Preparing for Revival — John Franklin

Good morning. It's already been a good morning. Hadn't it? Amen. Something came to mind as often we seek the presence of God the P R E S E N T S. When we need to seek the presence of God P R E P R S E N C E.

I Felt like we've experienced the presence of God this morning. Amen. What a joy it's been here. Have y 'all had a good time. It's been neat just to see people in hotels and the fellowship and a lot of people somebody commented to me this morning.

They said we all needed this. We all need this. And that's true. Don't we all need this? You know, there's times in our life when we all need a boost or an encouragement. We all need a time of revival.

We need these kind of spiritual retreats in our life. But you know, it should be that it's not just at a conference that this happens. But we should be able to have this experience in our car while we're driving.

We should be able to have this experience in our quiet times in our family devotion times. I hope and pray that for all of us it will have these moments of revival. We'll have these God moments. I had a God moment on an airplane.

I've had a couple of God moments on airplanes and opportunities to witness to people but This happened in September. I mean in August of 2001 I'd prayed. To share the gospel with somebody who ever sat next to me and by God's grace this Arab fellow sat next to me and we Connected and I was able to talk with him.

I asked him if he'd like to hear my story of how I was converted to Christ and he said sure and I won't tell you That story because God was doing something. I want you to hear about outside of that. There was a young lady sitting in front of him that listened to the whole Presentation and God sent this Korean lady to sit beside me and after I'd finished Witnessing to him and sharing with him was a very warm experience.

This lady you could just feel her about to jump over the seat. You could just you could tell she was already turned towards me and they were telling us to straighten up our tables and put our seats Up and all that and when I turned to her she was smiling and in broken English.

She goes She my background. I've been involved with campus crusade for Christ. The first thing she said to me she was campus crusade for Christ and I said, yes, ma 'am I was trained that way in college because me to me to it's all Korea.

She says why you taught me pray why you taught me pray whole time you taught me pray for you in that awesome. Folks, you never know what God is up to. When you just step out in faith to do what he's asked you to do.

He's got other things going on around you that he's already orchestrated. So step out in faith and experience the presence of God in an incredible way. I encourage you to do that this morning. In your daily life.

We have the privilege and honor today to have John Franklin. Dr John Franklin is going to come and and share with us in just a moment. John is the prayer strategist in the pastoral ministries department at Lifeway.

John's become a dear friend. He's one of the outstanding young spiritual leaders in our nation. John's written a book on spiritual warfare. There's some other things he's working on and some of his works are in the in Lifeway.

John's with Lifeway. Many of y 'all remember TW Hunt used to be the the prayer person for the Sunday school board and and then Lifeway and then John is the person who took TW Hunt's place. John is married to Kathy.

They have three children live in Nashville. Formerly John was the minister of prayer at Woodstock Baptist Church. First Baptist Woodstock, Woodstock, Georgia. And it's an honor to have him here last year at our prayer conference.

John was one of our speakers and he spoke on the key to 2nd Chronicle 714. Now we heard a lot of great messages, but this is the one that penetrated my heart. John talked about the the concept of what if God turns his back on us and John literally turned around and preached with his back to us.

That was a breaking time. That was a humbling time and he talked about the four principles of 2nd Chronicle 714 that we must humble ourselves. We must seek his face. We must pray and we must turn from our wicked ways and then he'll hear heal our land.

We'll hear from heaven and he'll heal our land. But the thing he's preached on was the key to 2nd Chronicle 714 and the key was the very first thing we often look at. All four principles, but I think we need to focus on the first one.

We must humble ourselves and folks that's hard for us to do as Americans, but John, I appreciate you pointing that out last year. That was a powerful moment. Please come y 'all. Welcome. John Franklin as he comes to shape team is preparing for revival.

Preparing for Revival Through God’s Initiative

Hmm and I want to begin by just addressing that a little bit because I don't know about you. But there seems to be a default in my own life that when I hear that I immediately focus on What should my actions and behaviors be?

