Evaluating The Roman Catholic Church's Teaching On Mary In Light Of The New Testament

Matthew 1:18-25 "Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: when His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit. 19 And Joseph her husband, being a righteous man and not wanting to disgrace her, planned to send her away secretly. 20 But when he had considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for the Child who has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. 21 She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” 22 Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet: 23 “Behold, the virgin shall be with child and shall bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which translated means, “God with us.” 24 And Joseph awoke from his sleep and did as the angel of the Lord commanded him, and took Mary as his wife, 25 but kept her a virgin until she gave birth to a Son; and he called His name Jesus."

Introduction:

The above opening passage from Matthew's Gospel represents the first mention of Mary in the New Testament. In today's post we want to compare what the New Testament has to say about Mary to that of the Roman Catholic Church's teaching about her. The standard reference work for understanding the Roman Catholic Church's positions on various doctrines is the "Catechism of the Catholic Church" (from hereon abbreviated "CCC"). This document can be found online at http://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/_INDEX.HTM

The purpose of this post is to simply compare what the Roman Catholic Church teaches in light of the New Testament. In as much as the Roman Catholic Church has much to say on Mary (much of which, as will be seen, differs from the New Testament), the one thing that can be said of non-Catholic Christian groups is that too-little is taught about Mary. It is hoped that in noting the various New Testament texts on Mary, both extremes (saying too much or saying too little) might be corrected and clarified.

Evaluating The Roman Catholic Church's Teaching On Mary In Light Of The New Testament

The CCC (Catechism of The Catholic Church) states the following about Mary in paragraph 971: "All generations will call me blessed": 

"The Church's devotion to the Blessed Virgin is intrinsic to Christian worship." The Church rightly honors "the Blessed Virgin with special devotion. From the most ancient times the Blessed Virgin has been honored with the title of 'Mother of God,' to whose protection the faithful fly in all their dangers and needs.... This very special devotion ... differs essentially from the adoration which is given to the incarnate Word and equally to the Father and the Holy Spirit, and greatly fosters this adoration." The liturgical feasts dedicated to the Mother of God and Marian prayer, such as the rosary, an "epitome of the whole Gospel," express this devotion to the Virgin Mary.” CCC paragraph 971.

Does the Roman Catholic view match with the New Testament? Without a doubt Mary does play a special role in God's overall plan to bring His Son into the world. However, when it comes to feasts, prayers to Mary and the high devotion offered to her by devout Roman Catholics, what do we find the New Testament saying to such matters?

Matthew 1:18-25, which we saw at the beginning of this post, asserts Mary as being the recipient of the angelic proclamation of the Savior's incarnation. The parallel passage in Luke's Gospel mentions Mary as well in Luke 1-3. As important as Mary is, we see no mention of such Roman Catholic doctrines as Mary's perpetual virginity, immaculate conception or any reference to her somehow functioning in a co-redeemer role. If anything, Mary, like other believers and non-believers for that matter, needed a Savior. 

In John 2:1-11 we see Mary appearing at the Wedding of Cana - the scene of Jesus first public miracle. It is in John's account of this first miracle that we find Mary receding into the background. Other passages involving Jesus' public ministry such as Matthew 12:46 and Mark 3:21,32 present Mary playing an ever diminishing role in comparison to Jesus. By the time we arrive at the crucifixion scene in John 19:25, we find Mary standing with the Apostle John at the feet of Jesus. Just like everyone else, Mary is beholding Jesus as the Savior. We never see any sense in which Mary is made an object of devotion, a co-sharer in Christ's redemptive work nor receiving prayers. 

The final time we see Mary is in Acts 1:14. Out of all the places the New Testament would have a chance to elevate Mary, surely it would be in the Book of Acts. Yet, Mary is mentioned but in passing and we never see mention of her again in the events of the early church reported in the Book of Acts.  

Whenever Roman Catholics practice the use of "Rosary Beads", in their prayers we find the following statement made about Mary:

"Hail, Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee (you). Blessed art thou (are you) among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy (your) womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen."

Such a statement developed over centuries of post-biblical church tradition. In Roman Catholic teaching, the church and its traditions are viewed as equal in authority to the Old and New Testament scriptures. Such practices as the Rosary are considered appropriate - on the Roman Catholic view. Yet, whenever we look at the practices of the early Christians within the New Testament (as observed in the texts above), we find consistent devotion to only one Person - the Lord Jesus Christ, and His equality to the Father. There are all sorts of statements regarding worship and praise to One God revealed in the three Persons of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. However, we do not find any such statements with respect to Mary. 

In summary then, whenever we survey the Bible, we discover the following about Mary:

A. Mary was never an exalted figure, but was shown respect due to her carrying the humanity of the Lord. 

B. Second, despite her special role, Mary's influence diminishes with every appearance in the Biblical record. 

C. Third, Mary passes off the Biblical record in quiet obscurity. 


D. Fourthly, the Apostles and early church leaders never sanctioned feasts, celebrations or devotion to Mary. 

Closing Thoughts:

Thus, when compared to Roman Catholicism, the Bible paints a different picture from the teaching and theology espoused by the Roman Catholic Church. In the quotations from Roman Catholic sources concerning Mary, we find a highly venerate woman, receiving prayers and occupying a central role in Roman Catholic devotion and practice. 

Mary's role certainly was important in God's plan of redemption, since she was the vessel through which the humanity of the Lord Jesus Christ would be conceived by way of the virginal conception by miracle of the Holy Spirit. Nevertheless, Mary was also in need of a Savior, just as much as all other human beings. We must be sure not to say too little about Mary, nor say too much and exalt her to a level that is inappropriate nor detracting from the Person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ. May we focus on Jesus and seek to know Him (Hebrews 12:1-2). 

God's Plan For Spiritual Growth Is For You To Grab Hold Of His Purpose For Your Life

Matthew 28:6-7 "He is not here, for He has risen, just as He said. Come, see the place where He was lying. 7 Go quickly and tell His disciples that He has risen from the dead; and behold, He is going ahead of you into Galilee, there you will see Him; behold, I have told you.”

Introduction:

It was not to long ago that I had been running my first half-marathon. I had set some personal goals and had some friends who were in the race with me. The course was well marked and I had everything I needed to do a good race. All was going well until the last turn. I was getting tired and another race was being conducted at the same time as the half-marathon. The runners of the other race were returning from having completed a turn-around on their course. In my confusion, I mistook the runners of the other race with those in the half-marathon and ended up missing the final turn. Before it was all said and done, I ran an extra mile out of my way! Even though I still finished with an o.k time - imagine how much better I would had finished if I had not gotten distracted by the other race.

Understanding God's Purpose For The Christian Life Is Essential To Following His Prescribed Path To Spiritual Growth

When it comes to the path to spiritual Christian growth, many followers of Jesus Christ find themselves getting off the well-marked path. There are so many distractions in our world and numerous things that the enemy of our soul uses to discourage our spiritual growth. Oftentimes, the Christian's lack of spiritual growth can be due to their own inattentiveness to prayer, daily Bible study and other spiritual disciplines. 

