Revival Ready - Nehemiah: Revival Starts with Us

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(soft music) (soft music) (soft music) (soft music) Now you have come into a service that is next generation Sunday. We want our church family to be someone that looks into the face of the next generation. generation and say we believe. [music] Hostess to me, our faith is only as good as it goes from generation to generation. Well, good morning, and welcome to next generation Sunday. You guys can go ahead and stand up to your feet. We're going to jump straight into worship this morning, and our hearts cry is that we can see the glory of the Lord come and be in this room with us, that we can experience His presence together. So I just encourage you from moment one, let's not wait, but let's pursue the work together that we may see His face, and rightly glorify Him. Let's just sing this out together. We sing, "Here's my wait." [music] Here, as we wait, seek your face, come and make your throne upon our praise, near in this place, have your way. The moment that we see, we are dead. [music] Show us your glory, show us your glory, in wonder and surrender, we fall down. [music] Show us your glory, show us your glory. Let every burning heart be holy ground. [music] Holy ground. [music] Here, not by God, and not by my will, only by the cross we come alive. And here, we're undone, and we're overcome, by heaven's love revealed before our eyes. Show us your glory, show us your glory, in wonder and surrender, we fall down. Show us your glory, show us your glory, let every burning heart be holy ground. Show us, show us your glory, show us your glory, in wonder and surrender, we fall down. Show us your glory, show us your glory, let every burning heart be holy ground. [music]

Holy ground. Change, fall, fear, our right here, and now Jesus, you changed everything. Change, fall, fear, our right here, right now Jesus, you changed everything. Change, fall, fear, our right here, right now Jesus, you changed everything. Your life, you know is now right here, right now Jesus, you changed everything. Change, fall, fear, our right here, right now Jesus, you changed everything. ♪ Oh yeah ♪ ♪ Change all here ♪ ♪ About right here ♪ ♪ Now ♪ ♪ 'Cause Jesus you've changed everything ♪ ♪ Lost ♪ ♪ You live open ♪ ♪ About right here ♪ ♪ Right now ♪ ♪ 'Cause Jesus you've changed everything ♪ - Well, good morning church family. Hey, so excited to be here with y'all this morning. If you could not tell when you're walking in, seeing all the young faces greeting, serving y'all. It is next generation Sunday this Sunday. So we are so excited. Hey, can we give it up for our band? This morning, leading us and worship, leading us to his presence. They've been awesome, but hey, like I said, it's next generation Sunday. I've got Tristan and I've got Kendall here with me. This morning Tristan is a young adult and Kendall is a senior in high school.

Yeah, we can give it up for her. - Good morning church family. If you're a first time guest in the room with us today, you are the most important person in the room. In the seat back in front of you, you'll find a connect card and we invite you just to fill that out just so we can know how to walk alongside you in your faith journey. And when you exit today, there's gonna be a red bucket and you can drop it in that red bucket. On the back of that connect card is a spot to fill out prayer requests. Our staff meets every week and prays for those requests that you write down. So we ask and invite you to let us pray alongside of you and you can just drop those off also in the red bucket as you leave. Hey, we just wanted to take just a quick second and I just wanted to say, hey, thank y'all for trusting in us to invest in the next generation. Those people that you see represented all across this campus. Thank y'all for trusting in us to do that. And also thank y'all for being faithful in your first fruits giving to where it allows us to pour in to the next generation. Every week we get opportunities to meet and to mentor and to pour into students of all ages from 56 students, kids, young adults. So that is because you being faithful in your first fruit. So thank you for that.

And one more thing that I wanted to say before Tristan prays for us and we get back into worship is next Sunday. Parents, if you are in here and have a student seventh through 12th grade, next Sunday the 25th, we will have our parent summit. It will be in the venue at 1030. And we will be talking about what it looks like for you as a parent of a middle school or a high school and what that looks like for you to disciple your children. So you don't want to miss that again next Sunday in the venue, 1030 will be our parent summit. - Well, before we hop back into worship, I'd love to just take a moment and just pause yourself. Whatever that looks like for y'all, hands open, eyes closed, whatever it looks like for you to just pause yourself to the Lord. Let's just take a moment. I'm gonna read a little scripture for us and then we're gonna pray for us and hop back into worship. So Psalms 27, 4 says, one thing I ask from the Lord, this only do I seek that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life to gaze on the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple. I know all of us are coming from different places and different seasons, but we also are all here together, gathered in the house of the Lord, to be able to spend time in his presence and praise him. So we're about to jump into a song that just declares that this is our father's house

and that we can rightfully worship him. So let me pray for us. Well, Lord, we just thank you for who you are. We thank you for your presence. We thank you for just the opportunity to just gather in your house today, Lord. Just rightfully align us with you, Lord. I'd like us to just fix our gaze on you and to seek you in every way, Lord. Just allow us to pour out our offering of worship to you and may it just be holy, Father. So we just thank you for who you are and we just ask all these things in your mighty name. Amen. (gentle music) ♪ And here's where I come to say ♪ ♪ I love you ♪ ♪ Here's where I come to say ♪ ♪ I need here ♪ ♪ 'Cause who is like the Lord in all the heavens ♪ # Here's where I come to bow down # # Here's where I come to say # # You're beautiful # # Who is like the Lord in all the heavens? # # Who is like the Lord in all the earth? # # I'll worship you forever # # And ever # # I'll worship you forever # # And ever # # Until my lungs run out of breath #