But I think maybe a way we could phrase that is if we are praying and preparing for revival. We should really ask Lord. How do you? Prepare your people for revival and so I want us to go and to look at a particular passage of Scripture and In Luke chapter 3 where we're going to see the process that the Lord Jesus began for preparing the people and that day for Revival now he had not been lax or lazy about this.

In fact, if we were to go back to Luke 1 17 We could see the prophecy about John the Baptist when it says he will also go before him that's Jesus in the spirit and Power of Elijah now when it says he's going to go in the spirit of Elijah.

What does that mean? Does that mean as some people say that reincarnation is a reality because this is obviously Elijah come back. Well, obviously we don't believe that. So what does that mean? In the spirit of Elijah meant the very same spirit and the way that spirit was Manifesting himself through Elijah was the exact same way.

He was going to manifest himself through John the Baptist. Then the Holy Spirit was going to be working through John the Baptist so closely that it would not look very much Different so he was going to come back in the spirit and power of Elijah now to do what what's this?

To turn the hearts of the fathers to the children and The disobedient to the wisdom of the just. That is those who were not walking with the Lord to understand what righteousness was. Now look at this last phrase to make ready a people what?

Prepared For the Lord and so this was the prophecy about him in this scripture if we were to go a little bit Later in the chapter to verse 76 His father is making a prophecy about him and he says and you child Will be called the prophet of the highest for you will go before the face of the Lord to what?

Prepare his ways. And later on in Luke 727 Jesus said that he was the one whom it was spoken of that would come and prepare his ways and so we're going to see kind of around these Brackets right here of verses a major extensive text right here in chapter 3 and here's what it says right here in a chapter 3 and we're going to read in verse 1 now I just want to kind of give you a warning as we read this.

Yeah, these are one of these places in the Bible. That's a little bit hard to get a hold of. You know, if you're a Sunday school teacher, and if you don't like somebody in the class. This is a good one to call on them to read.

And you'll understand why here. Now in the 15th year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar Pontius Pilate being governor Judea Herod being tetrarch of Galilee his brother Philip tetrarch of Iteria in the region of Trichonitis and Lycenaeus the tetrarch of Abilene.

Why Annas and Caiaphas were high priest? The Word of God came to John son of Zacharias. Now I want to ask you a question does the Bible ever record any unnecessary details? Then what in the world are all these strange people with these strange names doing right here in this passage?

Why would God have gone to the trouble to record him. Well, well, let me ask you something. Let's say you see what we know about these people right here. What do you know about Tiberius Caesar? What about all the Caesars did they like Christians or not?

Well, I think they liked them. They made their lines coats very healthy. You know, really they didn't like them. Pontius Pilate. What do we know about him? What kind of ruler was he what did he do? Not my responsibility right and sinners Jesus to be crucified what about a Herod?

What do you know about Herod? You know here it has to be one of the the most wicked people in the whole Bible. You know, this is talking about the grandson of Herod the Great here the great was the one that tried to kill Jesus.

This is the one that beheaded John, but his family was super dysfunctional. In fact, it was said it was safer to be Herod's pig than to be a son. Because he had put to death some of his own children. And so In fact a little bit later on the Herod Agrippa.

He actually Married his sister and they had an incestuous affair together. And so He's the guy right here this Tetrarch and he's got his brother Philip right here from it area and a guy named like Lysanias.

We don't know too much about and then there's Annas and Caiaphas who were high priests. Now, what's wrong with that? They're high priests what's wrong with that? There was only supposed to be one high priest and here there are two and what had happened was the Annas had been The original high priest and he had fallen in disfavor with the Romans and they had pushed him out.

But he put his son-in-law in there and he still stayed back and manipulated the puppet strings of the kingdom. In fact when Jesus is arrested guess whose house he goes to first is to Annas then Caiaphas then he's Brought before a pilot.

Now, let me tell you what the Bible is saying right here. It's saying in the year that Adolf Hitler was running the world and Joseph Stalin was over the country and Saddam Hussein was in charge of the secret police.

Right in the middle of that context the Word of God came to John son of Zacharias in the wilderness now. How long had it been since God has spoken to the people of Israel? Over 400 years. Do you see what the Bible is painting right here this particular context?

