Song: I will enter His gates
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0MIr_iec2nQ
Reading: Psalm 118; verses 15to 29
Prayer;
We come with thanksgiving in our hearts; we are thankful that we can love, and that we are loved. We thank you that you love us, fill us with your holy spirit that through his power, we may feel you with in us. We praise you that when we hear your word in the holy scripture, we know that you are close, fill us and inspire us that we to may be moved to tell others of your mighty works and wondrous love. We thank you that we can confess our sins, that in your love you will forgive our transgressions so wondrous is the love of God. We give thanks that God so loved the world that he gave his only son, through him we gain eternal life, so we give thanks to the father that we can enter his gates with praise for this is the day that the lord has made therefore we will be glad in it. Amen.
Song: What a friend we have in Jesus
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cwi_qKVI8lQ
True revival is not a kind of ‘meeting’. It’s not a work of man at all. Rather, it’s a work of God—something that He does to His people. Just think of the word “revive” itself. To be ‘re-vived’, something has to have been “-vived” in the first place. It must first be ‘alive’ in order to be ‘revived’. Revival, then, is a matter of God giving ‘renewed life’ to that which is already His work. It’s a matter of God ‘reviving’ His church.
Revival is when, in the deepest levels of our being, we hear the call of God saying to us, “Come to Me, My people. Come closer. Go deeper. Leave your selfish, self-indulgent way of life behind. Turn from your sins. Be sorry for them. Confess them to Me with full faith in the work of My Son on the cross; and draw closer to Me. Let Me be your all. Let Me fulfil you and satisfy You fully.” And it’s not just simply that we hear the call and decide that it’s a good idea to come.
When true revival comes upon us as a church and a community of believers, we become so overwhelmed by the work of the Holy Spirit that we cannot help but come! It’s a matter of the Holy Spirit sweeping us up, drawing us to a deeper relationship with God the Father through Jesus the Son, and dramatically and permanently transforming us as God’s people. And so often, when revival comes upon God’s people, it’s accompanied by a remarkable spread and success of the message of the gospel—so that many other people enter into life. In true revival, God so transforms His people that they—in turn—transform the times in which they live. There have been many times in history when God has seen fit to give His people revival—and often at some of the darkest times of history. At one of the bleakest spiritual points in the history of England, for example—when it seemed as if things couldn’t have been darker—God saw fit to pour out revival and transform the British people through the preaching of such men as John Wesley and George Whitefield. That revival completely changed the times. At about the same time, God granted great revival in the American Colonies through the preaching of such men as Jonathan Edwards. That great revival came to be called “the Great Awakening”; and it helped set the stage for them becoming a nation. God granted another great period of revival just prior to the civil war. The city of Portland itself experienced a dramatic revival a little over a hundred years ago in response to the prayers of a small group of pastors who gathered to pray at what is now Council Crest. Between 1949 and 1952 Just Off the west coast of Scotland is a small group of islands called the Hebrides. A widespread revival swept through these islands in answer to the prayers of God’s people. In a small cottage by the roadside in the village of Barvas lived two elderly women, Peggy and Christine Smith. They were eighty-four and eighty-two years old. Peggy was blind and her sister almost bent double with arthritis. Unable to attend public worship, their humble cottage became a sanctuary where they met with God. To them came the promise: “I will pour water upon him that is thirsty and floods upon the dry ground,” they pleaded this day and night in prayer. One night Peggy had a revelation, revival was coming and the church of her fathers would be crowded again with young people! She sent for the minister, the Rev. James Murray MacKay, and told him what God had shown her, asking him to call his elders and deacons together for special times of waiting upon God. In the same district a group of men praying in a barn experienced a foretaste of coming blessing.
Instrumental in this revival was the evangelist Duncan Campbell. He came to the Isle of Lewis to conduct a two week evangelistic campaign and ended up staying two years.
Many Christians today are praying for a fresh outpouring from God. Revival is what’s being described to us in the book Nehemiah in the old testament.
Reading: Book of Nehemiah, chapter 8,verses 1 to 18
Song: Revive thy work O Lord
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UdFh5vKRRTA
Prayer:
We come Almighty God, and humbly ask for You To Heal Our world; we
remember all who are caught up in conflicts; we think of Russia,
Ukraine, Sudan, and other war torn areas. Let all who are working
for peace know your presence, may all who are mourning know your
peace. may all who are refugees know your compassion. May your
people work for you.
We
lift up the name of the Lord, help us to never look back, but to go
ever onward reaping the harvest of the seeds that have been sown.
Father
let your spirit revive and fill every faithful heart. Unite us with
all our brothers and sisters in Christ as we say the prayer our Lord
taught us.
Our
Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name;
thy
kingdom come; thy will be done; on earth as it is in heaven.
Give
us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we
forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into
temptation; but deliver us from evil.
For
thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory, for ever and ever.
Amen.
Song: Hosanna hosanna
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NmjyDmoCLTI
Reading: Mathew’s gospel, chapter 21, verses 1 to 10
Lets look firstly back to the reading from Nehemiah from verse 13
13 On the second day of the month, the heads of all the families, along with the priests and the Levites, gathered around Ezra the teacher to give attention to the words of the Law. 14 They found written in the Law, which the Lord had commanded through Moses, that the Israelites were to live in temporary shelters during the festival of the seventh month 15 and that they should proclaim this word and spread it throughout their towns and in Jerusalem: “Go out into the hill country and bring back branches from olive and wild olive trees, and from myrtles, palms and shade trees, to make temporary shelters”—as it is written.
