Reviving the Church: Thirsting for God's Living Water

 

Summary

In Genesis 26:17-18, Isaac re-digs the wells of his father Abraham, which had been stopped by the Philistines. This act serves as a metaphor for the current state of the Christian church, which is in dire need of the living water of the Spirit. The church today faces obstacles similar to those Isaac encountered, hindrances that prevent revival. Our task is not to produce revival but to remove these obstacles, as God grants the blessing of revival. The history of revivals shows that those used by God believed in essential truths of the Christian faith. However, a dead orthodoxy, characterized by a failure to apply truth, a lack of meditation, and a neglect of self-examination, can be a significant hindrance.

Dead orthodoxy manifests in contentment with superficial disturbances rather than deep self-examination and meditation. The church today is often too busy with activities, neglecting the depth of spiritual life that comes from meditation and self-examination. True self-examination leads to a realization of our spiritual poverty and a thirst for the deeper possibilities of the Christian life. The Apostle Paul exemplifies this in his letters, expressing a desire to know Christ and the power of His resurrection.

The church today often lacks a true concern for the glory of God and the souls of the lost. This is evident in the lack of prayer and a burden for souls. True prayer arises from a deep consciousness of God and a zeal for His name. The diagnosis of the church's condition is a contentment with superficial knowledge of God, leading to busy activism rather than a thirst for God and His glory. The essential preliminary to revival is a living thirst for the knowledge of God and a longing to see Him manifest His power and glory.

Key Takeaways:

1. The Need for Living Water: The church today is in need of the living water of the Spirit, much like Isaac needed to re-dig the wells of his father. This living water is essential for revival, but it is hindered by obstacles that must be removed. Our role is to identify and eliminate these hindrances, allowing God to grant revival. [00:48]

2. The Danger of Dead Orthodoxy: Believing in essential truths is crucial, but a dead orthodoxy, characterized by a failure to apply truth and a lack of meditation, can hinder spiritual growth. True orthodoxy involves a living faith that applies truth to life and seeks a deeper relationship with God. [02:49]

3. The Importance of Self-Examination: Self-examination is vital for spiritual growth, leading to a realization of our spiritual poverty and a thirst for deeper possibilities in the Christian life. Without it, we risk living a superficial life, unaware of our true condition. [10:08]

4. A Thirst for God: The church must cultivate a thirst for God and His glory, seeking to know Him and experience His presence. This thirst is the essential preliminary to revival, driving us to seek a deeper relationship with God. [22:26]

5. The Role of Prayer: True prayer arises from a deep consciousness of God and a burden for souls. It is not about organized activities but a heartfelt cry for God's intervention and a desire for His glory to be manifested. [39:07]

Youtube Chapters:

- [00:00] - Welcome
- [00:13] - Introduction to Isaac's Wells
- [00:48] - Hindrances to Revival
- [01:57] - The Importance of Orthodoxy
- [02:49] - The Danger of Dead Orthodoxy
- [04:06] - Failure to Apply Truth
- [07:12] - The Lost Art of Meditation
- [10:08] - The Need for Self-Examination
- [12:39] - Faulty Self-Examination
- [16:41] - Realizing Christian Possibilities
- [22:26] - A Thirst for God
- [26:31] - The Role of Experience
- [33:28] - Concern for God's Glory
- [36:02] - Burden for Souls
- [39:07] - The Power of True Prayer

Study Guide

Bible Study Discussion Guide

Bible Reading:
- Genesis 26:17-18
- Philippians 3:10-11
- Ephesians 3:16-19

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Observation Questions:

1. What actions did Isaac take in Genesis 26:17-18, and what was the significance of these actions in the context of his father's legacy?

