Revival Through Prayer: Returning to God's Presence

 

Summary

In the 63rd chapter of Isaiah, we find a profound prayer by the prophet, reflecting on the state of Israel and the church during times of spiritual decline and suffering. The prophet, recognizing the desolate condition of God's people, calls for ceaseless prayer and vigilance, urging his fellow countrymen to give God no rest until Jerusalem is restored as a praise in the earth. This prayer is not just a historical account but a timeless lesson for the church in any era of spiritual decline.

The prophet begins by reminding himself and God of God's character, emphasizing His loving kindness, goodness, and mercy. This is the foundation of true prayer, as it is essential to approach God with a clear understanding of His nature. Without this, prayer can become a mere expression of fears or desires without substance. The prophet uses the plural form of God's attributes to highlight their abundance, reminding himself of God's unwavering goodness even in desperate times.

The prophet then reviews the history of Israel, a common biblical method to understand current predicaments. By looking back, he sees God's consistent goodness and faithfulness, despite Israel's repeated rebellion and vexing of the Holy Spirit. This historical perspective is crucial, as it shows that the church's current struggles are not unique but part of a recurring pattern of human disobedience and divine correction.

The prophet acknowledges that Israel's downfall was due to their rebellion against God, not the strength of their enemies. This is a critical insight for the church today, as it highlights the importance of faithfulness to God's revelation and the dangers of substituting human wisdom for divine truth. The church's decline is attributed to its own rebellion and the grieving of the Holy Spirit, rather than external factors.

Finally, the prophet calls for a return to God, urging the church to remember its origins and seek God's face. This is the path to revival, as the church must come to itself, repent, and seek the God of power and deliverance. The cry "Where is He?" becomes a plea for God's presence and intervention, recognizing that true restoration comes only from Him.

Key Takeaways:

- True prayer begins with a clear understanding of God's character. Without recognizing His loving kindness, goodness, and mercy, prayer can become a mere expression of fears or desires without substance. This understanding is crucial for effective communion with God. [06:03]

- Reviewing the history of God's dealings with His people provides invaluable lessons for the church today. By understanding past patterns of rebellion and divine correction, the church can avoid repeating the same mistakes and find hope in God's consistent faithfulness. [13:48]

- The church's decline is often due to its own rebellion and the grieving of the Holy Spirit, rather than external factors. Faithfulness to God's revelation is essential, and substituting human wisdom for divine truth leads to spiritual decline. [34:17]

- Revival begins with the church coming to itself, repenting, and seeking God's face. The cry "Where is He?" becomes a plea for God's presence and intervention, recognizing that true restoration comes only from Him. [42:17]

- The church must prioritize finding God and being in the right relationship with Him. This is the only way to experience His power and blessings, leading to the scattering of enemies and the restoration of His glory among His people. [48:59]

Youtube Chapters:

- [00:00] - Welcome
- [00:11] - Introduction to Isaiah 63
- [00:44] - The Prophet's Call for Ceaseless Prayer
- [01:23] - The Condition of Israel and the Church
- [02:11] - God's Encouragement Through Vision
- [03:02] - The Prophet's Prayer Begins
- [05:00] - Reminding of God's Character
- [06:03] - The Importance of Knowing God in Prayer
- [07:22] - God's Abundant Attributes
- [09:13] - Clearing Doubts About God's Goodness
- [12:09] - Reviewing Israel's History
- [15:24] - Lessons from Israel's Past
- [20:01] - The Church's Unique Relationship with God
- [26:11] - Israel's Rebellion and Consequences
- [33:10] - The Church's Rebellion and Decline
- [42:17] - The Call to Return to God
- [48:59] - The Cry for God's Presence

Study Guide

### Bible Study Discussion Guide

#### Bible Reading
- Isaiah 63:7-19
- 1 Corinthians 10:11
- Luke 15:11-32

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#### Observation Questions
1. In Isaiah 63:7, what attributes of God does the prophet emphasize, and why are they important for the beginning of his prayer? [05:14]
2. How does the prophet use the history of Israel to understand their current predicament, according to the sermon? [12:26]
3. What does the sermon suggest is the primary reason for Israel's downfall, and how does this relate to the church today? [31:29]
4. How does the cry "Where is He?" reflect the prophet's plea for God's presence and intervention? [42:49]

