This winter, I have been preaching through a sermon series that I have entitled Revival. A simple definition of revival would be an increase in the presence and power of God in both a church and a community. This series came out of a conviction that God has so much more available for us individually and as a church, but if we choose complacency, if we are fine with the status quo, if we live for the things of this world while relegating God to an afterthought, then we will miss out on all the power, the joy, the love, and the wonder that He has for us. Oh, that we would not live our lives and never experience the power and reality of our great God! May we give ourselves to Him and earnestly plead for a revival of our souls and of our church, that His kingdom would come and His will would be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Earlier in this series, I mentioned what Richard Lovelace calls in his book Dynamics of Spiritual Renewal the two preconditions of revival: an increased awareness of the holiness of God, and an increased awareness of the depth of our sin. By holiness, I mean that God is transcendentally separate from us in His perfection. By sin I mean our rebellion against God, our inability to measure up to His holy standard, and our brokenness. The more we are aware of the greatness of God, the high expectations of God, the incredible promises of God, along with our own inability to live up to His expectations and the terrible effect of our sin on ourselves and others, the closer we are to revival. You want to see revival in your life and in the church? Pray for those two things – Lord, increase my awareness of your holiness and the depth of my sin.
Few places in the Bible highlight the gap between God’s holiness and our sin more than Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. Over the past seven weeks, I’ve been looking at the Beatitudes, the beginning of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. The beatitudes describe the blessed life, the characteristics of the man or woman who is favored by God. So far, these are the beatitudes we have looked at:
Matthew 5:3-9 - "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. 5 Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. 6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. 7 Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. 8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.
