CHARACTERISTICS OF REVIVAL
Posted by Pastor Greg Allen on February 13, 2020 under PM Bible Study |
PM Bible Study Group: February 12, 2020 from Nehemiah 8:1-18
Theme: Nehemiah 8 shows us the main characteristics of a spiritual revival among God’s people.
(All Scripture is taken from The New King James Version, unless otherwise indicated).
At the beginning of our study of the Book of Nehemiah—the ‘diary’ that Nehemiah gave us of the rebuilding of the wall of Jerusalem—we noted that the book has three main divisions:
1. THE REBUILDING OF THE WALL (Chaps. 1-7).
2. THE REVIVAL OF THE HEART (Chaps. 8-10).
3. THE REFORMATION OF THE LIFE (Chaps. 11-13).
By the end of Chapters 1-7, the people were on the other side of a miracle. Not only had the Persian king Artaxerxes allowed the people to return to the city; but they were able to rebuild the wall of the city in only fifty-two days—even while enemy nations all around them were threatening them and trying to make them stop. This was something so remarkable that even those enemy nations had to acknowledge that it was a work of God (6:16).
But restoring the temple and rebuilding the wall was not enough. It was time for the people themselves to be rebuilt. They needed to be ‘revived’. Chapter 9 will tell us about a deep prayer of repentance the people prayed; and Chapter 10 will tell us about a solemn covenant they entered into to devote themselves to the Lord.
But first comes Chapter 8—the chapter on revival!
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We should distinguish between two words that often get confused: ‘awakening’ and ‘revival’. There have been many spiritual ‘awakenings’ throughout history. In an awakening, as the name implies, the Holy Spirit gives unbelieving people—who are dead in their trespasses and sins—a new awareness of their need. They had ignored God, or disbelieved in Him; and then suddenly, they realize that they are sinners and turn to Jesus for salvation. An awakening is a great spreading and receiving of the message of the gospel in the unsaved world.
A revival—though a vital part of an awakening—is something distinct from an awakening. As the name implies, in order for there to be a ‘re-viving’ there must have first been a ‘viving’. The focus in a revival is upon the people of God; and it is when those who are in churches—those who are professing believers—are ministered to by the Holy Spirit in such a way that they are renewed in their devotion to the Lord. They arise from out of their sleepiness and their worldliness, they repent of sin and of their neglect of their duty, and they are renewed in their obedience and in their devotion to proclaim the message of the gospel. The world needs an awakening today; and God often gives that awakening through the ministry of a revived church.
We couldn’t find a better place to go in the Bible to see a better description of revival than Nehemiah 8. And the first thing we see in this chapter—a first feature that we always see throughout the history of revival—is …
1. A DESIRE TO HEAR GOD’S WORD (vv. 1-5).
The wall had been built; and the people had seen a tremendous work of God. They could plainly see that God had His hand on them, and was calling them to a deeper relationship with Himself. So; we’re told,
Now all the people gathered together as one man in the open square that was in front of the Water Gate; and they told Ezra the scribe to bring the Book of the Law of Moses, which the Lord had commanded Israel (v. 1).
What great words those are! “Bring the Book of the Law!” And do you know what’s remarkable about that? It was something that the people themselves initiated. They were the ones who asked for Ezra—the godly scribe—to get a copy of the word of God and feed them from it. They themselves had a yearning to hear from God!
And of course, Ezra answered that call and fulfilled that yearning. We’re told;
So Ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly of men and women and all who could hear with understanding on the first day of the seventh month. Then he read from it in the open square that was in front of the Water Gate from morning until midday, before the men and women and those who could understand; and the ears of all the people were attentive to the Book of the Law (vv. 2-3).
Imagine that! Men and women; young and old; all who had the ability to hear and understand—they all stood in the open square and listened carefully. They stood from morning to midday—perhaps as long as four to five hours—giving their full attention to the reading of God’s law.
Times of great revival have always been characterized by a restoration of the preaching of the Bible; and those times of revival were nurtured and strengthened and made permanent in the lives of people by their ongoing, persistent interaction with God’s holy word. That’s how it naturally should be. The work that God does to renew and revive His people has always been through His word. As He Himself says through the prophet Isaiah;
“For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven,
And do not return there,
But water the earth,
And make it bring forth and bud,
That it may give seed to the sower
And bread to the eater,
So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth;
It shall not return to Me void,
But it shall accomplish what I please,
And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it” (Isaiah 55:10-11).