# And then even after dead # # I'll be singing you a love song # # With all I have # # I'll worship you forever # # And ever # # I'll worship on my days # # We sing, "Here's Where?" # # 'Cause here's where I come to say # # I love you # # And here's where I come to say # # I need you # # 'Cause who is like the Lord in all the heavens? # # Yes, who is like the Lord in all the earth? # # And here's where I come to bow down # # Here's where I come to say # # You're beautiful # # 'Cause who is like the Lord in all the heavens? # # Yes, who is like the Lord in all the earth? # # I'll worship you forever # # And ever # # I'll worship you forever # # And ever # # And so I'll once run out of breath # # And then even after dead # # I'll be singing you a love song # # With all I have # # I'll worship you forever # # And ever # # I'll worship on my days # #

# 'Cause I don't need anything # # I couldn't ask for more # # If I have seen you face # # I've got all I want # # To put me out of your feet # # And to the world out # # 'Cause you know where I'll be # # In my father's house # # I don't need anything # # I couldn't ask for more # # If I have seen you face # # I've got all I want # # To put me out of your feet # # To the world out # # 'Cause you know where I'll be # # And in my father's house # # I don't need anything # # I couldn't ask for more # # If I have seen you face # # I've got all I want # # To put me out of your feet # # And to the world out # # 'Cause you know where I'll be # # In my father's house # # In my father's house # # Yeah, that's where I wanna be right with you # # That's where I wanna be right # # Come on, we'll only have # # We'll sing our worship you forever # # Our worship you forever #

# And ever # # Our worship you forever # # And ever # # Until my lungs run out of breath # # And then even after death # # I'll be singing you a love song # And ever I worship on my day How we love You, Jesus How we love You, Jesus There was a moment when the lights went out When death had claimed its victory The king of love had given up his life The darkest day in history They're on a cross they made for sinners For every curse has blood at home When final breath and it was fairness But not the end we could have known For the hurt and the shame in the veil was true What sacrifice was made as the heavens ruled Oh, Him, Jesus Oh, Him, Lord of heaven and earth Oh, Him, Jesus Oh, Him, Savior of the world There was a moment when the sky fell up A flash of light breaking through And all was lost, he crossed, he turned it in The king of life was on the moon We're in a dark old tomb Where our Lord was laid One miraculous ray

And we forever came Oh, Him, Jesus Oh, Him, Lord of heaven and earth Oh, Him, Jesus Oh, Him, Savior of the world Oh, Him, Jesus Oh, Him, Lord of heaven and earth Oh, Him, Jesus Oh, Him, Savior of the world And the Savior of the world went ahead Let every knee come down For the king of kings Let every tongue confess And He is Lord, lift up your shout Let us join with all that is singing Oh, Him, Lord of heaven Oh, Him, Lord of heaven Oh, Him, Lord of heaven We're singing only All hail, King, Jesus ♪ All heaven in earth ♪ ♪ Jesus, and all heaven ♪ ♪ The Savior of the world ♪ - Hallelujah, hallelujah. (audience applauding) (gentle music) - It's one thing to have the next generation on the stage. It's another thing for them to lead us into the presence of Jesus. Can we thank them for that one? Come on.

(audience applauding) Super proud of them. Now, here's what I wanna say to us today. The Lord's here. He has been all week. We prayed on Tuesday as a staff for you for this moment. Prayed into knee in my chapter nine and the Lord walked into our staff prayer time and in really powerful ways. And so we've been anticipating and was sure so in the first service. Now that doesn't mean that it'll necessarily be the same in the second, but our willingness to cooperate with what God wants to do in this moment matters. And worship has a way of welcoming Him. As a way of, well, I love seasons. I'm a seasoned guy. Anybody grateful for some fall weather? Come on, right? (audience applauding) It makes me forget about a really bad Saturday of football, hallelujah, right? I'm grateful for that, which is a great sport to enjoy. It's just a bad way to worship. That's just the truth. And so this morning as we were singing that in the first, which is true here right now, there's something about it.

When God's people come and rightly align, where our faces turn toward Him and say, all hell King Jesus, that we rightly declare from our lips because we mean it from our heart, that there's none like you. Now here's the truth. One day that song is gonna be sung if you want to or not. But in this moment, we get a decision too. If we might not even feel it yet in our heart, but we know that it's true. And so I wonder if we might just welcome the Lord another moment here in worship and just sing that little tag of that song from here to Him. I wonder if we might break through some barriers. And for some of you, maybe for the first time that you might lift your head, might lift your hands to this King and say, all hell King Jesus. We praise you, we ascribe worth to you, we adore you, we magnify you, we lift you. And there's something about worship that welcomes, it welcomes God into this moment with us. Now let me tell you what I've learned about Jesus. He's a gentleman that he wants to work every moment in our life, but he comes where he's welcomed. So just for another moment here, let's welcome him in worship, turn your face toward Him.