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#### Interpretation Questions
1. Why does the prophet begin his prayer by focusing on God's character, and how does this set the tone for the rest of the prayer? [06:03]
2. How does reviewing the history of God's dealings with His people provide lessons for the church today, according to the sermon? [13:48]
3. What does the sermon suggest about the relationship between the church's faithfulness to God's revelation and its spiritual health? [34:17]
4. How does the story of the Prodigal Son in Luke 15 parallel the church's need for repentance and return to God? [41:57]

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#### Application Questions
1. Reflect on your own prayer life. How can you ensure that your prayers begin with a clear understanding of God's character? [06:03]
2. Consider a time when you faced a spiritual decline. How did reviewing your past experiences with God help you find hope and direction? [13:48]
3. In what ways might you be substituting human wisdom for divine truth in your life? How can you realign your beliefs with God's revelation? [34:17]
4. The sermon emphasizes the importance of repentance and seeking God's face for revival. What steps can you take this week to seek God's presence more earnestly? [42:17]
5. Identify an area in your life where you feel distant from God. What practical actions can you take to draw closer to Him and experience His power and blessings? [48:59]
6. How can you encourage your church community to prioritize finding God and being in the right relationship with Him? [48:59]
7. Reflect on the cry "Where is He?" in your own spiritual journey. How can this plea guide you in seeking God's intervention in your life? [42:49]

Devotional

Day 1: Understanding God's Character in Prayer
True prayer begins with a deep understanding of God's character. Recognizing His loving kindness, goodness, and mercy is essential for effective communion with God. Without this understanding, prayer can become a mere expression of fears or desires without substance. By approaching God with a clear understanding of His nature, believers can align their prayers with His will and experience a more profound connection with Him. This understanding is crucial for building a strong foundation in one's spiritual life. [06:03]

Isaiah 40:28-29 (ESV): "Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength."

Reflection: How can you deepen your understanding of God's character today, and how might this change the way you approach Him in prayer?


Day 2: Learning from History
Reviewing the history of God's dealings with His people provides invaluable lessons for the church today. By understanding past patterns of rebellion and divine correction, the church can avoid repeating the same mistakes and find hope in God's consistent faithfulness. This historical perspective is crucial, as it shows that the church's current struggles are not unique but part of a recurring pattern of human disobedience and divine correction. By learning from the past, believers can navigate present challenges with wisdom and hope. [13:48]

Psalm 78:5-7 (ESV): "He established a testimony in Jacob and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers to teach to their children, that the next generation might know them, the children yet unborn, and arise and tell them to their children, so that they should set their hope in God and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments."

Reflection: What lessons from biblical history can you apply to your current spiritual journey to avoid past mistakes and strengthen your faith?


Day 3: Recognizing the Source of Decline
The church's decline is often due to its own rebellion and the grieving of the Holy Spirit, rather than external factors. Faithfulness to God's revelation is essential, and substituting human wisdom for divine truth leads to spiritual decline. This insight highlights the importance of remaining true to God's word and being vigilant against the temptation to rely on human understanding. By recognizing the true source of decline, believers can take steps to restore their relationship with God and experience spiritual renewal. [34:17]

Jeremiah 2:13 (ESV): "For my people have committed two evils: they have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and hewed out cisterns for themselves, broken cisterns that can hold no water."

Reflection: In what ways might you be relying on human wisdom instead of God's truth, and how can you realign your life with His revelation?


Day 4: The Path to Revival
Revival begins with the church coming to itself, repenting, and seeking God's face. The cry "Where is He?" becomes a plea for God's presence and intervention, recognizing that true restoration comes only from Him. This call to return to God emphasizes the need for self-examination and repentance as the first steps toward spiritual renewal. By seeking God's presence, believers can experience His power and guidance, leading to personal and communal transformation. [42:17]

Hosea 6:1-2 (ESV): "Come, let us return to the Lord; for he has torn us, that he may heal us; he has struck us down, and he will bind us up. After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will raise us up, that we may live before him."

