NOTE: Although I’ll be using articles from various authors, it does not mean I agree totally with what they write. But after reading them, I believe some benefit can be derived from them with respect to Revival and Spiritual Awakening.

MY PURPOSE

This time we will consider what it means to be Restored. If you remember that I said that True Revival consists of four elements, i.e. to be Revived, to be Renewed, to be Restored and to be Reformed. Previously we have dealt with what it means to be Revived and to be Renewed, so now we want to look at Restoration; and as we do so, we’ll consider it from two aspects: First, with respect to a Position, and secondly, from a Relationship standpoint.

But what does “restore” mean? The New Expanded Webster’s Dictionary defines it as ‘to make strong again; to repair; to cure; to reestablish; to give back.’ The Hebrew word, which are many, and the Greek word generally mean, when taken all together, ‘to turn back’, or ‘to bring back to a former position or relationship’. Although the words translated are also used with respect to physical things, nevertheless we can apply them spiritually, as we will do in bringing out what it means to be Restored as far as Revival is concerned. So, with that, let us consider in what way a backsliding Christian is Restored to a former position and a former relationship.

First, before backsliding, a Christian lives in such as way that is consistent of what it means to be a Christian. It’s true that there can be failures and shortcomings because of indwelling sin, yet the spiritual Christian will not live a life of sin in thought, word, or deed; for by the grace of God the Christian will think with “the mind of Christ” (1 Corinthians 2:16), “speak…the things which become sound doctrine” (Titus 2:1), and “whatsoever (they) do in word or deed, (they do it) all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him” (Colossians 3:17). In other words, the Christian at conversion has been brought to a radically different position in life than what it was before conversion. Note that 2 Corinthians 5:13 states: “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature” (or creation): old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new”. In other words, he has been “transferred”, if you will, from a position of “oldness” to a position of “newness”. In fact, this is what we are told happens when we are “born again”: “Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life” (Romans 6:4).

In this position of “newness”, we start to do, i.e. “practice”, things that are totally NEW that are consistent with the Life of Christ Jesus in our lives; or as Paul puts it in Galatians 2:20 – “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me”. Furthermore, the apostle John tells us that “he that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked” (1 John 2:6). Put it this way: Think of how the Lord Jesus lived and walked, and you’ll see that the “newness of life” we live reflects the Life of our Lord and Savior. Because I don’t want to make such a long newsletter by listing every thing that should be seen in our lives, yet it is obvious that in a position of “newsness” we love to pray, we delight in the Word of God, we separate ourselves from sin and the world, we witness of our precious Lord and Savior, we walk in holiness, etc.; and above all, we LOVE God because He first loved us!

But then, sin starts to have dominion over the Christian, and he starts to slide off that position of “newness”; and the futher he backslides, more of “the old things” are seen in the backsliding Christian. In fact, some Christians can “backslide” so far that their lives are no longer any different than a lost sinner. Therein lies the danger for such a one: It could be that they were not “a new creature…in Christ” in the first place. It is obvious, then, that a backslidden Christian will manifest a walk “according to the course of this world” (Ephesians 2:2), and “fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind” (v.3), which are “the old things” that should be “passed away” (2 Corinthians 5:13); or as John warns of loving “not the world, neither the things that are in the world” (1 John 2:15). But herein is manifested the Amazing Grace of God! Such a one is like the Prodigal Son who has left the Father’s “house” and gone into the “far country”. But then, grace comes leaping over the Alps of his sins (as Spurgeon describes it), and reaches down where he is in the pigsty, and brings him back to his senses. Not only is he Revived from that position of deadness, but he is also Renewed in his desires for what he had before; and so returning back home, not only is the Father waiting for him, but is also Restored to a position of ALL he had before he left. Now, the backsliding Christian is Restored back to that position of “newness” he was in before he backslid.