(soft piano music) ♪ All hell King Jesus ♪ ♪ All hell the Lord of heaven and earth ♪ ♪ All hell King Jesus ♪ ♪ And all hell the Savior of the world ♪ ♪ All hell King Jesus ♪ ♪ All hell the Lord of heaven and earth ♪ ♪ All hell King Jesus ♪ ♪ All hell the Savior of the world ♪ ♪ All hell King Jesus ♪ ♪ All hell the Lord of heaven and earth ♪ ♪ All hell King Jesus ♪ ♪ All hell the Savior of the world ♪ Can we just pour out some praise on Him real quick? Come on. Word of the hour, you know, word of the hour. So Jesus, we just, we don't merely sing it into the sky. We say it into your beautiful face, Jesus. You are King of Kings. bride, and we will worship you forever, Lord, we will live in this communal fellowship with you as your children. You are building a forever family. And in this moment in time, you're making known your kingdom, the ways in which it works and operates in such a way that brings about transformation to cities and states and nations and worlds. So we just welcome your voice. Speak to us now, we ask. Please speak to us according to your word in such a way that demands a response. Got to pray for willing hearts right now. We'll be willing to cooperate with what you want to do because you're sure

worthy of it. We pray it in Jesus name. Amen. Let's give you a prayer when we're time. Come on. Awesome. Listen, you can get a seat. It's a different kind of message today. We'll see where the Lord takes us. Nehemiah chapter nine, if you got a Bible, you can turn there. And if you missed last week, you missed a lot because Brother David brought a word in Nehemiah chapter eight that really showed us a lot of things about redemptive history, even in the ways that Jesus was making his plan known for the different gates that are in Nehemiah eight and really sets up where we'll be today. If you missed it, I'd encourage you to go back, which is true for all of our series and even our notes today. If you just touched a little tap tag in front of you, the front of your phone, you can download the notes for today. I want to give you a little teaser of what's to come. You'll get tired of me preaching for a while here because I'm going to go on a stretch of preaching from here that God's got for us finishing up Nehemiah in the next couple of weeks. And then we're going to start a series on November the 8th called home. And I want to tell you a little bit about that so that you might be ready because I know our faith family and I know a lot of your stories and season that you're in. And here's the heart behind it. God told me this, I feel like two years ago. And I've really been preparing my heart and mind. It's a three week series that runs us up to Thanksgiving week, November 8th, 15th, 22nd, about heaven. And we're going to spend three weeks. And what I've found for many of us that we have some ideas about what that's going to be like, but we don't have a lot of biblical clarity. And a lot of times we say things like, well, you just don't know when in reality, we shouldn't know. There's so much truth to know about

heaven that should encourage the heart of a believer. Thanks for us to know about those that we love that are already there. Things to know about heaven that will be true for all of us ultimately in the final consummation when heaven and earth collide. And so we're going to take three weeks to really, really look at that. I'm telling you, it's going to, it's going to help our hearts. It's going to fill our hearts. Also, awesome three weeks to invite somebody. Awesome three weeks for you to bring a family member friend or somebody you know that needs that kind of hope. So that's coming in a few weeks about excited about that. Come on three weeks, we talk about heaven. Well, if you ain't yet, you will be by the end of it. Okay. Now to the word today, I really think the father has some things to say to us. I want to jump into Nehemiah 8 and sort of bridges into nine. In the end of Nehemiah 8 verse 18, it says, "And day by day from the first to the last he read from the book of the law, Ezra the law of God, they kept the feast seven days, and on the eighth day there was a solemn assembly according to the rule. So for day after day, the people of God's get the setting are sitting under the word of God. They're getting serious about experiencing personally and as a people, the presence of God. They're getting quiet before God. And God is establishing his work in them. For much of Nehemiah, it's about God's work through them in the building of a wall that God has used God, his people in a powerful way to reestablish the protection of God, the wall of God around Jerusalem. He is used family by family to cooperate with that. But God's work is moving from out there to in here. That God has in many ways allowed their hands to become tired and their minds to become attentive

to what he wants to say to them about them. That God's word is going to reveal to them some things they need to know about them that they have not quite come to understand. And the question is, will they cooperate? See, the work's not on the wall anymore. The work's on the will of men and women. And will they respond to what he's saying? See, God started in their hands. He's moved to their heart. They have, for 52 days, established where the David showed to this, an eight-foot wide wall that went miles around that they actually fulfilled by the grace and the power of God. But the greatest miracle is about to happen. It's going to span about 18 inches from their head to their heart. God's going to now start working on what they've known about God to what they actually believe about Him. I think in a lot of ways, hear me, that our church has experienced God's work in powerful ways. That God has established His work here at Cross Gates in the last few years in some supernatural ways, that He's in many ways restored the family, He's renewed our faith, man. He's even done things cosmetically and the facilities that He's entrusted to us, that we've renewed our belief for the next generation that you see on stage. We've made intentional decisions and investments in re-establishing the work of Jesus's church for the sake of future generations. If Jesus terries that we'd leave a church

