercede on behalf of the people and so God gives us the ministry of reconciliation and Intercession you want your kids and grandkids to come to know the Lord then you might want to find yourself on this altar and cry Devil you don't have my children. You don't have my marriage. You don't have these kids. Listen I'm not just saying this to pump us up. This is not time for motivation This is a time for humiliation and find ourselves on that broken altar and say God We intercede on behalf of our children in our nation. We have the blood of innocent children on our hands We have redefined marriage. We are a stench in the nostrils of a righteous. Holy God, but God we intercede We recognize our sin and we ask for repentance. Would you stay your hand of judgment on us? There's a there's a desperation Verse 8 and now for a little while. Oh Now for a little while grace has been showing us from the Lord this minister to me Let me just tell you how it impacted me It's almost as if God's saying guys There's a window here There there's a window for a little while grace is being shown Are we not tremendously gift giving seeing God's grace right now? My goodness, I think was Billy Graham who said if God doesn't judge America He's gonna have to apologize to Sodom and Gomorrah and now you know that is stuck with me ever since and so God Thank you for your grace. Don't find me lazy don't find me complacent don't find me like that like Luke talks about and and being drunk with the cares of this life and not being Ready and and being distant from God and being that evil and wicked servant God find me on my knees right now And find me on the altar find me broken find me humble God Thank you for showing us a little bit of grace right now and then he says and and I left you a remnant and I and he leaves us a remnant to escape and To give us a peg in his holy place That our God may enlighten our eyes and here we go. Here we go. Give us a measure of Revival in our bondage. I just did an interview today with remnant news. It'll be released Monday, I believe And he asked what do you what are you sensing Shane? And you know, I said and I said well with judgment or I said, I don't know. I'm not I Don't know God's wills God's ways the sovereignty other than what the word says and But the America I believe in the 1950s and 60s is obviously over We're not going to have a utopia again But I see as the evil presses in the light of the gospel can penetrate and fight back To give us a measure of revival in our bondage. So you see you'll see this perversion, but wonderful purity Wonderful holiness churches coming on being on fire for God and fighting against the darkness So I think you'll see this massive upheaval of light and darkness fighting and you know, people say well Jane It doesn't really matter America's going down. Well, I don't know if that's true We're called to fight and do business until he returns We are called to not give up and and to begin to contend for our nation. Thank God Ezra didn't give up Thank God Nehemiah didn't give up. Thank God Jeremiah didn't give up. Thank God Ezekiel didn't give up Thank God Isaiah didn't give up Daniel didn't give up Amos didn't give up Joel didn't give up They called that nation back to the God Almighty Because they understood Oh God your mercy. See that's what we don't understand his mercy And he wants revival more than we do He want his mercy and his grace reach down and he wants to blanket us and show and shower us with his mercy and his grace on behalf of a people who are living for him and So he says here give us a measure of revival in our bondage and for those unaware When he says a little while there's grace grace is unmerited favor Unmerited favor. Do you know I don't deserve to be up here. Do you deserve everything that God has given you? That's called self-righteousness it's unmerited an unearned favor that God gives us And now for a little while grace has been shown from the Lord and it's interesting this you'd have to research this a little bit But this peg to give us a peg in his holy place well, they didn't have closets back then or these big Custom homes and all what you know how they hung up things and did is just that that driven that firmly driven now and even in the Even in the tabernacle and there were there would be these these these areas where there would be pegs it would hold things up And we have a firmly driven nail to hang our hopes on So he gives us a peg in his holy place might sound we don't know what it means But to them it may complete sense his holy place You know what his holy place was the holies of holies into the sanctuary into where only God dwell and he said God will even He will he will he would divinely peg put a nail Firmly in place for us for the remnant we can rest in that. Hope that God has our back and it's a very encouraging promise but this word remnant is very interesting God leaves a Remnant and I want to Build you up right now for a minute did you know that you are most of you that were as far as I'm concerned are a remnant a Remnant is something that comes out from among them in a separate and God says because of this Because of this I'm gonna move. I'm gonna answer prayer. I'm gonna bring healing and restoration I'm gonna move behind the scene because of this remnant without the remnant Don't even go there Because the only remnant and we're gonna read in Genesis shortly is when Noah entered the ark That remnant God wiped out the entire earth. And so a remnant is a reminder of God's faithfulness And I was so encouraged thinking about this this group other churches out there The remnant meaning on fire for God filled the Spirit want to honor his word love the truth the inerrancy of Scripture Christ is the only way you know the remnant we come together from China Bulgaria Indonesia Christians everywhere. It's a remnant group It's in that remnant is a reminder of who God is and what God can do We are to be a reminder of people to people what God is You a remnant remind. Hey, this is what God's standard is. This is where we come and we worship This is how we conduct church We are a remnant a remnant doesn't play games a remnant doesn't look like the world and when you get rid of most people in Christendom you are left with the remnant and is a reminder of who God is and A remnant is pivotal in revival every revival. I've ever studied Old Testament throughout church history Always begins with a remnant. I've yet to see where God just says hey, I'm gonna start a revival Just I guess here down in Hollywood. Let me choose Ozzy Osbourne's house. That'd be great right there on Sunset Strip No, he the remnant it's a magnet to revival That remnant is a pivotal. It's pivotal and crucial in revival So what God is doing here folks don't to get to get this many people almost 2,000 people here in the last five days with Sunday to get that many people here wanting more of God hungry for more of God That's powerful that attracts revival That's why you'll see people automatically come to the altar without any Prompting whatsoever except the prompting of the Holy Spirit because the Holy Spirit