The people of God have been without the presence of God for an eternity. In fact, if you were to subtract 400 years off American history, what do you have? Indians. We didn't even exist. Could you imagine living without the voice of God for that long and here they are right here in a horrible situation in a Context and without hearing the voice of God and all of a sudden the Word of God Came to John son of Zacharias in the wilderness.

You know what God's doing? He is preparing the stage through circumstances to get his people's attention right here. I want to ask you do you think that God might be preparing the circumstances in the life of our nation right now?

What would it look like for God to be trying to get our attention. Have you looked to make the connection on what he is doing. To try to get us to focus on Him we're going to talk a little bit what that would look like that he's doing right now in this nation.

John’s Call to Repentance and Preparation

But here he is right here. Trying to get his people's attention and John the Word of God comes to John and he went into all the region around the Jordan preaching a baptism of repentance for the remissions of sins as It is written.

In other words, here's what it's going to look like to preach the baptism of repentance. The voice of one crying in the wilderness what? Prepare the ways of the Lord we are praying we are preparing for revival.

Make his path straight. Every valley shall be filled and every mountain and hill brought low. The crooked places shall be made straight and the rough way smooth and all flesh shall see the salvation Of God.

And so here's the synopsis. Summary that John came to prepare people for the coming of the Lord. You know what we're looking at right here. When you read the New Testament One of the things that you ought to see out of all the others is it's an invitation to the people of God to have revival.

That's what it was and John is going to get them ready to do this very thing. And so look what he does in verse 7. By the way, how many of your pastors in here? Now you want to be biblical in your sermon now next time you preach a sermon on Sunday morning.

You know, you just might want to follow the pattern of John right here when somebody walks the aisle, okay. So he's in First Baptist Church, Jerusalem, and then he said to the multitude they came out to be baptized by him.

Brood of vipers. Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come. Could you imagine that they're walking the aisle right down here in church? And and he's greeting him. He's going up two or three rows to grab their hand and shake him.

He said hello snakes. Who told you to walk this aisle? Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come to folks? Why in the world would John the Baptist say something as radically offensive to a group that is seeking God is something like that?

Watch. Look what he says right here. Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance and do not begin to say to yourselves. We have Abraham as our father. For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones.

What's he doing right here. You understand what John is doing right here when they come forward and they want the Benefits of God in the presence of God. John is not looking at what they're saying. He is reading the heart of the people of God.

And one thing he understood about the people of God Is whenever they have been a long time without his presence? Typically, they will take something that is completely and totally spiritually true and Use it as an excuse to remain in sin in Jeremiah's day.

God was pleading through Jeremiah for the nation to return to him and you find in chapter 7 that that he says Do will you stand before my presence and lie commit adultery steal murder and say that you're safe Safe to do all these things.

You cannot say the temple of the Lord the temple of the Lord the temple of the Lord. Let me let me tell you what happened way back in about 715 BC under Hezekiah. The Assyrian army invaded the land and they were going to try to destroy Jerusalem where the house of God was that bore his name and God rose up and destroyed 185 ,000 Assyrians in one night and they came to this correct theological assumption.

God will not let his own name be defamed and God will protect the house that bears his name. Now I want to ask you that totally 100 accurate. Yes. Is it accurate to say them because he will I can live any way that I want to and stand before it and be Delivered to do all kinds of evil that I won't know.

What were they thinking right here in in in in in John the Baptist day in Jesus day? We have Abraham as our father. You know what they're saying. They're saying we've got a special relationship with God.

Was that absolutely true. Yes, did that special relationship then excuse them to remain in sin and be unaccountable to God? No. You see when the people of God's hearts begin to depart from God they latch on to something about him.

That's 100 true. But it becomes the cause of them staying in sin and here's the first thing that God does in preparing his people for revival he begins to impact their mentality and the lies that they're now clinging on to that are 100 true.

But they're the cause of them not repenting. Now what would that look like in our day? Well, I just want to throw a few out there. I don't think this is an exhaustive list but let me tell you one of them that I'm absolutely convinced of and That is we have been talking about the love of God in such a way That we are leaving the people an impression that he will no longer hold us accountable for sin.