God's Word certainly cannot be faulted, since the entirety of sacred scripture was revealed to thoroughly equip God's people for every good work (see 2 Timothy 3:17). What is involved in the path to Christian spiritual growth? When I look at that word "path", the first letter of that word - "p" - brings to my mind the term "purpose". 

Whenever we consider where to look when discerning the path to spiritual growth in Jesus Christ, the go-to text is none other than Matthew 28:18-20. This passage is what is referred to as "the great commission". Matthew 28:18-20 is Jesus' final instructions to His disciples and really, the church, prior to His ascension into Heaven. Jesus states the following in Matthew 28:18-20 

"And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

This passage ought to be familiar to anyone who reads the Bible or to those desiring to know the central truths about Jesus' ministry. The context that comes before these verses give the pathway of spiritual growth mentioned earlier. As I already stated, one's purpose is essential when understanding what it means to grow spiritually in Jesus Christ. 

What Exactly Is Meant By The Term "Purpose"?

When one backs up to Matthew 28:6, we find the women gathered at the doorway of the empty tomb. Jesus has just risen from the dead and the angels are instructing them on what they need to do next. The whole narrative of Matthew 28:6-17 is about getting the women and the disciples to go meet Jesus at a designated mountain in Galilee. In Matthew 28:7 the angel tells the women: "Go quickly and tell His disciples that He has risen from the dead; and behold, He is going ahead of you into Galilee, there you will see Him; behold, I have told you.” Later on, the post-resurrected Jesus meets the women in their hastening to the disciples and says the following to them in Matthew 28:10 Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and take word to My brethren to leave for Galilee, and there they will see Me.” It is then in Matthew 28:16 we behold the disciples and the women reaching the designated destination: "But the eleven disciples proceeded to Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had designated."

Whenever we consider the above verses, it is very clear that the purpose of God had been laid out for the disciples. Whenever I use the term "purpose" as so described here, I'm referring to "God's designated destination". In everyday life we can understand the place of "purpose". Although a purpose speaks of the end of a process or a journey, nevertheless we typically consider the "purpose" of something at the beginning of our planning. When going on a trip, we want to know the "designated destination", that is - the address or the city. I know when I'm preparing a sermon to be preached on a given Sunday, the conclusion or purpose of the message is planned first. Why? If I don't know the "designated destination" of the message, then I won't know how to begin it. 

Clearly the place that the angels and Jesus had told the women and the disciples to go was a "designated place" (see Matthew 28:16). Below is a picture of Mount Tabor (source, wikimedia commons),  the place speculated to be the spot where the post-resurrected Jesus has the disciples to come and meet with Him.

If this mountain, or one like it in Northern Israel, was the spot where the disciples went, there is no doubt concerning its distinctiveness. The mountain is clearly observed in comparison to the surrounding geography. I'm sure climbing a mountain such as the one in the photograph would not be easy. Do you realize that whenever a Christian makes the effort to trust God and follow His purposes, its never easy. Despite whatever difficulties come, following God's purposes is always worth it! 

Revival Sermon: Revive Us In These Years - Pastor Mark Dooley - Habakkuk 3:2

Habakkuk 3:2 "Lord, I have heard the report about You and I fear. O Lord, revive Your work in the midst of the years, In the midst of the years make it known; In wrath remember mercy."

Introduction:

Today's post will feature a final post from guest blogger and a dear pastor friend of mine: Pastor Mark Dooley. It has been a joy having him with us this past week. Pastor Mark and I have had a wonderful friendship in both life and ministry since 2001. Recently Pastor Mark came and preached a series of revival messages at the church where I pastor. He pastors Leonardtown Baptist Church in Leonardtown, MD. I offer these sermons to the wider readership of this blog and pray that all who read them will be blessed and revived in their faith as I was in getting to hear them.

Sermon: Revive Us In These Years, preached at New Hope Baptist Church, Watertown, New York
Wednesday Night 10/5/17
by Pastor Mark Dooley

We come tonight to our final message is this revival series.  For that message, we turn to the minor prophet, Habakkuk.  Our books of prophecy in the Old Testament are divided up into what are generally called Major and Minor prophets.  Those terms have solely to do with length, though, not with importance.  Major prophets include books like Isaiah (66 chapters) and Jeremiah (52 chapters).  Ezekiel and Daniel also are classified as Major prophets.  However, Hosea through Malachi (12 more books of prophecy) are our Minor prophets, and Habakkuk, with only three chapters, fits into this category.

In chapter 1 we see Habakkuk as a wrestler.  He’s struggling with God over the situation in the world.  We can probably all relate to the prophet in this regard.  We see the conflict on the Korean peninsula and wonder when an Intercontinental Ballistic missile may come hurling through the sky toward us.  We consider all the natural disasters that seem to be happening and wonder if they’ll ever stop.  We look at the moral decline of our nation and wonder if the same fate that befell Sodom and Gomorrah may one day come our way.  Like, Habakkuk, we wrestle.

In chapter 2, though, we see Habakkuk as a watcher.  He’s listening to God, recording the vision he’s given, and perceiving the truth.  Watch is an interesting word in Scripture.  Very often we’re told to watch.  And very often, that’s the last thing we do.  We need to learn to listen to God a little more closely and consider the Word He’s given to us.  If we did, perhaps we would perceive a little more accurately the truth He’s revealing to us.

Finally, here in chapter 3, we see where Habakkuk has moved to the worshipper.  This is where we want to arrive.  We find Habakkuk in prayer.  In fact, with the exception of verse 1, the entire 3rd chapter is a prayer of Habakkuk.  He begins the prayer here in verse 2 where he essentially says, “Lord, you’ve done it before – do it again!”  Verse two is a statement of complete confidence in God.  Similarly, the chapter ends on that same note: “I will exult in the Lord, I will rejoice in the God of my salvation.  The Lord God is my strength, and He has made my feet like hinds’ feet, and makes me walk on my high places” (verses 18-19).

So, we see Habakkuk, in the space of 3 chapters, going from the valley to the summit.  It was prayer, vision, and faith that powered that journey.  He prayed for God’s work, had a vision of God’s way, and the faith to affirm God’s will.  My prayer tonight is that we’ll make that same journey.  I pray that if you are here tonight and you’re in the valley, that before you leave you’ll be with Habakkuk on the mountain.

Let’s start tonight by considering....

1.  God’s work in the past.  

Notice that Habakkuk says, “I have heard the report about Thee.”  What had he heard?  What work had God done in the past?  I think the remainder of chapter three gives us some clue as to what he may be referring to.

God demonstrated his mighty power before His people in a number of ways.  As we read verses 8-12 of chapter 3, some scholars see a glimpse of the Flood of Noah’s day.  The prophet paints a poetic picture of nature struggling; the rivers, the sea, the sun and moon, and the mountains quaking.  He speaks of the downpour of waters sweeping by.  He talks of God marching through the earth and the nations being trampled.  Indeed, they were more than trampled.  The nations of the world in Noah’s day were utterly destroyed.