to advance the kingdom of God here, but make no mistake, God's always after our heart, not merely our hands. He's not just about what's going to come through us, it's about what He wants to do in us. And so you pick up in chapter nine, it says now on the 24th day of this month, the people of Israel were assembled with fasting and in sackcloth and with earth on their heads, the Israelites separated themselves from all the foreigners and stood and confessed, they stood and confessed their sins and the iniquities of their fathers. What we see here is the real work of the spirit of God in the hearts of people that have been marinating in the word of God. And they've come to this place of genuine conviction that God through His word has revealed to them the state of their hearts, not in a religious kind of way. Now they're responding to the weight of God's word to them personally and as a people that God's word has come like a mirror before their faces. And now they're starting to see the true state, not merely of the facade, but what's deep within. And because of that, God's people do something that was not merely a religious practice in that moment. They put on sackcloth, meaning like some tattered clothing that on the outside, they're displaying what they've come to believe is true on the inside,

that man, we're all out of source. That we're not just merely, we don't look good, feel good, everything is good. We're coming to realize that man deep within us is some guttural spiritual rot. That there's some things in light of the state that we're in, we're there because of things that we have done, of people that we've become. They put some dirt on their head. Now, Jesus would come and rebuke the Pharisees for how they would do that to draw spiritual attention. But in this moment, it's genuine. That there's this moment that the people of God are coming to realize, man, that over time we've become dirty. Over time, man, listen, our motivations are messed up, our morals have been corrupted. The way that we see God has been distorted, man. The way that we see ourself is disturbing. And so because of that, listen, they start fasting. Not because they have to, but because they want to. That the people of God said, listen to me, we're gonna empty ourselves so that we might be filled again. We're gonna declare in our physical state that we realize, God, that we've got some bad things going on in our mind. We've got some bad things going on in our hearts. That they're not putting on a spiritual show that they're getting serious about their spiritual state. That we've moved away from you, God, you didn't move away from us.

And the reason for our situation is our rebellion. So we're gonna separate ourselves from this world. We're gonna set ourselves apart unto you again, God. And I wanna just say a few things to us, okay? What was true for Israel is true for the church of the Lord Jesus Christ today. Hear me, okay? It's just gonna talk. We're reaping as a nation the destruction of the enemy, not merely because of who's been elected in offices in previous seasons or present, while those things do matter. We're reaping in this season, not merely what's happened in the technological age that has rolled in and recent generations, and it has harmed us. We're not reaping in this season because the enemy all of a sudden got all powerful and he's just more powerful than God in our day than he was in previous days. No, we are reaping as a nation. being the church, that we stopped being lot, that we stopped forcefully advancing the kingdom of God in such a way that establishes the foundation for future generations, that we are where we are primarily in our country, because the church of the Lord Jesus Christ was lulled to sleep, that we have catered to our culture, that we stopped reaching people with the good news of Jesus Christ, that we stopped living distinct in this world and started to look like this world, that, listen to me, we became more religious instead of walking in powerful relationship with God, that the reason we are where we are make no mistake is because of decisions that we have made and power that we have lacked. And the scripture says that judgment begins with the house of God, that the responsibility for our nation and for our state as a people starts

and stops with us, and until we come to really believe that there'll be no change. Here's the truth about the nation in which God allows us to live, that I love being a part of, we were founded as a nation with a Christian worldview. That's a fact. We just stopped living the Christian life in such a way that the life of God and the power of God stopped forming and fashioning our ethic as a people and what we live for. We slowly drifted at first and then sped away. Israel did the same. The church in America has done similar. And listen, what's true for a people can be true for a person. Maybe you started strong with Jesus. And over time, you've just learned how to do church. Maybe you set apart your family at first, man, we're going to be a family for the glory of Jesus Christ, for the advancement of the kingdom of God. And you started pretty strong, but then you had a bad season, maybe made a couple bad decisions. And before you know it, you're just doing this thing. But if you're honest, you're not walking in a biting relationship with God. You don't have the life of God pouring out of you in such a way that is forming and fashioning what will be true for your children and grandchildren and great grandchildren that you slowly drifted away, but you don't know how to get back. And what God was doing in Israel in that moment, what he's doing for the people of God is that he got them into the work and he started rebuilding through their hands. But now God's going to rebuild it through their heart. And the way that he did it then is the way that he still works now. One confession at a time. One hindrance removed at a time. One obstacle removed at a time. One indifference moved at a time. One distraction removed at a time. That your confession personally and our confession as a people matters in revival. There's a principle of the kingdom of God, they will never be revival without repentance, and they'll never be changed without confession. It's impossible. Yet, it's available. So I'm going to give you one key ingredient and honestly, I feel like I just want to get out of the way. If you want to experience this to be refreshing in your relationship with God, if we want to experience man, the power and presence of God through us as a church, if we want to see societal change in the kingdom of God advanced again, there's this non-negotiable in the activity and the movement of God. If you want to be revived, if you want to be refreshed, if you need fresh tears from your eyes, if you need fresh communion and intimacy with God to know God personally again, he's not walked away. That the only way back into listening to be abiding relationship with God comes with genuine confession. Genuine confession.

