Throughout the years, God has been pleased to send revival to His people. These marvellous times of refreshing and renewal have been recorded in history; and you can read about them in the Holy Scriptures and, in the writings of God's people. Do so; and if your "soul thirsteth for God" (Psalm 42:2), may your prayer be as the Psalmist: "Wilt thou not revive us again: that thy people may rejoice in thee" (85:6).

    What is "revival"? It is a restoration and a renewal of the relationship between God and His people from a backslidden state to a walking with, and living for, Him. This includes conviction of sin, repentance, confession, and turning back to God in order to serve Him. Revival can be describe in various ways, but basically it is like the unfaithful wife who is brought to her senses and returns back to her husband, asking forgiveness and desiring reconciliation. In revival, God, in His grace reaches out to His people, to reconcile them back to Him; for He says in Hosea 14:4 - "I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely"; and so will draw them "with cords of a man, with cords of love" (11:4).

    Our text gives us The Key To Revival, which includes, I. The Condition Before Revival; II. The Means For Revival; and III. The Promise Of Revival. It is my prayer that if your heart thirsts and hungers for revival, not only for yourself, but also for the Church of the living God, that by faith you may be enabled to turn the Key that will open up the floodgates of the "the river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God" (Psalm 46:4)! Oh, may "the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus", who "hath made (us) free from the law of sin and death" (Romans 8:2), be pleased to send revival into our whole being to the glory of God the Father for His beloved Son's sake, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

I. THE CONDITION BEFORE REVIVAL.

    Revival implies a state, or condition, that calls for revival. Of course, that is obvious; for to be revived means that previously there was a condition of dying, or being close to death; or to put it in another way, there was a manifestation of the lack of the "life" of Christ. Now, v.13 of our text gives us a graphic picture of the "condition" of the soul, or church, that needs revival. But note that an unrevived state involves God's judgment upon His people, and the consequences of it. The Scriptures make it very clear that that is the natural outcome of backsliding. So consider, then, that an unrevived state causes God to respond with "remedial judgments" (as someone has called it) of His people in order to restore them back to Him. Note, that...

1. There are no more blessings from heaven: "If I shut up heaven that there be no more rain...". Remember, that rain is a metaphor of the blessings of God from heaven. But why would God "shut up heaven"? Well, in 2 Chronicles 6:26, Solomon's says in his prayer, "when the heaven is shut up, and there is no rain, because they have sinned against thee"; and then in Isaiah 5:1-6 the LORD Himself says that He "will also command the clouds that they rain no more" (v.6), we find that it is because God's people have rebelled and backslidden; and, beloved, living in sin is a backslidden state. So I can tell you, that if I or you, are living in sin at this moment, you can be sure of this: God is not blessing us, although He might not be dealing with us as we deserve! In spite of being "blessed...with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ" (Ephesians 1:3), if we are backslidden, there are no "showers of blessing" (Ezekiel 34:26) being poured upon us!

    What are the effects of this? Just think of a drought: The earth dries up and gets hard, resulting in cracks; and also the grass, plants, and trees start to wither and eventually die if there is no rain. But this is also true of a "spiritual drought". If God shuts up heaven so that there is no "showers of blessings" from the "clouds of grace", what can we expect but a dryness of the soul, a hardness of the heart, and a withering of the graces! But what is frightening of this is that a believer can be in this condition and still not be conscious of it! Remember David! After falling into sin and backsliding from God, David didn't even think of the adultery and murder he committed until God visited him by the prophet Nathan. 2 Samuel 11.

    What about you, my fellow Christian, do you have such a dryness in your soul that "rivers of living water" (John 7:38) are not not flowing from you because your cup is not running over (Psalm 23:5)? Has "the deceitfulness of sin...hardened" (Hebrews 3:13) your heart to the point that you have no "sense" of your condition; and no concern, not only for yourself, but for the church? Perhaps you are so "withered", spiritually speaking, that there is no manifestation of growing in grace and in the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ? This could be true of you if the Lord has shut up heaven and commanded the clouds not to rain upon your soul. Oh, may we ask like in Jeremiah 16:10 - "Wherefore hath the LORD pronounced all this great evil against us? or what is our iniquity? or what is our sin that we have committed against the LORD our God?" May the Lord be pleased to show us our sin!

    But, secondly, not only we are not blessed by God because He shut up heaven from us, also...