Reflection: What specific steps can you take today to seek God's presence and begin the journey toward personal and communal revival?


Day 5: Prioritizing God's Presence
The church must prioritize finding God and being in the right relationship with Him. This is the only way to experience His power and blessings, leading to the scattering of enemies and the restoration of His glory among His people. By making God's presence a priority, believers can experience the fullness of His promises and witness His transformative work in their lives and communities. This focus on God's presence is essential for overcoming challenges and fulfilling the church's mission in the world. [48:59]

Zephaniah 3:17 (ESV): "The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing."

Reflection: How can you make seeking God's presence a priority in your daily life, and what changes might you expect to see as a result?

Quotes

I will mention he says the loving kindnesses of the Lord and the Praises of the Lord according to all that the Lord ha bestowed on us and the G and the great goodness toward the house of Israel which he hath bestowed on them according to his mercies and according to the multitude of his loving kindnesses. [00:05:19]

Prayer must always begin by a realization of God and of his character otherwise prayer can be a mere attempt to discovering some kind of psychological relief or ease prayer can be the mere uttering up of Pious hopes and aspirations the mere expression of our fears if prayer is to be real surely the first thing we have to do is to realize the one to whom we are speaking. [00:05:55]

The prophet realizes that the first thing he's got to do is to be perfectly certain about God as if to say whatever the explanation is of our present State and condition it isn't God God he says I know to be full of these loving kindnesses and good goodness and mercies and compassions and praises and you and I must ever learn to pray in this way. [00:08:13]

Reviewing the history of God's dealings with His people provides invaluable lessons for the church today. By understanding past patterns of rebellion and divine correction, the church can avoid repeating the same mistakes and find hope in God's consistent faithfulness. [00:12:09]

The prophet therefore begins to look back and he says well now what is the relationship of Israel to God let me go back to the very origin to the beginning of this story and you and I must learn to do exactly the same thing take the way in which the Apostle Paul puts this he says referring to the history of the children of Israel in 1 Corinthians 10. [00:15:03]

The church's decline is often due to its own rebellion and the grieving of the Holy Spirit, rather than external factors. Faithfulness to God's revelation is essential, and substituting human wisdom for divine truth leads to spiritual decline. [00:34:17]

When Israel when the church is in trouble and is desolate and forsaken it is always because of our own Rebellion her own grieving of the holy spirit of God that is the only explanation but they rebelled and vexed the holy and vexed His Holy Spirit and as the children of Israel did that so the Church of God has done that in the last 100 years. [00:31:15]

The church has only one source of strength and that is the power of God the power of His Holy Spirit and when she turns against that and Rebels against it she invariably finds herself defeated and this is what happens of course because she did that that God punished her they rebelled and vexed his holy spirit therefore he was turned to be their enemy and he fought against them. [00:37:05]

The cry "Where is He?" becomes a plea for God's presence and intervention, recognizing that true restoration comes only from Him. The church must prioritize finding God and being in the right relationship with Him. This is the only way to experience His power and blessings, leading to the scattering of enemies and the restoration of His glory among His people. [00:42:17]

The prophet proceeds to do something else and this is the thing which he elaborates and therefore which we must consider in detail having reminded himself thus of the character of God he makes a review of the history of the children of Israel and he does that at great length down indeed to the end of verse 14. [00:12:09]

The church must prioritize finding God and being in the right relationship with Him. This is the only way to experience His power and blessings, leading to the scattering of enemies and the restoration of His glory among His people. [00:48:59]

The church has only one source of strength and that is the power of God the power of His Holy Spirit and when she turns against that and Rebels against it she invariably finds herself defeated and this is what happens of course because she did that that God punished her they rebelled and vexed his holy spirit therefore he was turned to be their enemy and he fought against them. [00:37:05]

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Transcript
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