Pastor, teacher, and author, Adrian Rogers, has introduced people all over the world to the love of Jesus Christ and has impacted untold numbers of lives by presenting profound truth, simply stated. Thanks for joining us for this message.
Here's Adrian Rogers. Now, would you take God's Word and turn to Isaiah chapter 64. The title of the message is this. Revival is when God shows up. When God shows up, that is revival. Our homes need revival.
Our churches need revival. This nation and this world needs revival. But there's no military power that can bring revival. There's no economic upturn that can bring revival.
And listen to me. There is no election that can bring revival. Revival is the sovereign work of Almighty God. The setting of this passage of Scripture is this. God's people had been carried away into captivity and God's work was in disrepair. God's people were dispirited.
And they're so much like the modern church today. The modern church today has been carried away into captivity by the world and the flesh and the devil. I look around, many Christians are discouraged. Many have no hope for revival. They don't even believe that revival is possible. I want to tell you, revival is not only possible, it is inevitable when God's people get right with God. Now, why is there no revival?
Listen very carefully. We can't say there is no revival because of the disunity of God's people. We can't say that. We can't say there's no revival because we've not been evangelistic. We can't say that. We can't say there's no revival because God's people have been worldly and compromised.
We can't say that. We cannot say there's no revival because of liberalism in the churches. Friend, if we get all of these matters changed, it still would not be revival. These things that I've mentioned to you are not the reason that there is no revival.
Listen carefully now. They are the result of no revival. What is revival? Revival, listen, is when God comes down. Chapter 64. Oh, that thou, almighty God, wouldest rim the heavens that thou wouldest come down.
That's what revival is. It is a meeting with almighty God. Most of us are seeking for God to do something. We want it for our church's sake. We want it for our family's sake.
We want it for the nation's sake. But we're seeking God's hand and not seeking God's face. Our heart needs to yearn for God. We need to say, oh God, will you come down? Now, I want to tell you, God loves to come down. He came down in the Lord Jesus Christ and was born on Christmas morning. Stepped out of heaven, came down to this world of woe that he might save us.
On the day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit came down and baptized that infant church with wonderful, wonderful power. As we study the word of God, we find out that Jesus is coming down again at his second coming. I can hardly wait. How about you? He is coming down again.
What does that mean? Friend, I want to tell you that if you'll study the Bible, you'll find out that God has come down. God has touched down many times in the Bible and we find Bible revival.
Then in modern history, if you'll study the record of the church, you will find from time to time, in place to place, God has come down. I want God to come down upon our church. I want God to come down upon my life.
I want God to come down upon my family. We need to seek God. Now, many of us don't believe this is possible. Now, I'll tell you one of the problems. We think that God moves in convoy, that everything slows down to the slowest ship.
That is not true. I mean, don't get the idea that America has to be changed before we can have revival. You, my friend, can have revival. You can have personal revival. You can have revival in your Sunday school class. We can have revival in your family.
We don't slow down to the slowest ship. We can have revival whenever and wherever we want. You can be a one man revival. I knew a man who was a one man revival. His name was Charlie Fisher. His son was an associate with Billy Graham. Charlie Fisher was an old time Wesleyan preacher. He loved God.
He was on fire for Christ. He came to our church in Fort Pierce and he heard me preach and he said, I want to be a member of this church. But he said, I don't believe what you believe. I said, well, why would you want to be a member? You don't believe what I believe.
Uncle Charlie, everybody called him Uncle Charlie. I said, what is it that I believe that you don't believe? Well, he said, do you believe in a sinning religion? I said, I don't. He said, will you tell people that they can get saved and then they can live any way they want and go to heaven? I said, you missed it, Uncle Charlie.
I don't believe that. And I sat down and talked to him about what I really believed about the eternal security of the believer. He said, well, I believe that. He said, I'd like to join the church. I said, well, Uncle Charlie, you've got to be baptized.
Now remember, he was a Wesleyan Methodist. I said, you've got to be baptized. He said, well, you mean you want to baptize me after all these years? I said, yes, sir.