2. All we do for the Lord is in vain: "If I command the locusts to devour the land". "Locusts" is another means that God uses to bring remedial judgment to His people. "He gave...their labour unto the locust" (Psalm 78:46); "He spake, and the locusts came...without number, and did eat up all the herbs in their land, and devoured the fruit of their ground" (105:34,35). Oh, horrible indeed it is that, even though the promise is that our "labour is not in vain in the Lord" (1 Corintians 15:58), yet in spite of all of our energy and efforts we exert to grow spiritually and in numbers, very little fruit is produced and reaped, if any at all! Why? Because as true as it is in Deuteronomy 28:38 - "Thou shalt carry much seed out into the field, and shall gather but little in; for the locust shall consume it", also is it true of many of us and churches; and this because of sin in our lives.

    There can be much visitation, but there's no fruit; there can be professions of faith made in the services, but after awhile they're gone; and yes, there can be some semblance of much prayer, yet the Lord is not blessing. Even after resorting to "activities" or "attractions" to try to make the people come and get interested in the Lord, and though it might seem to be working, yet there is no "spiritual fruit" that really counts! Why? Because the Lord is not in it! And not only is He not in it, but He is even sending the "locusts" to eat up everything we're supposedly doing for Him. Of course, these "locusts" can be anything that God will use "to devour the land",...it can be people, it can be certain situations or circumstances, or it can be demons; or even the Lord Himself will oppose whatever we do (supposedly) for Him because we are in rebellion against Him. Consider prayerfully Haggai 1:5-11. But then also...

3. There is much spiritual weakness and sickness, including death: "If I send pestilence among my people". Oh, words fail me to express what this means,  but since "pestilence" is associated with death throughout the Scriptures, e.g. 2 Samuel 24:15 - "The LORD sent a pestilence upon Israel...: and there died of the people..."; Psalm 78:50 - "He made a way to his anger; he spared not their soul from death, but gave their life to the pestilence"; etc.etc., I have to say that there is a point in our backsliding, that unless we are "restored" back to the Lord, He will give us up to DEATH!!! Consider the Corinthian church; for we are told that because of sin in the church "many are weak and sickly among (them), and many sleep", i.e. have died (1 Corinthians 11:30); or as the Lord warns us in Revelation 2:5 that because we have "left (our) first love" (v.4), He "will remove (our) candlestick out of his place". i.e. extinguish us, "except (we) repent".

    How can we know that this is happening to us? The indications, beloved, are that there is no more desire for praying, much less, actual true prayer, although there can much rituality and abundance of "words" in what is called "praying", yet the heart is not in it. The precious Word of God is laid to the side, i.e. there is no hunger for it; or as Peter says that "as newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word" to grow thereby (1 Peter 2:2), but one is content to hear the preacher, or the Sunday School teacher, instead of personally searching the Scriptures in order to "grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and forever. Amen" (2 Peter 3:18). Then there is also no more witnessing of the Lord Jesus Christ; in other words, they have fallen out of love with the Lord so that now they don't tell people that Christ "is altogether lovely", and that "this is my beloved, and this is my friend" (Solomon's Song 5:16). Finally, there is no fellowship with other believers; in other words, our "best friends" become those of the world, and not the saints of God; and such persons can continue "going to church", and as soon as they are out, they go back to the "worldlings". But you know what is worse, is that if God doesn't send revival, they could die in that condition! "O LORD, revive thy work in the midst of the years, in the midst of the years make known: in wrath remember mercy" (Habakkuk 3:2)!

    But, what can we do? If even God is against us and, sending us all of these things because of our sin
and disobedience, what hope is there? Well, there is much hope as we continue and consider...

II. THE MEANS FOR REVIVAL.

    Now, it is very important that we keep in mind that true revival is a sovereign act by God of His grace and, that He is the ONLY ONE who can give us revival. It doesn't come because we plan for it, or because we have special services for it. But note that v.14 shows us what we have to do if we expect for God to send us revival. Nevertheless, note that these four things even have to be given to us by God's grace. Again, that shows us why revival has to come from God! Another thing to note is that revival is for the believer, as the LORD Himself says: "If my people, which are called by my name..." (v.14). so, what do we have to do?

