How to Have a Personal Spiritual Revival | Getting Uncomfortable with Sin

You're listening to A New Beginning with Greg Laurie, a podcast made possible by Harvest Partners helping people everywhere know God.

Visit our website and learn more about Harvest Partners at harvest.org. There is fun in sin momentarily, but oh man, the penalties are brutal. You can have a happy life without sin. God is not out to ruin your life. He's out to bless your life and to fulfill you, but you need to do it His way. None of us is unaware of sin's attraction, and each of us has fallen victim to its lure.

And so many have experienced the disaster that often follows. Sin looks good through the windshield, but it's a bad memory in the rearview mirror. Today on A New Beginning, Pastor Greg Laurie brings us a cold, hard look at sin and how to resist its foothold in our lives. We're in the book of Nehemiah today, discovering how we can each experience a personal, spiritual revival.

This is the day, the day when life begins. Let me make a distinction between two words that are often used interchangeably. Revival and awakening.

Here is what it comes down to. America needs a spiritual awakening. The church needs a revival. An awakening is when God sovereignly pours out His Spirit and it impacts a culture. That's what happened in the Jesus revolution.

That's what happened in multiple spiritual awakenings in the history of America, predating us being established as a country. But a revival. That is what the church must experience. It's when the church comes back to life. When the church becomes what it was always meant to be.

It's a returning to passion. Well before us here in Nehemiah 8 is a national revival. Nehemiah chapter 8 verse 1. When the people assembled with unified purpose at the square just inside the water gate, they asked Ezra the scribe to bring out the book of the law of Moses which the Lord had given for Israel to obey. And on October 8 Ezra the priest brought the book of the law before the assembly which included the men and the women and the children old enough to understand.

He faced the square just inside the water gate. From early morning to noon he read aloud to everyone who could understand. And the people listened closely to the book of the law. And Ezra the scribe stood on a high wooden platform and had been made for the occasion. And to his right stood, and there's a bunch of people that stood to his right and left and I'll let you review those names later because I can't pronounce all of those names. And Ezra stood on the platform in full view of the people and when they saw them open the book they all rose to their feet.

We'll stop there. So this was a full blown revival. Here are the people and they are standing there and Ezra has God's word for them. He shares God's word. Look at verse 3.

All the people listened closely to the book of the law. I can't tell you how much of a difference it makes between a group of people that want to hear God's word and a group of people that don't. And I've had a lot of my friends who have come here and spoken who are pastors tell me how much they love to preach at harvest.

I say tell me why. They say because they love God's word. That's a good trait. And a preacher can tell. We know when you don't really want to hear us. And people are not exactly subtle by the way. I don't know if you are aware of this but actually I can see you right now.

I don't know if people know that. So sir you've been picking your nose for a minute. Stop. Just stop.

No I'm kidding. But I see everything you do. And as I speak I'm sort of scanning the room. I look at people periodically. Sometimes people say you were staring at me the whole message.

You were preaching to me. By the way who told you that personal information about my life? Nobody gave me any information about you and I never stare at anyone intentionally except you. And I'm going to stare at you the whole time. You ok with that? You seem good. Alright so. How about the yawning out loud move.

I love this when I'll say alright well let's turn on our Bibles too and I'll look up and someone does it. Really? Could you not even kind of suppress the yawn? And then when you close your eyes and fold your hands I know you're not praying. Ok forget it. I'm not buying the prayer deal.

You're taking a nap. I understand that. How about the people just get up and leave. Just get up and leave.

Take our sweet time and walk out the back door. So you know that. You see that from up here. Oh but when people are hungry for God's Word. When you say turn your Bibles too.

I love it when people lunge. Get the Bible up. And they're flipping through it. That sound of the rustling of Bible pages.

The sweetest sound I know. And so these people wanted to hear Ezra. Now I know preachers can be boring.

I don't get it. I don't know how you can take the action packed living breathing Word of God and make it dull. But absolutely some preachers do it. And I know sometimes preachers go long.

But know this. Ezra went for hours. Hours. And the people stood the whole time. So don't complain about my long sermons again. And they listened. They listened closely is what we read.

They listened closely. A story is told of President Calvin Coolidge who attended church one Sunday. So he came home after and his wife said, So Cal what did the preacher talk about today? President Coolidge said, He talked about sin. I think. She said, Well what did he say?

President Coolidge said, I think he's against it. Yeah that's a guy who was not listening. Ok. You know sometimes after church I'll talk to people and they'll say, Good sermon today pastor. I'll say, Well thank you.

What did you like in particular about it? Then they look at you. During the headlamps. Right? Your story about the dog. You know.

Whatever. Sometimes I'll see they have notes. I say, Excuse me. Can I look at your notes? Go ahead. Then I read. I love that. Because then I see what people are picking up on.

