Blake Jennings

Grace Bible Church

“Anatomy of a Revival”

Haggai 1:12-15

Spiritual revival, the reawakening of God's people to accomplish His will, is available to all believers and involves three sequential steps. First, God speaks, convicting His people of their sin (vv1-11). Second, God's people respond to His conviction in confession, agreeing with God about the fact of their sin and the seriousness of their sin (v12). Finally, God responds to His people's confession by comforting them with His presence (v13) and empowering them to obey (v14).

The book of Haggai looks pretty uninteresting, but that couldn’t be further from the truth.

Note that all of chapter 1 is a unit…

· One word title = revival

ú Webster’s “to revive means to live again…to become active or flourishing again…to restore from a depressed, inactive or unused state”

ú “revival” = an instance or an event where a person or a whole group of people is spiritually revived

ú lots of examples – can learn from them

§ Judges – cycle of spiritual revival and then spiritual decline

· spiritual revival is not a once-for-all thing

· No revival has ever proven permanent because sin draws all of us, whether individually or corporately, towards spiritual coma, we need spiritual revival time and time again.

§ reign of Josiah (17^th king) over Judah

· we see the relationship between individual and corporate revival

· revival almost always starts with one or a few individuals

· but individual revival can become corporate revival if God chooses to move in the hearts of many at the same time

· ex: 1806, 5 students from Williams college – Haystack prayer revival

· Individual revival is often the seed of corporate revival – let revival begin with you!

ú revival = “a frequently needed spiritual reawakening of individual believers which can turn into a reawakening of huge groups, and when it does, it can accomplish unimaginable things for the kingdom of God.”

ú But how do we get some of that!?

§ that’s what Haggai 1 is all about – anatomy of a revival

§ 3 parts – 3 sequential stages true of every revival

· Stage 1: God speaks – specifically He speaks conviction

ú vv1-11 are God’s words of conviction to them.

ú Review:

§ sin = wrong priorities

§ viewed their houses as more important than God’s house

· total neglect of temple (no construction in 16 yrs)

· actually take/steal the temple’s building materials to adorn their own homes!

§ why is this a problem:

· temple was not just a building, it was the focal point of worship on earth

· worship = center of life, most important thing to God

· so as long as temple lies in ruins, worship is delayed

ú Lesson: God is the one who initiates revival

§ They didn’t get together and decide, “What this town needs is a temple”

§ God blasted through their spiritual coma …

ú so it is for us today – God initiates individual and corporate revival by speaking to us

§ But wait - Do I hear the audible voice of God in my head on a regular basis?...

§ Not in my head, but in this book—the Bible!

§ God speaks to us today and everyday in His Word illuminated by His Spirit

§ not simply words on a page; not another book on your shelf

§ Heb 4:12 [read] – alive & supernaturally powerful

§ Martin Luther: “I simply taught, preached, wrote God’s Word: otherwise I did nothing. And when I slept...the Word so greatly weakened [the enemies of the gospel] the papacy that never a Prince or Emperor inflicted such damage upon [them] it. I did nothing. The Word did it all”

ú But if we want to hear His voice in His book, then we have to learn to listen well!

§ How do we become good listeners? - Bible study methods.

· Observe

· Interpret

· Apply

ú So stage 1 in any revival = God speaks conviction

· Stage 2 – God’s people respond to God’s convicting voice in confession

ú [read v12]

ú Now the word “confession” doesn’t appear in this verse, but the idea is clear as we look at the details.

ú Notice that there are 2 parts to their response:

ú “obeyed” in the NASB

§ ‘shama,’ appears over 1000 time in OT; range of meaning from “hear a sound or voice” to “listen intently” to “understand” to “heed or agree with” to “obey.”

§ “obeyed” not best here because God’s command = build, but they don’t do this till v14

§ so I think best translation here is “they heeded the voice of YHWH”

§ “heeded” = they listened and accepted Haggai’s message as God’s very words to them.

