BURNING WITH REVIVAL FIRE – ONE PERSON AT A TIME (Reiterated)

Let us pray.

PRAYER

Holy Spirit, Author of the Word, Your people are bowing before Your presence now – because they are waiting to hear as You speak through the lips of clay. We expect You to minister to us, the ancient Word – ever true, Ah! The Word that changes me and changes everyone who would receive. We have come with open hearts; Impact the ancient Word to our hearts now. Amen!

Isaiah 6:5

⁵ So I said:

“Woe is me, for I am undone!
Because I am a man of unclean lips,
And I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips;
For my eyes have seen the King,
The Lord of hosts.”

The king had died, but there is another King that is alive: the King that never dies. He holds on the throne and He was in control of everything happening not only in Judah – but in the whole world. That is the King that you should look up to. The earthly king may die, but the King of kings never dies.

When did Isaiah have this touch of revival fire?

In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the temple.

In the temple! That’s where it too place – in the temple. What is significant in this temple? The temple in Jerusalem was a place of sacrifice, a place of prayer and a place of worship. That is the significance of the temple.

But then, now, in this dispensation, what is the temple?

1 Corinthians 3:16b

¹⁶ Do you not know that you are the temple of God…?

And why are you the temple of God?

Because the Spirit of God dwells in you. You in 1 Corinthians 3:16 is plural. He is talking about the body of Christ: the Church. The church is the temple of God in this dispensation, in the New Testament. The Church, the People I’m seeing now, as many of them as have given their lives to Christ, they are the temple of God. Plural!

1 Corinthians 6:19

¹⁹ Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?

This is the individual. You, as an individual believer or Christian, if you have given your life to Christ, you are the temple of God. Why? Because of the residence of the Holy Spirit in you or in your life.

So where did Isaiah get the touch of revival fire? In the temple: the place of sacrifice! It is on the basis of Sacrifice of Jesus Christ that revival fire will burn in any body. It is on the basis of the fact that Jesus has been sacrificed, that is why God will send revival to those who ask for it. It is in the place of prayer that revival fire will burn. It is in the place of worship that revival fire will burn. It was in such a place that Isaiah received the touch of revival.

Acts 1:14b

¹⁴ These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication…

They continued in prayer and supplication. And then you move to Acts 2:1 these continued in prayer and supplication.

Acts 2:1

¹When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place [where was that place? The place of prayer]. ² And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting… ⁴ And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

In the place of prayer! Revival fire! When does it take place? When? You are forced to look up to heaven when you are desperate enough to look up to God. But as long as you feel satisfied revival fire will not burn in you. Where does it take place? In the place of prayer, in the place of worship. In Acts of the Apostle 4:31 the disciples of Jesus Christ, after the Day of Pentecost, the bible said:

Acts: 4:31b

³¹ And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit,

When they had prayed. Notice what I’m trying to do. I am trying to give us those elements that are necessary for revival fire to burn in any body, in any church. A prayerless Christian should not expect revival fire; and a prayerless church should not expect revival fire.

When you read church history, in those times revival fire burned. People devoted time seeking the face of God.

Burning with revival fire – one person at a time.

How did Isaiah burn with revival fire? It came to him in the form of God purifying power. It came to him in the form of God’s purifying power.

Isaiah 6:3

³ And one cried to another and said:

“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts;

Why didn’t he say, Holy is the Lord of hosts? Emphasis! It is the God who is emphatically holy.

The whole earth is full of His glory!”

⁴ And the posts of the door were shaken by the voice of him who cried out, and the house was filled with smoke.

⁵ So I said:

“Woe is me, for I am undone [I am finished, I am destroyed, I am cut off]!
Because I am a man of unclean lips,
And I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips;
For my eyes have seen the King,
The Lord of hosts.”

This revival fire came to him in the form of the purifying power of God. But notice what precedes the purifying fire of God.

1. Verses 3 and 4, a revelation of the awesome holiness of God.

Our God is awesome. But we don’t see the awesome holiness of God. We only see the awesome power of God. That’s not enough. Some people see only the awesome power of God, not the awesome holiness of God.

A revelation of the awesome holiness of God.

1. A revelation of the utter sinfulness of God’s man.

With the revelation of the holiness of God, the emphatic holiness of God, with that Isaiah saw his own unholiness.

You see, many at times we feel we are okay, spiritually and morally; and that is because we do not see the awesome holiness of God. A number of Christians are okay. They feel fine despite the fact that the devil comes against them with uncontestable accusations, indefensible accusations; despite the fact that their consciences also bother them, but they feel okay. The reason they feel okay, as you are, even now, is because you have not experienced the holiness of God.

Remember Isaiah was already a prophet and he was feeling good when he went into the temple. He was okay. He felt fine spiritually, morally, but the moment he heard or saw the revelation of the holiness of God, all that changed – because the moment you see how holy God is, then you will see how ugly your righteousness is. Then you will seek Him more.

Do you not know that the closer you draw to God the unholier you find yourself? If there is a word like that. You see, the closer you draw to God the more you see the contrast between you and Him. But I want to tell you that that is even when you are holier. But because there is a contrast between you and God that is not good enough at all. Is He not God who said that all our righteousness is like a filthy rag in His sight? Why do we need to burn with revival fire?

By the way can I point this out to you…to call your attention to Isaiah’s experience? Woe is me for I am undone, because I am a man of unclean lips.

Have you asked yourself why that was his experience? Right here you find that he seems to be concentrating his lips.

Someone has observed that if our sins are to be divided into two equal bundles, half will be the sin of lips. What that means is that we commit more sin with our lips. You haven’t thought of it? The things we say with our lips…and we do that with great ease.

Why do we need to burn with revival fire? God sends revival fire, or God sends revival primarily for His glory. That’s why God sends revival primarily for His glory and secondarily for the good of people for whom Christ died. So many miracles take place during revivals. People start living right.

There was a place that revival took place in Europe, many years ago – a long time ago. That community was very rough, morals were loose, and there people…it was a time when transportation was by horse-drawn carriage. To give the horses command, they would use all kinds of foul languages, all kinds of swear words, in order to give their horses commands. But when revival came, their lips were cleaned, their language was pure. Now, more like Isaiah’s experience, the fire of revival had touched their lips. One thing that the people noticed was that the horses became confused: because they will give commands to their horses now, not in foul language, not with curse words, and the horses will not understand what the master is saying. See revival affecting even animals.

Great blessings come from God when revival fire falls.

PRAYER

Father, into Your hands I commit my friends, praying, Lord, that You keep them this weekend and in the week to come, keeping them close to You, and safe in Your hands, and free from the touch or the operation of the evil one. Deliver those who need deliverance, and dear Lord, reassure those who have lost faith. For those who have given their lives to You, give them assurance of Your salvation. And we thank You…In Jesus Name, Amen!