He said, okay. So I took him down in that Baptist way. I wasn't prepared for what was going to happen. When I put him under the water, he came up out of the water and lifted both hands to heaven and said, glory to God. I had been buried in the likeness of his death. I had been raised in the likeness of his resurrection. Well, he was on fire for God.
I'd never seen a man just like that. He was bold as a lion. Everywhere he went, there seemed to be revival. What I'm trying to say, he was a one man revival. I remember on an occasion, he got a movie projector and went down to Avenue D on Saturday night in Fort Pierce, Florida, where there was drunkenness and fighting and all of this. This man, this one man revival walked into a barroom, a tavern and said to the owner, I've got a film that I need to show. I don't have a place to plug in my projector.
Can I plug it in here? And the owner said, well, I guess so. He said, now it's a religious film. The owner said, well, okay. So he got up and he said, everybody get quiet.
Listen to me. We're going to have a film and it is a religious film. So there can be no drinking and no smoking while this film is being shown. They put down their beer, put out the cigarettes and he turned on the projector.
It was a film on the second coming of Jesus Christ. Got very quiet in there. Then Uncle Charlie said, all right, we're going to pray. Everybody bow your heads. Now this is not fiction.
This literally happened. He said, now those of you who tonight right now will give your heart to Jesus Christ, lift your hand. A number of them lifted their hand and among those that lifted their hand was the owner of that tavern. It was a woman. He went to her and said, I saw you lifted your hand.
Did you mean it? She said, yes, I did. He said, you know, you've got to get rid of this business, don't you? She said, what? Said, you can't be a Christian and run this business.
You've got to get rid of it. She said, well, all right, I will. And she did.
I went to see her and talk with her. This woman who was transformed there by the boldness of a man who would seek God's face. He was a one man revival. You can be a one man revival. You can have a Sunday school revival. You can have a choir revival. You can have a church revival. You can have a family revival. But what is revival?
Revival is when God comes down. You can have church revival. I remember at Felsmere, Florida, the first church I pastored, we had about 50 members. And it was my college church out in the little town called Felsmere, Florida. Roughly there were 500 people in that little town and four churches working on those 500 people. I pastored the first Baptist church of Felsmere, first Baptist, last Baptist and only Baptist.
In that little town. But I remember we were seeking God for revival. We had a prayer meeting over at Neil Shearer's house and the people began to pray.
I looked down on the floor, spread out like that with her face on the floor was Mrs. Mensei. And she's crying out to God, crying out to God, crying out to God for revival. We prayed for revival. We had a revival meeting. That year, our church doubled in size.
People came from everywhere seeking God. And it was a mighty time of revival. We had revival in this church back in 1972.
And by God's grace, I was invited to come and be the pastor of Bellevue Church. But I came to a church that was already in the spirit of revival. That people had been praying and seeking the face of God and saying, Oh God, send us the man of God that we ought to have. The pulpit committee was on fire for Jesus Christ. They prayed and many of them said we had revival in our pulpit committee as they prayed and sought the face of Almighty God. I remember the first service I was here. God came down.
Many of you were here. God came down. It wasn't the preacher. They didn't know me. I was Adrian who?
They didn't know me. I mean from the time the choir began to sing sanctus, God came down. God came down. I could feel the manifest presence of God in that place. And it wasn't just simply what I felt.
Others felt it. The church immediately began to grow and to blossom. Souls were saved in every service and people were crowding the altar and the church blossomed in revival and we are living, friend, we are living in the result of that revival today. All of the blessings that we have upon our church today, I believe found their fruitfulness and their beginning in that revival at least partly so. Now what is revival? You're in Isaiah chapter 64 and I want you to notice the presence that produces revival.
What is the presence that produces revival? It is God himself. Now let me tell you what will happen when God comes down. First of all, mountains will melt. Oh, that thou wouldest rend the heavens, that thou wouldest come down, that the mountains might flow down in thy presence. And then verse two, as when the melting fire burneth. That is God's fire is going to come and it's going to melt the mountains.