1. There has to be a humbling, an abasing, a brokenness:"Shall humble themselves...". Pride is the essence of a backslidden condition; for "the backslider in heart shall be filled with his own ways" (Proverbs 14:14); and because of pride, they will not return to the Lord and seek Him (Hosea 7:10). So God says we have to humble ourselves if  we expect revival; for the promise is "to revive the spirit of the humble,and to revive the heart of the contrite ones" (Isaiah 57:15). We have to start with that! Why? Because "God resisteth the proud, but giveth more grace unto the humble" (James 4:6). But his humbling is more than just simply falling on my knees and acknowledging my backsliding, it involves an abasing of myself; or as Job states it: "Behold, I am vile;...Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes" (40:4; 42:6); and also a brokenness of heart for having despised and mocked my God (2 Samuel 12:10; Galatians 6:7) in rebelling against Him to live for my sin! Oh, may "the God of all grace" grant us a fresh vision to see by faith the precious Son of God on the Cross crying out, "My God, my
God, why hast thou forsaken me?" (Matthew 27:46) because of my sins; and may that cause us to cry out as "the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful a sinner" (Luke 18:13). But then...

2. The most natural thing to do after humbling oneself is praying: "And pray...". Conviction of sin is
to be followed by a contrition of the heart with the confession of sin, i.e. calling out to God for forgiveness of the same. Because sin separates us from God and causes Him not to hear our prayers as Isaiah 59:2 declares, "But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear", then we have to start with 1 John 1:9, "If we have confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness". You can see why God says we have to start by humbling ourselves, because otherwise we wouldn't pray for forgiveness. Note the right attitude as shown to us in Hosea 14:1,2: "O Israel, return unto the LORD thy God; for thou hast fallen by thine iniquity. Take with you words, and turn to the LORD: say unto him" (i.e. pray), "Take away all iniquity, and receive us graciously...". There is no sin too great, or too small, that our heavenly Father won't forgive, because "the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all (i.e. any and every) sin" (1 John 1:7); and oh! what a precious hope we have because "where sin abounded, grace did much more abound" (Romans 5:20). Remember, doesn't God give "grace unto the humble" (James 4:6)? Yes, He does! So humble yourselves and start praying; and furthermore...

3. Be urgent about it: "And seek my face...". In Hosea 5:15, the LORD says that there has to be an
urgency in our prayers, if we truly desire Revival. Listen to what He says: "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". Then, what happens? Consider 6:1-3: "Come, and let us return unto the LORD: for he hath torn, and he will heal us; he hath smitten, and he will bind us up. After two days will he revive us: in the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live in his sight. Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the LORD: his going forth is prepared as the morning; and he shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter rain and former rain unto the earth". Listen to the sweet singer of Israel: "Hear, O LORD, when I cry with my voice: have mercy also upon me, and answer me. When you saidst, Seek ye my face; my heart said unto thee, Thy face, LORD, will I seek. Hide not thy face far from me..." (Psalm 27:7-9). So be URGENT about it, beloved; for there is no hope of reconciliation and revival if God hides His face from you. Refer to Deuteronomy 31;17,18. But remember, that you can ONLY see God's face if you keep "looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith" (Hebrews 12:2); "for God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ" (2 Corinthians 4:6) Oh, mighty JEHOVAH: "Quicken (revive) us, and we will call upon your name. Turn us again, O LORD God of hosts, cause thy face to shine; and we shall be saved" (Psalm 80:18,19). AMEN!!! But furthermore.....

4. There has to be a complete turn-around of our lives:"And turn from their wicked ways...". Beloved, there is no Revival apart from repentance and conversion! Let us not think that we can truly humble ourselves, truly pray, and truly seek God's face, without turning from our wicked ways, our sinful life, our backsliding! God will not revive our souls, He will not renew our relationship with Him, and He will not restore our fellowship to Him, if we insist in holding on to our favorite, or secret, sins. We have to forsake our ways and our thoughts so that God's ways and thoughts become our first priority; and so that also He becomes our "first love" (Revelation 2:4). Listen! "He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy" (Proverbs 28:13). You see, that's what Revival is all about: Whereas before you live for yourself, for sin, for the world, and for the devil, now you will start living for your Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, for holiness, for the cause of the Gospel, and for the Kingdom of God. There's no two ways about it! Revival does change your life; for remember, if you are in Christ Jesus, you are "a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new" (2 Corinthians 5:17). So, Revival brings you back to "walk in newness of life" (Romans 6:4), which is in Christ Jesus. But, let me give you an....