2. According to the sermon, what are some of the obstacles that the modern church faces that are similar to those Isaac encountered? [01:07]

3. How does the sermon describe "dead orthodoxy," and what are its manifestations in the church today? [02:49]

4. What role does self-examination play in the Christian life according to the sermon, and why is it considered vital? [10:08]

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Interpretation Questions:

1. How does the act of re-digging wells in Genesis 26:17-18 serve as a metaphor for the church's need for spiritual revival today? [00:48]

2. In what ways does the sermon suggest that a lack of meditation and self-examination can lead to a superficial Christian life? [08:51]

3. How does the sermon connect the concept of a "thirst for God" with the potential for revival in the church? [22:26]

4. What does the sermon imply about the relationship between true prayer and a burden for souls? How does this relate to the church's mission? [39:07]

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Application Questions:

1. Reflect on your own spiritual life. Are there any "wells" that you need to re-dig to experience the living water of the Spirit? What steps can you take to remove obstacles in your spiritual journey? [00:48]

2. Consider your daily routine. How can you incorporate more time for meditation and self-examination to deepen your spiritual life? What specific changes can you make this week? [08:51]

3. The sermon emphasizes a thirst for God and His glory. How can you cultivate this thirst in your personal life and within your church community? [22:26]

4. Evaluate your prayer life. Do you feel a genuine burden for the souls of the lost? How can you develop a deeper compassion and urgency in your prayers for others? [39:07]

5. Think about the concept of "dead orthodoxy." Are there areas in your faith where you might be going through the motions without true engagement? How can you bring vitality back into these areas? [02:49]

6. The sermon mentions the importance of experiencing God, not just believing in Him. What practical steps can you take to seek a more experiential relationship with God? [28:13]

7. Reflect on your concern for God's glory. How can you shift your focus from personal success to a genuine desire for God's glory to be manifested in your life and community? [33:28]

Devotional

Day 1: Removing Obstacles to Revival
The church today is in need of the living water of the Spirit, much like Isaac needed to re-dig the wells of his father. This living water is essential for revival, but it is hindered by obstacles that must be removed. Our role is to identify and eliminate these hindrances, allowing God to grant revival. The history of revivals shows that those used by God believed in essential truths of the Christian faith. However, a dead orthodoxy, characterized by a failure to apply truth, a lack of meditation, and a neglect of self-examination, can be a significant hindrance. Our task is not to produce revival but to remove these obstacles, as God grants the blessing of revival. [00:48]

Isaiah 12:3-4 (ESV): "With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation. And you will say in that day: 'Give thanks to the Lord, call upon his name, make known his deeds among the peoples, proclaim that his name is exalted.'"

Reflection: What are the specific obstacles in your life that might be hindering the flow of the Spirit? How can you begin to remove one of these obstacles today?


Day 2: Living Faith Over Dead Orthodoxy
Believing in essential truths is crucial, but a dead orthodoxy, characterized by a failure to apply truth and a lack of meditation, can hinder spiritual growth. True orthodoxy involves a living faith that applies truth to life and seeks a deeper relationship with God. The church today is often too busy with activities, neglecting the depth of spiritual life that comes from meditation and self-examination. True self-examination leads to a realization of our spiritual poverty and a thirst for the deeper possibilities of the Christian life. [02:49]

James 1:22-24 (ESV): "But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like."

Reflection: In what ways have you been content with merely hearing the Word without applying it? What is one truth you can actively apply to your life this week?


Day 3: The Depth of Self-Examination
Self-examination is vital for spiritual growth, leading to a realization of our spiritual poverty and a thirst for deeper possibilities in the Christian life. Without it, we risk living a superficial life, unaware of our true condition. The Apostle Paul exemplifies this in his letters, expressing a desire to know Christ and the power of His resurrection. True self-examination involves a deep and honest look at our spiritual state, prompting us to seek God more earnestly. [10:08]

Lamentations 3:40-41 (ESV): "Let us test and examine our ways, and return to the Lord! Let us lift up our hearts and hands to God in heaven."

Reflection: Take a moment to honestly assess your spiritual life. What is one area where you recognize a need for growth, and how can you begin to address it today?


Day 4: Cultivating a Thirst for God
The church must cultivate a thirst for God and His glory, seeking to know Him and experience His presence. This thirst is the essential preliminary to revival, driving us to seek a deeper relationship with God. A true concern for the glory of God and the souls of the lost is often lacking, as evidenced by the lack of prayer and a burden for souls. True prayer arises from a deep consciousness of God and a zeal for His name. [22:26]

Psalm 42:1-2 (ESV): "As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God?"

