Wilt Thou Not Revive Us Again?' a Must Hear Message! — Shane Idleman

A Plea for Revival and Restoration

We pray tonight Lord that you would visit this congregation Lord we need you like never before Lord as marriages are falling apart in the blood-bought Church of Jesus Christ is dying and Rejecting the first love Lord.

I pray that you'd bring a strong spirit of revival Lord wilt thou not revive your people Lord so we may rejoice in you Lord. We will not make it if you do not show up Lord if you do not rejuvenate our marriages in our relationships Lord.

If you do not awaken the sleeping giant Lord the church will not take her rightful ground Lord we want the anointing. We want the unction. We want the power. Lord we need you like never before. Please Lord visit us today.

Let people go home restored and rejuvenated Lord. Let marriages be rebuilt. Bring the wayward daughter home. Bring the prodigal son home. Dear Heavenly Father we pray for a strong anointing not only on this message Lord, but on the worship.

That hearts will be broken. Rent our hearts and not our garments. Stop going through the motion. Stop playing church. Lord, please anoint me to speak your word with power and clarity and direction Lord.

I pray this in Jesus name. Amen. Still coming off of last night's message just the weight of what God has put on my heart sometimes I've told people before it's almost like I'm pregnant it in. Metaphorically speaking I have to get this out the burden it must come out and a lot of you don't know know me.

I believe that God has called me for such a time as this to preach the difficult truths. To call the church back to confront in love of course. Because a lot of times we need to be confronted. We need to be challenged.

Prophetic Confrontation and the Church's Need for Revival

We need convicted. You realize throughout the Bible that hearts Do not change unless they're confronted and convicted. That was the role of the Prophets Isaiah Jeremiah Ezekiel Daniel Joel Amos Obadiah Jonah calling Assyria to God Micah Nahum Habakkuk Zephani Zechariah Haggai Malachi calling the people back that was the role is is the church left to herself will Deteriorate unless God revives her church.

We will not make it. Oh, I trust there'll be a remnant. God will restore his work. God is good. He is faithful, but he continually calls a wayward church back to him. One of the most alarming scriptures I've probably ever read and continue to read is in the first opening chapters of Revelation.

The churches 50 years later have deteriorated to such a point where Jesus says be hot or cold. But if you're lukewarm, I will vomit you out of my mouth. You have rejected me. You're allowing false doctrine into the church.

You're allowing that that prophetess Jezebel to teach and seduce my people. You're allowing false doctrine. You're allowing compromise. You're allowing sin. Pergamos. Oh, I see your works you're very involved in ministry, but you have left your first love returned to me or I'll remove the lampstand and The funny thing happened this week as I'm preparing in our church.

We're getting ready to undergo a major series on on marriage real marriage talking about the devastation of divorce and hope for the hurting singleness burden or blessing and and Restoring marriages and focusing on rebuilding marriages and as I'm was working on that message and then Talking today about the the condition of the church.

The Spiritual Condition of the Church and the Family

The church is dying spiritually. The church is dying spiritually. I Mean that song lead me to the cross should have brought tears to this altar this church and many people up to the altar. But we sit and we wonder what time is this out?

I'm hungry as we drink our latte and we can't wait to get home and watch the Super Bowl when a when a Savior died upon a cross lead me to that cross and we have the Audacity to sit here and do nothing and have it move.

Nothing. The church is dying folks. I Can look at how the church worships and tell you the spiritual condition of that church. I Can tell you how a church prays and I can show you the spiritual condition of that church.

And as I was putting that message together on marriage and then on the lukewarm dying condition of the church and that the lukewarm dying condition of the marriage. They were interwoven. They were not two separate messages.

The church is the bride of Christ. Marriage and the condition of the church are interwoven. So as the families go so goes the nation. We're complaining about who do we want to lead this nation and what's going on and complaining what's.

I'll tell you what's going on. The condition of the family is. Deteriorating husbands have walking away from their spiritual roles of God-given leaders of their homes now. We've become a lukewarm passive church.