We are saying everything we're saying about the love of God is true, there's no God as near as our God. He loves us completely. He's redeemed us He's done all these favors but we're talking about it in such a way that our people think God is lenient towards sin and because he dealt with the Penalty of sin on the cross then there's no longer any cause for worry when we sin.

And do you know how we know that. We know it through absolute statistical facts. George Barner released a survey on November the 3rd about five months ago in it. He asked ten questions regarding morality.

What two of the questions the first one was Is it permissible for people to live together with someone of the opposite sex? Before marriage and he asked this of people in four categories. First off were atheist.

Second were other religions. Third were people who claim to be born-again Christians and fourth were a very strict Evangelical conservative type of definition now for born-again Christians. Here was the the definition he used it's someone Who has professed Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior in a commitment that is still relevant in their life today.

They believe he has forgiven them of their sin and will take them to heaven when they die. Out of born-again Christians. Guess what percentage said it is Okay to live together with someone of the opposite sex before marriage.

49 of born-again Christians said that was okay to do. He asked a little bit later is it okay to have a sexual relationship with someone of the opposite sex who is not your spouse. And 35 said that was okay to do.

There is something going on about the quality of our discipleship and our day that are leaving our Converged by the wholesale millions with the perception that they can come into the presence of a holy God.

Confess certain things on four spiritual laws pray a prayer and then they're safe to do whatever they want to. If folks the people of God are living that way God has to radically impact our mentality.

Revival Begins With God’s People

In fact, here's one. Here's another thing. I think that we are doing. Among us who are talking about the issues of revival I don't think we have a real strong sense of exactly what it means. And I think this is one of the things that is holding it back from us.

Revival Never comes to lost people. Revival never comes to lost people. You know why? You can't revive what hadn't been vibed. Revival can only come to someone who is already a believer of God and when God is going to send Revival it will only come to his people and that's where he places the first emphasis.

He doesn't place it on the lost. In fact, let me prove it Jesus what did he say? He said what I was not sent to To who but I was sent to what'd he say. I was not sent to The Gentiles, but I was sent to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

Later on in Matthew 10 when he's giving his disciples explicit instructions. He said do not go in the way of the Gentiles or the Samaritans. But to the lost sheep of the house of Israel it says in John 1 he came to his own and his own received him not.

God always Begins with his people now. What am I trying to say evangelism is unimportant? No Evangelism is very important. But if the people of God don't return to him, then the lost world will never be impacted and I am very very fearful today that as we see the nation going into a moral tailspin and we Recognize we're in Serious trouble that we're saying my goodness.

We got to get this nation converted and we're running around and we're throwing these two terms together Revival and spiritual awakening and reaching the lost and we're lumping it all together folks. That is biblically not the way it is.

God always comes to those with whom he first has a relationship always. And he extends to them the opportunity to do that. Now guess what happens when the people of God get right with him. People are converted.

But we've got what we keep. This is a reality for us. I'm not going to try to talk, you know. In generic terms the reality in American Christianity today if you're a pastor and I is one I'm a bible occasional pastor as well as working at Lifeway.

The reality is this everything says you've got to be successful and grow your church. You've got to get more people converted if you want to know the number one thing that pleases God to go get lost people say.

That's all the message that's being driven today and God when he came to Simon Peter. He said three times Peter. Do you love me? You know how he said he wanted it expressed Feed my sheep and when the sheep get right with God then God does everything through him.

He wants to. We have to have our mentality Radically impacted now look at the second thing right here that that happened right here verse 9. Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.

Bearing Fruit Through Changed Actions

So the people ask him saying what shall we do? Now, isn't that interesting when they walk the aisle so to speak at first. They wanted God when John turned around and Overlooked what they were saying with their mouth.

Then suddenly it seized their heart and then they begin to ask a different question. What shall we do? One of the things that God's going to do in addressing and preparing his people is he has to change our actions and our Attitudes and the list is too long for us to talk about right here in the message like this.

But let me just give you a few of them. Here's one of them. I believe that is absolutely killing us in church and that is Unreconciled conflict in relationships, you know when the Bible says we've been given the ministry of reconciliation.