But secondly, what it means to be Restored to a former Relationship. Before conversion, a sinner has a relationship of hate and enmity with God, i.e. we were “haters of God” (Romans 1:30) and His “enemies” (5:10), so that we wanted nothing to do with Him, as Job says we used to do: “Depart from us; for we desire not the knowledge of thy ways. What is the Almighty, that we should serve him? and what profit should we have, if we pray unto him” (21:14,15)? But then one glorious day His glorious Love, Grace, and Mercy found us as Ezekiel says: “And when I passed by thee, and saw thee polluted in thine own blood, I said unto thee when thou wast in thy blood, Live; yea, I said unto thee when thou wast in thy blood, Live” (16:6), and as Hezekiah prays: “But thou hast in love to my soul delivered it from the pit of corruption: for thou hast cast all my sins behind thy back” (Isaiah 38:17), at that day “the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Ephesians 1:3) becomes our Father and our God (John 20:17) in Christ Jesus, confirming that we are the children given to the Lord Jesus in Election (Hebrews 2:13 – “I and the children which God hath given me”; Ephesians 1:4,5 - “chosen…in him before the foundation of the world,… predestinated…unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself”) to redeem from eternity past. Now we have a Love Relationship with our God and Father because “we love him, because he first loved us” (1 John 4:19); and this is a personal and intimate Relationship because NOW we “know” Him as He “foreknew” (Romans 8:29) us from eternity past in His Son, as He himself says in John 10:15 – “I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine”. Hallelujah! Now in Christ Jesus we have a relationship of Love and Friendship with our God, and so our lives will be consistent with that relationship; for as the apostle John says: “Truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ,… If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments” (1 John 1:3,6,7; 2:3).

But once sin comes in and starts to dominate our lives, we have backslidden, and our personal and intimate relationship with Him is broken, i.e. we fall away from the fellowship we had with the Father and His Son, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. In our backsliding we become like Hosea’s wife who goes back to “the old things” of her life and no longer has an intimate and personal relationship with her husband (Hosea 1). Our love for the Lord gets cold and our heart is harden towards Him. We longer desire His fellowship in prayer and in His Word. Carnal and worldly things become our “first love” (cp. Revelation 2:4), and we are content with them. In a way, we become like Lot who “lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered every where…and pitched his tent toward Sodom” (Genesis 13:10-12). Yet, in spite of all of this, God will assure that His people will return back to Him! This is what Revival is all about; and this ALL because of His Sovereign Grace! Although His “people are bent to backsliding from (him)” (Hosea 11:7), He promises in chapter 14:4 to “heal their backsliding, I will love them freely: for mine anger is turned away from him”.

In doing so, our heavenly Father Restores us back into that fellowship we had with Him before we went into the “far country” and fed “the swine” of the world. Now, not only is He waiting for us to come back to Him, but in coming back like the Prodigal son, “when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him”. Yes, not only is the backsliding child of God Restored “positionally” but also “personally”. Now, the Father puts “the best robe…on him,…a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet”; and also makes him a Feast of Love and Fellowship. Oh, the greatness of God’s Love and Grace that is poured down in Restoration of God’s erring children! Hallelujah!!!

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FOUR OBSTACLES TO REVIVAL

“If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land” (2 Chronicles 7:14).

It was without saying that there is always opposition to Revival. We can know without a doubt that Satan doesn’t want Revival to take place in the Church, and not only that, but religionists within the Church do not want Revival. By “religionists” I mean professing Christians that are content with the things as they are, i.e. their routine of Christianity. Start talking about Revival and the need of it in the Church, and most probably you would be considered a “fanatic”. You see, Revival demands something from those that profess to be Christians; and so they would rather oppose it than to submit to God’s Word that would bring Revival to God’s people.

You might ask why would one that professes to be a Christian be against it. Well, consider what our text says. Note that it requires such things that a “carnal” (?) Christian would be opposed to. These four things are void in a “backslider in heart” because they are “filled with his own ways” (Proverbs 14:14). So we can say that these four things are obstacles to Revival in backsliding Christians simply because, unless Sovereign Grace intervenes on their behalf, not only they will not do it, but they cannot do it. Even true Christians who find themselves in a backslidden state, although responsible for their backsliding, are incapable of Reviving, Renewing, and Restoring themselves if God doesn’t command the clouds to rain again! Cp. Isaiah 5:6. Oh, how we need to pray like David: “Wilt thou not revive us again: that thy people may rejoice in thee” (Psalm 85:6)?

But before we bring out the Four Obstacles To Revival, let us make sure we understand that Revival is for the Christian__ it is not for the lost sinner! “If my people, which are called by my name..”, i.e. Christians are so called because of Christ, are the ones to whom these words are directed. You see, the lost sinner does not need Revival; for they are “dead in trespasses and sins” and “alienated from the life of God” (Ephesians 2:1; 4:18), what they need is LIFE, i.e. the Life which is in the Lord Jesus Christ by being saved by Him. “He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life” (1 John 5:12).