directs his remnant When to meet how to meet how to focus on him and when God revives his people It's because that remnant was pivotal They were seeking God with all their hearts and then finally it's always the remnant that fights corruption Who was making them who makes the most? Who is the most vocal right now in our culture against ungodliness the true church The lukewarm church is on the wrong side often They're on the wrong side of agendas. They're on the wrong side of policy. They're on the wrong side of everything They are not a remnant. So remnant exposes the unfruitful works of darkness So in a nutshell, they are the representation of God on the earth They are pivotal and revival and they are called to fight against darkness. Basically God works through the remnant think about that for me He doesn't work through all of Christian. Um, he doesn't work for he doesn't work through all these people claiming to be Christians He says where's my people? Where's the remnant? Let me work through them. And that's why he said here. He said God has left us a remnant Verse 9 for we were slaves we were slaves and God forsook us forever for we were slaves yet our God our God did not forsake us in our bondage. God will never forsake his remnant God will never forsake you but you might go through difficulties. You might go through challenges You might go in jail Paul and write majority of the New Testament in jail Paul One of the best books out there pilgrims progress was written 12 years in jail by John Bunyan God is with his people He did not forsake us. I will never leave you I will never forsake you but he Extended mercy to us in the sight of the king of Persia to revive us. These words are interesting Listen, he said to revive us to repair the house of our God and to rebuild its ruins and to give us a wall in Judah and Jerusalem In other words the enemy tore it down and God says I'm bringing the remnant in to do three things to revive to repair to rebuild and So, how's that parallel us? This evening. Do you need reviving? What that means is to be restored to spiritual life if you need that tonight Cry out to God God can restore that spiritual life. What about how is repaired different than rebuilt? Well, it's a big difference Think of Twin Towers That had to be completely rebuilt whereas a building next to it had to be repaired and So God not only will repair things fix what is broken But he will rebuild and build again and make as new when we do baptisms They can attest to that fact. I was lost but now I'm found I was blind But now I see I was this old creation the old man, but now I'm a new creation in Christ I have been completely rebuilt and transformed because of the mercy and grace of God and So God does not forsake those who do not forsake him We talked about grace and I'll end with this mercy mercy, you know what the difference is grace is unmerited favor I Have unmerited favor God says I'll just give you something. I'll help bless you. I'll save you even though you don't deserve it Mercy is that he will help you instead of harm you in other words if you're do a spanking Five year old you ever been spanked by God. It's not funny. It's not pretty as an adult but instead of what you deserve He gives us grace he gives us mercy It's actually to release you instead of imprison you. It's to heal you instead of harm you it's to forgive you instead of giving us Judgment, that's why we talk about the grace of God and the mercy of God. I don't know if we're gonna sing it tonight I think it's Sunday. Maybe I think I heard them practicing. I don't know Don't quote me on it, but that wonderful song that him how deep the father's love for us How wide beyond all measure that he would give his only son to make a wretch his treasure Let that sink in mercy and grace means And so never forget this as we go in into worship here in just a minute God will never forsake us even in our bondage your most difficult situation. Some of you have great jobs It's no big deal. Some of you could be losing your jobs Some of you have wonderful marriages others came in with broken marriages, but God promises this he says I will revive the humble. I will restore the broken. I will repair the heart of the barren one I will renew those who are spiritually dead for we were once enslaved enslaved to sin and God has set us free and There's amazing amount of rejoicing that can take place So what we're gonna do we're gonna have the the worship team come up and we're just gonna go right into baptism So you guys can come up I'm gonna meet Peter right next door in the men's area once the worship team comes up and we're gonna Celebrate what God has done in his heart and if you would like to get baptized men on this side women on that side We also have communion available and I'm not gonna I'm actually not gonna to pressure or to call To the altar. I'm gonna let God do whatever he wants to do, but I will tell you this there has to be a Desperation there once once you get so desperate that you're I ever been sick and tired of being sick and tired Sick and tired of the way things are sick and tired of the media. There's a frustration. There's an anger There's a there's a there's a desperation and desperate people do desperate things and we cry out to God And we say Oh God have mercy on our nation and let's intercede tonight Just as we're worshiping in your own heart and say God we intercede on behalf of the millions of little Children who were slaughtered and thrown in the trash can we God we repent for the the perversion that has been promoted and the outright Lunacy and the depravity Oh God, not only do we have blood on our hands. We have sin on our hands We have mocked your word. We have despised your messengers We have scoffed to your prophetic voices and we are we are shaking our fists in your face God most of our nation and we intercede on behalf of our people God give us a measure of Revival in our bondage even if you were baptized as an infant or younger and And you didn't really mean anything and God's been kind of pulling on your heart. You know, he does that sometimes I was baptized at 12. I still remember the pool, but I was like, okay, whatever I want to go swimming and I come back to the Lord at 30 and he's convicting me. I'm like Lord, I've already been baptized and that's humiliating and it took like six months. I'm just reading the Bible baptized baptized Okay, but ignoring that prompting from God Ignoring that prompting from God it can be in little things If there's a prompting if he wants you to humble yourself tonight Be baptized come to the altar confess pray with your spouse Whatever if there we have if we're faithful, that's why I love what Madeline said if we're faithful in the little things Sometimes well, I'm there's big sins out there. God often looks often at the the heart issues as well If you think angry thoughts are bitter Or lustful thoughts and why I didn't act upon it But if you're dwelling and focusing and that's why Jesus said not if you murder someone But if you even have that anger in your heart and that bitterness bring it to the foot of the cross