Mt. Zion Church of the Holy Spirit - Sermons
Revival Praying
1 John 5:14-15 “And this is the confidence that we have in Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He heareth us: And if we know that He hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of Him.”
James 4:2-3 “Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not. Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.”
2 Kings 2:6-9 “And Elijah said unto him (Elisha), 'Tarry, I pray thee, here; for the Lord hath sent me to Jordan.' And he said, 'As the Lord liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee.' And they two went on. And fifty men of the sons of the prophets went, and stood to view afar off: and they two stood by Jordan. And Elijah took his mantle, and wrapped it together, and smote the waters, and they were divided hither and thither, so that they two went over on dry ground. And it came to pass, when they were gone over, that Elijah said unto Elisha, 'Ask what I will do for thee, before I be taken away from thee.' And Elisha said, 'I pray thee, let a double portion of thy spirit be upon me.'"
Here at Mt. Zion Church of the Holy Spirit we have been fervently praying for revival-that God would pour out His Spirit and His glory upon His church body, that His church would truly possess His life and that many souls would be saved across our nation and our world. I believe that sending revival is in God’s heart because many churches and people who walk intimately with God are hearing the cry for revival in their hearts. There is such a spirit of prayer and supplication being poured out upon churches after God's own heart to fervently pray for revival. God passionately desires to send revival! I just want to begin this message by declaring that revival begins with prayer. It starts by having our eyes opened to see the need for revival, hearing God’s heart to send revival, and being endowed with the spirit of intercession, thus pouring our hearts out to God in prayer. 2 Chronicles 7:14 "If My people which are called by My name will humble themselves and pray and seek My face..." Revival begins with prayer!
THERE IS SOMETHING THAT WE HAVE TO UNDERSTAND ABOUT REVIVAL PRAYING:
As the Lord was dealing with my heart about revival praying, God brought me to 2 Kings 2 and spoke something to me that really sobered my heart. He said, "So many are praying for revival, but I am not hearing and answering their prayers. I am not answering their prayers because I do not answer according to the words that are being said from their mouths, but I answer according to the heart behind the prayers." In other words, our words could be saying one thing but our hearts maybe saying something else. Our words could be saying, "Oh God! Send a revival to our nation! Our nation desperately needs revival!” but our hearts could be intertwined with this world and be full of its own selfish desires and love to have it so. Many people in the church are praying for revival, but in reality they do not really want to see revival because it would mean they would have to lay down or die to their worldliness and selfish desires. Their words are saying one thing but their hearts are saying something else, and so the Lord does not hear these prayers.
Now let me just share with you what God spoke to my heart out of the scriptures. In 2 Kings 2 Elijah leads Elisha to the Jordan River. Remember, Elisha is called to be a minister to Elijah. Elijah is getting ready to depart and be with the Lord and Elisha is going to take his place as the prophet of the God over Israel, but until that time comes, Elisha is to serve Elijah and be schooled by him. In 2 Kings 2:6 Elijah tells Elisha to stay in Jericho because the Lord hath sent him to Jordan. The question is why did Elijah tell Elisha to stay in Jericho? Because Elisha is being tested as to whether or not it is really in his heart to follow him. In fact two times prior to this Elijah tells Elisha to stop following him and stay behind in a certain place. He says to Elisha, “Stay here because God has sent me to Bethel.” When they arrive at Bethel Elijah then says to Elisha, “Stay here because God has sent me to Jericho.” Then again in Jericho he says to Elisha, “Stay here because the Lord has sent me to Jordan.” Elisha’s response on all three accounts was, “I will not stop following you. Wherever you go, I go.” When you look at this you see that Elisha is being tested on just how far he is willing to follow God. What I mean is that both Bethel and Jericho have very strong spiritual significance, and Elisha’s consecration is being tested. We can talk about Bethel and Jericho and what they mean spiritually, but it is not Bethel and Jericho that the Lord wants to speak to our hearts about in this message; it is this place called Jordan and its spiritual significance.
LET US LOOK AT THE SPIRITUAL SIGNIFICANCE OF JORDAN:
2 Kings 2:6 "And Elijah said unto him (Elisha,) 'Tarry, I pray thee, here; for the Lord hath sent me to Jordan.' And he said, 'As the Lord liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee.'" The Spirit of the Lord upon Elijah led Elisha to the Jordan river because the Jordan has a very strong spiritual significance: Jordan represents a spiritual place to the believer. The word Jordan is a Hebrew word and it means, 'to descend; to be brought down'. In other words, Jordan is the place of death. It is the place of dying totally to self. It is the place of dying to this world and letting God put to death everything that ties us to the world. It is the place of dying to every worldly affection that is contrary to Christ. It is the place of dying to everything that lays claim to our hearts that is not the will of God for our lives. This is Jordan.
BELOVED, WHEN WE FULLY SURRENDER OUR LIVES TO GOD, HOLDING NOTHING BACK, THIS IS WHERE THE LORD WILL LEAD US.