The first thing we note that is an obstacle to Revival is pride. Pride is essentially “I, me, and myself”. To the backslider, the “I” is the centre of his life, the “me” is the focal point that is to be pleased, and the “myself” is dependence on himself. Such a person doesn’t want Revival, and so therefore, will not “humble themselves” as our text demands. To humble oneself is required for Revival, according to Isaiah 57:15 – “For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones”. Pride will say to God, “I don’t need You; I’m content with things as they are; and besides, if I need anything else, I’ll figure it out on how to get it”. But for one to humble oneself is to say exactly the opposite, but pride will not permit the backslider to stoop so low, to fall on his face at the feet of Mercy, confessing his rebellion and obstinacy and pleading for forgiveness. Yes, that is why Pride is an obstacle to Revival!

The second thing we note that is an obstacle to Revival is prayerlessness. Prayer has always been a prerequisite for Revival. The Scriptures bear this out, and even the written history of the great Revivals and Great Awakenings show this. But do you think that the backslider wants to pray? Of course not, there is always an excuse why not to pray; and if by chance, they do “pray”, you can called it as someone said, “prayerless prayer”. In other words, the words are “mouthed”, but it is not like the “earnest prayer” of Elijah: “Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit”. Of course, prayerlessness is the result of pride. Why would anyone that is so full of himself want to pray? So, if there is no prayer, or if there is prayerless praying, it’s because the backsliders does not want God to “humble themselves” in order to “pray”; and as a result God will not send Revival! Oh, how we need to cry out to God: “Lord, teach us to pray” (Luke 11:1), which can only come from one who has a broken heart and a contrite spirit. So, yes, prayerlessness is an obstacle to Revival!

Thirdly, the lack of urgency is an obstacle to Revival. Note that it is said, “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face…”. In Exodus 33:20 the LORD told Moses, “Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live”, yet here in our text He tells us that if His people really want Revival, they are to seek His face! Even David says in Psalm 27, “When thou saidst, Seek ye my face; my heart said unto thee, Thy face, LORD, will I seek. Hide not thy face far from me…” (vv.8,9), why then if we cannot see His face, does He command us to seek His Face? I believe that is to make us sense the urgency of our situation, as Hosea 15:5 tells us: “I will go and return to my place, till they acknowledge their offence, and seek my face: in their affliction they will seek me early”. An erring child not only wants to hear that they are forgiven and restored, but also wants to see the smiling face of the father that confirms that all is alright between them. But this is more than that. Refer to what Job says: “Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him” (132:15). This means that there is such an urgency in a backsliding Christian who has been humbled and is now praying, that he also wants to see the face of His God and Father although it might cost him his life, for assurance that he has been forgiven of his rebellion. The urgency involved is such that there is no other recourse than to seek the face of God, as seen in the Lord Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 4:6 – “The light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ”) and expressed by the Psalmist – “Whom have I in heaven but thee? And there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee” (73:25).

Lastly, the fourth obstacle to Revival is continuing in sin. Note that backsliders not only are to “humble themselves, and pray, and seek (God’s) face”, but are to “turn from their wicked ways”. Consider this: If an unfaithful wife comes back to her husband asking for forgiveness and reconciliation, while at the same time holding to the hand of her lover, would this truly be humbling herself, and being serious in asking for it? Absolutely not! Likewise, the backsliding Christian might think he has humbled himself, and is praying earnestly, but if he continues in his sin, or is not truly willing to turn away from his sins, he cannot expect God to forgive and restore him back! We know that our God is “good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee” (Psalm 86:5), but this can only true if we “turn from our wicked ways”. Ref. to Proverbs 28:13 – “He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy”. We can be sure that Revival will not come if we continue in our sins, whether in thought, word, or deed. Our text makes that very clear! So, you can see, then, that continuing in sin is definitely an obstacle to Revival!

