“Revive Us Again”
Psalms 85:6
Introduction
- This morning I believe that God wants us to examine the words of the Psalmist here named Daleth.
- In reading this Psalm from Daleth we can sense a need for revival in his heart.
- This is something we should all have in our heart, especially when we recognize that there is a need for a revival.
- There are a lot of Christians who are like the term “Dead man walking.” They are Christians who have seemed to lose their way in life and have suffered a tragedy or gone through a depression.
- A spiritually dead church is of no value to God. My biggest fear I believe is coming true. My biggest fear is that I am pastor of a “dead church rather than a “deaf church.”
- Many deaf seem to be following everything and everyone except God. I further believe that my days are numbered here. I believe that God has called us here to minister to my father’s SBBC deaf, because the younger deaf could care less.
- Let us examine the words of a psalmist (Daleth) in Psalms 119:25…
I. My Soul is Dying
A) My soul cleaveth unto the dust
- Psalm 119:25…My soul cleaveth unto the dust: quicken thou me according to thy word.
- The word “cleaveth” is a derivative of an Old English word “cleave” which you will find 32 times in the KJV Bible. It means to hang on to something. As in Genesis 2:24 God informs Adam that he is to teach his children to leave their parents and “cleave (hang on to)” to his wife.
- In other words to cleave to something is to make yourself a part of it, become one with.
- So when Daleth says “My soul cleaveth unto dust” it means that he feels like death is near (death being the dust that we shall return to when our body dies.)
- I believe that Daleth is facing a spiritual death. This is why he says “…quicken thou me.”
- This verse tells us that Daleth has recognized the fact that he needs God, and he needs a revival (quickened.)
- What about you! Do you need a revival? Are you “a dead person walking?”
- Satan is the deceiver and he has deceived many into thinking that they are okay when in reality they are dead spiritually and are receiving no blessing whatsoever from God.
B) Have you declared your ways?
- Look now at verse 26) I have declared my ways, and thou heardest me: teach me thy statutes.
- Daleth says “I have declared my ways” he is telling the LORD… “I have made known to You (God), or made You (God) aware of the sins I have committed.
- God knows everything. Daleth did not make God aware of anything that He didn’t already know. In other words… Daleth had examined himself to “see if there be any wicked way” in himself and if there was any un-confessed sins that needed to be confessed.
- Before a revival can start in the hearts of mankind, we must confess sin. Make it known. Get it off our chest. You would be surprised at how much better you would feel once that weight and guilt of un-confessed sin is released.
- After we have declared our ways, seriously cleared our conscience, God will hear us (and thou heardest me). God will then bless us.
- “…teach me thy statutes.” Is like saying… “I am from Missouri, show me.” I have asked the Lord many times to “Show me” because I am a dumb sheep and know not what I do, what I say or what God’s will is for me.
- Some of us need the writing on the wall, a billboard, a neon sign that points the way for us to walk, while others need a simple nudge.
C) Make me to understand
- Verse 27) Make me to understand the way of thy precepts (commandments, laws): so shall I talk of thy wondrous works.
- After we ask God to “show us his laws” we also need him to help us understand it. Sometimes knowing a law or rule doesn’t always mean you understand it.
- Why does God say “Thou shalt not kill? Have you seen what that person did to me? They deserve to die!” Help me to understand why I can’t kill em’.
- God has a reason for every law He has commanded. It is for our benefit. It is not because God is mean and is always looking for a reason to punish us.
- Do you know that God overlooks some of our sins because of His marvelous grace? Acts 17:30 is a perfect verse of God overlooking (winked at) our sins, but still expects us to repent.
D) Strengthen me
- Now look at Psalm 119, verse 28) My soul melteth for heaviness: strengthen thou me according unto thy word.
- This verse refers to a weeping and remorse for sins committed against God.
II. The Way of Lying
A) Opposite of truth
- Now look at verse 29) Remove from me the way of lying: and grant me thy law graciously.
- Let me start out with what we should know… “Thou shalt not lie” is really found in Exodus 20:16…Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.
- It is again found in Exodus 23:1… Thou shalt not raise a false report.
- Anything false is a lie. False witness is a liar, and false report is a lie by the liar.
- Sometimes we tell a lie and do not catch it until someone brings it to our attention.
- I personally am struggling with remembering things the way they actually happened. Part of that O.L.D. disease I think. So, now more than ever I have to watch myself and ask the Lord at the beginning of my day “Remove from me the way of lying.”
- The important thing to do is ask the Lord to “…grant me thy law graciously” meaning to replace my words with God’s words (Law) in speaking the truth.
- True revival cannot come to a lying heart. WHY? Because Satan is the father of all lies and therefore cannot reside in a heart filled by the Holy Spirit of God.
III. I Have Chosen the Way of Truth
A) We have two choices to make
- Psalm 119:30…I have chosen the way of truth: thy judgments have I laid before me.