1 Kings 19:19-21 "So he (Elijah) departed thence, and found Elisha the son of Shaphat, who was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen before him, and he with the twelfth: and Elijah passed by him, and cast his mantle upon him. And he left the oxen, and ran after Elijah, and said, 'Let me, I pray thee, kiss my father and my mother, and then I will follow thee.' And he said unto him, 'Go back again; for what have I done to thee?' And he returned back from him, and took a yoke of oxen, and slew them, and boiled their flesh with the instruments of the oxen, and gave unto the people, and they did eat. Then he arose, and went after Elijah, and ministered unto him.” When Elijah first called Elisha to follow him in the service of the Lord, Elisha left everything; he slew his oxen and burned his plows, which represent consecrating his heart and life fully to God and the call of God. From this place of consecration the Spirit of God led him to Jordan, to this place of absolute death to self. Looking at this, here is what we have to understand: In this New Testament age so many lay their lives on the altar, fully consecrating their hearts to Christ. This is a wonderful thing, but they lay their lives on the altar with this in their hearts: "I am leaving everything to follow Christ; where ever He leads I will follow. If He leads me to the mission field, to Africa or India or China, I will go.” This is wonderful, but this is not where God is going to lead you first. First, He is going to lead you to a place where He can deal with what is in your heart. This place is called Jordan: it is the place of dying to self, to every worldly affection that is contrary to Christ, and to everything that lays claim to our hearts that will hinder the will of God for our lives. It is not an easy place, but it is a necessary place. Beloved, the Jordan is God’s way; the trial and fires that refine the heart are God’s way. The unfortunate thing is that many in the body of Christ do not understand this. This is not the popular doctrine of the day. The popular gospel message today is that the Lord wants everyone to be prosperous and happy, and if you are suffering it is because you are in unbelief, sin or out of the will of God. Because this kind of doctrine and teaching has infiltrated the church, many think because they are going through great trials and experiencing great suffering that they are out of the will of God. I have had Christians tell me, “I must be out of the will of God. I mean, when you are in the will of God isn’t everything suppose to run smoothly?” When I look into the scriptures and see how God prepares His vessels of honor, this is not what I see. Many of God’s servants in the Bible have much to say about how God fashions His vessels. Joseph will tell us that before he could become prince in Egypt he had to be a slave in Potiphar’s house. Moses will tell us that before he could become God’s great deliverer he had to be refined forty years in the isolation of a lonely desert. Jacob will tell us that before he became a prince with God he had to flee his father’s house and dwell in a strange land where he had no one else he could trust but God, and it was in this place he learned to walk in the Lord’s strength. David will tell us that before he became a king he had to run from desert cave to desert cave fleeing from Saul. Beloved, all the precious servants of God that have gone before us will tell us that there are many trials and fires that God’s people must walk through, being refined by the hand of our Maker and loving heavenly Father. The Jordan is not an easy path to follow, but it is God’s path.
BECAUSE IT IS GOD’S PATH LET ME SHOW YOU WHERE THE MAJORITY OF BELIEVERS ARE TODAY:
2 Kings 2:6, 7“And Elijah said unto him (Elisha,) 'Tarry, I pray thee, here; for the Lord hath sent me to Jordan.' And he said, 'As the Lord liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee.' And they two went on. And fifty men of the sons of the prophets went, and stood to view afar off; and they two stood by Jordan." This is where most of the church is at today, viewing from afar off, refusing in their hearts to draw near to Jordan because they do not want the death to self. This is why the church prays and sees no revival! We are not seeing revival because so many are standing “afar off”, preaching about revival, hearing sermons about revival, singing about revival, praying for revival, but never going to that one place that will bring revival, spiritual Jordan, because we do not want to die!HERE IS THE WONDERFUL NEWS THAT WE NEED TO SEE AND EMBRACE WITH ALL OF OUR HEARTS:
2 Kings 2:9“And it came to pass, when they were gone over, that Elijah said unto Elisha, 'Ask what I shall do for thee before I be taken away from thee?'” After they passed over Jordan, Elijah asked Elisha, “What is it that you want? Tell me the desire of your heart.” This is what we have to realize: Elijah did not ask him what he wanted when they passed through Bethel, and he did not ask him what he wanted when they passed through Jericho. Only after passing through Jordan did Elijah look at Elisha face-to-face and ask him, “What is it that you want?” Beloved, it is when we cross that Jordan floor, that place to absolute death to self and this world, that God begins to beseech us, “What is it that you want? Ask me what is in your heart.” It is when we cross that Jordan floor that God inclines His heart to the prayers of His people, because He knows we will not be asking Him for things rooted in the self-life, but for the things truly in His heart. He knows that we are not only praying the right words when we are praying for revival, but we possess His heart behind the words of our prayers. It is when we have passed through the Jordan with Christ and are dead to self and this world that God will speak and say, “Ask me what is in your heart."
WHAT DOES PASSING THROUGH THE VALLEY OF JORDAN HAVE TO DO WITH REVIVAL PRAYING?