We don't want to offend anybody. We don't want to upset anybody while the devil goes about as a roaring lion seeking whom he devours. Marriages are failing the church is failing. I didn't come to be popular.

I came to be confrontational. I believe pastors in this day and age need to stop being popular and stop being Confrontational. We need to stop coddling men and we need to start confronting them. We need to stop coddling sin and we need to start confronting it.

The Word of God as Hammer and Fire

Is not my word like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces. God says is not my word like a fire that devours Jeremiah chapter 23. But you have perverted the words of the Living God. How the false prophets did not warn they did not confront and they did not convict the people.

They said peace peace and safety when God says you are an abomination to me. You have rejected me. There's no peace and safety. That's a sure sign of a false prophet not confronting people not contending for the faith not challenging.

Because they want to be liked by people. Woe be to you when all men speak well of you. So as I was preparing two separate messages, it became one. Wilt thou not revive us again. Marriage marriages are falling apart.

I'm counseling men who are walking away from their wives never to return little children crying daddy. Why are you yelling at mommy and the church is falling apart? And we wonder why. Because Christ's a solid rock on which everything must be built is being rejected.

We're walking away from our first love. That's just the truth. I didn't come here to win a popularity contest. I came here to shoot you straight. We need that. Because that conviction must take place.

The hand the nail does not go into the wood until the hammer Confronts it. The precious olive oil does not come out until the olives are beaten. The precious wine does not come from the grapes until they are trampled and broken.

You will not change until your heart is broken until your heart is humble until you seek heart after the Lord. It's not a half-hearted approach. Seek me with all of your heart and I will be found by you.

Those who seek me Diligently will find me. He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek him. Oh return to me old backsliding church and I will return to you. The marriage condition of the marriage and the condition of the church is Alarming and I will submit to you.

There are three people in this room. Your spiritual condition is very good right now. If you're saying amen, if you're convicted, that's good, too. Because God is convicting you and if you're upset you need the Lord if what I'm saying is upsetting you.

You truly need to turn to God and of course, these are difficult things to say. But there's much encouragement because I know that when a person is walking in the wills and ways of God, they are encouraged.

They are built up. They are in right relationship with God. There's joy and peace and that is my goal is to speak and preach the Word of God of what he's put on my heart. So it pierces the heart. Often God would say rent your hearts and not your garments in the Old Testament.

They would appear religious rip off that shirt. We're so upset God to say come on guys. That's ridiculous rent your hearts. And as you know Many times in the medical industry and even in the fitness industry.

Spiritual Hunger and the Loss of Holiness

Health is often a sign. I'm sorry hunger is often a sign of health when a person is hungry. They're healthy when we've lost our hunger for the things of God. We are dying of spiritual cancer. Do you know that more people are concerned about?

Watching with the game later today than what's going on in the blood-bought Church of Jesus Christ throughout our nation. Watching commercials that would have been considered pornography 30 years ago.

Don't tell me we're not deteriorating. I said this I think a few years ago. We've went from leave it to beaver and I love Lucy to queer eye for the straight guy and dating shows and reality shows. That are stench in the nostrils of a righteous.

Holy pure God and Men men you are the watchmen of your home. God forgive us and when we allow these things that are pulling our children away. Take a stand for Christ's sake. God is looking for those who seek hard at not Religious legalistic Pharisees.

I preached just as hard against that group to you arrogant stiff-necked people. Have a form of godliness, but deny the power there put people under rules and bondage that you yourself cannot perform.

It's not about following rules. It's following a relationship after Christ. Hungering for the things of God. Now, I want to take you real briefly to the Old Testament the book of Isaiah. Let me just read this and let this sink in.

Isaiah's Call to a Wayward People

Isaiah is writing at a critical time in Israel's history. They've they've divided into northern and southern kingdoms. They've they've experienced 50 years of financial prosperity and they now have succumbed to pagan worship.

And having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof. There is a nation adrift. So God raises up a prophet. That's a one of the distinctions between priests and prophet. Priests came from the Levitical priesthood.