Did they get the point I was actually making? And why are you writing? I dislike this preacher. Make him stop God.

Make him stop now. Yeah. So.

You know. It's really coming down to how we listen. We put a lot of pressure on preachers delivering the goods. We expect them to do it. And I think they should work at their craft and their gifting and the delivery of a message. But there is also a place for prepared listeners. There is a right and there is a wrong way to listen. The way you engage.

Taking notes is a good way to retain information. Point number two. You are having revival when people spontaneously and passionately worship God. You are having revival when people passionately and spontaneously worship God.

Look at verse six. Ezra praised the Lord the great God and all the people said, Amen. Amen.

And they lifted their hands and they bowed down and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground. You know a hearty Amen goes a long way when someone is speaking. Amen.

Now why do we even say that? Amen means so be it. I agree. Right on. I am down with that.

True that. However you want to frame it. It is right. Yes.

Yes. Now you don't have to scream it. You know some people say, Amen. And it freaks the preacher out.

You know. But just like Amen. Amen. Yeah that resonated with me. Amen. That is what the people are doing. Amen.

Amen. And he opens the Word of God to them. I want to point out three things that are very important that we will explore for a few moments and then we will end the message. But there are three things that happen here as the people react to God's Word. Number one. They understood the Word of God. Verses one to eight. They understood the Word of God.

Number two. They rejoiced in the Word of God. Verses nine to twelve.

And number three. They obeyed the Word of God. Verses thirteen to eighteen. So they heard it. They understood it. They rejoiced in it.

And they also obeyed it. And so this is something that is very important as we hear God's Word. Because listen. God is going to come to us through Scripture. Sometimes people say, I never know the will of God. Read the Bible and you will. Read the Bible and you will. I don't mean that a verse is going to jump out and tell you if you should buy the red or the green dress after church.

The Bible doesn't deal with things like that. It gives us principles. It gives us principles we govern our life by. And the Holy Spirit helps us to know how to apply those principles in day to day situations. And it will give you the wisdom you need when you need it. But as you immerse yourself in God's Word you will learn to start thinking biblically.

And understand what it says. And Jesus says, behold in the volume of the book I have come. We don't worship the Bible. We worship the author of the Bible.

The Bible is the autobiography of God. So as I read Scripture I discover Him. Pastor Greg Laurie will have the second half of his message in just a moment.

It's a joy to hear when these studies have touched lives. Listen to these comments from one of our listeners. Pastor Greg, I remember the very first time I heard your voice and I knew I would have to listen more.

It was about five years ago and I was driving in my car. A snippet of one of your sermons came on between songs on a Christian station. And I've been a fan ever since. I really like your jokes too.

Sometimes corny, but always funny. You make me a better Christian. And I thank you for that. I need all the encouragement I can get to walk the straight and narrow. I appreciate you, my brother in Christ. If you have a story to share, why not call us and give us all the details.

Here's the number, 1-866-871-1144, 866-871-1144. Well, we're in the book of Nehemiah today for Pastor Greg's message, How to Have a Personal Spiritual Revival. Let's continue. Number two, we must be convicted by the word of God. So first we understand the word of God, but we must be convicted by it.

Look at Nehemiah 8, 8. They read from the book of the law of God and clearly explained the meaning of what was being read, helping the people understand each passage. Then Nehemiah the governor, Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who were interpreting for the people said to them, Don't weep for such a time as this. Today is a sacred day before the Lord your God. And the people began weeping as they listened to the law of God.

Listen. Sometimes we have a false idea of how Scripture and even church should impact us. You know, we want to be blessed, never convicted. We want to be happy, never sad.

We say, Don't beat me down in church. Lift me up. I want to be inspired. I want to be encouraged. I want to walk out of here happy.

Well, hold on now, buckaroo. Let's determine your spiritual condition first. See I don't want you to be happy if you are living in sin. So there may need to be that conviction of the Holy Spirit who will show you what your sin is so you can repent of it and then walk out truly happy. Because Jesus said, Blessed are they that mourn for they shall be comforted. You know the word blessed is interchangeable with the word happy. So you could translate it happy or the sad for they will be happy. What?

Yeah. You are sad. Oh this isn't right before the Lord. I need to change this. And then you can find the true happiness that you really desire. So really what Ezra is saying, Ok guys, look you have got this. You have repented of this sin.

Now it is time to rejoice. You know it would be like going to a doctor and saying, Hey doc, I have got some physical issues here, some symptoms. I want you to do a checkup and then I want you to give me only good news. Don't give me anything negative.

Just good news. Well the doctor can't do that. He is taking a Hippocratic oath. And among other things he is to do no harm.

He has to tell you the truth for your own welfare. And the preacher has to do the same and we need to do the same at the church. But here is what actually is being said to them by Ezra. He says, Stop your mourning and instead rejoice.

