Psalm 51 is my focus this week. Our church just had a week of revival services. It was well attended and the Gospel was proclaimed clearly and delivered with passion. The seeds of revival have been once again planted in the Church. I have learned that almost nothing in the Kingdom of God happens by accident. This is most certainly true of Revival. I have asked several different audiences ranging from churches to pastors, if they had ever experienced revival. To my dismay, almost always the answer is no. I can remember years ago when revivals were held for a minimum of two weeks. I often wondered why two weeks? The Answer makes all the sense in the world. The first week is to revive the church members; the second week is to bring the lost/unredeemed to Christ. The point is revival is for the Church and if it occurs, then there will be an awakening to the lost.
In our Psalm 51, we find that David has been approached by the prophet Nathan, that story is unfolded in 2 Samuel 12 in the aftermath of David’s adultery and murder with Bathsheba and Uriah. It was almost a year before Nathan approaches David, and then only at the prompting of God. Everyone knew that David had sinned grossly before the people. Yet no one said a thing until Nathan is sent by the LORD. Known sin is makes miserable believer and brings public discredit upon the LORD God.
David repents having been confronted about his sin. The remorse in Psalm 51 is evident. David is call “a man after God’s own heart,” yet he is both an adulterer and a murderer. If revival is to occur in our personal life and the life of the Church, there must be a confrontation about the known, yet unconfessed sin towards God. David himself tells us the “against you, You only have I sinned and done evil in your sight.” [[verse 4]
David knows the LORD, He also knows the misery he has dealt with in his bones because of unconfessed sin; for it was ever on his mind. God is merciful and compassionate. There is a genuine repentance about his sin; there is evidence that David turned away from his iniquity. David did not have “kings privileges” to go into Bathsheba. Pastors and believers know what God requires of them – holiness. David was not tricked with Bathsheba; in fact David had shirked his duties as king, for he should have been on the battlefield.
There are a number of requests David makes of Yahweh – wash, purge, purify, create, deliver, restore, make me, blot out, and cleanse me from my iniquity. Iniquity is that sin which we deliberately do, knowingly. David has come clean about what he has done. In 2 Chronicles 7:14 we find how revival occurs. “If my people who are called by name, humble themselves, seek my face, turn from their wicked ways and pray – then I will hear from heaven and forgive their sin and heal their land.” This is not so much a formula as it is a description of what happens when revival occurs.
Repent and believe and you will be saved. Repent and turn from evil and sin, and you are revived. Both require prayer, humility and repentance. For a believer our sin causes breach in fellowship – sins have been forgiven already, but “new sins” break fellowship with a daily walk with God.
After David repented and was restored – the Joy of his salvation returned. As a result of his Joy – David said I will tell others, I will teach them of your ways. A witness returns to the believer! Out of repentance and renewal revival comes. The Church returns to its task of sharing the Gospel and the Lost are saved!
I wonder what it will take for the Church today to become humbled? I have said many times “that unless the pain of staying the same exceeds the pain of change, nothing will happen in our lives or the life of the Church. Let us be the sacrifice that David indicates God will accept – verse 17 – a broken and contrite heart you will not despise. May revival began today!
preachbetweenthelines 