Holiness is the second key to revival.
God required sanctification of the people in Israel. Read Exodus 19:10-11.
Prior to the visible manifestation of the glory of God on Mount Sinai, the people were to sanctify themselves and prepare to be in the presence of a holy God.
We cannot present ourselves before the Lord with our lives in disorder. This was the tragedy in the case of Nadab and Abihu. They had taken part in the consecration of the priests (Leviticus 9:22-24) They saw the shekinah, the glory of God, descending on the tabernacle and fire coming out from the presence of God to consume the offering, a symbol of surrender and consecration.
But the next day they attempted to offer the incense to God with their lives in disorder, using unauthorized fire that God had not sent, and they were consumed by God’s wrath. (Leviticus 10:1-2)
They did not acknowledge His glory or prepare to meet Him in the holiness that He demands of His people.
They were unable to distinguish between what was holy and what was worldly. They may have considered God as a means of fulfilling their ambitions.
If you understand the Old Testament tabernacle you know that the Bronze Alter was the largest object in the tabernacle and the first one to be encountered on the way to the Most Holy Place.
There the animals, which the law prescribed for the various sacrifices, were killed. It was a place of worship and death.
This altar represents the cross of Christ. We are saved by believing in Christ who died and was resurrected. But the message of the cross calls to us daily.
“If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.” Luke 9:23
You see we say we want the fire of God. We want to see the Glory of God. Well friends only certain materials burn well. The material God is looking for is the offering of ourselves tied on the altar.
This is an age old principle of God’s Word; There is no glory without the cross. We want the glory but the glory has a price; our lives.
Rom 12:1-2 says, “I urge you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.” NASB
What does this mean in reference to practical everyday living?
It means that we must be prepared to say no to our will, intellect, and emotions when they are contrary to God’s will.
And so we “die daily.” We cannot bargain with God.
I would rather lie all on the altar of sacrifice and see God’s glory than hold back something and miss seeing the glory of God. If we really want revival we have to “lay it all down.”
It doesn’t mean just laying aside known sin but laying aside the weights too. Paul said, “Lay aside every weight that easily besets us.”
If you want to lay hold of God you have to lay aside some things.
Jesus was willing to pay that high price, as He perceived with joy the results of His willingness to surrender His life.
This is what Heb.12:2 expresses: “For the joy set before Him (Jesus) endured the cross scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
When we hand over to God that which we love—our plans, our time, our family, our work- we turn the key that unlocks the window for a mighty visitation of God’s Spirit in our lives and in our church.
Acts 20:24 (KJV) says, “But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God.”
Friends, our holiness has to go beyond a list of rules that conform to a spirit of religion. We need God’s holiness, not ours. Our holiness may please man but only God’s holiness opens the window for more of God.
We need holiness that changes our attitudes: Anger, jealousy, pride, egoism
Gal. 2:20 I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live yet not I but I live by the faith of the son of God who loved me and gave Himself for me.
That means my anger belongs on the cross
………………….jealousy belongs on the cross
………………….pride belongs on the cross.
………………….egoism belongs on the cross.
To be holy is to be adorned with the fruit of the Spirit.
We have too many “power saw” Christians. We need more Christians who are willing to be the kernel of wheat, ready to die and produce fruit.
Where God is pouring out His Spirit there is an awakened sense of the holiness of God; a holiness that changes your character, a holiness that changes your personality.
Not only is God calling us back to personal holiness but holiness in our homes.
Let’s speak more specifically; is that okay?
Is your house a place where the Spirit of God dwells? Or is your home filled with strife, oppression, tension, and so forth?
It is necessary to create in your home an atmosphere where the Holy Spirit is comfortable; a place where people can sense that God is there.
We want God to pour out His Spirit mightily, but many times we live a double life. You know what I mean, there’s a face for church and a face for home. There’s a certain way we act in church. But than something happens when we go home.
I believe God wants to go home with us too.
I believe God even wants to sit down alongside of you and watch that movie with you. You know that one you rented from the video store; the one you wouldn’t go to the theatre to see but you’ll take it to the privacy of your home.
Some of us need to clean out our video cabinets. Get rid of all those PG – PG13 and R rated movies.
Aren’t we living a double standard when we can sit in our living rooms and watch for entertainment, murder, sexual scenes, abortions, crimes, off color jokes, and enjoy that type of thing when we preach against this kind living.
I believe that’s what Jesus meant when He said “Love not the world neither the things that are in the world.”
If you’ll be willing to confess your sin today and forsake it I believe you will hear that key turning in the window to open up a new dimension of the power and presence of God in your life.
Let me help you out. Sometimes you may be uncertain if something is appropriate for you to watch. Here’s the test. Can I bring it to church and let the whole church see it on Sunday morning? You know, you can ask Pastor and put it up on a big screen for the entire church to enjoy it with you.
This is why some of us or not making any progress in our pursuit of revival. You see, revival is not an event it is a process. Its starts with you, getting your life totally right with God. That’s holiness. That’s God’s holiness.
In the Old Testament the priests were required to bathe first before the oil could be applied. If we want God we have to do things His way. The American Gospel has conjured up too many shortcuts. We must consider the “ancient paths if we want to get on the road to a visitation of God’s Spirit.”
My motivations, my thoughts, my ambitions, my desires, my innermost being – God wants it all. I am not my own.
Paul said in I Cor.6, “You are not your own, you were bought with a price.” Stop bargaining with God.
We don’t need more schemes, more techniques, more associations or organizations. We want the breath and fire of the Holy Spirit.
The problem in the church today is that there is too much of man and very little of God.
The third key is…. Prayer