Other commentators see these verses as describing the march of Israel from Sinai to the Promised Land.  Verse 8 can be seen to describe the chariots of Pharaoh sinking in the mud, as God’s chariots brought salvation.  In verse 9 we see the various battles Israel fought en route to Canaan.  Verse 10 pictures poetically Israel entering and conquering the Promised Land, the deluge of this verse being a reference to the victory of Deborah and Barak over Sisera recorded in the book of Judges when a sudden rainstorm turned the battlefield into a swamp and left the enemy’s chariots completely useless.  Verse 11, speaking about the sun and moon, would be a reference to the famous miracle of Joshua when the day was prolonged.

This second perspective seems more likely to me, especially in light of verse 13-15, which certainly seem to speak about God’s deliverance of Israel from Egypt.  He struck the “head of the house of the evil” (v. 13), a reference to the defeat of Pharaoh in Egypt.  He “tread on the sea with (His) horses, on the surge of many waters” (v. 15), an almost certain reference to the Red Sea event.  Whatever these verses are actually referring to, one thing is certain – they give us a picture of how God is at work.

I hesitate to share what I’m about to share because I don’t want it to sound like I think God is only an American God.  The reality is God is the God of nations.  He’s concerned for the salvation of the world.  His gospel is for all people, and around the throne will be people, as Revelation 5:9 puts it, “from every tribe and tongue and people and nation.”  

Nevertheless, I think about what God has done here in the United States.  I share it not because I think we’re somehow better than other nations, but because it’s what I know.  God’s work in the past has been amazing.  In the 1730s and 1740s, the first Great Awakening swept through our land before we were even an established country.  It left a permanent impact on the Protestant church.  This awakening resulted from powerful preaching that gave listeners a sense of deep personal revelation of their need of salvation through Jesus.  It made Christianity intensely personal to the average person by fostering a deep sense of spiritual conviction and redemption, and by encouraging introspection and a commitment to a new standard of personal morality.  

Perhaps this was illustrated most notably by Jonathan Edwards and his famous sermon, “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God.”  This sermon was delivered several times (probably 3), but it is when he preached it in Enfield, Connecticut, on July 8, 1741, that revival broke out.  It’s said that Edwards was interrupted multiple times during the sermon by people moaning and crying out, ‘What do I have to do to be saved?’  The impact of this sermon is illustrative of how God was at work during this time.

The Second Great Awakening began around 1800.  In fact, the 1800s are often called the age of missionary expansion.  It was during this century that names like Hudson Taylor and William Carey dominated the scene in England.  Here in the United States, toward the end of the 19th century, a name that’s very familiar to us as Southern Baptists came into the picture – Lottie Moon.  During the 1800s there was a great explosion of church planting.  In fact, the church I was privileged to serve for 8 years in North Carolina (from 1988-1996) has been in existence since 1789.  Over their storied history, they’ve planted 13 other churches.  Twelve of them came in the 1800s, and the 13th came in the year 1900.  During the 1800s, God was greatly at work here in the United States.

When Habakkuk said, “revive they work in the midst of the years,” he certainly could look back on Israel’s richly abundant history.  Likewise, we have a richly abundant history.  Looking back to remember what God has done in the past so as to be motivated for the future is fine.  Looking back longingly to the past and desiring to return to that time is not.  Don’t forget that the children of Israel complained after leaving Egypt and wanted to go back.  

But God was leading them on to something new and something better.  There was no profit in going back to Egypt.  If we look to the past like the children of Israel there will be no profit for us either.  Look and learn?  Certainly, we should.  Look and remember that God is at work?  Absolutely.  But we don’t live in the past.  We must keep the past in its proper perspective.  We live in the present, which brings us to the next point we need to consider tonight.

Let’s think about....

2. God’s work in the present.  

Today, we live in a time of great moral and spiritual decline in our nation.  I’m only 55 years old, but I’ve seen massive changes in our culture since I first went into the ministry.  I remember in the mid-1980s attending a meeting with the local little league because they wanted to play games on Wednesday evening.  Many churches showed up to that meeting and voiced opposition because Wednesday was a church night and we didn’t think it was right to pull kids away from church activities.  Back then, the perspective of the church was heard and heeded.  The decision was made that night not to play games on Wednesday evening.  

Nowadays, they not only play on Wednesday night, but they play on Sunday morning.  My youngest daughter graduated from high school in 2016.  She played basketball at a Christian school.  I’ll never forget one tournament they were playing where the game was scheduled for Sunday morning at 10:00 AM.  A Christian school!!!  We’ve come a long way, haven’t we, and it hasn’t always been in a positive direction.

Our sins as a nation seem to be piling up to heaven, and even now I think we can see God pouring out His warning judgments upon us.  Even greater judgments may come in the future if we don’t repent.  Iain Murray, writing about the conditions prevailing before the First Great Awakening, said, “Everywhere in the English-speaking world, including Wales and the American colonies, a similar situation prevailed: formalism, coldness of heart, indifference to religion, and worldliness holding a general sway over the populations.”  This sounds very much like the situation in which we find ourselves today.

But then, all of a sudden, things changed and God poured out His Spirit in a mighty way.  We shouldn’t forget that God has blessed this nation in the past and in times of decline, He’s visited the nation with great spiritual revivals.  Can He do it again?  Yes, He can.  I think we can even see evidences of Him at work in the present.

First, I think we see Him at work in the present through the tremendous amounts of churches being planted.  This map of church plants through our North American Mission Board shows that there are hundreds (probably even thousands) of current church plants throughout our land.  Remember, this is only through our denomination’s Mission Board.  This doesn’t even include the many other evangelical organizations that are spreading the gospel through the planting of churches.

Next, I think of the numbers of folks who are willing to go and serve in a missionary capacity.  We think of the United States as being where all (or at least most) missionaries come from but that’s just not the case.   A study by Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary discovered that about 400,000 missionaries were sent worldwide in 2010.  While the United States was the leader in the overall number of missionaries sent, the data shows something different when you look at missionaries sent “per capita.”  In that case, Palestine is actually the leading missionary sending country, followed by Ireland, Malta, Samoa, and South Korea.  In per capita sending, the United States ranks ninth.

We also see God at work through the many, many conversions that still occur.  Romans 1:16 says, “I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.”  The gospel still saves today.  Every year the church I’m privileged to serve sees people who repent of their sin, place their trust in Jesus, and follow Him in believer’s baptism.  They believe the gospel, and they are saved.  I know this church also sees people baptized from time to time as well.  

There’s a lot of talk in Southern Baptist circles these days about declining baptism numbers.  And we do tend to baptize less people than we have in the past.  Last year, among all the churches of our denomination, we baptized about 314,000.  That’s the lowest level since 1948.  In 1948 SBC church membership was about 6 million people.  Today, it is about 16 million.  So, we have 10 million more people but we are baptizing the same number of people.  I do agree that is a bit alarming, but I want to put a different spin on this … there were still 314,000 people who were baptized last year.  That’s a lot of new souls coming into the kingdom.  