I love this statement from Warren Wiersbe. Quote, It is as wrong to mourn when God has forgiven us as it is wrong to rejoice when sin has conquered us. It is wrong to rejoice when sin has conquered you. If you can listen to my message right now and you are living in sin and you feel good about it, that is a bad sign. If you are, you know, sleeping with your boyfriend, girlfriend.

If you are doing drugs, if you are lying, stealing, looking at porn, whatever. And somehow in your mind you have managed to rationalize this as being ok. And you have managed to even convince yourself God is fine with it. You are in a dangerous spiritual state because you are in danger of getting a hardened heart and a seared conscience.

You don't want to feel good about yourself. You want to feel bad enough to repent. God does not convict us of our sin to drive us away in despair. God convicts us of our sin to send us into the open arms of Jesus who died on the cross to pay for all of your sin. And then when you accept that forgiveness you can find the happiness you want. Because the Bible says blessed or happy is a man whose sin is forgiven.

So Ezra is actually saying, Come on guys. It is time to rejoice. Be happy because the Lord has forgiven you. One final point. We must obey the Word of God. They understood the Word of God. They rejoiced in the Word of God. And they obeyed the Word of God. As the people heard God speak to them through Ezra they realized they had missed something. Something the Scripture had told them to do. And among these things was going outside, building structures out of branches and leaves and having a time where they were living out in the open air in thankfulness to God for all that He had done for them. And the result of their obedience was great joy. Verse 17.

Here is my point. Sometimes people think, Oh if I do what the Bible says I am going to be so miserable. Because the sinners have all the fun. They get to do all the cool stuff. Do whatever they want. Do the sinners really have more fun?

Now hold on. They have fun sometimes don't they? Otherwise we would never sin would we? There is fun and sin momentarily.

But oh man the penalties are brutal. And sometimes they are lethal as they close in on your life and you face the repercussions of that. And so this is something that we need to think about. But here is the deal. God in His Word says, Don't do this.

Do this instead of that thing. And He says if you do these things you will find happiness. Luke 11 28 says, Happy are those that hear the word of God and keep it. You can have a happy life without sin. You can have a happy life without sex outside of marriage. Without drugs or alcohol.

Without selfishness. God is not out to ruin your life. He is out to bless your life and to fulfill you. But you need to do it His way. Say Amen. So you have got to do it.

It comes down to you. Here is all these things God wants to do for you. But you need to come and understand God's Word. You need to come and rejoice in God's Word. And then you need to come and obey God's Word.

And if you don't do that well the Lord is not going to force feed you. It is in front of you. It is yours to enjoy.

It is yours to reject. Yeah they had a great revival. Did it last? Well for a time. Revivals don't last forever.

They have a beginning, middle, and end. A revival is a little bit like an explosion. Boom! Kind of like when you start your car. Effectively it is an explosion.

And then the car starts. And so revival is like an explosion. But then you know sometimes we lose sight of it. We need another revival. Then we need another one. Someone once asked Billy Sunday the evangelist if his revivals lasted. He said no.

Neither does a bath. We have one occasionally. Right? So it is good to go back and say, Lord revive me again and again and again. I think we ought to close by asking Him to revive us. I know that I need constant revival. You do too by the way.

We all do. Our church does. The church does. And America needs an awakening.

Let it start with us. But let me close with this. Some of you watching us right now you may not have this relationship with God we've been talking about. You've been trying to find happiness without God. You've been trying to find happiness in a bottle. You've been trying to find happiness in a medication of some kind.

Legal or illegal. You've been trying to find happiness in illicit experiences. You've been trying to find happiness through material things. Or you've been trying to find it through accomplishments or whatever it is and you haven't found it.

And here's a news flash you never will. God pre-wired you to know Him and everything you're looking for is right in front of you in a relationship with Jesus Christ. Because Jesus Christ was born in that manger of Bethlehem. He walked the streets of Jerusalem and then He died in a cross outside of the walls of Jerusalem for the sin of the world. For your sin and for mine. And if I'll turn from my sin He will come and live inside of me.

And listen to this. Your name will be written in the book of life. And if your name is written in the book of life when you die God will say enter in to the joy of the Lord. And if your name is not written in the book of life He will say depart from me.

I never knew you. It's your choice. You want your name in the book? You want your sin forgiven? You want this happiness you've been seeking? Jesus Christ who died on the cross and rose again from the dead is here with us right here.

Right now. Ready to come into your life and forgive you of all of your sins. And you need to ask Him in. So we're going to close in prayer and I'm going to extend an invitation for you to ask Jesus Christ to come into your life. So let's all bow our heads. So Father I pray for everyone here everyone watching wherever they are if they don't have this relationship with you I pray that your Holy Spirit will convict them and convince them of their need for you and help them to come to you and believe.

