Revival. Pt. 2 True Revival Exalts Jesus Christ
Good morning to each faithful Reader and thank you for joining our Bible studies.
Today I would like to visit with you about one of the 5 characteristics of true revival. This is a simple truth based upon the specific ministry of the Spirit of God with the Word of God in the heart of man.
1. A revived heart exalts Jesus Christ.
John 16:14 He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you.
We began a careful study through the gospel of John and we made our way to the end of John 9. We will come back to this study soon but there is truth from the gospel of John that is relevant to our study on revival. In His gospel, John gave us detailed insight into the ministry of the Spirit of God that would begin when Christ ascended to His Father (Acts 1:7-11).
This text is speaking specifically about the Holy Spirit's ministry to mankind. He is going to glorify Christ. The word "glorify" means to celebrate and honor Jesus Christ, to clothe Him in splendor. It means to praise and magnify Christ in worship and in our thoughts and words. Finally, it means that the excellency of Jesus Christ in all things is recognized as preeminent and perfect.
True revival from God places all the emphasis upon the Lord Jesus Christ. It will not emphasize emotional outbursts, strange phenomena or unrestrained physical manifestations like falling down or running around as proofs of revival.
True revival reflects Jesus Christ and seeks to exalt Him above all else. Therefore, true revival will be like Christ and focused upon changing our heart. It is a transformation that begins on the inside at the soul level and comes out with thoughts, words and actions that exalt Christ instead of self.
2. A revived heart loves Jesus Christ above all else.
Philippians 3:7-9 But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. 8) Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, 9) And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:
In his letter to the church at Philippi, Paul summarized how he was at the pinnacle of Jewish religion before he was converted to Christ. He was a religious conservative, a descendant of the tribe of Benjamin and by all accounts, a great man. However, after the Lord Jesus Christ appeared to Paul on the road to Damascus his priorities were radically changed.
All his education, religious status, and worldly success Paul now counted as dung, waste products to be carried out of his life and buried forever. If you think about Paul's life for a while you can see how he faithfully served His Lord and endured much affliction with joy. Why? Because Jesus Christ was exalted in the mind and life of Paul.
The apostle no longer sought to earn his salvation like those in Judaism did. Rather, the apostle was overwhelmed by the grace of God and mercy of Christ and the righteousness of God through faith in Christ.
Paul used the word "excellency" 4 times in his letter to the Philippians. The word "excellency" means that Paul viewed Jesus Christ as worthy of the highest praise, full of perfect purity, filled with all virtue and exalted above all else.
3. A Revived heart submits to the Lordship of Christ.
Philippians 2:9-11 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: 10) That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; 11) And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Paul explained the humbling of Jesus Christ leaving heaven to be born as a man and to die on the cross in our place in Philippians 2:5-8. Then, the apostle turned the focus to our resurrected Lord and Savior who is at the Father's right hand in heaven.
The Father has highly exalted His Son and given Him a name that is above all other names. The Father gave His son the highest rank and authority in heaven because of His work on earth He completed in order to save us.
Christ's obedience was followed by the Father exalting His Son and glorifying the One that they rejected and crucified.
If God is reviving us individually then we will willingly bow on our knees to the Lord Jesus Christ. It is an act of our humble submission and worship.
The text tells us that at the name of Jesus every knee shall bow whether in heaven, on earth or under the earth. All angels and saints in heaven will bow. All people living on the earth will bow and all those in hell, every demon and Satan himself, will bow the knee. Believers will willingly and gladly bow their knee to Christ but the Christ rejectors and fallen angels will be compelled to do so.
If God is reviving us individually then we will confess Jesus Christ as Lord. A confession of faith states what a believer knows to be true about God based upon His Word. A confession is agreeing with what God says about all things touched upon in scripture.
What does it mean to confess the Lordship of Jesus Christ? In this post we will just consider the broad aspects of confessing that Jesus Christ is Lord. First, confessing Christ's Lordship means surrendering our lives to Him. Total surrender to Christ has many implications for us and we will examine these in later posts. Second, confessing Christ's Lordship means acknowledging His ownership of us. It means that Jesus bought us out of the slave market of sin with His blood.
1 Corinthians 6:20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.
Confessing the Lordship of Jesus Christ means we will live a radically different life. We will seek to glorify God in all things. We will seek to honor and obey our Lord. We will seek His will for our lives and this is where we will find true blessedness and happiness.
Thoughts to Ponder...
I have three groupings of thought provoking questions for our consideration that follow the 3 points of this lesson. I suggest taking the time to reflect upon each question as it relates to our individual lives. Perhaps writing down our answers will help us complete an accurate spiritual inventory. Then, we can pray to the Lord for His transforming power to help us when we see areas in our lives where we are deficient or coming up short.
Are my thoughts, words & actions exalting Jesus Christ? As I read and study the scriptures, is my mind filled with joy and my heart with eager anticipation because I am meeting with Christ in His Word? If Christ is exalted and made glorious to me by His Spirit then how is it impacting me?
Do I have a growing love for Jesus Christ? Do I love Jesus more than my family, my vocation, my education, my economic status or myself?
Have I submitted to the Lordship of Jesus Christ? Am I seeking to honor and obey Him in all things? Am I seeking to glorify God in all that I do with my body?
Revival is a work of God's Spirit in our hearts to convict us of sin, to call the wayward child back into fellowship with the Father once more and to show us the resplendent glories of our Savior, Jesus Christ.
Revival is a work that we all will need many times over the course of our earthly pilgrimage. Our Father knows this and has provided for our needs. I pray that God's Spirit will work in all our hearts and have His way in us.
Bob
Comments
Post a Comment