In this effort to prepare for revival it’s important to think deeply about eternal realities. Understanding the call to consecration, prayer, and fasting is meaningless without motivation. When we begin to see the end of those who reject the Gospel, it compels us. This message addresses the way culture thinks about hell and the way Christians avoid thinking about it. After walking through several passages describing hell in the Word, Scott then asks the difficult question—“who will go to hell?” The last part of the message presses the new birth. The only way to be saved from the wrath to come is by being raised to new life by Christ. Scott urges those who are uncertain of their standing before God to repent fully and put their trust in Christ alone.
Revival: Weep
It seems that most serious Christians are well aware of the importance of earnest prayer, fasting and giving themselves to reach others. The problem is a lack of motivation. Where does consuming passion come from? This message explores the source of sustained passion, namely, what we call the burden of the Lord. Tears are the fuel of revival praying. Revival begins when one individual or a group of individuals begin to see the true condition of people and weep over it. Unless we allow God to show us the severity of the danger people are in we will never weep. We must come to grips with eternal realities like the great judgment of God and ultimate hell for those who are not covered in the righteousness of Christ. Much is discussed in this message of the portrait of God described in Scripture compared to the pop-view of God as soft on sin. When we begin to see God as He is we begin to see people as they are. This is the beginning of revival.
Revival: The Rain Is Coming
God is able to step into any cultural situation at any time to renew, restore, and revive it. A farmer's job is not to make it rain, but rather prepare the ground to receive it. The rain of revival will fall – the question is if the church is ready to receive it.
Revival: Know What to Expect
There are a lot of silly notions floating around out there about what revival will look like when it appears. This message explores what to expect based on the ministry of Jesus, the movement of God in the early church and the most powerful revivals in church history. Scott gives 7 distinguishing marks of authentic revival and places the greatest emphasis on the unveiling of the holiness of God upon the people that leads to deep conviction and subsequent repentance. All the other marks of revival seems to flow from this first work of God pulling back the curtain and revealing the “otherness of the Holy”. This message is a must listen for those who are yearning for revival to prepare them for the full ramifications of what they are praying for. It’s also an important message to make sure we are praying in alignment with God.
Revival: Believe
This is a unique message. Scott’s introduction turned into an in-depth pastoral talk. The heart of the message was about faith. Regarding revival it’s easy to fall into unbelief and think God isn’t in the mood to send revival. Because our prayers for an outpouring of the Spirit are not fulfilled, we conclude God is to blame. But God is willing and happy to pour out His Spirit—He longs to do it! Scott takes a tour through the Scriptures to give a sampling of promises God has made to His people. The exhortation is to latch on to these great and precious promises until they come to pass.
Revival: Be Unified
This first message of the series lays a foundation of what revival is so that the church can be unified in the pursuit of it. There are many different ideas about revival and not all are biblical or to even be desired. The overuse of the word revival and the many negative connotations have caused many to repel the very idea of a revival. This message aims to clear up confusion mainly by showing that revival is nothing more than what Moses, David, Isaiah, Habakkuk, Jesus, the early Christians, Paul, and many others, prayed earnestly for. Scott also spends some time explaining several things revival is not, in order to better understand what it is.
Standalone Sermons: Why You Need the Church
Becky and Nate reflect on how being a part of the Church has been a source of joy, peace, love, but also a source of division, embarrassment and exhaustion. It’s invigorating and life-giving but can also be taxing and energy draining. Sometimes it seems theoretically brilliant but practically disastrous. It’s greatest asset is that Jesus is the head, but oftentimes it seems like the greatest weakness is that people are the body.
Yet despite for all the ups and downs, Church and the community it creates is the primary vehicle through which Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit chooses to change us and strengthen us to live for the Kingdom of God. Becky and Nate, in a rare tag-team sermon, share from the Scriptures and their own lives some of the reasons why we need the Church.
Psalm 119:137-176
This last message of five on Psalm 119 explores not only verses 137-176 but ties together the main idea of the whole psalm. It addresses the strange paradox that, despite the psalmist’s total devotion to obedience, meditation on the Word and prayer, he still feels weak, sorrowful and afflicted. He ends the psalm (verse 176) with a sigh—“I have become like a sheep who has gone astray”. He talks about his soul clinging to the dust and he likens himself to a wineskin in the smoke, perhaps expressing an experience of feeling empty, dry and dirty. What is happening? What is God doing with this man? Why do we often seek hard after God only to feel weak and afflicted? Pastor Scott spends most of the message answering these questions. God is sovereign and He knows what He’s doing. He is bringing his saints to a place of humility, desperation, neediness, hunger and thirst in preparation to receive more of Him. When we understand God’s ways we trust him instead of shrinking back. This is an important message especially for those questioning why life seems so hard sometimes.
Psalm 119:97-136
Many topics were covered in this sermon but the punch of the message was around the dreadful reality of God’s judgment, and, particularly, the ultimate judgment of eternal separation. The psalmist talks of weeping over the lostness and rebellion of people around him and Pastor Scott presses us to have this compassion for those we know and love. This is not an easy message to hear. It is not advisable to listen to this message while partially doing other tasks. It is also recommended that you listen to the message when you have enough have time to pray afterward. If the content of this message is fully understood it could produce considerable anguish. This anguish isn’t something negative but is the sort of anguish Jesus experienced when he saw the multitudes (Matt 9) and will produce greater devotion to prayer, fasting and labor to rescue the perishing.
Psalm 119:65-96
This portion of Psalm 119 is very rich and touches on a wide variety of themes. This particular sermon focuses mainly on the experience of persecution that the psalmist (David?) frequently mentions. Scott widens the discussion to the persecution of the saints through the ages and what Scripture promises. The last part of the message explores some of the things we see in these verses regarding how the psalmist coped with his afflictions. Throughout the message there are some important side notes about revival, the Gospel and the importance of new birth. There a strong pleading at the end to those who do not have assurance of salvation in light of the brevity of life in the body.