APPLICATION: The Means For Revival is not a "one night stand" type of thing, as so many are prone to think; and I say this as an encouragement, and as a warning. In other words, it is not simply coming to the front at the invitation call, as it is usually practiced today as a re-dedication or re-committment to the Lord; for there is a danger in this! The LORD told Ephraim: "Your goodness is as a morning cloud, and as the early dew it goeth away" (Hosea 6:4). What I am saying, beloved, is that many a time a believer can, because of the emotional character of the so-called "revival" services, or by being persuaded by the preacher to make a public re-dedication to the Lord, they can think they have been revived! But as soon as the preacher is gone and the Revival Services are over, the "good feelings" of revival are gone. Now, I know that revival can take place instantaneously by the grace and power of God, yet it is also true that revival is a process: It is a continous humbling, praying, seeking, and repenting before God, which will be seen by man as your life is changed because of revival in your life. So, start NOW, because there is...

III. THE PROMISE OF REVIVAL.

Many of God's promises are conditional, i.e. they will be ours only if we obey Him. Such is the promise
of Revival: If The Means For Revival are true of me, or us, "then", and ONLY "then", will we experience Revival! Therefore, if I want Revival, I must obey the Lord with respect to v.14. But you might ask, how can I do that? Even now, you might say, I feel such a coldness of love for the Lord, a hardness of heart, and yes, even an unwillingness to turn back to God! Well, my friend, if you already "sense" this in the depths of your soul, then let me tell you: The "God of all grace" (1 Peter 5:10) is now calling you to Revival... He is showing you the terribleness of sin in your life, the deceitfulness of it, and especially, your inability to deliver yourself from it. Yes, for you to truly humble yourself, to pray, to seek His face, and to turn from your wicked ways, then your only hope is for Him to give you the ability to do so! But what is this promise? "He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not also freely give us all things" (Romans 8:32)? Yes, you will be enabled to do all that is necessary for Revival; "for it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure" (Philippians 2:13). So, what are you waiting for? Obey Him, and you'll taste the goodness of the Lord as he starts to pour into your soul the sweetness of coming back to Him, as the prodigal son coming back to the father; and if you do so....

1. He will pay attention to you: "Then will I hear from heaven...". Oh, what a promise! That means that
you won't "seek (him) in vain" (Isaiah 45:19). In fact, "it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will
answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear" (65:24). Yes, He is the God "that hearest prayer"
(Psalm 65:2); and once He hears you, "he shall give thee the desires of thine heart" (37:4); and, my
beloved brethren, what greater desire could we have than, not only revival for ourselves, but also for the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ? Then also, He promises that...

2. He will have mercy on us: "And will forgive their sin...". Of course, sin is what separates us from
God; and as long as we have unforgiven sin in our lives, we'll be miserable. Perhaps even now we might be experiencing what David went through: "For mine iniquities are gone over my head: as an heavy burden they are too heavy for me...I am troubled; I am bowed down greatly; I go mourning all the day long...my heart panteth, my strength faileth me: as for the light of mine eyes, it also is gone from me...etc.etc." (Psalm 38:4,6,10, etc.). But you know, our God and heavenly Father is "ready to forgive, and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon (him)" (86:5). Oh, go to Him right now, dear wayward child of God, with a broken heart and contrite spirit, pleading the Blood of the Lamb of God, the Lord Jesus Christ, for the forgiveness of all your iniquities; and you can be sure of His promise: "And him that cometh to me, I will in no way cast out" (John 6:37b). Oh, I'm so glad that my God "delighteth in mercy" (Micah 7:18)! HALLELUJAH!!!___________  Then, what happens?......

3. He will revive us: "And will heal their land". Oh, how faithful is God to His Word! Remember, when
He said, "If my people" should do this, or do that, "then I will" do this and do that? Well, if The Means
For Revival has been the KEY that has opened the door to The Promise Of Revival, then we can come in with all confidence and full assurance that we WILL be revived because our God and Father said  that He would! Note, first, that He will bring healing! Oh, beloved, how has our backsliding, our rebellion, our disobedience, and our sin "wounded" us, broken us, torn us apart, and made us weakly sick, even to the point of death! Yes, we have to confess with David, "There is no soundness in my flesh because of thine anger; neither is there any rest in my bones because of my sin...My wounds stink and are corrupt because of my foolishness...my loins are filled with a loathsome disease...I am feeble and sore broken" (Psalm 38:3,5,7,8); and then in another place he says, "LORD, be merciful unto me: heal my soul; for I have sinned against thee" (41:4). But David knew that "he healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds" (147:3); that's why he could say in Psalm 23:3, "He restoreth my soul"! Yes, we might have "scars", and the consequences because of our foolishness might remain, nevertheless,  we will still be able to rejoice in the Lord for the complete healing of our souls! Hallelujah!!!