Everything! Many are asking God for revival, but what is in their heart is to wallow in the comfort and pleasures of this world. Many are going to church and praying for revival, but when they leave the church building they are pursuing the desires of their own hearts. Many are praying for revival but walking in the flesh and harboring things in their hearts that are clearly displeasing to the Lord. Many are praying for revival, but there really is no desire in their hearts to fully abandon their lives to God because their affections are somewhere else. God will not hear those prayers. 1 John 5:14 “And this is the confidence that we have in Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He heareth us: And if we know that He hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of Him.” The Lord speaks something very powerful here: that if we pray according to His will, He will answer those prayers. This is what we have to understand: Asking according to His will means so much more than just having the right words to pray; it means truly having His heart. We can know that God’s will is to send revival, and pray for revival saying all the right words, but if our hearts are truly not inclined to Christ, if we truly have not abandoned our lives fully to Him, desiring His will over our own, then our prayers are just empty words. Praying God’s will is not about praying the right words, it is about truly having God’s heart behind the words.
THE WONDERFUL NEWS IS THERE IS A REMNANT OF PEOPLE WITHIN THE CHURCH THAT HAS FULLY ABANDONED THEIR LIVES TO THE LORD AND IS ALLOWING HIM TO LEAD THEM TO THE VALLEY OF JORDAN SO HE CAN DEAL WITH THEIR HEARTS. COMING THROUGH THIS VALLEY, THEY ARE HEARING GOD SPEAK, “PRAY AND TELL ME WHAT IS IN YOUR HEART.”
They are crying out with God’s heart, “Lord, send revival!” 2 Kings 2:9-14 “And it came to pass, when they were gone over, that Elijah said unto Elisha, 'Ask what I will do for thee, before I be taken away from thee.' And Elisha said, 'I pray thee, let a double portion of thy spirit be upon me.' And he said, 'Thou hast asked a hard thing: nevertheless, if thou see me when I am taken from thee, it shall be so unto thee; but if not, it shall not be so.' And it came to pass as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven. And Elisha saw it and he cried, 'My father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof.' And he saw him no more: and he took hold of his own clothes, and rent them in two pieces. He took up also the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and went back and stood by the bank of the Jordan; And he took the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and smote the waters, and said, 'Where is the Lord God of Elijah?' and when he had also smitten the waters, they parted hither and thither: and Elisha went over.” After crossing the Jordan, Elijah asked Elisha what he wanted, what was in his heart. Elisha answered, “Let a double portion of your spirit rest upon me.” Hearing this, Elijah then said, “You have asked a hard thing.” In other words, “You have asked for something that can not be given you from the strength of man. It is something only God can do.” We then see that when Elijah was taken up to be with the Lord, Elisha received the answer to his petition; he received the mantle which was the testimony that God had given him the double portion of the Spirit that was upon Elijah. He received the mantle because it was in God’s heart to give it to him. The desire to have the double portion of the Spirit of God was a prayer that God had put in Elisha’s heart because the Lord wanted him to have it. To face the things he would have to go back and face in his ministry, the barrenness of Jericho and the devil’s hellish, subversive nature in Bethel, he would need that portion of God’s Spirit, and it was in God’s heart to give it to Him. Beloved, my point is that revival is a hard thing, in that it cannot be conjured up in the strength of the flesh. In fact, revival is absolutely impossible for the church apart from God; only God can send revival! Beloved, if we can truly hear God’s heart, we will hear that it is in His heart to send revival! God passionately wants to visit our nation with revival! He is going to send it through a people who have been to Jordan - a people whose hearts, wills and desires have been refined in the fires and are dead to this world and dead to self where the heart of God lives in them! 2 Chronicles 7:14 “If My people which are called by My name will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and I will heal their land.” In 2 Kings 2, one of the first things that Elijah did after receiving the mantle was to go to Jericho and heal its bitter waters. The waters of Jericho were bitter and this bitterness speaks of death, having absolutely no spiritual life whatsoever, and Elisha healed these waters. Beloved, it is in God’s heart to heal our nation, and true revival will come through the prayers of a people who truly possess God’s heart and God’s desires as a result of allowing the Lord to lead them through the Jordan valley. I WANT TO END WITH THIS: 2 Kings 2:8 “And Elijah took his mantle, and wrapped it together, and smote the waters, and they were divided hither and thither, so that they two went over on dry ground.” Before Elijah and Elisha could pass through the Jordan, Elijah smote the waters with his mantle and God parted the waters. God is speaking to us here; He is telling His church that human strength cannot pass through this Jordan. Human strength cannot carry you across this valley of death where the world and the selfish desires of the heart are put to death. What God wants to speak to our hearts is this: “If you will be willing to follow Me across the Jordan, I will give you the grace and the strength to pass through it. My grace will carry you, and My grace will perform that good work in your heart. If you will be willing to follow Me across the Jordan, through every trial and every tribulation, I will be with you to strengthen you, to encourage you and to comfort you, assuring your heart of the good work I am doing in you. You do not have to be afraid of the Jordan; you do not have to be afraid of the trials and the refining fires. I will be with you through it all, and I will keep you. You will find that even in the fires there is much joy because of the richness of My presence. Through all your trials there will be great joy, because I will cause you to see the change that is taking place in your heart and cause you to see the marvelous nature of Christ that is being worked in you.” God be praised!