Prophet was a man called by God. Jeremiah before I formed you. I knew you before I formed you in your mother's womb. I knew you and I called you to be a prophet among my people to sanctify them to bring them back Isaiah go to a wayward people and call them back Ezekiel if you do not warn the wicked their blood shall be on your hands.

He would raise up these people to call the people back to God because we need a wake-up call. We need people need a wake-up call in love and I reminded of a story of this. This elderly lady who who came home and she told her son son.

I do not like our new pastor. I wish our old pastor was back and son said, what is the new pastor say? She said well, he says you're going to hell. If you don't accept Christ. What what the old pastor used to say you're going to hell if you don't accept Christ.

Said mom they say the same exact thing. And she said yeah, but the old pastor used to say it with tears in his eyes. See, that's the difference speaking the truth in love. When you speak the truth in loves lives are radically changed.

If I got up here just to beat them, I almost I began to wept during that song. There's a burden on my heart. I'm not mad at anybody personally. I could care less what you do. I don't know you that well it all affects the body I'm sure but I'm not can.

I'm not here to browbeat and point fingers and Bible thump and I'm saying guys if you want a Genuine true relationship with Christ it requires full surrender. There's no half-hearted approach. I Can take you to Moody and Whitfield and Spurgeon and Wesley.

I can take you to the revivals in the Great Awakening with Jonathan Edwards and West and Whitfield and and all these different things. Revival happened when people were broken. Broken humble people praying petitioning God.

There's there's more power in your Saturday night prayer room than many pulpits across America. With four or five people praying and petitioning God. So back to Isaiah, it's in that setting. He's writing to a wayward people and he says the Lord speaks to him.

Isaiah 1 and Empty Religious Ritual

Isaiah Hear O heavens and give ear O earth for the Lord has spoken. God is speaking to his people. Chapter 1 verse 2. I have nourished and brought up children and they have rebelled against me. The ox knows its owner and the donkey its master's crib.

But Israel does not know my people do not consider me. They have forsaken the Lord. They have provoked the ain't to anger the Lord the Holy One of Israel. They have turned away backwards and then here what the Lord says.

Here the word of the Lord. You rulers of Sodom. Give ear to the law of our God. You people of Gomorrah. To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifice to me? Says the Lord I have had enough of burnt offerings and I've had enough of the fat of fed cattle.

I do not delight in the blood of bulls and goats or lambs. Wait a minute. God initiated the sacrificial system. He said I love the blood of bulls and goats because it is a covering for the people for without the shedding of blood There is no remission of sin.

God initiated this now. He's saying I hate it. What's going on here. And he goes on to say when you come and appear before me who has required this from your hand to Trample my courts bring no more futile sacrifices.

Incense is an abomination to me. What used to be a sweet smelling aroma is now an abomination. What he used to initiate now He abhors. What do you do church when God does not answer anymore when we're going through the motions?

And he told Amos put away for me your stringed instruments. But let justice run down like a river and righteousness might like a mighty stream. I'm tired of people coming and playing church raising holy hands on Sunday but living like hell on Monday coming in with smiles well brethren.

And Spousal abuse occurring at home. God is tired and sick of the church coming and playing church. But not truly having a broken heart and he's calling his people back when you come and appear before me.

Who has required of this of your hand again to trample my courts bring no more futile sacrifices. He says no Sabbath is no assemblies. I cannot endure Iniquity and sacred meetings any longer. My soul hates these things.

Wow. God's pretty upset. Yeah, we need to stop painting him as a cosmic ball of love and a doting grandfather in heaven that just wants to give us everything we want. Don't. Yes, he's a God of love. Absolutely.

Thank God for love grace mercy and forgiveness. I thank God for it often, but don't forget his other attributes righteousness holiness justice. He doesn't give us suggestions. He says come out from among them be separate.

I am God end of story. You obey me with all of your heart and it's not some legalistic Richard rigid God saying you must do this. It's saying you want being right relationship with me stay within the guardrails.

We want to remove the guardrails and have fun. Remove the guardrails from Godi pass and you'll end up dead. They are there for a reason for a purpose. God has initiated absolute truth Shane. You really believe that everything in the Bible?

