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- Preaching the Living WORD through
the Written WORD - 2 Tim 4;:2 - |
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THE PEOPLE
EVIDENCED THE RESULTS OF REVIVAL (Pt. 3) (Neh 9:6‑25) 8/15/10 Grace Bible Church,
Gillette, Wyoming Pastor Daryl Hilbert I. THE EVENTS AFTER THE
FEAST OF TABERNACLES (9:1‑5) II. THE EVIDENCES OF REVIVAL A. Review of Ezra and
Nehemiah’s Revival 1. Nehemiah
helped Israel rebuild its walls so that the city would be fortified and the
people would be unified and preserved. However, Nehemiah was also apart of
the restoration of God’s people spiritually. 2. Ezra the priest was also involved in the
spiritual restoration of the people. By reading the Law of God, the result
was a spiritual revival among the nation of Israel (8:1‑12). B. Evidences of Revival 1. There
were clear and identifiable evidences of true revival among the nation of
Israel. 2. Some of these evidences were: a) A greater
desire to study the Word (8:13, 18) b) A greater desire to carry out biblical
principles (8:14) c) A greater desire to help others carry out
biblical principles (8:15‑16) d) A greater desire to recommit to old
biblical convictions (8:14, 17b) e) A greater joy in doing the Lord’s
ministry (8:17c) f) A greater desire to be set apart unto God
(9:2) g) A greater compulsion to confess sin and
repent. (9:3) h) A greater desire to worship the Lord in
spirit and truth. (9:4‑5) III. EVIDENCES OF REVIVAL
(Cont.): A GREATER CAPACITY FOR PRAYER (9:5b‑37) Introduction 1. Another
evidence of true revival is a greater capacity for prayer as well as the
quality of prayer. On the twenty‑fourth day of the month of Tishri, the
Levites (9:4‑5) led the congregation in a prayer of confession and
appeal for God’s help and mercy (9:5b‑37). 2. To illustrate the effect of spiritual
revival in their midst, their prayer is the longest recorded prayer in the
Bible (Mt 14:30 “Lord save me” is the shortest). 3. It is possible that this prayer was
prepared beforehand and read aloud during a 3 hour time of prayer,
confession, and worship. A. Exaltation and Attributes
of God 1. Yahweh
the Sovereign Creator (5‑6) a) The
prayer begins by blessing the Lord. To “bless” (barak ‑ to kneel in
adoration) the Lord means to praise Him in humble and thankful adoration
(cp. proskunéō ‑ lit. to
kneel and kiss the hand of a
superior). b) God alone is Sovereign Creator over all
the universe and everything is subservient to His will. c) When we pray in such a manner, our hearts
have the proper perspective of why and how we are to worship and serve God. 2. Righteous
Covenant‑Keeping God (7‑8) a) This
portion shows how much the Abrahamic Covenant (Ge 2:1–3; 15:4–7; 17:1–9) was
in the forefront of their minds, the basis of the Promised Land, the
motivation for their work, as well as the background for God’s dealings with
the nation of Israel. b) Abram’s (“exalted father”) name was
changed to Abraham (“father of many nations”) as a result of the
Covenant made to him by God (Ge 17:5). c) When we pray, we are to encourage our
hearts with the promises of God in His Word (Ps 118:6; Ro 8:28‑39; 1Pe
5:7). God’s faithfulness to His covenants and promises are based on His
righteousness. B. Acts of God 1. Strong
Deliverance (9‑12) a) In vs. 9‑12,
they reflect on God’s powerful deliverance from the account during their
exodus. The parting of the Red Sea and the destruction of the Egyptian army
was Israel’s first realization of God’s deliverance (Ex 15:19). b) God’s power and mighty name was made known
to Israel and the nations. In addition God’s presence protected and led His
people. c) Our prayers should include the promises
that God protects His children. Past deliverances, victories, and guidance
should encourage the believer in present trials. 2. Divine
Revelation (13‑14) a) At Mount
Sinai, God gave to His people Israel through Moses, the revelation of Himself
and His will in the Law of God (Ex 19:11‑20:1‑17). b) Israel was the privileged people to whom
the One True God revealed Himself (Ro 9:4‑5). c) The believer’s prayer should be saturated
with the Word not only to pray according to His will, but also to understand
the God to whom we pray. 3. Faithful
Provision (15) a) Along with
protection and revelation, the Levites reflected on a time of great provision
to the nation in the wilderness. b) The believer’s faith is strengthened when
God powerfully provides, so that in times of trial, his faith remains strong.
Prayer is a time of strengthening one’s faith. C. Confession of Sins (16‑17a) 1. Here the
Levites begin to confess the sins of their fore‑fathers. In spite of
God’s righteous character and mighty deeds, the children of Israel became
arrogant (zud ‑ boil or seethe, i.e. with pride) and refused to
listen to God. D. Mercy of God (17b‑25) 1. However,
in spite of their sin, God remained faithful to His covenant. 2. God’s grace, compassion, and forbearance
were exalted through the sins of His children. Even in the wilderness, God showed
mercy and provided for the rebellious people. 3. In fact, through Joshua, the Israelites
entered into the Promised Land with God’s protection and strength in battle. E. Cycles of Sinful Man’s
Relationship with God (26‑31) 1. Rebellion
(26) a) It is at
this point that we see the sad reality of the never‑ending cycle of a
merciful God with His rebellious children. b) Nothing reveals man’s sin nature more than
his continual bent toward sin even after repentance, deliverance, and
restoration. 2. Retribution
(27a) a) Israel
continued to rebel and sin until the Lord disciplined them. b) Many times God would use other nations as
the instrument with which He dealt with His children. 3. Repentance
(27b) a) Time and
time again, after being disciplined, the children of Israel would repent and
cry out to the Lord for mercy. 4. Restoration
(27c) a) As a
result, God would deliver them from the hand of their oppressors. 5. Repetition
(28‑31) a) Sadly
this process continued over and over. God warned them continually that He
would hand them over completely to the other nations (Le 26:33; De 4:277;
28:36, 64; Ne 1:8; Je 16:13; Je 50:17; Ez 11:16). b) They did not heed God’s warning and God
delivered the Northern Kingdom to the Assyrians in 722 BC and the Southern
Kingdom to the Babylonians in 586 BC. F. Summary and Basis of
Appeal (32‑37) 1. God had
mercy upon Israel and they were allowed to return to their homeland in 538
BC, but they were still under the rule of a foreign king. 2. Thus, we have not only their confession
of sin, but a basis for this prayer. 3. A greater capacity for prayer includes:
the knowledge of prayer, prayer of confession, and prayer to break the cycle
of sin, and prayer for revival. IV. OBSERVATIONS AND
APPLICATIONS A. Revival and a greater
capacity for prayer 1. It
includes the knowledge of who God is. a) Attributes
of God b) Acts of God c) Promises of God d) Word of God 2. It
includes a regard for confession to God. a) Not
confession to a man b) But in sincerity to God c) Genuine confession and repentance 3. It
includes a regard to the cycle of man’s sin. a) A
believer has the same sinful nature b) A believer also has the new nature c) A believer possesses Holy Spirit d) A believer must pray to be guarded from
sin e) A believer must commit to living for God
(next week) 4. It
includes a regard for genuine biblical revival. a) Prayer in
accordance to genuine biblical revival b) Knowledge of how to pray for self and
others about the things that are missing in genuine biblical revival. |
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