Message Notes
Courage for Revival
Today's Songs:
The Lion and the Lamb - Leeland
The Way (New Horizons) - Housefires
Reckless Love - Cory Asbury
Do It Again - Elevation Worship
Anchor - Hillsong Worship
Remember, you can find all the songs from this week and previous weeks in a publicly shared, accumulating playlist on Google Play and in weekly playlists on YouTube (like this one).
Summary: Many Christians do not desire revival or they are paralyzed by fear of revival, fear of change, fear of hard work, fear of the unknown or the uncomfortable. Maybe at some point they come to doubt God's intentions to revive, much like the Jews who refused God's call to return to Jerusalem.
Key Scripture (Ezra 7:27-28):
27 Blessed be the Lord, the God of our fathers, who put such a thing as this into the heart of the king, to beautify the house of the Lord that is in Jerusalem, 28 and who extended to me his steadfast love before the king and his counselors, and before all the king's mighty officers. I took courage, for the hand of the Lord my God was on me, and I gathered leading men from Israel to go up with me.
The Bible exhorts us frequently to remember - to not forget.
1 Chronicles 16:15 - Remember his covenant forever,
the word that he commanded, for a thousand generations,
Psalm 143:5 - I remember the days of old;
I meditate on all that you have done;
I ponder the work of your hands.
Ecclesiastes 12:1 - Remember also your Creator in the days of your youth, before the evil days come and the years draw near of which you will say, “I have no pleasure in them”;
2 Kings 17:38 - and you shall not forget the covenant that I have made with you. You shall not fear other gods,
The great Sh'ma of Deuteronomy 6 urges us to do things to remember. God gives us instructions to assist us in memory. Think of Joshua and the 12 stones at the Jordan river or even the Passover itself.
BECAUSE WE FORGET SO EASILY
In Ezra 7, we see Ezra first remember what God had done. God put it into the heart of the king, God lavished love upon him in the presence of his enemies. And then Ezra took courage and he took action.
Zechariah 3 provides another memory, 70 years earlier, to the Jews in exhorting them to continue - to remain in God's work. A picture of redemption, a picture of salvation. Our only call is to yield, God does the rest, choosing us, removing our filthy garments, replacing them with clean ones, and rebuking Satan.
Our most potent memory ought to be of our redemption, our salvation, and that ought to embolden us, give us courage to act, and to proclaim.
1 Corinthians 11:17-34