And note how this happened. Consider the solemnity with which the word of God was heard. We’re told;
So Ezra the scribe stood on a platform of wood which they had made for the purpose; and beside him, at his right hand, stood Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Urijah, Hilkiah, and Maaseiah; and at his left hand Pedaiah, Mishael, Malchijah, Hashum, Hashbadana, Zechariah, and Meshullam. And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people, for he was standing above all the people; and when he opened it, all the people stood up (vv. 4-5).
To read God’s word from a pulpit—with the people all standing—illustrates to us that, in times of revival, the preaching of God’s word is received with the utmost seriousness and respect. It’s a time when everyone recognizes that when God’s word is faithfully being declared in a sermon or in a Bible lesson, it is God Himself who is doing the speaking through His word.
A second characteristic of revival—one that naturally follows from a serious hearing of God’s word—is …
2. A WORSHIP OF GOD’S MAJESTY (vv. 6-8).
True revival not only involves a hearing of the word of God. It also involves a response in the worship of the God of the word. As this passage goes on to tell us about the reading of God’s Law to the people;
And Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God. Then all the people answered, “Amen, Amen!” while lifting up their hands. And they bowed their heads and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground (v. 6).
Think of Ezra—the reader of God’s word. He was leading the people in worship. He was “blessing the Lord, the great God”. And think of the people. They were not responding in a passive way; but were all very responsive and active. First, they were lifting their hands and saying “Amen!”—which means, “It is true! I believe it!” And then, they were bowing their heads and worshiping the Lord with their faces to the ground. They were up and down—emotionally high in enthusiasm, and humbly low in reverent awe.
And this was not done without careful understanding. The minds of God’s people were fully engaged in what they were hearing and doing. As we read on, we see that the meaning of God’s word was explained, and that people be helped to understand what it says in such a way that it feeds their minds and grips their hearts. Some Bible teachers point out that, by the time the Jewish people had returned to Jerusalem, they may have forgotten much of the language of Hebrew. They spoke Aramaic in the land of their captivity. And so, the meaning of things needed to be explained to them—and perhaps even the words. In verses 7-8, we’re told;
Also Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodijah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah, and the Levites, helped the people to understand the Law; and the people stood in their place. So they read distinctly from the book, in the Law of God; and they gave the sense, and helped them to understand the reading (vv. 7-8).
That’s why they displayed such emotion in their worship. May God so impact us with a clear understanding of His word that we become inwardly transformed by truth. And may that inward transformation show itself in outward expressions of deep, emotional worship! Such passionate worship of God’s majesty is a characteristic of true revival!
Now; because the people were understanding truth from God’s word—because they were getting an accurate glimpse of who God truly was, and of who they were before Him—we find yet another characteristic of true revival. It’s a very important characteristic …
3. A SORROW FOR SIN (v. 9).
As the word of God was being read to the people, and as their understanding was being opened, and as they became increasingly overwhelmed with an emotional worship of God as He truly is, they began to get a sense of their own sinfulness before Him. We see something of this in verse 9; where it says,
And Nehemiah, who was the governor, Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught the people said to all the people, “This day is holy to the Lord your God; do not mourn nor weep.” For all the people wept, when they heard the words of the Law (v. 9).
We can be sure that this was mourning over sin; because, in chapter 9, we read of how the people wrote a great public confession of sin and presented it to God in repentance. This is an important part of the spiritual renewal of revival. We see it in other places in the Bible. Isaiah 6, for example, tells us of the time that God called Isaiah into the prophetic ministry. God gave him a vision of Himself in heavenly glory—”high and lifted up”. God allowed Isaiah to see the angelic hosts singing loud praises all around the throne of God; and allowed him to feel the temple shaking and the pillars trembling at the glory of His majesty. And when Isaiah saw the majesty holiness of God, he responded by mourning over his own sin. He took a look at the glory of God and said, “Woe is me, for I am undone! Because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts” (Isaiah 6:5).
Another great example of this is seen in the life of the apostle Peter. Jesus had asked Peter to let Him preach from his fishing boat. When the Lord was done, He told Peter to cast his net off to the side for a great catch of fish. And when Peter brought in so many fish that the boat almost began to sink, he realized who this was that stood before him. And Peter responded by mourning over his own sin. The Bible tells us that he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!” (Luke 5:8).
True revival doesn’t leave God’s people with a feeling of pride or self-righteous. A genuine work of God in revival is characterized by deep sorrow over sin. It involves a profound encounter with God; and such a true encounter with God always reveals our sin—and our personal need for His pardoning grace. True revival—at times—has a frighteningly traumatic impact on the soul of God’s people—leaving them deeply grieved for their sin, and profoundly repentant for their disobedience.
Most of all, true revival leads people to a renewed dependence upon Jesus for cleansing from that sin over which they sorrow.