What do we mean by that? Mountains of pride and bigotry and indifference. All of these things that seem to be the obstacles to God's work, they'll melt away. There is nothing that can stop the revival fire of Almighty God.
Absolutely, totally nothing. Don't you insult God by saying there are too many mountains, too many obstacles. I'm telling you when God comes down, mountains will melt. But not only will mountains melt, sinners will shake.
Look if you will again in verses two and three. As when the melting fire burneth, the fire causeth the waters to boil to make thy name known to thine adversaries. Now this is not to the church but to the adversaries that the nations may tremble at thy presence.
When thou didst terrible things, that means awesome things which we look not for. Thou came us down, the mountains flowed down at thy presence. Now what I'm trying to pick out of that is this passage, this part that says the nations will tremble. Did you know when we have genuine revival and when mountains begin to melt, sinners begin to shake.
When they see something that they cannot explain, that brings Holy Spirit conviction. If we have revival in America, the late night comedians will not make fun of holy things and mock the things of God. And the siviousness of this world will at least shake in the presence of Almighty God. And the unsaved will cry out to God for mercy as sinners shake.
I'll tell you what else will happen. Not only will mountains melt, not only will sinners shake, but the righteous will rejoice when we have revival. Look again in verses four and five.
For since the beginning of the world, men have not heard nor perceived by the ear, neither hath the eye seen, O God, beside thee, what he hath prepared for him that waiteth for him. Thou meetest him that rejoiceth and worketh righteousness. God wants to meet with you. God wants to come down. And when he does, you will rejoice.
You'll have joy unspeakable and full of glory. Church will not be a bore to you. I remember when Zig Ziglar was here, he asked a question, how many of you have ever been in a boring worship service? A lot of you lifted your hand.
He said, no, you haven't. You've been in a boring church service. You cannot have a boring worship service.
If you're worshiping God, there's nothing boring about that. God's people have joy unspeakable and full of glory. And the righteous rejoice when we have revival. And friend, I long to see that. I want my children to see that.
I want God to meet with his people and know this incredible joy. Now, here's the second thing I want you to notice. Not only the presence, but I want you to notice the problems.
What are the problems that prevent revival? Well, we are corrupted by our sins. Look, if you will, in Isaiah 64 verse 6. But we are all as an unclean thing.
That's all. All is an unclean thing. And all our righteousnesses are as filter rags. And we do faith as a leaf.
And our iniquities like the wind have taken us away. Now, what does this verse say? He says that our righteousness in his sight is like a filthy rag. I read that the filthy rag really refers to the clothing that the leper would wear.
That was infectious. And we dress up in our self-righteousness. And we come to church. And we look around in haughtiness and pride. But God says that your righteousness and my righteousness, my self-righteousness is a filthy rag in the sight of Almighty God. We try to cover ourselves with the very thing that defiles us and condemns us. Not only does he say our righteousness is like a filthy rag, he says our faithfulness is like a fading leaf. Look at it. And we all do faith as a leaf.
What does that mean? Fall is beginning. And you see the leaves.
They begin to turn yellow and brown, and they fade, and they fall. And they'll be on the trees looking so good, but the wind comes and they're on the ground. I've seen that happen so many times.
I've seen people dressed up in their own self-righteousness, the filthy rags of their own self-righteousness. They're doing good, but you let the wind blow. You let them have some family problems.
You let them have some financial reverse. You let them have some difficulty, something they cannot explain or understand, and they are blown away, blown away. I've seen the many of them. Now, not only are we corrupted by our sins, but the sad thing is we are complacent in our sins. Look in verse 7.
There's none that calleth upon thy name, that stirreth up himself to take hold of thee. Have you stirred yourself up to take hold of God? Is there in your heart a yearning, burning, longing for revival? Are you willing to stir yourself up if you get serious God will send revival? Dr. R.A. Torrey lived in another generation. You can buy anything that Dr. Torrey wrote and be blessed by it. Here's what he said to the saints who've been chloroformed by the spirit of the age.
