You are on page 1of 12

Why We Should Seek Personal Revival

(Psalm 119:25-32)



I. Introduction.
A. Orientation.

Weve seen that Gods Law

Shows us the way to blessing,

Mainly, by showing us how to purify our hearts

And live lives more pleasing to God;

But it also brings persecution,

When you obey it and others see that you do

Dont forget this too is a blessing.

Jesus said, Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of
righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people
insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you
because of Me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in
the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you (Matt. 5:10-
12).

B. Preview.

This evening,

Lets consider that the kind of resolve

The psalmist speaks of here

To seek to know Gods will

And how it applies,

That we might do it with all our heart

Brings another consequence

That on the surface may seem bad like persecution
2

But is actually good

And that is conviction:

A conviction that leads to renewal.


The more you see the holiness of God in His Law,

The more you will see your own sin,

And the more you will also see

How much you stand in need of personal revival.


Well look at this section as we did last week:

Through a series of questions and answers.

II. Sermon.
A. First, what effect should the Law of God have on you as you seek to
understand it?

It should humble you and drive you to the Lord in prayer.

The psalmist writes, My soul cleaves to the dust; revive me according to Your
word (v. 25).


His response was humility,

My soul cleaves to the dust,

By which he either means

That it humbled him to the ground,

Or that it shows him

That by the Laws standard

He should be dead.


3
Here we see what Paul meant in 2 Cor. 3:6,

For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.

The Law can only condemn us,

It can only kill us

As we saw in Pilgrims Progress

In the case of Faithful:

Moses who represents the Law

Came up behind him as swift as the wind

And knocked him to the ground.

When Faithful asked for mercy,

Moses said he didnt know how to show mercy

And would have finished him,

If the Lord hadnt come by

And told Moses to leave him alone.


Thats what the Law would do to you,

If not for the Lords mercy.

But remember, that isnt the Laws fault

The problem is your sin!

The Law is holy, righteous and good

Theres nothing wrong with it.

The Law requires perfection

Perfect love

But we cant love perfectly
4

So it condemns us (Rom. 7).


Even though we know

The Lord has forgiven us in Christ

So that the Law cant condemn us

It still serves as a constant reminder

Of what we really deserve

But for the grace of God death!


But even that is meant to be a blessing to us.

As the Westminster Assembly also points out:

Although true believers [are] not under the law as a covenant of works, to be [by
it] justified or condemned; yet is it of great use to them, as well as to others; in
that, as a rule of life, informing them of the will of God and their duty, it directs
and binds them to walk accordingly; discovering also the sinful pollutions of
their nature, hearts, and lives; so as, examining themselves [by it], they may
come to further conviction of, humiliation for, and hatred against sin; together
with a clearer sight of the need they have of Christ, and the perfection of His
obedience. It is likewise of use to the regenerate, to restrain their corruptions, in
that it forbids sin; and the threatenings of it serve to show what even their sins
deserve, and what afflictions in this life they may expect for them, although
freed from the curse [thereof] threatened in the law. The promises of it, in like
manner, show them Gods [approval] of obedience, and what blessings they may
expect upon the performance thereof, although not as due to them by the law as
a covenant of works: so as a mans doing good, and refraining from evil
because the law encourages to the one, and deters from the other, is no evidence
of his being under the law, and not under grace (19.6).


The more clearly you see what God wants,

The more clearly you will see your sin,

And the better you will understand

What you really deserve
5

But for the grace of God,

And thats a humbling thing,

Which is a good thing.


Sometimes we can react in just the opposite way:

If thats how studying the Law makes me feel,

Then Ill just stop studying it,

So Ill feel better about myself.

Is that the right response? No.


The right response is that of the psalmist

Lord, my soul cleaves to the dust,

And so revive me according to Your Word.

Lord, forgive me,

And renew in my heart

The desire to follow you

With an even greater zeal.


This is why the Lord wants us to study

And meditate on His Law in the first place

That we might know our sins,

That it might humble us,

And that it might drive us to Him in prayer

For the power to keep it.

6

B. Second, what else should you do when the Lord reveals your sin?

You should confess it to Him.

The psalmist writes, I have told of my ways, and You have answered me (v. 26).

Its true that when you believe on the Lord Jesus Christ

All your sins are forgiven

Past, present and future

But its also true

That if you are forgiven,

You will continually confess your sins

As you become aware of them,

And He will continually wash them away.