But such genuine repentance leads to another characteristic of true revival …
4. A DELIGHT IN GOD’S MERCY (vv. 10-12).
After such times of repentance and sorrow, God gives a profound and overwhelming sense of His love and forgiveness. The dark cloud of sorrow lifts; and God assures the hearts of His people that they have been washed clean in His sight by the blood of Jesus. And as deeply as they sorrowed over their sin and felt that they deserved eternal punishment, they experience even more joy over their forgiveness through Christ, and rejoice that they have an eternal home in heaven. In a true revival, that confident joy lasts for a lifetime.
We can see this in verses 10-12. We’re told this about Ezra:
Then he said to them, “Go your way, eat the fat, drink the sweet, and send portions to those for whom nothing is prepared; for this day is holy to our Lord. Do not sorrow, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” So the Levites quieted all the people, saying, “Be still, for the day is holy; do not be grieved.” And all the people went their way to eat and drink, to send portions and rejoice greatly, because they understood the words that were declared to them (vv. 10-12).
In a true revival, God’s people are restored to the joy of their salvation. They are able to say, “The joy of the Lord is my strength!”
And there’s one more thing that characterizes true revival; and that is …
5. AN OBEDIENCE TO GOD’S COMMANDS (vv. 13-18).
One of the things that most characterizes true revival is genuine, lasting life-transformation. People who used to have no care at all about following the Lord’s commands and instructions become very eager to do so. They want to obey God. We’re told;
Now on the second day the heads of the fathers’ houses of all the people, with the priests and Levites, were gathered to Ezra the scribe, in order to understand the words of the Law. And they found written in the Law, which the Lord had commanded by Moses, that the children of Israel should dwell in booths during the feast of the seventh month, and that they should announce and proclaim in all their cities and in Jerusalem, saying, “Go out to the mountain, and bring olive branches, branches of oil trees, myrtle branches, palm branches, and branches of leafy trees, to make booths, as it is written.”
This was a command that God had given to Moses to give to the people of Israel long ago in Leviticus 23. They were to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles in the seventh month of the year. This was to commemorate their time of wandering in the wilderness. They were reminded of this command as Ezra had read to them from the Book of Leviticus; and they wasted no time in obeying it.
Then the people went out and brought them and made themselves booths, each one on the roof of his house, or in their courtyards or the courts of the house of God, and in the open square of the Water Gate and in the open square of the Gate of Ephraim. So the whole assembly of those who had returned from the captivity made booths and sat under the booths; for since the days of Joshua the son of Nun until that day the children of Israel had not done so vv. 16-17a).
Think of that! They had neglected to obey this command since the days of Joshua! That means that they had been disobeying it for almost 1,000 years! But now—having heard of their neglect, they began doing what God had told them to do.
And there was very great gladness. Also day by day, from the first day until the last day, he read from the Book of the Law of God. And they kept the feast seven days; and on the eighth day there was a sacred assembly, according to the prescribed manner (vv. 17b-18).
When God draws His people to a deeper relationship with Himself—when He revives their hearts—complete obedience doesn’t necessarily occur all at once. It grows. The people didn’t know everything they were to do yet; and they didn’t try to become perfect overnight. Instead, they began obeying right where they were. They heard from the reading of God’s word about what they had been neglecting, repented of their disobedience, and began obeying in that one thing. As we read on in the book of Nehemiah, other areas of neglect began to be revealed to them later on, and they repented in those things too.
Genuine revival isn’t characterized by instantaneous perfection. ‘Instantaneous perfection’ is a false thing; and the seeming-appearance of it doesn’t really last long. Rather, true revival is characterized by a growing, ongoing progress in the direction of obedience—a life-long process in which the Lord Jesus reveals truth to us from His word at just the time in life in which we need it. He takes increasing rule over every area of our lives progressively; and we grow in our obedience over a lifetime.
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People often have fanciful ideas of what ‘revival’ looks like. But here—in Nehemiah 8—we have the story of a genuine revival. It is characterized by some solid, objective things that can be easily understood and easily grabbed hold of. We see that it is characterized by five things: (1) a renewed craving for God’s word, (2) a new passion to worship God’s holiness, (3) a genuine sorrow over—and repentance from—sin, (4) an uplifting of the heart in the joy of salvation, and (5) an ongoing, on-growing life of obedience to God’s commands.
When we pray for revival in our day, we’re praying, most of all, for revival of the church. And these are the kinds of things we are praying for. They are the kinds of renewals in God’s church that help pave the way for an awakening in the unbelieving world.
Let’s pray, “Give revival, O Lord—and begin with me!”
EA
