The Hour of Desperation!
The key to revival is the point of desperation and intercession, particularly through prayer, which brings about a deeper realization of God's presence and power.
Stephen Olford preaches on the necessity of desperation and intercession for revival in the church. He emphasizes that true revival will only come when the church reaches a point of complete reliance on God, abandoning trust in human efforts and material wealth. Olford stresses the importance of intercessory prayer, highlighting that the lack of fervent prayer is the root cause of a spiritually stagnant church. He calls for united prayer groups and intercessors to plead for God's intervention and the removal of obstacles hindering revival.
Text
It is my conviction that we are never going to have revival until God has brought the church of Jesus Christ to the point of desperation. As long as Christians people can trust religious organization, material wealth, popular preaching, shallow evangelistic crusades and promotion drives, there will never be revival. But when confidence in the flesh is smashed, and the church comes to the realization of her desperate wretchedness, blindness and nakedness before God, then and only then will God bread in.
Yes, there must be the point of desperation but there must also be the point of intercession. Oh, that God would bring us to this place of intercession! We cannot think or talk, let alone taste of revival, without intercessory prayer.
Indeed, the reason for an unrevived church in the last analysis is the sin of prayerlessness. Certainly there are individuals who are praying for revival, and God is graciously meeting them at the point of their need, but where are the prayer groups, where are the companies of intercessors, where are the churches united in an agonizing that God would rend the heavens and come down and cause the mountains of hindrance and sin and unbelief to flow before His presence? Yes, there is only one thing that will save us in this hour of desperation and that is prayer.
Sermon Outline
- The Hour of Desperation
- The Call to Intercession
- The Solution to Desperation
- Prayer as the Answer
- The Power of Intercessory Prayer
- The Necessity of United Prayer
Key Quotes
“As long as Christians people can trust religious organization, material wealth, popular preaching, shallow evangelistic crusades and promotion drives, there will never be revival.” — Stephen Olford
“Yes, there must be the point of desperation but there must also be the point of intercession.” — Stephen Olford
“Indeed, the reason for an unrevived church in the last analysis is the sin of prayerlessness.” — Stephen Olford
Application Points
- Recognize the church's desperation and need for revival.
- Prioritize intercessory prayer as a means of seeking God's presence and power.
- Seek to establish united prayer groups and companies of intercessors in the church.