John writes, If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins
and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:10).


If you die without confessing a particular sin

Will you miss heaven?

No. If any of your sins are forgiven, they all are.

Forgiveness, as we saw this morning in Hebrews,

Is a one-time event for the believer.

For by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified (Heb.
10:14).

Your confession isnt what pardons you,

Jesus death on the cross does.

Your confessing is simply the evidence

7
That He has forgiven you.


Knowing that He has blotted out

All of your sins through faith in Christ,

You should pray from the heart out of thankfulness

That He would teach you His statutes more clearly

That He would help you to understand them,

And meditate on them

Teach me Your statutes. Make me understand the way of Your precepts, so I will
meditate on Your wonders (vv. 26-27)

So that you might be convicted and humbled more fully,

That you might confess your sins more wholeheartedly,

And walk in His ways more closely


Being convicted, humbled and confessing your sins

Shouldnt drive you from the Lord,

But to the Lord that He might strengthen you

When He does,

Thats what it means to be revived!


C. Third, but is it enough to be humbled to the point of confession?

Is there anything else the Lord wants from you?

Yes, He wants you to repent/obey.

The psalmist prays, My soul weeps because of grief; strengthen me according to
Your word (v. 28).

He knows hes not being faithful
8

And it causes him a great deal of distress,

And so he prays that the Lord would strengthen him

To keep His commandments.


If you know something, but dont do it,

It only makes you more culpable/blamable.

Thats why the psalmist was humbled and grieved in the first place:

Because he didnt keep the commandments as he should.


He was also humbled

Because thats what he wanted to do,

But couldnt.


When you want something badly

And you cant seem to get it,

Its disappointing.


When you hunger and thirst after righteousness

And cant seem to achieve it,

It grieves you.


And so he prayed for strength to turn around

That the Lord would help him overcome his disobedience

And help him obey:

Remove the false way from me, and graciously grant me Your law (v. 29).

9

He did this

Because this was what he really wanted,

This was his greatest desire:

I have chosen the faithful way; I have placed Your ordinances before me (v. 30).


This is the kind of heart

The Lord wants you to have

When you come to His Word.

He doesnt want you to come

Looking for loopholes

How you can do what you really want to do

And still convince yourself

That youre doing His will.


He wants you to come

With a submissive heart,

To listen,

To learn,

To do,

Whatever He calls you to do.

He wants you to have the heart of a Samuel

Who said to the Lord when He called him,

Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening (1 Sam. 3:9).


10
He wants you to have the kind of heart

That will hold fast to His ways

No matter what you might have to give up,

No matter how others might respond to you,

Even if the whole world turns against you:

Like that of the martyrs

Who would rather be eaten by lions

Than offer incense to Caesar

And say he is lord;

Or like that of Athanasius

Who stood for the truth

Sometimes against the whole church

The psalmist did this

In the hope that in the end

He would not be ashamed

Because he stood up

For what the Lord wanted.

The psalmist prays, I cling to Your testimonies; O Lord, do not put me to shame!
(v. 31).

This is what it means to be revived!


D. Finally, what can you expect from the Lord when you pray for this?

You can expect Him to hear and give you what you ask,

Because this is the kind of request He loves to answer.

11
I shall run the way of Your commandments, for You will enlarge my heart (v.
32).


The psalmist believed this

He knew the Lord would enable him

Not only to walk in His ways,

But to run in them;

That He would revive his heart

That He would give him a greater love and zeal,

A greater desire to honor Him.


He will also do the same for you,

If you seek Him for the same.

If you are willing to humble your soul before Him,

And confess your sins,

If youre willing to seek better to understand His ways,

So that you might repent and obey,

If this is what your heart desires more than anything else,

To walk in His ways

In other words,

If you really want to follow His Son,

And be made more like Him

Then He will grant you that grace

He will enlarge your heart,

Give you a greater love and zeal,
12

Not just to walk,

But to run in His ways.


What can you do

To begin this process?

Do what the psalmist did:

Read the Law of God

And pray that the Lord

Would help you to see

What you need to see.

James says the Law is like a mirror

That reveals whats in your heart.

Look into that mirror,

See what youre really like,

And then seek the Lord for His grace

To turn from your sins

And to run in His ways;

Thats what personal revival is all about. Amen.


http://www.graceopcmodesto.org

You might also like