That says to me that God is still at work in the present.  The gospel is still the power of God for salvation.  Should we be working hard to see more people come to faith?  Absolutely, we should.  Five years ago, the church I served baptized 42 people.  Last year we baptized 8.  I’d much rather see 42 people coming to faith in a year’s time than 8.  BUT … we baptized 8.  People heard the gospel and responded.  That shows me that God is still at work in the present.

Finally, tonight, I want us to consider 

3. God’s work in Christ.  

There’s an interesting little phrase at the end of our verse tonight in Habakkuk 3:2.  The prophet says, “in wrath remember mercy.”  In context, Habakkuk is thinking of the impending judgment of his nation that’s coming.  In chapter 1, we see him complaining that God’s people were crying out for help and God didn’t seem to answer.  God’s response to that is, ‘Oh, you just wait – even worse times are coming.’  Specifically, he says, “I am raising up the Chaldeans, that fierce and impetuous people who march throughout the earth to seize dwelling places which are not theirs” (Habakkuk 1:6).  This was a prophecy of the coming Babylonian invasion and captivity to follow.

This was a startling realization for the prophet, but one he accepted as inevitable because God had declared it to be so.  Even in the prayer here in chapter 3, Habakkuk recognizes this.  He says in verse 16, “I heard and my inward parts trembled, at the sound my lips quivered.  Decay enters my bones, and in my place I tremble.  Because I must wait quietly for the day of distress, for the people to arise who will invade us.”  The Babylonians were coming, and Habakkuk knew it.  

He agreed that this chastening from the Lord was deserved and it would ultimately work out for their good, but He also asked that God’s heart of love would reveal itself in mercy.

When we become discouraged about the state of affairs in which we find ourselves, we should seek the Lord’s mercy.  We should become intercessory prayer warriors.  Isaiah 59:16 says, “And He saw that there was no man, And was astonished that there was no one to intercede.”  I sometimes wonder if that’s what God sees when He looks at us today.  

Perhaps one of the reasons we haven’t experienced revival for so long is that we’ve not truly prayed for God to revive us.  We’ve not said, “O Lord, revive Thy work in the midst of the years.”  We’ve seen the indications of God’s wrath, His judgment upon us, and yet we go on our own merry way and seem callous and indifferent to how God is trying to get our attention.

May I show you something tonight from the prophet Amos?  Turn to Amos 5.  Throughout chapter 4 there’s a recurring phrase.  You see it in verses 6, 8, 9, 10, and 11.  It is “Yet you have not returned to Me, declares the Lord.”  Throughout the fourth chapter, Amos details how over and over God tried to get His people’s attention, yet they wouldn’t listen.  They wouldn’t return to Him.

So, chapter 5 details what is about to happen, the judgment that is about to come.  One last time, the prophet cries out “Seek the Lord that you may live” (Amos 5:6), but then he goes on and just two verses later we see a fearful (and I would contend, quite contemporary) description of what’s about to come: “He who made the Pleiades and Orion and changes deep darkness into morning, who also darkens day into night” – does this not sound like a recent solar eclipse?  He goes on to say, “Who calls for the waters of the sea and pours them out on the surface of the earth, The Lord is His name.”  Harvey and Irma were the names of those storm, but the name of the One who called for the water of the sea and poured it out on the surface of the earth was the Lord.  Like in the days of Amos and Habakkuk, I think we are seeing the hand of God at work in our midst to bring judgment.  Like Habakkuk, we should pray, “in wrath remember mercy.”

And He did.  That’s what Calvary is all about.  The wrath of God is upon sin.  The wages of sin is death.  The soul that sins shall die.  In the day that you eat (of that tree) you shall die, Adam was told.  Over and over we are reminded that the high cost of sin is death.

But God, in wrath, remembered mercy.  He poured out His wrath not upon you and me, the ones who deserved it because we had rebelled against Him and sinned, but He poured it out upon His Son.  Jesus took the wrath of God and we received the mercy of God.  This is God’s work in Christ.  It’s what He’s been doing for years now and what He’s still doing today.  The real question tonight is, have you responded to His work?  Have you repented of your sin and put your trust in the One who died for you?

My oldest son graduated from Wheaton College in 2015.  Being at Wheaton was a wonderful experience for him in many ways.  Wheaton, in case you don’t know it, is one of America’s leading Christian colleges.  They’ve produced notable alumni like Jim Elliot (one of the five missionaries martyred in Ecuador in the 1950s, and popularized in the movie, “The End of the Spear,” Billy Graham, John Piper, and, more recently, Todd Beamer, the individual known for his “Let’s roll” comment during the 9/11 attacks which helped take down the plane in Pennsylvania before it could reach it’s intended target.

Wheaton is no stranger to revival either.  In 1936 revival fires broke out on the campus when a senior named Don Hillis arose in chapel to voice a plea for revival.  Students responded with an all-day prayer meeting on Saturday.  Both faculty and students confessed sin and made things right with one another.

The Wheaton campus was touched again in 1943 following a message on confession of sin during special services.  The captain of the cross-country team arose to confess that he had violated college policy by leading his team in a Sunday race.  Pride, criticism, and cheating were confessed by other students.  Lunch and dinner slipped by unnoticed while the meeting continued into the evening service.

In 1950 a member of the Wheaton College Glee Club shouted, “Stop the bus” while touring in Florida.  A revival that had broken out on the campus in Illinois had touched this student hundreds of miles away.  He confessed he had broken the rules and his repentance led other students to begin to turn to God. 

Closing thoughts

“Revive your work in these years,” the prophet cried.  He will do just that, just as He has done many times before, if we will but look to Him.  Will you, tonight?

Revival Sermon: Revive And Refresh Us - Pastor Mark Dooley Acts 3:19-20

Acts 3:19-20 "Therefore repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord; 20 and that He may send Jesus, the Christ appointed for you."

Introduction:

Today's post will feature another post from guest blogger and a dear pastor friend of mine: Pastor Mark Dooley. Pastor Mark and I have had a wonderful friendship in both life and ministry since 2001. Recently Pastor Mark came and preached a series of revival messages at the church where I pastor. He pastors Leonardtown Baptist Church in Leonardtown, MD. I offer these sermons to the wider readership of this blog and pray that all who read them will be blessed and revived in their faith as I was in getting to hear them.

Sermon: Revive Us And Refresh Us, preached at New Hope Baptist Church, Watertown, New York
Tuesday Night 10/4/17
by Pastor Mark Dooley

Introduction:

What’s the most refreshing thing you can think of?  For some of you, perhaps it’s a coke (or soda, or pop, depending on what part of the country you’re from).  For others, when you’ve been working hard and perspiring profusely, a nice tall glass of iced tea is just the ticket.  Still for others, there’s nothing like cool refreshing water to invigorate you.  In fact, water is refreshing in more ways than one.  You can drink it and be refreshed, but you can also bathe in it or swim in it and be refreshed.

There are other things in life that are refreshing.  Laughter’s refreshing.  There’s nothing like a good belly laugh to keep you going.  Singing can refresh you.  How about an activity like fishing?  Jesus did it, so it must be pretty important, right?  Or perhaps some of the women are thinking that going shopping can be refreshing!  Sometimes, just good hard labor is actually refreshing – especially if you sit behind a desk or at a computer much of the time.  That’s true for me, and I’ve found that going home, getting on my riding lawnmower, and mowing the yard, then going and pulling weeds in my garden is actually very refreshing.