Paul wrote that to a church. Now he's saying that we're to come and be Reconciled with to God first and then one another and then and only then are we in a position to go out to lost people. Who have a broken relationship with God and try to reconcile them?

But if we haven't reconciled the conflict in our own relationships. Then there's no way God is going to honor our hypocrisy by telling lost people by drawing lost people to come to Jesus. We have churches and splits we're doing things we have a divorce is rampant in the church.

Folks if two people are Christians. Now this is a minimum basic we're not talking about if one's lost and one say but if two people are Christians and They come to the place where they say We are no longer can live together.

What they're really saying is there is no help in Jesus Christ. I have received him as my Lord and Savior. He understands how to reconcile me to him. But he can't help me at all learn how to get along with my brother or my sister my wife or my husband.

God wants to radically change the conflict that we have in our relationships. He's going to want to change our prayer life and Henry said it so eloquently last night. Prayer is a byproduct of a love relationship with Jesus.

It's not a spiritual duty to perform in order to be acceptable before God but our churches right now if we look across we. We are very anemic in our prayer life. And then we really don't have much idea of how to do it because we haven't been doing it in over 50 years.

You know, I've been asking a question. I've asked this question about 4 ,000 Leaders across the nation. And as in groups much smaller than this where I can get feedback. But I've asked when was the last time you remember the manifest presence and power of God on a regular basis in your midweek prayer meeting.

Do you know rarely when anybody answer that? Sometimes people will when they do it generally falls into one or two categories is either Recently or it's something like the 50s. If the last time God were present Significantly on a regular basis in our church prayer meeting was the 50s.

You would have to be in your 60s to remember it and the majority of Americans living today. We're not alive when JFK was shot. That means most of us have never encountered the presence of God in our church prayer meetings.

And so we don't know how to function that way in the presence of God. We have a ton of learning to do now what the only assignment I know I have from the Lord right now is helping Churches learn how to pray together and I'm trying to work it on the book right now and that would take too long To tell you all that process.

But there are some practical things we can do to go back and help the heart of the people of God and then know how To guide them in the presence of God, but we're going to have to deal with our prayerlessness.

We're going to have to deal with our materialism. We're going to have to open our heart up to let go of our stuff. Well, he dealt with their mentality the way that they thought he deals with their actions and then look at this right here.

By the way, we'll read a little bit more of this. Verse 11 he answered and said to them he who has two tunics. Let him give to him who has none and he who has food. Let him do likewise. Then the tax collectors also came to be baptized and said to him teacher What shall we do and he said to them?

Collect no more than what is appointed for you. Likewise the soldiers asked him saying and what shall we do? So he said to them do not intimidate anyone or accuse them falsely and Be content with your wages.

So he's giving them what we talked about certain actions to do that impacts the relationship with their brother. It's just like Isaiah 58 when he asked the question is the Lord's arm too short and He says no, but your iniquities have separated you from from from your God.

Is this the fast that I've chosen to Bow down to do certain activities is this not the fast and then he begins to list it's to share your bread with the poor. It's to give it's that and he talks about our relationship with our brother and John is Encouraging the same thing and then here we come right here.

Stirring Expectation for the Coming Christ

Yeah. Now, let me put this in context if God hasn't spoken in 400 years if You're living in a miserable horrible situation and all of a sudden someone rises with a word from God. What's the question you begin asking next if you've heard there's a Messiah coming and all of a sudden This happens.

What do you ask? Hey, is this him is this the Messiah? Look right here. That's exactly what they did in verse 15. Do you see it? Now as the people were in expectation They had a sense that something was about to happen and all reason in their hearts about John whether he was the Christ or not.

He said nope, it's not me. But folks, let me tell you something get ready because it is about to come. In your day, it's about to happen and he begins to talk about Jesus who will come. There's a guy coming after me who's sandal strap.

I'm not worthy unto. Unless he was before me and he must increase and I must decrease and get ready. He's coming folks. Do you know whenever God wants to send revival? He first begins to stir his people to get them ready to get on his agenda.

Have you seen anything like that? Happening in this nation. Let me just tell you something right here in 1990 there were 50 or 60 prayer ministries that transcended the local church in the year 2000. There were over 800.