§ You see, they could have simply rejected the message; they could have denied that Haggai was speaking God’s convicting words to them…

§ Instead, they accepted that this was the absolutely true and absolutely authoritative rebuke of God Himself – acceptance & submission

ú Second part = “they showed reverence.”

§ can mean “worship,” but probably not here. Lit: “the people feared before YHWH.”

§ why do I think the idea here is fear? Many examples where God’s people accept His rebuke as true, but don’t respond in fear. Instead, they qualify their agreement with something:

· often, excuses - King Saul

· other times, they qualify by minimizing the significance of their sin - church in Corinth

§ But that’s not what Haggai’s audience does.

· No excuses; no minimizing sin

· Realize they’ve disobeyed against their God for 16 yrs & are under His judgment – have offended the most dangerous being in the universe

· So they bow in fear before

¨ the logical and appropriate response to God’s conviction – Isa 6:1-5

ú When God convicted His people of sin, step 1 was to agree with His assessment and step 2 was to bow in holy fear

ú Same 2-step response required of us today:

§ Part 1 – “we heed His Word” – we accept His conviction as true – no denial

¨ most of us are not so bold that we would deny God’s conviction. Instead, we simply run from it…

· This is a sure way to kill revival!

· Instead, listen to His voice and agree with Him about the fact of our sin.

§ Part 2 – “we fear before the Lord” – we need to recognize that our sin is deadly serious

· for most people in our society, sin is just not that big a deal.

· We know better! We know theologically that sin is a big deal – but do we act like it?

¨ Not when we make excuses!

¨ we show that we believe that sin is excusable

¨ we forget that all sin is, at it’s root, rebellion against our infinitely holy God.

§ All sin is serious because all sin is rebellion against the most powerful being…

§ So no place for excuses; no room to minimize our sin

§ All that’s left to us is simply to respond in reverent fear – acknowledge the dead seriousness of our offense against God.

ú So, to heed God’s rebuke is to acknowledge the fact of my sin; to fear before Him is to acknowledge the seriousness of my sin.

ú These 2 steps = biblical “confession”

§ Confession is not just an intellectual exercise – heartfelt humbling interaction... ex: Ps 51

ú So, what are the first two stages of any revival?

§ (1) God speaks conviction to His people

§ (2) God’s people respond to His conviction with heartfelt confession

· Stage 3 – God responds to confession with His comforting presence & empowering strength.

ú First part of God’s response in v13.

§ V12 ends with fear – things look bad & would be if God’s infinite holiness was not matched by His infinite grace!

§ Instead of condemnation, He comforts by saying, “I am with you”

§ In OT “the customary assurance of God’s merciful, guiding presence in a variety of situations.”

· often joined to command “Do not fear”

· So also God comforted Moses, Gideon, Jeremiah, and Jesus comforted His disciples

§ “I am with you” means that God…

· does not forsake them

· sin had created a barrier

· so God cleanses them of their sin & draws them near…

§ And God works the same way with us today

· all who are believers already have forgiveness of past, present, and future sin

· but when we sin, we create a barrier…

· confession brings God’s instant cleansing and restoration

¨ If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. – 1 Jn 1:9

· that’s not what we expect – we expect God to act as a hockey referee

¨ puts us in a penalty box

¨ but that’s not the God we serve!

§ So part 1 of God’s response – He comforts us with His gracious presence

§ But that’s not the end of the story…

ú Part 2, [Hag. v14a] God stirs their spirits to move them to obedience.

§ “spirit” = immaterial part of a human being that includes his or her will and desires

· “stir their spirit” appears elsewhere:

¨ Ezra 1 of this group

¨ Ezra 1 of Cyrus, a pagan king

§ So when God stirs up the spirit of a person, He is directing their desires and their will to fulfill His purposes, whether they realize it or not.

§ Result – they boldly and faithfully obeyed – It is only now, with God’s strength in hand, that building begins!