But, Hallelujah! If what our text tells us is true of us, “then”, and only “then”, God promises to “hear from heaven, and will forgive (our) sin, and will heal (our) land”. We can know, then, that once God hears, we can be sure that He will pour our His blessings of Revival according to His Word! We may pray with David: “My soul cleaveth unto the dust: quicken thou me according to thy word” (Psalm 119:25), which Word gives us this assurance: “And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him” (1 John 5:14,15). This is because He has forgiven our sins; otherwise, He won’t hear our prayers according to Isaiah 59:2 – “But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear”. But then, (oh, praise the Lord), He will “heal (our) land”! We can take this to mean the ‘spiritual healing’ of His people, i.e. He will Revive, He will Renew, and He will Restore His Church; and as a consequence He now promises: “Now mine eyes shall be open, and mine ears attent unto the prayer that is made in this place. For now have I chosen and sanctified this house, that my name may be there for ever: and mine eyes and mine heart shall be there perpetually” (2 Chronicles 7:15,16); and the Glory of the Lord shall fill His people in Revival. Amen!

In closing, let me make two very important conclusions: It is impossible for a backsliding Christian to do those things that are needful for Revival. In his rebellion the backslider’s heart is hardened by sin (Hebrews 3:13), and unless God of His mercy sends a “Nathan”, as He did with David (refer to 2 Samuel 12), in order to reveal his condition and bring him to conviction and repentance, he will persist in his rebellion. So, the backslider’s only hope is in “the God of all grace” (1 Peter 5:10), who “pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? he retaineth not his anger for ever, because he delighteth in mercy. He will turn again, he will have compassion upon us; he will subdue our iniquities; and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea” (Micah 7:18,19). But we also can conclude that this is can only be true in the Lord Jesus Christ! Apart from the beloved Son o God, we cannot hope to receive anything from Him, whether it be Salvation, Revival, or anything, according to what He says in His Word: “But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19). Because the promise is that He “those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost” (John 17:12), then we can be assured and “persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38,39).

Even now, to guarantee this to be true of me, and for me, in the depths of my backsliding, let us pray as David did: “Out of the depths have I cried unto thee, O LORD” (Psalm 130:1ff.), and as we are commanded to do in Hosea 14:1, “Take with you words, and turn to the LORD: say unto him, Take away all iniquity, and receive us graciously”; and may by God’s grace and mercy, our text be true for each one of us: ““If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land” (2 Chronicles 7:14). Amen!

Backslidden Christians are evident everywhere. They are in the churches and out of the churches. They are in the pews and in the pulpits. They are on boards and are bored. They are on committees and teach Sunday School. The backslidden seem to be more numerous than the upright and their influence throughout the world vastly more profound. While backsliders do not all manifest the same traits, evidences of their condition are not difficult to pinpoint. The following characteristics merit our serious attention.

1. When prayer ceases to be a vital part of a professing Christian’s life, backsliding is present. It is shocking to realize that many churches have no public prayer meetings of any kind. More upsetting is the fact that many individual Christians have no regular stated seasons of private prayer during which they commune alone with God. How can a person be both Christian and prayerless? However, prayer does not need to be entirely lacking from a person’s life for backsliding to prevail. When prayer becomes perfunctory and without moral earnestness, there is more than ample evidence of backsliding. Some who say their prayers every day never pray. The formulation of thoughts and ideas along religious lines, the mouthing of words, the bowing of the head and body and the repetition of phrases, do not in and of themselves constitute real prayer. If the heart does not earnestly commune with God, no genuine prayer is present. The mere repetition of written prayers, no matter how beautifully constructed or seemingly sincere, does not guarantee genuine prayer. When the heart of man and the heart of God meet in communion, there is prayer. Prayerlessness and mere formality in saying prayers are unmistakable marks of a backslidden condition.

2. When the quest for Biblical truth ceases and one grows content with the knowledge of eternal things already acquired, there can be no mistaking the presence of backsliding. Almost all backsliders demonstrate a sense of satisfaction with the truth already in their possession. Backsliders are rarely diligent in their study of the Bible. They do not find themselves in the grip of a passion to mine treasures from the Word of God. They are content with the little pearls of wisdom their mothers hung about their necks in the days of their spiritual infancy or with the gems the pastor mines on their behalf. They do not find themselves daily in the garden of the Lord plucking flowers rare and fragrant. They are content with the wilted bouquet they carried to their baptism. If any new Biblical truth comes to them, it must come by the effort of another, not their own. This is not to say backsliders never read the Bible. Many backsliders have long established habits of dutiful devotion they have never broken, but while they go on reading Bible words, backsliders are content with the truth of God in their possession.