- There are two choices in life in every decision made, every promise given, every thought initiated and every word spoken…two choices.
- Tell a Lie
- Tell the truth
- As for Daleth, he said “I have chosen the way of truth.”
- The order for revival is as it is laid out in verses 29…remove anything false in me, and verse 30, choose the way of truth.
- Jesus praying to His Father in John 17:17…Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth. He asked God to sanctify (Make them holy because they weren’t.) Guess what? Neither are we holy.
- But we have a choice to make in order for revival to take place.
- In fact, revival cannot start until we have removed the lies, the false reports, or remove ourselves from becoming a false witness.
- Choose the way of truth.
- The word “truth” is mentioned 235 times in our KJV Bible. The word “lie” is only found 155 times. This should tell us God’s expectations.
- Paul talks to the church at Colosse in Colossians 3:9…Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds; 10) And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:
- Put off or do away with, or throw away your “old man” (old bad habits) and put on the “new man”(new habits). The old being lies and falsehood, the new being the truth.
B) The ground work is laid
- The last part of Psalm 119:30b…thy judgments have I laid before me.
- When you make your decision for God to renew your spirit, start a revival from within, the result will using God’s judgment rather than your own.
- The words “before me” mean in front of me. The Psalmist here (Daleth) said that he has already decided to pave his road with God’s judgments.
- He can’t go wrong. When we put God first in all that we do, we cannot help but be true to our self and others.
III. I Have Stuck Unto Thy Testimonies
A) Two kinds of stuck
- The first “stuck” meaning stuck in a rut, stuck behind someone, stuck in gear, or stuck in line, and so on. That connotation means that you cannot move, or you cannot get out.
- The second “stuck” as in stuck like glue, or tape stuck to gift wrap paper.
- The second definition is that described here by the Psalmist (Daleth) in verse 31) I have stuck unto thy testimonies: O LORD, put me not to shame.
- This meaning is like that of verse 25… My soul cleaveth unto the dust:
- To “cleave” is the same as “stuck.” It carries with it a more strong meaning of never parting, never separating, permanent.
- When the Psalmist say that he has “stuck to God’s testimonies, it means that God’s testimonies (words) have never left him, or never out of his mind, or always lighting his path.
B) Enlarge my heart
- I couldn’t think of a better way to end an outline for a message on revival than the verse of the Psalmist in Psalms 119:32…I will run the way of thy commandments, when thou shalt enlarge my heart.
- An “enlarged heart” is not a good thing.
- You would not ask for an enlarged heart physically because an enlarged heart may have several causes. It is usually the result of high blood pressure or coronary artery disease. It may not pump blood effectively, which can bring congestive heart failure. It may improve over time. Most people with an enlarged heart need a life-long medicinal treatment.
- Symptoms: Most often, an enlarged heart causes no symptoms. If it becomes unable to pump blood well enough, you may get symptoms of congestive heart failure, such as…Shortness of breath (especially when active or when lying flat), leg swelling, weight gain (particularly in your midsection), tired feeling, palpitations or skipped heartbeats.
- Daleth was not suggesting that God enlarge his physical beating heart of the flesh but rather referring to enlarging the spiritual heart of Daleth.
- I believe that what Daleth was writing here about an enlarged heart was the fact that his was small concerning spiritual knowledge and doings of the word.
- He said “I will run the way of thy commandments,” He did not say that he would “walk the way,” he said “run.”
- The action of “run” requires more effort, more energy, more stamina. Right now Daleth was “walking in the way.”
- But a revival will help him to run in the way of the commandments.
- I believe that many of today’s Christians are walking in the way and not running. They are complacent with apathy.
B) A Deep Revival
- A surface revival is taken place often in the hearts of God’s people when they come to the altar on Sunday and the rest of the week they forget what promises they made to God at the altar.
- A “Deep Revival” happens in the heart when a person repents of sin, seeks for un-repented sins, and digs deep within their soul and pulls out every ambition and zeal he has for God.
- Note that Daleth says… “I will.” That means he has set his heart on doing it. It is not a passing fancy or just a whimsical nod toward God, it is a commitment, a statement, and just decision.
- Everything spiritual must come from the heart.
- The Psalmists here let us know this by their writing of the heart in Psalm 119…
- Verse 2… seek Him with the whole heart.
- Verse 7 … praise Thee with uprightness of heart
- Verse 10…With my whole heart I have sought Thee
- Verse 11…Thy word have I hid in my heart
- Verse 32…when Thou hast enlarged my heart.
- Verse 34…I shall observe it with my whole heart.
- Verse 36…Incline mine heart
- I encourage you to read the rest and find the rest of “the heart verses” in Chapter 119.
- The great Physician knows where to look to see the truth of His patients at the Spiritual Hospital. He knows that the only way to revival is through the heart.
Silent Bible Baptist Church 