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Revival Through The Rebuilding Process

Revival Through The Rebuilding Process. Nehemiah - a book about rebuilding  rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem  rebuilding the spiritual lives of God’s people.

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Revival Through The Rebuilding Process

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  1. Revival Through The Rebuilding Process • Nehemiah - a book about rebuilding •  rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem •  rebuilding the spiritual lives of God’s people. • Ezra & Nehemiah led the people of Israel in a renewed commitment to God  a revival that took place through the process of rebuilding

  2. Nehemiah 8:1–5 (NIV) 1 all the people assembled as one man in the square before the Water Gate. They told Ezra the scribe to bring out the Book of the Law of Moses, which the Lord had commanded for Israel. • 2 So on the first day of the seventh month Ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly, which was made up of men and women and all who were able to understand.

  3. 3 He read it aloud from daybreak till noon as he faced the square before the Water Gate in the presence of the men, women and others who could understand. And all the people listened attentively to the Book of the Law. • 4 Ezra the scribe stood on a high wooden platform built for the occasion… • 5 Ezra opened the book. All the people could see him because he was standing above them; and as he opened it, the people all stood up.

  4. v.1 (NLT): “they assembled with a unified purpose” • For revival to take root in a group there needs to be a unified purpose. • Through the rebuilding process the people were drawn together. • A common purpose unifies! • The Israelites gathered together to hear from God’s Word.

  5. Revival Involves Conviction & Confession • Nehemiah 8:5–9 (NIV) - 5 Ezra opened the book. All the people could see him because he was standing above them; and as he opened it, the people all stood up. • 6 Ezra praised the Lord, the great God; and all the people lifted their hands and responded, “Amen! Amen!” Then they bowed down and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground….

  6. 8 They read from the Book of the Law of God, making it clear and giving the meaning so that the people could understand what was being read. • 9 Then Nehemiah the governor, Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who were instructing the people said to them all, “This day is sacred to the Lord your God. Do not mourn or weep.” For all the people had been weeping as they listened to the words of the Law.

  7. When the people of God heard the Word of God they were convicted of their sin and they began to weep. • We need to let God’s Word convict our own hearts – confess our sin & seek his forgiveness • Matthew 7:3–5 (NIV) 3 “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?... 5 You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.

  8. Nehemiah 9:1–3 (NIV) - On the twenty-fourth day of the same month, the Israelites gathered together, fasting and wearing sackcloth and having dust on their heads. 2 …They stood in their places and confessed their sins and the wickedness of their fathers. 3 They stood where they were and read from the Book of the Law of the Lord their God for a quarter of the day, and spent another quarter in confession and in worshiping the Lord their God.

  9. Revival began with true repentance in the hearts of the people  repentance that began with conviction of sin and was followed by confession • true worship of God was restored – Ch.8:6 • continued understanding of God’s Word as it was taught by the priests – Ch.8:17 • sins were confessed – Ch.9:3 • corporate prayer was restored – Ch.9:5 • God’s Word was responded to with obedience – Ch.10:28ff.

  10. Sometimes conviction can also be paralyzing • Nehemiah 8:9–10 (NIV) 9 “This day is sacred to the Lord your God. Do not mourn or weep.” …10 Nehemiah said, “…This day is sacred to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” • The power to move ahead in the rebuilding comes – not from within ourselves – but from the LORD. He is our strength!

  11. 2. Revival Includes Celebration • Nehemiah 8:10 (NLT) - 10 And Nehemiah* continued, “Go and celebrate with a feast of rich foods and sweet drinks, and share gifts of food with people who have nothing prepared. This is a sacred day before our Lord. • The people celebrated the completion of the wall AND they celebrated the fact that they had heard and understood God’s Word.

  12. Nehemiah 8:12 (NIV) – [They] celebrated with great joy, because they now understood the words that had been made known to them. • Nehemiah 8:17 (NIV) 17 The whole company that had returned from exile built booths and lived in them. From the days of Joshua son of Nun until that day, the Israelites had not celebrated it like this. And their joy was very great.

  13. When the people understood what God’s Word required of them they responded in obedience – and it caused them great joy! • We need to celebrate when we see God at work. • Don’t dwell on the past! Look to the future! • 9 baptisms this month • new members • new families • Evening in Bethlehem • Celebrate what God is doing and what he will do here at Calvary.

  14. 3. Revival Requires Renewed Commitment • Nehemiah 10:28–29 (NLT) - 28 Then the rest of the people …29 joined their leaders and bound themselves with an oath. They swore a curse on themselves if they failed to obey the Law of God as issued by his servant Moses. They solemnly promised to carefully follow all the commands, regulations, and decrees of the Lord our Lord: • The commitment of the people had to go beyond just restoring religious ceremony. • There had to be behaviour changes.

  15. The people of God stepped up to the plate and took responsibility to make some changes: • Ch.10 (NLT): • v.30 – we promise…not to intermarry with the pagan nations • v.31 – we also promise … to honor the Sabbath and any other holy day • v.32 – we promise…to obey the fulfill our duty to support the priests and work of the Temple • v.35 – we promise…to bring the first part of the harvest to the Lord • v.39 – we promise…not to neglect the Temple of Our God.

  16. Revival among the people of God requires a renewed commitment to the work of God especially during the process of rebuilding. • What are you prepared to recommit yourself to doing in support of the work of God here at Calvary? • We promise to… • Support the leadership in the transition. • Support the church through giving our time to help in ministry • Support the church financially through faithful giving

  17. We promise together not to neglect the work of our God here at Calvary Gospel Church? • Revival can take place even through a rebuilding process because it brings people together with a common purpose. • Confess sin – keep our hearts clean • Celebrate God’s faithfulness • Commit to obedience and service

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