Well, of all the refreshing experiences we can find, nothing can compare to the renewal of the mind and spirit that’s found in the presence of God.  That’s what we’re going to consider tonight.  Tonight’s message is quite simple:  We can be continually refreshed, if we will live in right relationship with God.  But how does a right relationship with God affect our lives?  I want us to consider a few thoughts from our passage that will show us how a right relationship with God through Jesus Christ can bring refreshing to our souls.  Let me build this message tonight around three words.

1. The first word is Repent.  

We must turn away from sin if we are to experience God’s refreshing.  The first word of verse 19 is, “Repent.”  To repent means more than to feel sorry for the bad things we’ve said or done. The idea of repentance includes remorse, but it also involves turning away from that which is offensive to God.  It involves more than just an emotional response, but also moves the will into action.  

True repentance results in change.  It’s often pictured by the guard who marches in from of Buckingham Palace in London, or goes back and forth at the tomb of the unknown soldier here in our own country.  I’ve been privileged to be at the tomb of the unknown soldier.  If you ever get to go to Arlington National cemetery and see that, make sure you do it.  The guard marches, taking 21 steps, an allusion to the 21-gun salute, which is the highest honor given to somebody in the military.  Then, the guard stops and does a complete 180-degree turn, and goes in the opposite direction.  

THAT is a picture of what true repentance is.  It’s going in the opposite direction.  The only problem with the soldier is that eventually he takes 21 more steps and then turns and goes back in the same direction he was going earlier.  Biblical repentance though means to turn away completely from sin, never to return to it.

When Peter preached to the crowd on the Day of Pentecost, here was their response in Acts 2:37: “Now when they heard this, they were pierced to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brethren, what shall we do?’”  The answer Peter gave them was “Repent” (Acts 2:38).  Repentance is a call to action.  It is a call to do something; to change the way you’re living.  

All too often we want the benefit of salvation without the burden or requirement that goes along with it.  Repentance is that requirement.

If there are men here who are struggling with pornography, you need to repent.  That means you turn away from it.  Stop the behavior.  Put whatever safeguards you need to put in place to ensure that it stays out of your life.  Even if it means doing something drastic like getting rid of your computer, going back to a dumb phone instead of a smart phone, then true repentance means you’re willing to do that.  If there are women here who are flirting with another man at the office thinking it’s all innocent fun, it’s not.  You need to repent.  That means you stop that behavior immediately, even if it means cutting off all contact with that person or even taking the drastic step of quitting your job.

Why do I recommend being willing to take drastic action if that’s what it takes?  Well, it’s because when unrepentant sin is left unchecked it will inevitably eventually result if much worse pain than the difficulty of the drastic action.  When John the Baptist came preaching repentance, he didn’t cut anybody any slack, but he told everyone within earshot to bear fruit that was worthy of repentance.  In other words, be willing to change the way you live, and God will forgive you and help you.  

Let the repentance you proclaim be evidenced by the life you lead was John’s basic message.

This wasn’t just John’s message either.  Jesus said in Luke 13:3, “unless you repent you will all likewise perish.”  Repentance is not an optional add on for the believer.  You know what I mean by an optional add on, right?  You get a new cell phone and you get the opportunity to “add on” all kinds of additional services.  Parental controls?  No problem, we can add them on.  Unlimited international calling?  Yes, we can add that on.  Alert notifications?  That’s another add on that’s available.  All of these add on features come at an additional price, of course.

Repentance, however, is not something you add on for an additional cost.  It is part and parcel of true salvation.  Without true and genuine repentance, we will perish.  Sometimes I believe we forget too quickly that Jesus is Lord of the universe.  Too often we all too easily dismiss His word to us.  Instead, we need to repent of our disobedience and be quick to say, “Yes, Lord, I will do whatever You ask me to do.”

If we’ll become quick to listen and quick to obey the Lord, we’ll find times of refreshing in our lives.  All disobedience is sin.  We should repent and turn away from the sin we’ve allowed into our lives, and the times of refreshing will begin to flow into our lives like cool refreshing water.

But in addition to turning away from sin, we must also turn toward our heavenly Father.  It’s impossible to turn towards sin and towards God at the same time.  So, we turn away from sin, but we also turn to God.  

2. This leads us to our second word tonight:  Return.

It is turning to God that brings true refreshing.  Verse 19 also says we must “Return.”  When there’s sin in our lives, we don’t want to face the Lord.  We don’t want to be in church or talk about spiritual things with others because we know that all is not right.  We often become like Adam and Eve in the Garden.  We try to hide from God, because we don’t want to face the consequences of our actions.  

However, may I remind you that God always knows what’s up?  The longer we refuse to turn to God, the longer we’ll wallow in the sense of guilt and failure.

We’ve been looking at the Psalms primarily in our first three messages so far, this week.  The Psalms are filled with the language of intimacy, in which the Psalmist asks to Lord to look on him favorably, or to make His face shine upon him.  Now, let’s be clear about one thing: God loves us beyond what we can comprehend.  Even when we fail and sin against Him, He still loves us.  

This is what grace is all about.

However, God is not only a God of grace, but He is one of justice as well.  He is holy, and He is righteous.  He will not smile upon us when we sin against Him.  The Bible tells us that the Lord disciplines those whom He loves.  So, if we refuse to turn to God, we can expect some loving discipline to come our way.  Perhaps you’ve heard the saying: “God loves me just the way I am, but too much to let me stay that way.”  There is truth in that statement.  

God’s work in our lives is always for the better.  At times, we may not feel like doing better or turning to God, but He has a way of drawing us back to Himself.  When God is at work in our lives bringing conviction to us, the only proper response is to return.

It is when we turn our hearts toward God, that we’ll also experience times of refreshing in His presence.  There’s nothing as refreshing as making things right with our Creator.  Why is that?  It is because we were created to have unbroken fellowship with Him.  

That was what was so tragic about the sin of Adam and Eve in the Garden.  It wasn’t just that they disobeyed God (which in and of itself is bad enough).  But even more tragic was that their fellowship with God was broken.

This is a huge misunderstanding that many believers have today.  They think that their sin ruins their relationship with God and cuts them off from Him.  When we belong to the Lord, we are eternally secure in Him.  Think about it this way – does God do anything that’s not perfect?  Of course He doesn’t.  

That means that the salvation He gives us when we trust Christ is perfect.  Salvation that can be lost isn’t perfect salvation; it’s only partial salvation, at best.  So sin may cause us to lose our fellowship with God, but it will never cause us to lose our relationship with Him.

We were created to have fellowship with God, talking to and listening to Him.  When we are in fellowship with the Lord, it is well with our soul.  We will find that we are refreshed in such times because we are doing what we were created to do, which is to live in harmony with God.

