Title: Longing for the Power of God
Contents
♡♥♡ Longing for the power of God / Hab 3:1-4
*** Introduction
Sing the gospel song ‘Revival 2000’ together
‘Revival’ This word is something everyone wants and likes, believers and non-believers. Especially for business people, ‘revival’ must be an attractive word. However, the revival in the world and the revival of the saints are two different things. The revival in the world has to do with the rise of families, businesses, and poor households, that is, wealth and glory. The revival that the saints and the church long for is ‘to restore the spiritual life’, and it means ‘to be renewed and rise again in the spiritual life’.
There are conditions that must be preceded for spiritual revival. The condition is 'Prayer'. And there is a priority prayer in 'Prayer'. It is 'repentance'.
In 1904, there was a great spiritual revival in Wales, England. A mine worker named ‘Ivan Robert’ and a group of young men said, “Give me revival. Or give me death.” As a result of repenting and concentrating on prayer, a great work of the Holy Spirit took place. Bars, billiards, theatres, and racetracks are empty, and the lockers are empty, leaving the police with nothing to do. The shipyard craftsmen returned the stolen goods and built a separate warehouse.
There was a repentance movement. Miners filled with hatred and dissatisfaction no longer used their sticks to strike the donkey pulling the coal truck. Instead, they sang hymns and hugged the donkey and loved, saying, “My brother and sister,” that the donkey was filled with the Holy Spirit.
There was also the most important revival in the history of the Korean church. In 1907, the first Korean church revival movement took place in Pyongyang. As they listened to the words of the missionaries, the power of God came upon them, and a surprising event occurred to the church members. Earlier, in 1903, while listening to the sermon on the experience of Pentecost in Acts 2 in Wonsan, a believer struck his chest and began to repent. “I am a sinner who caused my wife to die because I did not take good care of my wife,” he said. From then on, you and I, the work of weeping and repentance arose.
This rumor spread to Pyongyang, and missionaries started teaching the Word in Pyongyang as well. At this time, the work of repentance also took place in Pyongyang, and a great work of repentance arose from Elder Gil Seon-ju. Before Elder Gil Seon-joo believed in Jesus, he was recognized as a sincere person by a friend. A couple didn't know how to write, so they entrusted all of their family property to Elder Gil Seon-ju. As I believed in Jesus and heard the word, I remembered and repented. From that time on, the missionaries said these things about how many people wept and wept as you and I repented. “It looks like the roof of the prison has been opened.”
Now, “revival” must take place in our church, individual members, and families as well. Without spiritual revival, there can be no revival of life. And without a prayer of repentance, spiritual revival cannot be expected.
Today's text contains the earnest prayer of the prophet Habakkuk. The prophet Habakkuk said that people who do not fear God in the world do well, but God's people have suffering, poverty, and oppression. Prophet Habakkuk made a plea to God about this absurd fact. At that time, God told us to wait for God's justice to be accomplished, and He said that the righteous will live by that faith. In other words, only unshakable faith in any circumstances guarantees the final victory.
Then God showed the prophet Habakkuk a vision. In verse 2, the prophet expresses his astonishment at the vision. And verse 16 expresses how great that fear is. “My bowels trembled because I heard, and my lips trembled at the voice of his voice. Corruption has come in my bones, as I await the day of trouble when the multitudes come up against us, and my body trembles in my dwelling place.”
Even though we face unspeakable pain and difficulties, we earnestly long for the revival of God's work. Even if God is angry because of our sins, I pray that He will not forget His mercy. Isn't that similar to what Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane?
Here is what we, who are seeking revival, must do now.
1) It is the earnest desire for spiritual revival. This hope is to seek the will of God that pleases us rather than our own desires.
2) You must repent of all your sins with a sincere heart.
3) You must fully trust the promises of God. That is, the forgiveness of sins that comes with repentance and the assurance that the promises must be fulfilled.
4) We must hope for and long for the power of God to accomplish all these things.
In Psalm 107:9, a song about the works of God, it says, “He satisfies the longing soul and fills the hungry soul with good things.” Nahum 1:7 says, “The Lord is good and a stronghold in the day of trouble. He knows those who trust in him.”
It was at a certain church when the IMF was very difficult.
In other words, the business you are doing may not seem to work outwardly, but it will work if you are faithful, zealous, and devoted to God.
Would God just leave these saints alone? How many people run away from the service they used to be good at because their work is not going well? However, it is very beautiful to turn to God even more when you are having a hard time. Such a life is blessed by God. Isaiah 26:3, “In peace you will keep the steadfast in your heart, for he trusts in you.” You said.
Guys, do you trust God?
Let us all continue the race of faith, believing in God's promises and trusting in His power. God's promises to us will surely come true at the appointed time. At that time, I pray in the name of the Lord that you will become saints who do their best for the revival of God's work so that we can enjoy joy without shame.