Let me tell you what genuine confession is not this morning. God's not looking for a million, I'm sorry. God's not looking for you to throw shame on yourself or condemnation or to hide in the corner. I got some good news for us this morning. Nowhere in the New Testament does it encourage us to wear sack off so I didn't bring any burlap sacks in the house. We're not going to have some wheelbarrows come through the room full of dirt so that we can come in here and get a handful of dirt and put it on top of our heads to make an outward representation. with. But I'm going to tell you, but if he wanted us to, we should. I'm telling you right now, if God wanted me to wear burlap, put dirt on my head that I might experience His presence in a powerful way, I would. I praise God that Jesus took all that for me, though. He sort of took on my shame. He took on my sin. He wore it. He wore everything that I've ever done. I'm doing will do. Took the generational shame and condemnation of whole humanity and wore it. Drank it. It's what the Scripture says to the dregs, died for it. So I don't have to come in condemnation, but that I can come in confession. You're one, listen, one move of confession from a changed life today, from renewed communion today. So today we're not going to put on burlap and we're not going to place dirt on our heads, but I wonder if we'd be willing to confess for the sake of cleansing, that there'd be nothing between us and our Father again. One pastor once said, answering the question, you know what confession is? Confession means literally saying the same ass. So for us as believers in the Bible and in Jesus Christ, confession means we say the same with our mouth as God says in His word. We make the words of our mouth agree with the word of God, meaning when the Spirit of God comes to you personally, even right now in this room, and shows you, hey, call that thing in you, that motive, it misses the mark. And because of it is building a barrier in our relationship, listen, that as the Spirit of God comes to you this morning, right now, and He is, I'm not going to give you sinless to show each and every one of us what those things might be as a hindrance, but that would you be willing to come into the presence of God today and let the Spirit of God show you anything that's between you and Him and come and make your good confession going like God. I'm coming to realize that the way that my mind is working, I'm easily distracted. My heart is divided, that I have these things in my devices, that I have these things that are generating all the ways in which I'm living. The habits of my life God are formed because I'm trying to find life in these things, and I'm going to agree with you. I'm not merely going to say I'm sorry that when God says that in your life

call is idolatry, you go, God, it's idolatry. Then when God shows you something in your life that's perversion, you say, God, that's perversion. When God shows you something, you're trying to find satisfaction in that it's not ultimate, you say, God, that thing in my life, it's sin, it's a sin against you, and I'm coming into agreement based off your word on these things in my life. And the enemy is going to do everything he possibly can to keep you from confession, because in confession there's closeness. Come on now, I got this picture in my spirit of the Father leaning over our pig pins. Anybody else got a pig pin? Let's be honest, every one of us do, right? Things that we try to find satisfaction and slop. That we're easily, listen, we easily roll around in things that make us dirty and defiled. Every one of us do. And what I feel the Father is saying to us, why don't you come here and let me clean you up? Why don't you agree with me about what those things are in your life, not that you'd be condemned, listen, but that we might be connected, that you might be revived, that you might feel freshness again in your relationship with me. That's genuine confession that my heart is divided. Even this week as we were praying, I had this picture in my spirit that even as I was saying these things, that the Spirit of God was showing them and that people just started coming and making good confession. And that happened in the last servers. That as the Lord turned the light on and we realized I need to close the distance between me and God. God is showing me the things that's a hindrance to my relationship with him that people started coming to an altar. I'm going to tell you, there's nothing necessarily special about an altar. You can make an altar out of your heart. You can make an altar where you sit. You can make an altar out of your car ride home. You can have an altar this afternoon. You can, but I wonder if we would be willing. I don't really care if people see me come. Because I need to get back to God again. That I'm tired of feeling the way I'm, listen to me, I sat and wept with a dude right here that was just sick and tired of being sin sick. You ever got there? Like I'm tired of having this between me and the Lord. I'm tired of this hindering what Jesus has purchased on my behalf.