So their name can be written in your book. In Jesus name I pray. Amen. Well Pastor Greg we're making available your new book called Lennon, Dylan, Alice and Jesus. In your subtitle you call it The Spiritual Biography of Rock and Roll.

It's full of stories of rock icons who saw meteoric success but then often soon after self-destructed. Let's talk to somebody who may be listening to us right now maybe a young person who really really really wants to be famous or wealthy or adored by a stadium full of exuberant fans. So many young people want to be a TikTok sensation or a YouTube influencer.

Drawing on the insight in this new book what's your message to them? Well so many of these artists have days gone by that have become iconic didn't have social media in their day. But they had it all. They had messages they had it all. They had massive success, global fame.

You know they had private jets and Bentleys and mansions and yachts and you name it they had it. But they saw that wasn't the answer. And I think of stories I've read even recently of young influencers young people who have had great success on social media platforms and have taken their own lives and it just doesn't make any sense to us but in a way it makes total sense because if you think that fame or having more followers or having more people know your name will make you happy you're going to be very disappointed when you reach that pinnacle and find it is not the answer. So what I want to say to those folks is Christ is the answer. Now God may bless you with success.

God may bless you with fame. God may bless you with other things but don't make that the sole purpose of living. Here's what the apostle Paul said.

He said to live is Christ. For some people if they were honest they would say to live is possessions. Their motto would be he who dies with the most toys wins.

I would just add to that. He who dies with the most toys wins dot dot dot nothing. Another might say for me to live is success. Well yes you can have success but Jesus said what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his own soul. Somebody else might say I live for this other thing. Live for Christ. Put God first. Jesus said seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things will be added to you. In context he was talking about what you eat or what you drink or what you wear. God will take care of all of the needs of your life but don't make those things the focus of your life.

Make Christ the focus of your life and if you do you'll find the meaning of life. Yeah that's right that's good insight. And there's a lot more coming your way in Pastor Greg's brand new book called Lennon, Dylan, Alice and Jesus. So can we send a copy to you? It's our thank you gift for those who can partner with us right now. Your investment helps keep Pastor Greg's insights coming your way here on A New Beginning and they help us reach out with the gospel through our large scale evangelistic outreaches such as Boise Harvest just a few weeks ago.

So your investment is an investment in changed lives. Contact us today by calling 1-800-821-3300. We can take your call anytime at 1-800-821-3300. Or write A New Beginning Box 4000 Riverside California 92514.

Or go online to harvest.org. Well Pastor Greg you spoke today about having a relationship with the Lord. Someone can enter into that kind of relationship with God right now. Can't they? Yeah they really can. That's the amazing thing. I think people are surprised that it doesn't take years to become a Christian. It doesn't take months. It doesn't take weeks. It doesn't take days.

It doesn't even take hours. You can believe on the spot. And I would like to lead you in a prayer where you can ask for His forgiveness. A prayer where you can receive Jesus Christ into your life as your Savior and Lord. So if you want Christ to come into your life. If you want Him to forgive you of your sin. If you want a second chance in life. If you want to go to heaven when you die. Stop what you're doing and pray after me.

These words. Lord Jesus I know I am a sinner. And I'm sorry for my sin. And I turn from it now.

And I choose to follow you from this moment forward. As Savior and Lord. As God and friend.

Thank you for loving me. And calling me. And forgiving me. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.

Amen. And listen if you have just prayed those words with Pastor Greg. The Lord has heard you and forgiven you of your sin.

The Bible says Jesus is faithful and just to forgive us of our sin and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. And we'd like to send you some materials to help you begin to live this new life. We call it our New Believers Growth Packet. Just ask for it and we'll send it to you free of any charge if you prayed for the first time today with Pastor Greg. Call us at 1-800-821-3300. Again that's 1-800-821-3300.

Or our mailing address is A New Beginning Box 4000 Riverside, CA 92514. Or go online to harvest.org and click Know God. Well next time we'll see the story of Nehemiah included a massive call to prayer and yielded some dramatic results.

We'll see what we can learn from that next time. But before we go, Pastor Greg closes in a word of prayer. But if you do mean it and you want this revival in your life you want to be rekindled you want to be restored then pray this prayer out loud after me. Let's all pray. Pray this now. Lord Jesus I need personal revival.

And I need it now. So fill me with your Holy Spirit. Give me a passion for your Word. Give me a passion for prayer. Give me a passion to share my faith. Restore me. Revive me.

Empower me. I commit myself to you now. And I receive it from you. In Jesus name I pray. Oh Father we've prayed this prayer just like the folks did back in the book of Nehemiah. And you filled them and you blessed them. So fill us and bless us now as we worship you. For we ask it in your name. The preceding podcast was made possible by Harvest Partners. Helping people everywhere know God. Learn how to become a Harvest Partner sign up for daily devotions and find resources to help you in your faith at Harvest.org