Absolutely without a shadow of a doubt. Every jot every tittle every big fish. It swallowed Jonah. Every fire that came down on mark Mount Carmel every Red Sea that parted Noah built an ark. Absolutely.

I love the cubic dimensions. It would definitely would work and you believe the absolutely because you're talking about a God who created the heavens in the earth. A Big fish can't swallow Jonah. I mean gosh, I think it'd be a little hard to make the Sun.

I don't know. I mean Just I'm just throwing that out there. I Would think that would be a little harder. But I say is calling his people or he's using he's using Isaiah to call his people back and a lot of times people say Oh, man, this is difficult Shane.

Repentance and the Refreshing of Revival

This is tough. But God the purpose is restoration. Will thou not revive us again. That word revive means to quicken. What was once dead is now being quick and some of you need to be quickened with the Spirit of God again.

You need to return to your first love. It also means to restore to repair and to recover. And we see this in Acts 3 9 when Peter said repent they said what must we do to be saved? Repent and be converted.

So that times of Refreshing revival may come from the presence of the Lord. That's how you get refreshed. That's how you love worshiping God and falling hard after him and looking to his word and not just playing church, but living church.

It's revival church. We've never needed revival. I believe more in the history of the church than we do today. Because I see it was I go and I travel. I see a form of godliness, but we deny the power thereof.

The Bible and our lifestyle are polar opposites. We know what it says. But as James says be doers of the word and not hearers only or you're deceiving your own selves. Let that be in word to somebody here.

You can know what the Word of God says, but if you do not obey it you are living in deception. Those I counsel who are in adultery can quote a lot of Scripture to me. I said, it's wonderful, buddy. That's great.

Why don't you start obeying some of that? What happens is spiritual blindness comes in? I? Know it. I just don't apply it. Spiritual blindness. The Pharisees the Sadducees the religious leaders who Jesus said you're spiritually blind.

You're you're blind. They knew the Bible better than anybody else. They could quote Genesis and Exodus and Viticus and Numbers and Deuteronomy. They could give them a breakdown of the history to a team memorized.

But it's that power comes in the obedience the obedience to the things of God. What do you do. God saying what I used to delight in is now an abomination to me. He says what I once was a sweet-smelling aroma is now a stench in the nostrils of a righteous holy pure God.

He says what was once a place of worship now. I don't even want to endure. It's almost like some churches He's saying don't even open your doors. Don't come and play games. Don't don't come and worship me your worship me worshiping me in futility.

Because all of these things. Every single thing you'll see throughout the Bible things like this have to do with one thing and one thing only a broken and contrite heart. How do you come to Christ a broken and contrite heart a sinner repenting turning to Christ?

How do you go back to God and restore the years and he's calling the prodigal home or the wayward home or we want to return to your first love a Broken and contrite heart. It's always a heart issue. Always a heart issue.

Everything goes back to a heart issue. Look at marriages. Now the same thing applies. What was once a delight now is an abomination. They couldn't wait to get home now. They don't want to go home. What used to be a delight I can't wait to get married now people are saying it's an abomination.

Love, Selfishness, and Marriage Restoration

We've fallen out of love. You have not fallen out of love. You have left love. Love does not leave people you leave it. God says love is patient. Love is kind. It does not envy. It does not boast. It's not proud.

It's not rude. It's not self-seeking. It keeps no record of wrong done against it. It always delights in in the truth. You do that you when you people say I just fall out of love. No, you haven't you've left love.

Now granted there are people in abusive relationships and Hard marriages and things have happened that they're not responsible for this isn't a blanket Approach that fits every situation. I am aware of that but for the large majority of people They have not left love.

They have or let love is they have not fallen out of love. They've left love. And you know what? I hear more often than anything else. I just want to be happy. You're not gonna be happy. The grass is not greener.

I just want to be happy Shane. At the destruction of your children God help us is right. Selfishness pride arrogance saying I'm so special. Aren't I great? Look at me church. You've got to rent your hearts.

When lead me to the cross songs like that with this altar should be filled. People crying out Lord help us rebuild our marriage. We and they say I don't love my spouse anymore this but this new person makes me feel loved and appreciated and and respected.