16 So the people went out and brought back branches and built themselves temporary shelters on their own roofs, in their courtyards, in the courts of the house of God and in the square by the Water Gate and the one by the Gate of Ephraim. 17 The whole company that had returned from exile built temporary shelters and lived in them. From the days of Joshua son of Nun until that day, the Israelites had not celebrated it like this. And their joy was very great.
18 Day after day, from the first day to the last, Ezra read from the Book of the Law of God. They celebrated the festival for seven days, and on the eighth day, in accordance with the regulation, there was an assembly.
In 'On Worship in the Open Air, and Camp Meetings', Hugh Bourne in 1824 said:
Worship in the open air commenced with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, when in a state of innocence. After the fall of man, worship by sacrifice was instituted, which must, of course, be in the open air. Noah, Job, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, celebrated worship in the open presence of heaven. So also did the Children of Israel at Mount Sinai, and it was established by the hands of Moses.
In the Promised Land, the ten thousands of Israel regularly celebrated the worship of God in the open air. Our Lord Jesus Christ carried on religious services in the open air, and his apostles followed the example. Sometime about the year 1801 or 1802, Camp Meetings were begun in the United States of North America. They soon rose to a great height, and have been attended with great success. It is believed that as many souls are brought to God in America, by means of Camp Meetings, as by all other means put together. In England, the first religious meeting, ever known to bear the title of ‘A CAMP MEETING’, was held on Sunday, May 31, 1807; upon Mow Cop a large mountain running between Staffordshire and Cheshire. A day’s praying upon Mow, was first proposed in 1801. The thought simply arose from a zeal for praying, which had recently sprung up in that neighbourhood. But the thing was not carried into effect till May 31, 1807; since which time the English CAMP MEETINGS, have got an establishment.
The author says It is a striking circumstance, that the thought which led to these meetings should, without any communication, arise in two nations nearly at the same time.
But it should not a striking circumstance when the revival comes from the hand of God, It is more unusual because of the British climate. I remember as child having a camping holiday cut short due to so much rain the it was puddling under the ground sheet and the bell end of the tent was leaking.
My Grandma and Grand-pop would talk about the Primitive Methodist camp meetings. In my life time we have Billy Graham crusades and the Nicky Palau missions. The Methodist Church Home missions department had a very unreliable studio van, Rev Cyril Blount and Rev Brian Webb toured around the England taking the good news to all who would want to hear. It was popular in the mining towns around Doncaster in the early to mid 1950’s
So now we look back at the story of the donkey and disciples in Marks gospel 11: 3–6
3 As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage and Bethany at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two of his disciples,2 saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and just as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden.
Untie it and bring it here. 3 If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ say, ‘The Lord needs it and will send it back here shortly.’”4 They went and found a colt outside in the street, tied at a doorway. As they untied it, 5 some people standing there asked, “What are you doing, untying that colt?” 6 They answered as Jesus had told them to, and the people let them go.
There are things that stand out from the story from Mark’s gospel: The disciples are not named but they were obedient; The donkey was not broken in but Jesus bonded with the colt otherwise he could not have sat on him; The donkey was not owned by Jesus but He knew he could borrow it. To day it would be like a stranger coming up to a car with the keys in it and two strangers come up to drive it away. The people tried to stop the disciples, as we would try to stop some one driving the car off, but when the people were told it is OK, the Lord needs they then stopped holding the disciples but let them go. How would respond to this now.?
The act of Jesus going into Jerusalem on a humble Donkey
foretold the old testament prophecy that Matthew quoted from Zechariah 9:9 9 Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion! Shout, Daughter Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
Lets look at the reaction of the people as Jesus rode the donkey.
They were shouting “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.” As recorded in the opening psalm at the end of verse 25.
also shouting “hosannah” this was used to express adoration, praise, or joy. It also means save us or deliver. Jesus came to save. But the People wanted a king to rid them from the Romans. God wanted them to be saved. He sent Jesus He then sent His Holy Spirit. As we celebrated at Pentecost from this comes revival, it comes from God but we have to be obedient to the call. We have to want to walk with Jesus, not just to follow him when the road is easy -and every one cheering, Or When celebrating festivals Christmas Easter Pentecost and harvest, where eating and drinking and sharing food with others is greatly enjoyed.
But it is also through the crowds gearing mocking and when travelling the hard road to Calvary, the cross and on to full salvation. There are three questions
that need your prayers to answer them.
How shall people hear if they have never heard of the Love of God?
How shall people hear if they have never heard of the cross? How shall people hear if they have never heard of the gift of eternal life?
In verse three three of our closing hymn it says
I want to learn to speak of him, my life must show he lives in me, my deeds my thoughts my words must speak of all of his love for me. Amen
Song: I want to walk with Jesus
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nB9tJGdIMwQ
Benediction;
may the God of revival move you to share His love;
may the grace of Christ walk with you;
may the fellowship of the holy spirit lead you this day and always. Amen