Now, along the same lines, Peter tells this crowd that if they will repent and return to God, then He will send His Messiah to them.  And this is really the heart of what Peter’s saying.  How does a person turn to God?  People turn to God by turning to Jesus, and having a close relationship with Him. 

3. This leads us to the final word we need to consider tonight: Remain.

When we remain in Christ, we will experience seasons of refreshing.  Verse.20 says that God will send “Jesus, the Christ appointed for you.”  The NASB uses the term “may” here, but that’s not may as in “it’s possible, but not absolutely for sure.”  This is rather a word of certainty which is why the King James translation uses the phrase “he SHALL send.”  Jesus had already come and lived, died, and rose again at this point.  However, Peter tells them that in addition to the times of refreshing Jesus brings in the here and now, Jesus is going to come back again to restore things the way they’re supposed to be.

This has, I believe two implications.  First, there’s a future implication.  We must believe that Jesus is coming again.  Jesus is not just a good teacher who lived 2000 years ago and taught us some pretty cool truths to live by.  He’s the living Lord of all who, one day, will return to reign.  God WILL send Jesus.  Put the stress on that word from verse 20 for just a moment.  In this world, there are plenty of people who doubt the second coming.  The Apostle Peter describes such people when he says, “Know this first of all, that in the last days mockers will come with their mocking, following after their own lusts, and saying, ‘Where is the promise of His coming?  For ever since the fathers feel asleep, all continues just as it was from the beginning of creation’” (2 Peter 3:3-4).  

The interesting thing is Peter was dealing with that in his day as well.  For 2000 years now, people have been denying the second coming.  We need to remain in the hope of His coming.  We need to know that God does not lie.  When He says the Messiah will one day return, the that means that one day, Jesus will come again.  Jesus Himself told a number of parables that are recorded in Luke’s gospel that talk about His coming, its apparent delay, but also its inevitability.  

People may mock and poke fun at those “silly Christians” who believe Jesus is coming again, but let me remind you that the world mocked and poked fun at Noah when he told them a flood was coming.  They laughed, that is, until the rains descended.  In the same way, people won’t be laughing any longer when Jesus comes again.  We need to remain in the belief that His word is true when it says He WILL send Jesus.

But besides this future implication, there’s also a present implication.  Verse 19b speaks of “times of refreshing” that “come from the presence of the Lord.”  The phrase “presence of the Lord” is literally “the face of the Lord” in Greek.  As one commentator put it, “All joy is pure from the face of the Lord, when He regards us with a look of mercy.”

Folks, if we want to experience revival, we not only need to repent and return, but we need to remain as well.  We need to abide in Christ.  Jesus said, “As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you, unless you abide in Me.  I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me, and I in him, he bears much fruit; for apart from Me you can do nothing” (John 15:4-5).

What does it mean to abide in Christ, to remain in Him?  It means we are daily spending time with Him.  Are you daily reading from the Word?  Do you have a regular plan by which you read the Bible and study it?  What about prayer?  Do you regularly talk to God?  Our prayer life has to consist of more than meal time blessings and joining in with others at church when we corporately pray, if we are going to abide in Christ.  What about fellowship with the body?  Are you main associations with fellow believers, or is the only time you see other Christians when you come to church?  

The Scripture tells us that as “iron sharpens iron so one man sharpens another” (Proverbs 27:17).  Part of abiding in Christ is drawing strength from fellow believers and helping to encourage others in their walk as well.  We need to remain in Christ.

I read about a little girl who saved up her money for weeks and weeks.  She wanted to buy a pretty little plastic pearl necklace she had seen down at the store.  At last, she had enough money to buy the necklace.  She was so excited!  Her father took her down to the store so she could purchase the necklace of her dreams.  She brought it home and paraded around in it proudly. 

That night, when her father came in to kiss her goodnight, he asked her, “Becky, can I have your necklace?”  Little Becky looked at him with a frown and said, “No, Daddy. It’s my necklace.”  He just smiled and kissed her and said, “I love you, Sweetie. Good night.” 

The next night the same thing happened.  Becky’s father asked her if he could have her necklace, and her response was the same: “No, Daddy. I saved and saved and bought this with my own money.”  The father just kissed her and said, “I love you, Becky. Good night.” 

On the third night, when he came in to kiss her goodnight, Becky was sobbing, with big alligator tears streaming down her face.  She handed the necklace to her father and said, “Daddy, you can have it if you really want it.  I don’t need it anymore.”  Her father smiled and knelt down beside her and pulled her close for a great big Daddy hug. 

Then, he took her necklace and slipped it into his pocket.  As he did, his hand came out with a thin black box with a velvety cover.  He opened it and held it out to her.  Her eyes got as big as saucers as she saw a string of real pearls shining back at her.  “Oh Daddy,” she said. “Thank you, thank you!  If I had known, I would have given you my necklace the first time you asked.”

So, what’s the point of that story?  Little Becky had a choice.  She could keep her cheap plastic pearls, or she could trust her father who wanted to give her the real thing.  What about you tonight?  Are you willing to let go of what seems so important to you?  If you will, I can assure you that God has something 1000 times more wonderful than what you’d be giving up.  Let go of your plastic pearls, and trust Him to give you something far more valuable.  

Maybe you’re holding onto some things in your life that are wrong.  The only way God can give you what He has for you is for you to be willing to let go of the old life.  As Peter said, “Turn away from sin.  Turn to God, and you will begin to experience times of refreshing in your life.”  Jesus will forgive you, and one day He will come back to this earth to give everyone the reward He has prepared for them.  

What have you been preparing for?  Life with Jesus for eternity, or just enjoying the here and now?  The Lord gives times of refreshing in the here and now, but He has so much more in store for us when He returns for us.  How about it?  Do you want plastic beads or beautiful pearls?

If you don’t have a personal relationship with Jesus, I believe He’s been waiting to catch your attention.  He’s been involved in your life from before you were born.  Now, He’s brought you here tonight, and He’s asking you to make a choice.  Are you willing to let go of the old life and turn to God?  If we confess our sins, God will forgive us.  If we are willing to give up our way of doing things, God will show us His way of doing things, and He does all things well. He will give you a new heart, a new hope, a new life.  He will save those who are not saved, and He will revive and refresh those whose walk has grown cold.  How will you respond to Him today?

Revival Sermon: Revive Us According To Your Spirit - Psalm 51

Psalm 51:10-12 "Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me. 11 Do not cast me away from Your presence And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. 12 Restore to me the joy of Your salvation
And sustain me with a willing spirit."

Introduction:

Today's post will feature another post from guest blogger and a dear pastor friend of mine: Pastor Mark Dooley. Pastor Mark and I have had a wonderful friendship in both life and ministry since 2001. Recently Pastor Mark came and preached a series of revival messages at the church where I pastor. He pastors Leonardtown Baptist Church in Leonardtown, MD. I offer these sermons to the wider readership of this blog and pray that all who read them will be blessed and revived in their faith as I was in getting to hear them.