ú And that same situation applies to us today – Read Phil 2:12-13

§ According to this passage, what empowers obedience in our lives? Is it our own self-discipline and hard work? No, as important as those are, the strength for obedience comes not from us, but from God Himself.

§ genuine obedience to God is a supernatural thing!

§ Obedience happens as God empowers us and strengthens us to obey.

§ But look again at v13 – not only does God empower our obedience, but He’s at work in us, right not, transforming our will – changing our desires!

· this transformation usually happens slowly…

· and God often uses practical means…

§ But regardless of how He works, and regardless of how long it takes, this is still an amazing promise that God is at work in us not just to empower us to obey today, but to change us so that we actually want to obey tomorrow!

ú So stage 3 – God responds to our humble confession by:

§ (1) cleansing us and comforting us with His gracious presence

§ (2) empowering us and transforming us to cause us to obey Him

· Review: anatomy of any genuine revival

ú Stage 1: God speaks to His people, convicting them through His Word.

ú Stage 2, His people respond to His conviction in confession, acknowledging the fact of their sin and the seriousness of their sin.

ú Stage 3, God responds to the genuine confession of His people by comforting them with His presence and empowering them to obey.

· Now let’s get personal: Where are you today? Are you experiencing spiritual revival? Do you sense God’s power mightily at work in you? If not, then let’s draw some applications by reviewing these 3 stages:

ú Stage 1 – Have you spent time really listening to God’s voice by studying His word?

§ if “no,” then revival is impossible

§ so join a small group that teaches you and holds you accountable to study the Word

§ God is speaking to you right now, if you’ll only learn to listen.

ú Stage 2 – maybe are you listening, but are you responding in confession?

§ or are you running from His convicting voice so you can continue this sin

§ or are you making excuses so you don’t feel so guilty

§ If so, then you are not experiencing the comforting joy of His presence & the empowerment of His Spirit, because remember Haggai 1, those come AFTER confession.

§ This is a promise – God will not bless the unrepentant

§ So don’t deny, don’t excuse, instead confess

§ Take time now or this afternoon to go before the Lord and:

· agree with Him about the fact of your sin

· agree with Him about the seriousness of your sin

ú Stage 3 – maybe you are listening and are confessing, but still aren’t experiencing spiritual revival. It could be that you’re encountering a problem in stage 3. Let’s be very clear, the problem is not that God isn’t doing His job – He’s always faithful whether we are or not. But many people get tripped up in stage 3, because they simply can’t believe that it’s true.

§ Many people doubt that when they confess a sin, that God would truly cleanse them and draw near to them

· they allow their guilt to cling to them

· they see God like a hockey referee

· they kill the flame of revival

· no revival in the penalty box!

· If this is you, then this week read Luke 15 stating in v11 – story of the prodigal son

· you will see that confession doesn’t just bring acceptance, it brings the Father’s embrace!

§ Many people doubt that God actually gives them the supernatural strength to obey

· especially those who’ve fought the same sin habit for years

· this doubt robs us of strength and makes sin look like the necessary response to temptation – Satan loves this trap

· If this is you, then read / meditate / memorize a few passages of scripture this week:

¨ 1 Cor 10:13

¨ Galatians 5:16-23

¨ Phil 2:12-13

¨ Heb 4:14-16

ú Or maybe you’re listening to God’s convicting voice, confessing your sins, and trusting in His comforting presence and enabling power…

§ all three stages working

§ but you still don’t feel a revival coming on

§ Let me challenge you, to believe...

§ Most revivals are not flash-bang experiences – they’re only recognized years later

§ So if all 3 stages are operative in your life, then take time this week to:

· thank God

· pray for others to experience revival too

§ because if God spreads this revival from the hearts of a few to hearts of many, then what a sight it will be, for there is no limit to what God can do through a people empowered by Him!

· But that must begin right here. Revival must begin with each of us as we respond to God’s conviction with genuine confession and then trust in His cleansing presence and supernatural empowerment. So let the revival begin.