3. When the Biblical knowledge possessed or acquired is treated as external fact and not applied inwardly, backsliding is present. Not every backslider has totally abandoned the acquisition of biblical truth. Some badly backslidden pastors acquire new Bible knowledge on a weekly basis. It is possible to go on learning new things from the Holy Scriptures without benefit to the soul. If biblical truth does not enter the heart and transform the life, its acquisition is without eternal merit. The Bible was designed by God not merely to inform us, but to transform us. If biblical truth already possessed is not acted upon, the accumulation of additional truth will have little or no effect. Some backsliders teach Sunday School every week. They carefully prepare their lessons and diligently consider the facts they are to present. However, if their contemplation and their teaching of the Word of God do not move from the area of the head to the realm of the heart, no amount of additional study and teaching will alter their backslidden ways. Likewise, the backslider may sit in a Bible-preaching church every time the doors are open. He may listen attentively to the words spoken and congratulate the preacher on his unfolding of biblical truth, but if that Word does not drive out self, his backslidden condition only worsens every time he hears the Bible proclaimed.

4. When earnest thoughts about eternal things cease to be regular and gripping, it should be like a warning light to the backslider. In the early days of a person’s new walk with Christ, the mind continually turns toward spiritual matters. When backsliding commences, the mind turns less and less toward heaven, God, eternity, and holiness. In the earliest stages of the decline, spiritual thoughts may come frequently, but they are less gripping. As a person becomes more and more filled with his own ways, there will simply be less room for thoughts of eternity. At first, there may be a conscious awareness that the thought patterns are changing, but as backsliding progresses, it becomes less and less obvious to the backslider that this transformation is taking place. Eventually, a gentle rebuke will be treated with scorn and the backslider will rise to justify his own departure from the living God.

FIVE RESOLVES
FOR
PERSONAL REVIVAL

‘Behold, the LORD'S hand is not so short that it cannot save; neither is His ear so dull that it cannot hear. But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He does not hear” - Isaiah 59:1-2 (NAS).

O you wish to be an instrument in the hands of God? Do you want to see God's power at work through you? Do you long for your prayers to be answered? If you do, then the barrier of sin between you and God must be demolished and a lifestyle of holiness and love for God renewed. Though you are pardoned and placed eternally in Christ, God chooses to bring discipline and to allow ineffectiveness in the lives of his erring children. To be restored spiritual surgery must take place.

Personal revival beings when the believer faces his sin honestly. Though painful, only honesty with God and others will enable the Christian to walk in purity and power. The following resolves are not a formula but are required of every believer. Humbly pray and search your own heart. Trusting in God, begin this moment to repent and return to Him. Pay any price to be a means of spiritual renewal to others.

“Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline; be zealous
therefore, and repent” - Revelation 3:19 (NAS)

“Remember therefore from where you have fallen, and repent and do the deeds you did at first; or else I am coming to you, and will remove your lampstand out of its place—unless you repent” - Revelation 3:19

"If therefore you are presenting your offering at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your offering there before the altar, and go your way; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your offering” - Matthew 5:23-24

My brethren, if any among you strays from the truth, and one turns him back, let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death, and will cover a multitude of sins. James 5:19-20

Resolved: I will not to go to bed this evening nor live this day without asking and expecting God to use me as an effective instrument of revival in someone's life. (Jude 22-23; 1 Peter 4:11; Psalms 51:10-13)

“Search me, O God, and know my heart;
try me and know my anxious thoughts;
And see if there be any hurtful way in me,
and lead me in the everlasting way”

In order for one to experience Revival, they first need to have Life, otherwise they are “dead in trespasses and sins” (Ephesians 2:1) and “alienated from the life of God” (4:18). If you have not been “born again” (John 3:3,7), then you have not the Life of Christ in you according to 1 John 4:12 – “He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life”. If this is true of you, then you do not need Revival but Salvation in order to have Life.

You may obtain this Life in Christ Jesus by believing in Him; for “this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son” (v.11). At the moment that a spiritually dead sinner believes in Him, he “is passed from death unto life” (John 5:24). Is this true of you at this very moment?

Revived ~ Renewed ~ Restored ~ Reformed

MY PURPOSE

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FOUR OBSTACLES TO REVIVAL

“If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land” (2 Chronicles 7:14).

FIVE RESOLVES FOR PERSONAL REVIVAL

FIVE RESOLVES
FOR
PERSONAL REVIVAL