I want to be free. I want to be cleansed. I don't want to walk in the enemy wants to keep you all alone with the dark corners of your heart and that you would never be free when Jesus came to purchase your freedom. And for some of us, man, that's one step of cleansing. That's one step of confession. Even this morning they continued in verse three and it says they stood up in their place and they read from the book of the law of the Lord of their God for a quarter of the day, six hours. And when God, listen, when God shows up, time goes out the door. 'Cause God's here and they sat for 600 hours under the Word of God and for another quarter of it, they made confession and worship the Lord of their God. So God is moving among these people in such a way that they're coming in right confession. They're coming in right worship. It goes on, skips down to the other part of the verses of scripture in verse five and he says, stand up and bless the Lord your God from everlasting to everlasting blessed be your glorious name, which is exalted above all blessing and praise. So the Word of God's been read aloud. Confession is coming up out of their lips 'cause God is revealing what is really so in their heart and they're getting clean.

And in that place of cleansing comes worship. Hey, a lot of us in the room, our worship is hindered because all we see is our sin. Come on now, right? A lot of us come into the room. It's been a long time since you could stretch out your hands to say there's nothing like you because you feel like your hands are dirty. A lot of us don't think we could, with our lips praise them, you're like, how come with my lips? I've said things I shouldn't say. I'm doing things I shouldn't do and you've got all these things and the enemy come and he's trying to rob you of the abundant life. Trying to rob you of living in victorious life and Christ, but you're one confession away this morning of throwing your head back and going, you are King of Kings and Lord of Lords. You're one confession from your hands being bound, broken free to close that gap this morning between you and your God. That's authentic worship is a non-negotiable and real revival. The people hungry for the word of God was confessing their sins before God. They're excited to exalt his name together. When God sits on a church in that kind of way, it's in a revived state. And what it doesn't mean that in one moment we're perfected. That's heaven, hallelujah, right?

That's coming one day. Come on one day, man, you gonna have it all together. Until then, you're just gonna be here. Right. But you're you in process by the power of the Holy Spirit being sanctified season after season, looking more like Jesus, being conformed into the image in his likeness, being changed and renewed, transformed to mine, changed habits, attitudes, affections. That's revival. That in every season he's making me more like my savior, in every season the Spirit's in power in me with more anointing, more of his manifest glory. He said, "Cal out of you, get there, one confession at a time, man, one right move at a time." And he reveals, "Hey, that's not like our father. You're right, that's not like my father." I agree with you Lord, change that. I'm not gonna ask you it. I'm not gonna say I'm sorry a million times. I'm gonna say I'm sorry and ask you to cleanse me. Ask you to change me. Ask you to transform me and I'm gonna worship you. Verses 6-31, I got good news for you so you don't think we're gonna be here a quarter of the day. I'm not gonna preach all that. I'm gonna give you the cliff notes version of it.

Let me tell you what, the cliff notes version of verses 6-31, he starts with praise and a lot of him being the creator of heavens and earth and then he tells the story of God and I'm gonna give you the story of God real simple. God has always been faithful. He's a covenant-keeping God that cannot do anything contrary to his nature, anything contrary to his holiness, his righteousness, that since the beginning of time, God has been faithful towards humanity and our common theme is we're unfaithful. [BLANK_AUDIO] they started strong and his family fell apart, right? You talk about a family, I love reading Genesis 'cause you think your family's messed up? Read Genesis, right? You're like, man, you're crazy. 'Cause listen to me, 'cause God's only had broken kids. And the story of the Bible is this, is that God is faithful in his pursuit of his people and yet we are unfaithful and he will allow us to walk away from him and then walking away from him, it'll bring about judgment, it'll bring about heaviness, it'll bring about separation, it brings about darkness, listen, you know what I'm talking about. There's an absence of God's presence, there's an absence of God's governance in our life, there's an absence of God's nearness in our life and we wander away and then God brings a person

to bring a word and say, oh, if you'll repent, oh, if you'll turn, oh, if you'll just make a right confession, God will restore you again. He'll renew you, he'll bring a prophet in one moment, he'll bring a priest in another moment, he brings a knee in the mind in one moment and across revival, history, redemptive history, if it's a wit field, if it's an Ezra, he brings his people and says, would you turn back to him, people? Would you turn back to him person? And in one moment of clarity, people come. Maybe today, you come and you come before the Lord and you say, Lord, I've wandered away. I just started doing religion and going through the motions when I was made for so much more and in verses six to 31, you recognize the cycle of revival and you learn how to close the gap, that's the principle. You recognize the cycle of revival and you learn how to close the gap. So can I give you an encouragement for one second? For 70 years, they received a prophesied judgment. It wasn't because God was unwilling to restore them sometime within those 70 years, he just knew they wouldn't return. He just knew that they wouldn't repent. And so what God did in his mercy and grace is to me kept pursuing them, kept pursuing them, kept pursuing them to us finally.