But, secondly, the LORD promises to "heal their land". "Land" here means more than just simply the "earth", but also it means the "place" where the people of God are at. In verse 13, the LORD told Solomon that He was going to bring "drought", "locusts", and "pestilence" to His people in their "land". Because of their sin, the earth was getting dry and hard due to no rain, their crops were being destroyed by the locusts, and pestilence was bringing death to the people. But in "healing" the land after His people were "healed", now He would cause it to rain again, he would drive the locusts away, and take away the pestilence from among the people. What does that mean? It means that in Revival, the showers of blessing once again start to fall upon God's people, it means that once again they began to bear fruit unto God, and the fruit remains, and it means that once again they began to grow in grace and to be nourished spiritually, so that they get healthy and strong in the faith of Jesus Christ; and this is not only true for "personal" Revival, but also for Revival in the "land"! Is this true of you, my dear brother, or sister, in Christ? Are you REVIVED? What about where you're at; whether it be the church you belong to, or the town or city you live in, or wherever you live for, and serve, the Lord? Is there REVIVAL?

CONCLUSION:

1. That there is a need for revival today, I believe we can all agree if we have "eyes" to see the spiritual condition of the professing Church. But let us keep in mind that it has to start with me, as the well known hymn says, "Lord, send a revival, And let it begin in me". Also, let us not deceive ourselves:
We're not talking about some "emotional" experience, or "feelin' good", but a Holy Spirit revival where we are turned back to God to live for Him and with Him, to serve Him and obey Him, in love and holiness. Anything other than that is not REVIVAL!

2. Our only hope for Revival rests on God's faithfulness to never leave us or forsake us. We have to look to Him, and cry out to Him. If we look to anyone else, or anything else, we will fail, no matter how much we try! Remember the Vally of Dry Bones in Ezekiel 37, where God's people said: "Our bones are dried, and our hope is lost:we are cut off for our parts" (v.11); yet the promise is: "Behold, O my people, I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves,...and shall put my Spirit in you, and ye shall live..." (vv.12,14). Since our God can raise the dead, for sure He can REVIVE His people! Hallelujah!!!

3. The question is: What are you going to do about it? Are you content with your "Christian" (?) life? Are you satisfied with your powerless and defeated profession of faith? If you are, then Revival is not for you; for it is only for those that are thirsty for the living God. The Lord Jesus says, "If any man thirst, let him come to me, and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, Out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive" (John 7:37-39). Oh, may this be true of YOU, and ME, TODAY!!!

4. Somebody might ask: How can I know that I have been revived? The Lord Jesus answers: "Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works" (Revelation 2:5). Let me put it like this: You'll fall in love again with the Lord, you'll have the spirit of prayer, you'll delight in His Word, and for sure, you'll tell others of your Beloved and Friend. There will be a separation from sin and the world, a renewing of your mind and life; and you shall "ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls" (Jeremiah 6:16). IS THIS TRUE OF YOU RIGHT NOW? May it be so to the glory of God our Father for Christ Jesus's sake! Amen!!!

A WORD TO THE UNBELIEVER:  Revival is not for you; for it is ONLY for those that have the Life of God in Christ Jesus, according to 1 John 5:11,12 - "And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life". So, if you have not the Lord Jesus Christ living in you, then you are still "dead in trespasses and sins" (Ephesians 2:1), "having no hope, and without God in the world" (v.12). You are still lost in your sins, and on the way to hell! What you need NOW, then, is not Revival, but to be born again, to become a new creature in Christ, which is to be saved from your sins. Therefore, "repent ye, and believe the gospel" (Mark 1:15), which is that Christ Jesus died on the Cross for sinners, which all of us are, and that He rose from the dead on the third day so that we could be justified by faith in Him. "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved" (Acts 16:31); for "he is able also to save to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing that he ever liveth to make intercession for them" (Hebrews 7:25). Amen.

GOD BLESS YOU FOR CHRIST'S SAKE. AMEN.