Listen, Dr. Torrey said, I have a theory and I believe it to be true that there is not a church, chapel, or mission on earth where you cannot have revival provided there is a little nucleus, that is a small group, a little nucleus of faithful people who will hold to God until he comes, talking about him coming down. And then here's what he says. First, let a few Christians, they need not be many, get thoroughly right with God themselves.
Now he's talking to you right now. A few Christians, there need not be many who will get thoroughly right with God themselves. This is the prime essential. If this is not done, the rest, I'm sorry to say, cannot be done and it will come to nothing. Second, let them bind themselves together to pray for revival until God opens the heavens and comes down. That's what we're talking about here in Isaiah chapter 64. Get right with God, band together and begin to pray. And then Dr. Torrey said third, let them put themselves at the disposal of God to use them as he sees fit in winning others to Christ. Then Dr. Torrey said, that's all. This is sure to bring revival in any church or community. I've given this prescription around the world.
It has been taken by many churches and many communities and in no instance has it ever failed and it cannot fail. Say, well, that's so simple. That's true, simple. Get right with God, pray, put yourself at God's disposal. But what is the problem? The church is complacent. There's none that stirs up himself. What kind of a desire do you have today for revival in your life, in your home, in your class, in this church, in this nation? Old friend, stir yourself up. Do what Dr. Torrey says and get right with God.
One of these days if we don't do it, we'll wish that we had. Now I want to tell you, we are consumed by our sins, consumed by our sins. Look in chapter 64 verse 7. There's none that calleth upon thee that stirs up himself to take hold of thee. Now listen, for thou hast hid thy face from us and hast consumed us because of our iniquity. We're consumed in our sins.
What does that mean? Our sins are eating us alive. God turns his face away from us.
We have no protection. We can sing God bless America, but it's hollow because God has taken down the hedge of protection. Now thirdly, I want you to notice the prayer that precedes revival. How can we have revival? How do we seek God's face? Well, first of all, there's the prayer that recognizes God's sovereignty.
We have to believe that God is God. Look in verse 8. But now, O Lord, thou art our Father, and we are the clay. Thou are our potter, and we are the work of thy hand. That is, Lord, you are king, you are sovereign. I'm like clay.
You're like a potter. Mow me and make me after thy will. You are king. God doesn't want a place in your life. God doesn't want prominence in your life.
He demands and deserves preeminence. Are you willing? Now answer this not out loud, but listen to me. Are you willing to say, God, mow me and make me after thy will?
Are you? What if God told you to sell your house and give it to missions? What if God says, I want you as a missionary in Iraq? What if God says to you, I want you to do this thing or that thing? Are you willing?
Are you willing? Have you recognized the sovereignty of God? But not only is it prayer that recognizes God's sovereignty.
Oh, I thank God for this. It is prayer that remembers God's mercy. Look, if you will, in verse 9. Be not wroth, very sore, O Lord, neither remember iniquity forever. Behold, see, we beseech thee.
We are all thy people. What he's saying is, oh God, oh God, have mercy. Have mercy.
Don't keep your anger forever. Lord, we need you. We want you.
We must have you. Now listen, God wants to extend mercy. God had much rather forgive sin than to punish sin.
Do you believe that? God doesn't hold a grudge. God wants to forgive sin, but God cannot put away our sin by forgiving it unless we put it away by forsaking it.
Now say that again. God cannot put away our sin by forgiving it unless we put it away by forsaking it. The problem with so many of our prayers is we're not willing to repent. We want God's mercy, but we seek no repentance. And prayer without repentance is a religious farce, some sort of a smokescreen.
And then, friend, it is prayer that respects God's glory. Look if you will now in Isaiah 64 verses 10 through 12. Thy holy cities are a wilderness.
Zion is a wilderness. Jerusalem is a desolation. Our holy and our beautiful house, where our fathers praise thee, is burned up with fire, and all our pleasant things are laid waste. Wilt thou refrain thyself for these things, O Lord? Wilt thou hold thy peace and afflict us very sore?
What are you saying, O God? We remember the glory. We remember when you spoke to us from your sacred temple.