So did your spouse when you first met? You see you're on a slippery slope. Marriage in the church is the same. The church deteriorates marriage deteriorate. Trust me I've got we've got to work on a weekly me and my wife Morgan who's here.

It's not easy. The enemy comes in he wants to take a pastor out especially a young pastor. He wants to take us out. I know that my enemy goes about as a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. You've got to put up safeguards.

You've got to build the foundation if it's not built on Christ and Christ alone. The marriage will not stand. Jesus said oh the storms coming the storms coming the storm is Coming, but the man who built his house on the solid rock of Christ.

Confession and obedience to the Word of God when the rains Descended the floods came and the wind beat against that house. It did not fall because it was founded upon the rock of Jesus Christ. How will you get through life if you're not grounded on the rock?

It's not possible. So I submit to you when marriages are falling apart. They've left their first love it's no longer built on the rock because you can lose a child of leukemia and Deal with heartbreak and deal with things if it's founded on the rock of Jesus Christ.

It is the only solid rock in which everything is built. Shane you feel pretty passionately about this. Absolutely. Why should not spear filled believers be sad at the condition of the church Jesus Christ himself?

Cried over Jerusalem. Oh Jerusalem, Jerusalem. I wish that I could gather you like a mother gathers her hens, but you were not willing. You see the uninteresting thing I found throughout the Bible is God will call He'll he'll engineer Circumstances, he'll convict you the Holy Spirit.

He'll challenge you. He'll lead you he'll direct you but you must submit to it. That's what the word repentance is a change of mind that leads to a change of action. I'm repenting. I see sin how God sees it.

I'm not making excuses. I'm not playing the blame game. I'm humbling myself. I'm confessing and I am turning to Christ. I mean that could be a marriage series right there. People want to come for pop psychology and seven wins to seven ways to have intimacy again and your five line love languages.

And those are great books. Dr. Gary chat. Absolutely. But if you're going after all those things but neglecting the foundation the whole structure will come down. Jesus said and great was its fall. Great was its fall.

The Letters to the Churches: Watchfulness and First Love

And then we go to the New Testament Church briefly in Revelation. I've talked about this I think here even before but we look to the New Testament Church in Revelation 2 and 3 in Revelation where Jesus says be watchful.

Strengthen the things which remain that are ready to die. Jesus tells his church Sardis, I believe it is be watchful be watchmen on the wall and strengthen those things which remain but but they're about ready to die and.

Then he goes on to say with a frightening statement for I have not found your works perfect before God. These churches were going through the motions Ephesus you have wonderful ministry you're patient.

You can spot out those who do evil. You're very involved. You're very involved the ministry and you're proud of it, but you're replacing ministry with time of Lord with time alone with God. Being busy is not being quiet before the Lord.

Some people today need to give up some things for a while. Stop being so busy and start getting up early and spending time in his word broken. Do you know where these sermons come from? I don't pull them off a computer.

They come out of a prayer closet tear-stained. Broken Lord, what do you want to say? Because I do not want to step up here and play church. I do not want to step up here and be a be just a cheerleader.

Even though pastors are cheerleaders and encouragers and we strengthen and we store we rebuild. I'm not gonna tell a single mom with three kids barely getting by who's seeking heart after God. I'm not gonna tell her the same thing as a man who is walking away from his family.

Trust me gonna be a very different counseling appointment, but we've got to church. We've got to recognize that Christ is saying being watchful be prepared. You can do all these things all these things Ephesus.

You're very involved. Look at chapter 2. He's saying you've done all these things you're involved in ministry maybe in pastor maybe in leadership maybe ushering. You're so involved. You can spot out evil.

Aren't you good? You have sound doctrine. You've got a great outlook on hermeneutics and homiletics and and you have great theology and sotrology and pneumatology and eschatology and you've got every point down and you understand the Nuances and church history and you can put you great, but Jesus says I still have this against you.

You have left your first love the heart. The heart because we can go through the motions unless the heart is broken. You will not change unless the heart is convicted. You will not change. I've talked about repentance many times in my congregation.