Sermon: Revive Us According To Your Spirit - Psalm 51, preached at New Hope Baptist Church, Watertown, New York
Monday Night 10/3/17
by Pastor Mark Dooley

A little boy was visiting his grandparents and was given his first slingshot made by his grandfather.  He practiced trying to hit a tin can, but he could never hit it.  As he walked across the yard he saw Grandma’s pet duck.  On an impulse, he took aim and let the stone fly. It hit the duck right in the head, and it instantly fell dead.  The boy panicked and hid the dead duck under a nearby building, only to look up and see his sister, Sally, watching.  She’d seen it all, but she said nothing.

After lunch that day, Grandma said, “Sally, let’s wash the dishes.”  But Sally said, “Johnny told me he wanted to help in the kitchen today.  Didn’t you Johnny?”  And then she whispered to him, “The duck!”  So, Johnny did the dishes.

Later, Grandpa asked if the children wanted to go fishing.  Grandma said, “I’m sorry, but I need Sally to help me make supper.”  Sally smiled and said, “Johnny wants to do it.”  Again, she whispered, “The duck.”  Johnny stayed while Sally went fishing.

After several days of Johnny doing both his chores and Sally’s, finally he couldn’t stand it.  So, he confessed to Grandma that he’d killed the duck.  Numbers 32:23 says, “Be sure your sin will find you out.”  Why is it that we think we can hide sin?  Johnny’s sin had found him out, and so had David’s in the passage we consider tonight.

The background of our text today is David’s sin as recorded in 2 Samuel 11-12.  David had committed adultery with Bathsheba, another man’s wife.  To compound his sin, he tried to cover it up by bringing her husband, Uriah, home from battle.  But when it was clear that Uriah wouldn’t go home to be with his wife, David sent him back to battle with instructions for Joab, his commander, to put Uriah on the front lines and then retreat so he’d be left alone.  The result was that Uriah was killed in battle.  So, David’s sins included adultery, deception, and murder, at the very least.

But David couldn’t get away with his multiple sins any more than Johnny could hide the duck.  In real life, one sin committed that’s not repented of usually leads to another sin and then another sin, and on and on until it makes one a slave to sinning.  That was the case with David.  His slavery to sin ultimately crushed him when Nathan, the prophet, told him the story of the little ewe lamb.  He spoke about a poor man who had only one little lamb and how much he loved that lamb.  There was also a rich man who had many lambs.  A traveler came to the rich man, but instead of taking one of his many lambs to prepare a meal, he took the single lamb of the poor man, killed it and prepared it for the traveler.  David flew into a rage and said that anyone who committed that heinous of a sin should be executed. 

You see, up until this point, David didn’t have the moral stamina nor the courage to confess his own sin.  And at first, he still was in denial of his sins.  But after telling the story of the lamb and David reacting as he did, the prophet looked David square in the eye and said, “You are the man!”  It was then that it became crystal clear to David that the Lord knew what he had done.

To David’s credit, he repents of his sin.  This psalm, Psalm 51, is the record of David's prayer. It was uttered after Nathan confronted him about his sin.  This is one of the most penitential psalms ever written.  In it we see David praying for forgiveness.  We see the pattern of revival and how it comes from the Spirit of God.

Friends, I declare to you tonight that God will revive you by His Spirit just as much as He revived David.  I don’t know what your sin is.  Maybe it’s not quite as drastic as David’s.  But maybe it’s much worse than David’s.  

Regardless of the severity of your sins in your own mind, the reality is that sin separates us from God.  It’s sin that necessitated the death of God’s Son.  We may have trusted Jesus, but that doesn’t make us perfect or immune from sin.  Like David, one who the Bible calls “a man after God’s own heart,” we find ourselves succumbing to the seductiveness of sin’s power.  We need to be revived.  As we look at what David did in response to his sin, we find exactly what we need to do as well.  We see three things we need to ask for and which will be supplied by the Spirit of God.

Before we get to those things, however, let me lay a little more foundation.  We see in the opening verses of the psalm why God provides these things.  It’s because of who He is.  He’s a God of love and compassion.  Notice that the psalm begins with David asking God to “be gracious” to him.  He acknowledges God’s “lovingkindness,” or “unfailing love,” as some translations put it.

David knows he doesn't deserve forgiveness, so he calls on God's character of mercy to remove his sins.  He asks for renewal, purity, and pardon.  He begs God, “…blot out my transgressions.  Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.”  

Notice the three phrases used here to describe sin: transgressions, iniquity, and sin.  We could look at the biblical words used and see the various subtleties of what God considers sin, but the important thing to see is that sin is sin.  Individuals have excused sin.  Society has renamed sin.  We call it a neurosis, antisocial behavior, or an alternative lifestyle.  But God calls it sin.  Even many churches today misunderstand sin and treat it as far less significant than it is.  What David did was sin, and what we do today is sin.  It’s because of sin that we need revival.

Furthermore, David recognized that his sin was primarily against God.  Verses 3-4 read, “For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. Against Thee, Thee only, I have sinned and done what is evil in Thy sight.”  One can only imagine the turmoil, the sleepless nights and troubled days David endured as he continually tried to cover his sins.  Because of his status as king, it seems that no one would challenge him or accuse him of sin … but as he acknowledges in verse 3, it was always before him.

This doesn’t mean that David's sins against Bathsheba and her husband, Uriah, were meaningless or inconsequential.  Rather, this is David’s recognition that ultimately all sin is against the Lord, whom he professed to love.  All sin is ultimately our exhibiting rebellion in the very face of God.  We do sin against people and need to make such sin right when it occurs. But our sin is even more against our heavenly Father.  It’s that breach that must be healed at all costs.  So how does that healing occur?  Notice with me three necessary things.

1. First, we must allow God’s Spirit to purify us (vv. 7-8).  

David’s prayer is to become pure once again in verse 7: "Purify me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow."  When a leper was healed of his leprosy, he would undergo a ritual of purification in which the hyssop plant was used.  When God purifies us, we are made “whiter than snow.”

David had been through a period of spiritual drought and now he longs for the joy that only the Lord can provide. In verse 8 he exclaims, "Make me to hear joy and gladness; let the bones which Thou hast broken rejoice."  We see here that sometimes the struggles we are going through are God’s vehicle to get our attention.  I’m not saying God always causes trouble.  Sometimes He does, I believe.  But God always uses the difficulties of life.  He speaks to us through them to get our attention and redirect our focus away from ourselves and back to Him.  

It was C.S. Lewis who once said, “Pain insists upon being attended to.  God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our consciences, but shouts in our pains.  It is his megaphone to rouse a deaf world.”

Perhaps God is speaking to you through your pain and you just aren’t listening.  Maybe you find yourself without joy.  You’re spiritually dry and you need to be revived.  All of the joy had gone out of David’s life, and only God could restore it.  In this heartfelt prayer, David now longs for this joy in fellowship to be restored to him once more.

Have you lost the "joy" of your salvation?  Have you become somewhat distant from God?  Have you taken God for granted?  How does that occur?  It happens when other things become more important to us than God does.  If scanning your Facebook news feed is more important to you than reading your daily devotion, then you need to be purified.  If you prefer staying up late on Saturday so you can watch movies and then sleep in on Sunday to getting a good night’s rest and being awake and alert for worship, then you need to be purified.  If talking on the phone or via text to a good friend takes priority in your life over talking to God in prayer, then you need to be purified.  In short, you need revival.  And these are only a few of the ways we evidence our great need for revival.  You may not have committed gross sin like David, but still the prophet’s words are true: “You are the man.”  “You are the woman.”

