The Need of Revival Among God’s Children
May 11, 2025
Our nation has seen revival in times past. When we hear the word, revival, we may think of those times in history when the Holy Spirit moved among the populace and many people came to saving faith in Christ.
- There was the Great Awakening of the mid-1700’s. Many thousands of people were saved and the moral landscape of our nation changed.
- In the early 1800’s, the Second Great Awakening lasted over 40 years with similar results.
- Then there was the Prayer Revival of 1857 and 1858 that began in New York City.
- There was a short but intense revival in Wales in 1904 and 1905.
- There was the Jesus Movement of the 1970’s. This revival was not accompanied by as much emotion nor intensity as these previous revivals, yet there was a pronounced increase in people coming to saving faith in Christ.
Those are aptly named revivals because people’s lives were revived and in large numbers. Today, I want to teach about revival but not in that sense. God’s own people also need revival. I mean, those who are already in a saving relationship with the Lord Jesus may find that their faith is not as fervent as it once was. They may discern that their labors for the kingdom are lacking.
Individuals, families, and congregations may all need revival. Presently, I am going to focus upon individual revival because, if one person in a family is filled with the Spirit, then it often happens that it spreads into that household. If several people in a church experience revival then the church as a whole can be revived. I will teach on personal revival.
Consider this sweet verse:
Revive me according to your lovingkindness, so that I may keep the testimony of your mouth. (Psalm 119:88; LSB)
King David yearned to be revived. He recognized that he needed to be enlivened. He already possessed the Holy Spirit (Psalm 51:11) but he wanted more of that life-giving Spirit! We too, as followers of the Lord Jesus, have the Spirit of the Lord living within us. Yet, we can perceive that we are not living as fervently as we ought.
Like David, some of us need to be revived!
If we are enlivened by the Living God then:
- We will be more joyful.
- We will have greater contentment.
- And we will have purpose (because our hearts will be softened to fulfill God’s calling).
[1] When we are revived by the Spirit we will experience joy. Do you remember when you first repented of your sins and believed in Christ? There was great joy, was there not? So very often, though, the joy of our initial salvation wanes. The fact that we were filled with joy upon our coming to Christ shows that the moving of the Spirit within us results in enjoyment. We need to enjoy the Lord again!
Another passage that shows that joy or gladness is a wonderful consequence of being anointed by the Spirit is found in Hebrews:
You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness;
therefore God, your God, has anointed you
with the oil of gladness beyond your companions.”[1]
This verse is about the Lord Jesus. The author of Hebrews quotes David (Psalm 45:7) and shows that when God anoints, he anoints with the oil of gladness! Oil is directly and explicitly identified with the Holy Spirit (Isaiah 61:1; Matt. 25:3-8). When the Holy Spirit comes the result is gladness!
To jump ahead a little bit and talk about purpose, we should enjoy the Lord because it will stir us up to fulfill the Great Commission. As you have been taught, the commission to spread the gospel and make disciples is not just for professional evangelists or church leaders. It is for every follower of Christ. It is for you. Your own experience and the simple observation of Western church life reveal that it is a struggle to share the gospel. Many Christians are apprehensive to talk about God and the gospel.
Do you know what makes any subject easy to talk about? It’s when you enjoy it! The more you enjoy something the easier it is to talk about it. In fact, we like sharing things that bring us joy.
My son, Clark, called me from California last week. He was a little excited because he was reading this book series entitled Fire and Ice and was very much enjoying it. He asked if I was willing to read it and, if I was, he was going to order the books for me. I hardly have time to read fiction, but he was so intent on me finding enjoyment in the books that I didn’t want to disappoint him. Just a few days after that call, Amazon delivered a big box of the six books. Each book is long! Well, I started reading the first book, entitled Game of Thrones, and it is rather good.
But this is the way we are. When we enjoy something, we wish to share it.
You see, the more you enjoy the Lord the more you will spontaneously talk about him. You will hardly have to give it a thought because it will just be the overflow of your enjoyment!
[2] Secondly, when we are revived by the Spirit we will experience contentment.
Discontentment afflicts many of God’s children. The proof of this is to see how many times the Lord’s people are either commanded or commended to be content (Hebrews 13:5; I Timothy 6:6-8; Matthew 6:19-21; 31-32; Luke 12:24; Romans 15:13; Psalm 17:15; 65;4; 107:9; Eccl. 5:10).
Is it not true that discontentment hinders us from serving the Lord? It does. For when we feel discontent we lose our motivation.
Contentment comes with knowing God’s provision and care for us. But the fullest contentment comes from the Spirit of the Living God! There is a well-known passage on contentment and right after it is one of the most quoted verses in the New Testament. The verse that is quoted so often is almost always taken out of context. But it is tethered to the verses that come right before it. Let’s look at the verses on contentment first:
Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need.[2]
The apostle had learned how to be content. The fact that he had to learn it shows that contentment is not our natural state. We all have a tendency to be discontent. Paul had to learn how to be content! Surely, if the apostle had to learn it, so do we! He goes on in verse 12 to say that he has learned the secret of being content. What is the secret? He tells us in the next verse, the one that is so often quoted:
“I can do all things through him who strengthens me.”[3]
The “all things” is not winning a football game or a weightlifting contest. The things to which the apostle refers are what he just said. That is, being content in every circumstance.
How is it that he can be content? Through God who gives strength! How does God do that? By his Spirit, of course.
Paul is explicit about it in Romans. Peace is a synonym for contentment. See what he says:
“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.”[4]
Joy, peace and hope all come by the power of the Holy Spirit!
[3] Thirdly, when we are enlivened by the Living God we will desire to fulfill our purpose. One of our purposes and the one to which I refer is to make disciples. This starts by sharing the gospel. Discipleship begins when a person submits to the gospel.
Many Christians are fearful to share the gospel. It’s not right to allow apprehension to dissuade you from speaking the truth, but it happens all the time.
We need the power of the Spirit to energize us and overpower our trepidation. This was the Lord’s promise to his first disciples:
“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”[5]
The Lord Jesus empowered his disciples to be witnesses by the Holy Spirit!
This final point, by God’s grace, we will look at more carefully next time.
[Conclusion and Application] What have we learned today? We learned that we, as God’s children, need personal revival. If we are enlivened by the Spirit then:
- We will be more joyful.
- We will have greater contentment.
- And we will be empowered to fulfill our purpose of being witnesses to the truth of the gospel.
What should we do? By the grace of the Lord we will consider this question next week. But there is something that you can do this week! You can begin by praying. Every day and more than once per day, ask God to fill you with the Holy Spirit. A prayer something like this:
“Lord, I am not where I am supposed to be. I ought to have more gladness in my life. I find myself discontent at times. I do not share the gospel much. Oh Lord! I need your beautiful and empowering Spirit. Fill me with your Spirit so that I may better please you! Amen.”