Our fathers have told us about it. In glory's time, it was. O God, we want your glory again. O God, do it again. O God, show thy face. Show thy glory. That's what revival is.
It is when God comes down. Don't you want to see that? Maybe you don't. Maybe you don't want to see it. Maybe you haven't been willing to stir yourself up. Maybe you are dressed in the rags of your self-righteousness today, the filthy rags. Maybe you're a dying leaf and don't even know it.
Maybe you're quite satisfied with where you are and your complacency. But my brother and my sister, if you will seek God, I'm telling you that God wants to come down. He is waiting to come down.
He is leaning over the battlements of heaven. We don't have to persuade God to send revival, only to permit him to do so. Do you respect God's sovereignty? Do you? Do you want God's glory?
Do you? Or is this going to be just one more sermon? Are you going to meet me later on and say, Pastor, that was a pretty good sermon?
Or has one man said a nice little talk? Now, don't try to remember what I have said this morning. I want to ask you to ask yourself, what has God said to me? What does God want me to do? Now, may I speak a word to those of you who have never yet been saved? You need Jesus.
If you die without him, you'll be everlastingly condemned, a place the Bible calls hell. If you want to be saved, God will save you today. Again, you don't have to beg God to save you.
You have to be sincere. But it's not your tears that save you. It's not your emotion that saves you. It is God that saves you. Jesus Christ hung naked and bloody on the cross for you. He paid in full your sin debt. And if you will turn from your sin to Jesus Christ, he will save you instantly. He'll be with you continually.
Bless God he will keep you eternally if you will only trust him. Now, you say, well, Pastor Rogers, I'm going to do that, but I want to wait a little while. I don't want to do it today.
I'll do it tomorrow. Well, the Bible says, both not thyself of tomorrow. For thou knowest not what a day may bring forth. You say, well, I've got some things I want to do. I've got some sin I want to indulge in and then I'll get saved.
Friend, that is dangerous. Tomorrow, you'll have more sin to repent of and less time to repent in. And you will miss today. People say get right with God. You may die.
Let me tell you something, friend. Get right with God, you may live. I mean, you can live today with our Lord. God can come down in your life. You can have joy unspeakable and full of glory.
If I could do it for you, I would, but I can't. Jesus saves. He saves anyone, everyone who will call upon him. For the Bible says, for whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord, that one will be saved.
Now bow your heads in prayer. If you know that you're saved, I mean absolutely know it, you're certain of it, then would you begin to thank God for your salvation and pray for those who round about you? Pray for the person to your right, the person to your left, the person sitting in front of you and the person behind you. Just pray and say, Lord, if that person is not saved, help them today to be saved. I believe if we do that, most everybody in this place is being prayed for right now.
Pray that God will open their hearts and give them the courage to say yes to Jesus Christ. Now while others are praying for you, precious, precious, precious friend, if you're not certain that you're saved, let me guide you in a little prayer where you can pray and ask Jesus Christ to come into your heart and save you. I invite you to pray this way.
Don't just repeat words, but pray this way. Dear God, I know that you love me. I know that you want to save me. You promised to save me if I would trust you.
I do trust you. I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, your Son. I believe He paid my sin debt on the cross with His shed blood.
I believe God has raised Him from the dead, and He's able to give new life to me. Right now, this morning, where I am, this moment, now, oh, God, I trust you to save me. I don't ask for a sign.
I don't wait for a feeling. I stand on your Word you promised, and you cannot lie. Come into my heart, forgive my sin, and save me. I turn from my sin. I turn to you, Lord Jesus. Did you pray that way? Then I want you to pray this. Lord, thank you for doing it. I receive it by faith.
You said you would, and that settles it. Thank you, Lord Jesus. Now, Jesus, you are my Commander-in-Chief. You're my Lord and my Master. Give me the courage to make it public this morning and not to be ashamed of you. In your holy name, amen. If you would like to learn more about how you can know Jesus or deepen your relationship with Him, simply click the Discover Jesus link on our website, lwf.org. For a copy of this message or additional resources, visit our online store at lwf.org, or call 1-800-274-5683. Thank you.
