|
by Dr. Rev. David R. Mains
Text: Revelation 3:14-20 
Subject: The only force powerful enough to stem the present tide.
Desired Response: Talk often about revival in the church.
How To: Evaluate your church regarding the presence of the Lord as you do your journaling work. Have at least one conversation about the need for revival in the church.
How Long: Complete evaluation in your Journal this week. Have one conversation about revival this week.
Sermon in a Sentence: Because it is the only force powerful enough to stem the present tide, we must talk often about revival in the church.
Momentum is a highly valued concept in various aspects of life. In the world of sports, it’s to be on a roll. As a team, it’s to be functioning so much in sync that you appear almost unstoppable. Championships are won or lost depending on which side at crucial times captures the momentum.
The world of politics is similar. Candidates for office want their campaigns to peak at just the right time. It’s important for a wave of momentum to mark their efforts right before the people vote.
When wars are fought, once again momentum is important. In Ken Burns’ captivating 15-hour documentary series about World War II, we’re reminded that at the start of that global conflict the Axis powers had all the momentum on their side. In Europe, the Nazi blitzkrieg had proven unstoppable. The same was true of Japan’s lightning strikes in the Far East.
If General Tojo had chosen to penetrate Southeast Asia, instead of attacking America’s naval base in  Hawaii, he probably would have captured the resources he desired without provoking America to war. And if Hitler had completed the conquest of England before turning his troops on Russia, the outcome in that theatre of conflict would no doubt have been markedly different. Anyway, these ill-conceived decisions had a negative effect on the momentum their troops had previously enjoyed.
In spiritual warfare momentum is once again an important factor. All but those who haven’t a clue as to what’s going on would say that in America it’s Satan who in the past several decades has captured the momentum. It’s not that the church in the U.S. is impotent. It’s just that it doesn’t have anywhere near the societal clout it once did. Earlier messages in this series covered the alarming extent of our great enemy Satan’s aggressive moves. I have also strongly recommended that everyone read Bob Fraley’s short book The Day That Changed America. It’s a real eye-opener. Copies are available at (details).
If you have finished those seven short chapters, I recommend that you get a copy of his longer book Salt and Light, where far more details are spelled out. Check your church bulletin for how to do that.
I honestly believe the only force capable of turning things around in America is a heaven-sent revival. Unfortunately, that term doesn’t impact present-day Christians in a positive way like it did previous generations of believers. Churchgoers today tend to associate “revival” with sweaty-faced preachers who holler a lot, sawdust-trail evangelism, and even backwoods snake-handlers.
So this visit I want to come at this term “revival” in a different way. That’s because my personal conviction is that another overwhelming move of God’s Spirit through the churches of this land, is our only hope for an outcome that’s different from what I’ve been talking about in this series.
This is Sunday 5 of 8 in a Spiritual Adventure called The Remarkable Revelation. The subtitle is Sensing His Presence While Watching for His Return. Tomorrow we will be at the 3/5 marker in our journey together, or Day 30 of 50.
If you haven’t done as well as you intended, let me encourage you to once again pick up on the journaling process. These next four Sundays will fit together as a unit, so it’s a natural time to join us again in what’s going on.
To you who have faithfully participated from Day 1, four Sundays back, I commend you, and challenge you to keep up the good work. I’m sure you can identify with my oft-repeated remarks about an adventure like this being a time for accelerated, measurable and lasting spiritual growth. Accelerated, because you’re making forward spiritual strides at a quicker pace than normal. Measurable, since you can already tell a difference between who you are now and who you were 29 days ago. And lasting indicates that what you are becoming won’t suddenly end when our 50 days conclude. Instead, the changes will remain a part of who you are.
Do you like the idea of experiencing more of the presence of the Lord? My guess is that has a good sound to most everyone, including even post-modernists—experiencing more of the presence of the LORD.
Well, listen to me. The outstanding characteristic of all times of genuine revival is an overwhelming sense of the presence of the Lord. Figure out what it would be like if Jesus attended our church on a regular basis and the difference that would make, and you have a rather accurate picture of what revival in a church like ours would look like.
For example, say Jesus bodily attended here for a month or two. Now I know that every Sunday He is with us in Spirit, but what if He were physically present so we could see Him, not just with eyes of faith, but with our own two eyes? What difference would that make?
Let me list seven ways I believe we would respond. These won’t cover all the bases. In fact, I’m saving one key response to His presence that I’ll talk about next Sunday. But let’s get an initial feel for what would take place.
End of Short Preview for Sermon #5 | 