Reflection: How can you cultivate a deeper thirst for God in your daily life? What practical steps can you take to prioritize seeking His presence?


Day 5: The Power of True Prayer
True prayer arises from a deep consciousness of God and a burden for souls. It is not about organized activities but a heartfelt cry for God's intervention and a desire for His glory to be manifested. The diagnosis of the church's condition is a contentment with superficial knowledge of God, leading to busy activism rather than a thirst for God and His glory. The essential preliminary to revival is a living thirst for the knowledge of God and a longing to see Him manifest His power and glory. [39:07]

Colossians 4:2-3 (ESV): "Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving. At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison."

Reflection: Reflect on your current prayer life. How can you deepen your prayer time to reflect a true burden for souls and a desire for God's glory?

Quotes

"We are in need of this vital living water, this life, this life of the spirit, and we realize that it is to be obtained in certain places and in a certain way. But as we go and seek it there, we discover that we are confronted by the work of the modern Philistines, even as Isaac was in his day and generation." [00:48:46]

"It is not that we can produce Revival, but the history of revivals, as the teaching of the Bible, indicate very clearly that this is our work. It is for God to grant us the blessing, but it seems clear that in the presence of certain things, we have no right even to expect Revival, nor even to pray for it." [00:84:36]

"To be Orthodox is essential, but to be Orthodox alone is not enough. There is a less such a thing as a dead Orthodoxy, which is not only useless but is even an obstacle, and we are considering this condition and its manifestations. And we've considered so far a general state of contentment." [00:158:00]

"There is this dread possibility that we may be content with just listening to the truth or reading the truth and never rarely applying it to ourselves. We've done so initially, otherwise, we wouldn't be Christians at all. But it is possible for us, once we have done the initial thing, to go on just listening or reading and never applying the truth to ourselves." [00:247:80]

"Self-examination is not popular. There are those who would even teach that self-examination is wrong. No, no, they say you mustn't do that. You must always be looking to the Lord, and they say that in a wrong way. Of course, our whole life ultimately is a life of looking to the Lord, but not at the expense of self-examination." [00:602:68]

"If we don't examine ourselves, we will never truly pray, and our lives, as I say, will be lived entirely on the surface. Now, how little do we hear today about self-examination? Oh, we believe in having a quiet time, short reading of Scripture, a hurried prayer, off we go, we've done everything. But where is self-examination?" [00:665:04]

"Dead Orthodoxy is so commonly guilty of a failure to realize the glorious possibilities of the Christian life and therefore of a consequent failure to realize our own poverty. Now, I do trust that this is going to be plain and clear. I'm talking about the failure to realize the possibilities of the Christian Life in this present world." [00:1012:39]

"The test of a Christian is not his business and his activity. It is his knowledge of God. It is his knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. It's not difficult to be busy, but you try and realize his presence, and you'll soon discover that you've got to give time to it." [00:1435:12]

"Seek God, seek to know God, seek to know his love, seek to be filled with this knowledge and all the fullness of God. No, not the experience itself, but to experience him and to know him. These men of the Bible, they knew him, they spoke to him, they realized his presence." [00:1731:32]

"True prayer is only possible when men and women have a God consciousness, when they know what it is to realize the presence of the holy God, when they begin to have a zeal for his name and for his cause, and a compassion for souls, and a feeling of the pressure of the burden of their condition upon their spirits." [00:2360:72]

"The diagnosis of the condition there for today is that our essential trouble is that we are content with a very, very superficial and preliminary knowledge of God, his being, and his cause. And content with that, we spend our lives in a busy activism instead of pausing to realize the possibilities." [00:2427:96]

"The inevitable preliminary and the constant preliminary to Revival has always been this: a thirst for God, a thirst, a living thirst for a knowledge of the Living God, and a longing and a burning desire to see him acting, manifesting himself and his power, and rising and scattering his enemy." [00:2473:28]

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Transcript
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