I'm gonna tell you, here's, I don't wanna go 70 days without experiencing God's presence and power in my life. How about we close the gap and we don't spend, well, one of the things I love regular worship, we don't spend seven days, man, without coming into the presence of God together, getting cleans, staying close. Here's a principle that I have in my life that I ask people to hold me accountable. I wanna stay close and I wanna stay clean. I wanna stay close to him and I wanna stay clean by him. Well, that God has shown me anything in my life that hinders his fellowship, man, that quenches his work in me. Eli, you go ahead and come back and play. Verse 32, it says, "Now therefore our God, the great and mighty and awesome God who keeps covenant and steadfast love." You see that, who keeps covenant and steadfast love. Here's the declaration at the end of chapter nine. God, you have only ever been faithful. You have only ever been consistent. You've only ever been pursuing of us. You've only ever had what's best in mind for us. You've been righteous. You've been just. You've been faithful. And then it declares in the next verses, yet we've been wicked, we've strayed, we've wandered away.

And it wasn't just a few of us. It was kings, it was prophets, it was priests, it was the everyday person. So make no mistake about this, when God looks over this nation, America, he's not looking to political parties and saying it's your fault, that the United States of America is in the state in which it is, that at some point, listen to me, there was pastors that fell asleep at the wheel. There was a church that had lost sight of the urgency of reaching people on every street corner that God had placed them. That at some point, the people of God lost sight of this nation was literally founded on the things of the kingdom of Jesus Christ. And we got distracted, lured away, we became selfish. We wanted what we wanted it and we wanted it now. And we catered and we crumbled. And what's true of a nation can be true of your home, be true in your own heart. And the only way revival has ever come, like a real move of God, the, making alive a person of people again, his moments of genuine repentance. Recognize, man, we have settled for so much less than what God originally intended. And what no one could ever make for you is your confession. Nobody can. Let me tell you what I love where this lands. Verse 38, it says, because of all this we make, you see this verse 38, let's do it, because of all this, we make a firm covenant and writing on the sealed documents or the names of the

princes, Levites, and our priests. Meaning they came back into the presence of God after weeping, after fasting, after dirt on their faces, and they reestablished covenant with God. And here's the good news. God didn't have to write his name down again because he had not broke covenant. Hallelujah, right. Let me tell you, one of my favorite moments is getting to be a part of a wedding ceremony and stand there with the groom and he sees his bride, right. And I've never had a moment where that groom turned and looked at me and goes, man, I'm about to marry crazy. Never, never had that moment. Do she is nuts. Like what if I have that moment, I'm going to stop that wedding, right? I'm going to tell you something, Jesus stood at the altar, knowing he was marrying crazy. Hallelujah, right. He stood there knowing that he's married to people that would forsake him, abandon him, betray him. He stood at an altar knowing that we'd forget him, lose sight of him. Come in, all kinds of evil against him. And yet he stands and he says, come here and all listen to me and all our adultery and all the ways we defile. He goes, all, let me wash you again with the word. Let me make you new. Let me restore you. And all he asks of us is, would you cooperate and come? All he says is, will you come again? Now he stands faithful, immovable, but we have to come again. We have to come over and over and over again because why we rebel. We wander and we do what I love about him.

He doesn't stand the scold. He stands and says, let me set you free from you. Why don't you, why don't you come to me? Why don't you confess your sin to me? Why don't you let me free you from you? Why don't you let me clean you from what you've done to yourself? Why don't we get a fresh start? Why don't we renew covenant? That's the principle in revival. There's that there's renewed covenant. So there's genuine confession. There's authentic worship and there's renewed covenant. Let me tell you what I thought about. I thought of about a million different ways we could do this day. I thought about stretching butcher paper all the way across this altar and giving you a pen and saying, would you come? Cause this is what they, they, they came and literally wrote it down, wrote down their name that I am here declaring again, that my house will serve the Lord. That as much so as I can by the spirit's power, I'm going to love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, soul, mind and strength. And I know what you're saying, you go, call if I say it, I, I'm going to break it. I know. So what happens when I wander away again, you confess it, you come again, hallelujah, right? And you close that gap, you close that gap every time. And before you know it, there's big breakthrough moments. There's moments like many this morning, man, where you, they had a moment of deliverance, but God breaks the back of something in their life. And they go, I'm not going back. I'm only going forward from here.

And guess what, forward from here, there's still more stuff. John Calvin said that the human heart is an idol making factory. Would you come this morning to him so what we're not going to do in a second, I'm not going to have our prayer leaders come down to the front, I'm going to join you in a second before the Lord at the altar and just come with my confession, God I want to be solely surrendered to you, I want to be a part of the real move of God in our day and our nation right now, I don't want to wait too long, I don't want to wait too long. We're in a right now moment in redemptive history and I'm just going to say this to his church, I think that by God's grace he's making us revive already. I think the room is ready but you've got to come with your confession this morning, you got to come find the cleansing that you need this morning, you need a fresh start with God, I know a God that's waiting on you, if you're here you got questions about what it means to know Jesus Christ we'd love to talk to you about that, inspire your heads for a moment if you need to come go ahead and come, don't wait, go ahead and come, you just need a fresh start with God, come on. I want to be a part of that, I want to be a part of that, I want to be a part of that We're doing business with God this morning, whatever God's showing you, cooperate with that, asking to turn the light on, we're going to worship him. Some have already come, they'll leave in a moment maybe you'll want to come, you ain't got anywhere to be I promise you that's more important than being right here right now, you ain't got anywhere to be, you ain't got anywhere to be, it's more important than being right here with God right now, what is he showing you, what is he saying to you, Father we're here for you, meet with your people as only you can in the ways that they need most anybody that needs deliverance, I pray you do that God, anyone needs a breakthrough, anybody that needs to be saved, God I pray you give them the courage to respond to you, let's do this, let's stand and worship together, altar's open, I'll stand out here, a few of us, others can't, if you need to find one of our pastors, we'd love to pray, I would just look at you and say listen, you're one confession away from a changed life, go ahead and stand, go and stand, you're one confession, I'm from a change, I fresh start with God, I just move whatever way the Lord is urging you to move, go for it, let's worship Him.