A Demonstration of Genuine Repentance

Last time last last night I finally said do you want to see what genuine repentance looks like in a marriage? They're gonna play a clip right here if you want to get that ready. Chris and And PowerPoint and I want to show you and you guys can hit the lights, too.

I want to show you what genuine Repentance looks like in a person because we can talk a good talk. But I want you to see what this actually looks like but halfway through I realized that I did not understand what love was and Once I understood that I.

Wanted to do it Caleb. I want to believe that this is real But I'm not ready to say that I trust you again.

I understand that but whether you ever reach that point or not, I need you to understand something. I am sorry. I have been so selfish for the past seven years. I have Trampled on you with my words and with my actions.

I have loved other things. When I should have loved you in the last few weeks God has given me a Love for you that I have never had before and I had asked him to forgive me and I am hoping I am praying That somehow you would be able to forgive me too Catherine.

I Do not want to live the rest of my life without you. Well in case you didn't catch it. That's a sermon in itself.

Folks it's time to repent and turn to. Christ has never been greater full surrender. And I don't know if you caught what he said, but God gave me that love for you. Wilt thou not revive us again. Revival is his work.

Be crystal clear on this issue. Stop trying to do all these things and stop trying to be Religious. Every couple I believe should go home and practice the same thing. I'm so sorry. What can I do? What can I how can we rebuild this marriage?

I need you to be my best friend. Because the enemy is coming in like a flood and only the Spirit of the Lord can raise Up a standard against him as the worship team comes up. We're gonna actually go into a time of communion and You have to remember the communion.

Communion, the Cross, and Christ's Substitutionary Sacrifice

We take this lightly. My fear is that when we do this too often it just becomes another thing going through the motions. But you have to understand what communion represents is the bread is the body of Christ that was broken on the cross.

Do you realize that the blood could not come forth for the covering of our sins until the body was broken and bruised? Beaten beyond recognition. A Savior on a cross dying for our sins. When ten legions of angels came could have came down and wiped Out all of humanity.

A Savior dying on a cross who could have said I do not want to do this anymore. Find some other way. I'm coming down off this cross. No Roman army in the history could have ever defeated him. One army slew 150 ,000.

One angel slew 150 ,000 people. Trust me. God has highly exalted Christ. Why. Because there is no other name on heaven that can save. He humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death. We have the audacity to come and take it and not remember what he did.

Paul said remember Christ said remember. Remember the cross. Remember the blood-stained cross. Remember the hammers that drove the nail as blood splurted out. A king on a cross. A king on a cross. My god on a cross.

He says there's no other way. Father take this cup. Father take this cup. I cannot bear what is about to happen when the cat of nine tails rips the skin off of my Off of my body Lord when they pierce me with thorns an inch and a half long Lord when they beat me beyond Recognition with my own mother can't even look at me at the foot of the cross Lord.

If there's any other way take this cup that I'm about to endure. You know what? He said God said there's no other way son. Oh, yeah. I usually don't get this emotion man. There's no other way. There's no other way folks.

Right before he gave up his ghost. He said Eli. Eli Lama's about Cheney my god my god. Why have you forsaken me. And we come myself included and we take of the elements. We take of the elements. And we don't remember the cross.

A Call to Genuine Revival and Worship

This is revival though folks. I told my congregation of real revival were to hit this church. There would not be a dry eye in this room. Worship would have to cease. I would have to sit down from the own tears flooding out of my head.

Young adults would be Convicted of their sin. Men would be up here weeping at the altar. Women would be traveling over the condition of their soul. That is revival. I'm just going to a time of communion.

And you know what to do. Just come up as the Lord leads takes the elements and remember what he did. Remember the cross. Thank you for listening to today's edition of regaining lost ground.

Shane Eidelman is the pastor of Westside Christian Fellowship in Lancaster, California. They meet every Saturday at 5 30 p .m. For more information visit Westside Christian Fellowship org. That's Westside Christian Fellowship org.

We hope that you enjoy this thought-provoking message.