David's sins had affected his whole person: his eyes, mind, ears and bones, heart and spirit, hands, and lips.  Sin can be so pleasurable in the moment and yet so devastating on the body, mind and spirit.  David knew this, so he asked for more than simple purification, as important as that was.  Instead, he wanted his entire being to be restored so he could serve the Lord acceptably.  He wanted the joy of the Lord within him and the face of the Lord smiling upon him.  We must allow God’s Spirit to purify us. Also, we see that 

2. We must allow God’s Spirit to cleanse us (vv. 9-11).  

In these verses, David continues his plea; “Hide Thy face from my sins and blot out all my iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me away from Thy presence, and do not take Thy Holy Spirit from me.”  

Verse 10 is the central verse of the psalm and it expresses the heart of David's concern.  Can we be pure again once we've been corrupted? The answer is YES!  It doesn’t matter what you’ve done.  No matter whether your sin isn’t as bad as David’s, or worse than his sin, you can still be cleansed from it when you repent and allow the Spirit of God to cleanse you.  Hebrews 9:14 states, “How much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, cleanse your consciences from dead works to serve the living God!”

The key is repentance.  David realized what he had done and how graciously God had responded.  He didn’t want to be caught up in any of these sins again.  So, he repents.  He turns away from his sin and determines not to allow it to continue to reign in his life.  He offers a prayer of a different kind; “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.”  In other words, help me to start over afresh and anew, Lord.

The verb for "create" is the Hebrew word, bara.  It indicates the bringing into existence of something that didn’t exist before.  We see it used in Genesis 1 in the creation account.  “In the beginning, God CREATED …”.  There are three basic Hebrew words that are used to describe creating: bara, asah, and yatsa.  Commentator John Phillips says of bara, “The word is reserved in Scripture for the distinctive work of God.  Men can “make” things (asah) and “form” things (yatsa), but only God can create (bara).”  

In the case of revival, God creates a new heart that’s been transformed by the power and grace of God.  Only His Spirit can do that.  If we need to experience revival, we need to ask the Spirit of God to cleanse us and create in us that which only He can – a clean heart.  If we aren’t willing to allow Him to clean our life up, then we’re never going to experience revival.

I think of my father-in-law at this point.  He passed into eternity about 10 or 12 years ago.  Maybe 7 or 8 years before he died, he finally trusted Christ, and became a Christian.  I say finally, because it was somewhat of a struggle for him.  For years, my wife and I would witness to him of his need for Jesus, and his response was always something along the lines of, “I’m going to clean my life up and then I’ll come to Jesus.”  We’d both tell him it didn’t work that way, that he was powerless to clean his own life up, and instead how he needed to simply trust Christ the way he was and allow Him to do the cleaning.  Like so many others, for so long, he didn’t realize that he couldn’t make things right with God through his own efforts.  It was only as he released the reins of his life and trusted a sovereign God with the controls of his life that he was truly saved.  

I think the same thing is true of revival.  So often, we know things aren’t right in our lives.  Yet we keep a firm grip on the wheel of our life.  Jesus take the wheel isn’t just a country song that Carrie Underwood sings; it’s a truth that expresses what we all need to do.  If things aren’t right in your life, they’re going to remain not right until you let go and give control to the One who created you to begin with.

Notice how in verse 11, David prays against his great fear: "Do not cast me from Thy presence and do not take Thy Holy Spirit from me."  These are the words of one who has walked with God but who knows that the relationship had been shattered.  For some time, David's cover-up and unforgiven sin had been an impenetrable barrier between himself and God.  Now he hoped, by God's grace, that the barrier would be removed and that he could, once again, be brought into fellowship with the Lord.

I want you to know today that God won’t cast you from His presence.  He won’t remove His Holy Spirit from you.  Your fellowship with Him may have been broken, but the breach isn’t irreparable.  If David could be purified and cleansed, so can you.  You can be restored, which leads us to our final truth today.... 

3. We must allow God’s Spirit to restore us (v. 12).

In verse 12 David says, “Restore to me the joy of Thy salvation and sustain me with a willing spirit.”  A few years ago, an angry man rushed through the Rijks Museum in Amsterdam until he reached Rembrandt's famous painting "Nightwatch."  Then he took out a knife and slashed it repeatedly before he could be stopped.  A short time later, a distraught, hostile man slipped into St. Peter's Cathedral in Rome with a hammer and began to smash Michelangelo's beautiful sculpture “The Pieta.”  Two cherished works of art were severely damaged.  But what did officials do?  Did they throw them out and forget about them?  Absolutely not!  Using the best experts, who worked with the utmost care and precision, they made every effort to restore the treasures.

The enemy of our soul has done more than slash the painting of our life or smash a portion of our life.  What Jesus said about him is recorded in John 10:10a.  It says, “The thief comes only to steal, and kill, and destroy.”  Sadly, I have a front row seat to see that on a daily basis.  

I know a young Christian man who got involved with a married woman and the end result was he had to be excommunicated from his church.  I know another young man who had an emotional affair with a married woman, and although it’s now over, this woman continues to struggle and there is a family in crisis.  I think of a woman I know whose family dynamic has changed such that she now fills her life with many other things except the things of the Lord, and as a result she is now away from the fellowship of the church.  

In all these cases, the individuals involved profess to be believers.  Yet the enemy has worked to steal, kill and destroy.  With great skill and precision, he has done just that.

Folks, I know an expert who, with the utmost care and precision, can restore the treasure of your broken life.  You’re worth far more than Rembrandt’s “Nightwatch” painting.  You’re worth far more than Michelangelo’s “The Pieta.”  You’re worth the death of God’s own Son.  He will restore the joy of your salvation.  He will sustain you with a willing spirit.  But you must turn to Him and look to Him for restoration.  Your restoration will not come from more church involvement.  It will come from a renewed relationship with Jesus.  That renewed relationship with Jesus may well lead to an increased involvement with your church.  In fact, it probably should.  But don’t look to your church, don’t look to your pastor, don’t look to any human to fix what only God can fix.  David didn’t ask the prophet Nathan to fix him.  He turned immediately to God, crying out, “Restore to me the joy of Thy salvation.”  Friends, I tell you confidently that God will do that for you today if you will look to Him.

Conclusion:

Do you remember little Johnny in our opening story?  I left that story after Johnny confessed what he had done to his grandmother.  But I never told you her response.  With tender compassion, she knelt down and said, “I know, Johnny,” as she gave him a hug.  She said, “I was standing at the window and saw the whole thing.  Because I love you, I forgave you.  But I wondered how long you would let Sally make a slave of you.”

Friend, how long will you allow the enemy to make a slave of you?  How long will you let sin reign in your life?  Like David did here, repent and return to the Lord.  For then you will truly know what it means to be revived and restored.