I've been watching the LifeWay Christians bestseller list and I've tracked that for a while and books on prayer or are generally in the top 10. In fact at one time in paperback four out of five were in the top ten.

Do you know what that indicates when the people of God start suddenly feel a stirring to begin to pray. That is God getting us ready and there is an incredible sense of expectation. Among many pockets and quarters right now of this nation that God's about to come and to do something.

And folks, I believe with all my heart that is 100 accurate. I believe with every fiber of my being we are having an invitation from God to come and experience revival in our day. We are this close, but there's still something that is lacking in our mentality.

Revival in the Context of Judgment and Mercy

I just want to show you this right right here with you revival. The preparation for revival always occurs in the context of Judgment and mercy. It always occurs whenever the people of God are already under the judgment of God and He's extending to them an invitation.

To experience his mercy and to be restored to him. Let me read this to you right here out of Luke chapter 1 verses 76 78 and 79. Well, let's read a whole block because I want you to catch this in context and You child will be called the prophet of the highest for you will go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways.

To give knowledge of salvation to his people by the remission of their sins. Through the tender what? Mercy of our God. With which the day spring from on high has visited us to give light to those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death.

To guide our feet in the way of peace. He says the mercy of God is coming to those who are sitting in the shadow of death. What's he talking about? Well, let's go back and look at. You remember Luke 1 17 Where it was a prophecy about John the Baptist and it says he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah.

Too and then he's going to quote directly from Malachi chapter 4 to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children. He doesn't include the rest of that quote out of Malachi. But here's what it says in Malachi lest I come and strike this land with the curse.

In fact John the Baptist is telling you about the judgment and the mercy simultaneously existing. He said we just read it and in verse 9 He said even now the axe is laid at the root of the tree. Do you see what he's saying right here?

The people of God have departed from God. God never lets that go without Accountability and he says in your day God the Father has at your root and axe and he's just about to pick it up and swing. But I want you to know that he's extending you a little bit more chance for mercy.

In fact Jesus when he began his inaugural sermon in Luke chapter 4 He said the Spirit of the Lord is upon me to do what? Oh Folks it starts describing this incredible mercy of God. To proclaim the good news to set at Liberty the captives.

To release the captives to set at Liberty those who are oppressed to proclaim the favorable year of the Lord. You see what he's saying right here. He's saying as God. It's as if we get this picture that judgment and mercy hold Hands and they begin to walk with one another and God prefers mercy.

And so he goes to his people and he extends them one more chance to get right with him. Do you remember in Luke 13 the parable of the fig tree? Do you remember how there's a guy that Jesus said you think that those in?

Siloam were worse sinners than all the rest that the tower fell on or those that pilot mingled. There's their blood with their sacrifices. I tell you no. But unless you repent you will all likewise perish.

And then he told a parable to kind of communicate where they were at. And the parable was this there was a certain man who had a Fig tree and He looked for fruit on it for three years and it was producing none and he said cut it down that is take the axe and chop the roots and There is a guy there the husband men the the tender of the vineyard who came to intervene.

And and and and he says wait, don't do that just yet. Let me fertilize it. Let me work with it. Let me do a little bit more and if it bears fruit good, but if not, then you can cut it down. Jesus ministry most people agree was three and a half years and in that parable it is a picture of him interceding with the Father.

And he's saying father, please give this nation just one more year to come back to me. The folks where we in America right now. Do you know whenever we come to a particular place on? That we need revival.

God begins to address and do certain things that begins to reveal our heart. Let me read you the prophecy about Jesus. This is in Luke chapter 2 and it's in verse 20. Just a second, I've lost it here.

Yes, here it is. It's going to be Verses 34 and 35. They take Jesus to the temple and they present him before The Lord and Simeon comes up and makes this prophecy. Simeon blessed them. That's Joseph and Mary and Said to Mary his mother behold.

This child is destined for the fall and rising of many in Israel and for a sign Which will be spoken against. Yes, a sword will pierce your own soul. That the thoughts of many hearts May be revealed. Do you know what our God is a God?