Are you hurt and broken with his head, oh, wound by the weight of his sin, Jesus is calling, have you come to the end of yourself, do you thirst for a dream from the well, Jesus is calling, who come to the altar, the Father's arms are open, wow forgiveness was born with the precious blood of Jesus Christ, leave behind your regrets and mistakes, come today there's no reason to wait, Jesus is calling. # From the ashes and new life is born # # Jesus is calling # # For come to # # The altar # # The Father's arms are open # # My forgiveness was bought with # # The precious blood of Jesus Christ # # Oh, come to the altar # # The Father's arms are open # # My forgiveness was bought with # # The precious blood of Jesus Christ # # Jesus is calling # # Jesus is calling # # Jesus is calling # # And oh, what a savior # # Isn't he wonderful # # Sing hallelujah # # 'Cause Christ is risen # # Be bound down before him # # For he is Lord of all # # And sing hallelujah # # Christ is risen # # Oh, what a savior # # Isn't he wonderful # # Sing hallelujah #

# Christ is risen # # Be bound down before him # # For he is Lord of all # # And sing hallelujah # # Christ is risen # # Oh, come to # # The altar # # The Father's arms are open # # Why forgiveness was bought with # # The precious blood of Jesus Christ # So here's how we're going in. You stay at the altar for the end of the blessing in a moment. See, a lot of good tears out there. Listen, I've never met a follower of Christ that didn't need a fresh starter at some point. So if you need one, just welcome to the family. The question is, what will you do with what God is saying right now to you in this moment? Will you make your good confession? He's revealing things to us so that he can bring about change. So we can live different and distinct. So I want to do something and Christ is going to come do the blessing in a second, but maybe you're here and you still got that this between you and him. I don't know what it is. Maybe it's some sin that you continually struggle with. Will you get honest with God about it? Maybe it's some attitude or thing in your heart. Maybe bitterness or unforgiveness. I don't know. I've learned I'm not really good at being the Holy Spirit, but he is.

So I want you to do something for a second. Just close your eyes. If you got something that's between you and the Lord, would you be willing to say the same as? Meaning what God's saying about that, would you say the same thing to the Lord about it? Lord, I know that this is confess it. Just you and him right there. Whatever things hindering you. Maybe open your hands and bring it before him so I got here it is. This area, this aspect of my life. Now, I want you to look at me for a second. I'm going to do the weirdest thing you're going to do all day, okay? You're ready? I didn't bring but your paper near for us all, sign our name. But I want to ask you if you mean this. If you want to renew your relationship to the Lord in a fresh way, you got to think they came and signed their name or something. and saying, "God, I'ma follow you." my name with my left hand, you would not be able to read it, okay? So for me, my left hand is a piece of paper and my right hand is, and I'm just coming before the Lord, and I'm saying, Lord, here's cholarena, and I just renew my covenant relationship with you. So just before the Lord, why don't you just take your hand, and if you mean that, just say, Lord, here I'm signing my name to say I'm yours. I want to follow you. Father, I pray that you would receive this as a sincere renewal of covenant with our God, thank you that you only had to sign it one time, because you're faithful. Now if you want to just open your hands before the Lord and receive this blessing. First John 1 8 through 9, if we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth, but if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all wickedness. Ephesians 5, 11, take no part in the worthless deeds of evil and darkness, instead expose them. I bless you with the heart to understand what sin you have in

your life, and to humbly expose that sin, to the light, to the Father, in true confession and repentance, and remember that he is faithful and just to forgive. Psalms 41 through 3, I waited patiently for the Lord to help me, and he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the pit of despair, out of the mud and the mire. He set my feet on solid ground and steadied me as I walked along. He has given me a new song to sing, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see what he has done and be amazed. They will put their trust in the Lord. I bless you to walk in praise and freedom, steadied and revival ready, giving all glory to him. You are dismissed. If you're here, I want to say to you, if you're here and you need to be prayed for anything, we're going to stay in this attitude of prayer, you can still come do business with God. Don't miss this moment if you need to come before the Lord. If you got questions about faith, I would love to talk to you. I'm going to stay right here. [Music] [Music] [Music] [BLANK_AUDIO]