THINGS THAT HINDER REVIVAL:  EMPTY RELIGION

"This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me." (Matthew 15:8)

Do you long to see God move in our churches again?  Do you yearn to see a great spiritual awakening in our land once more?  I do.  Yet I know that presently, revival is not a reality in America. 

What is hindering us from experiencing revival in our churches?  I believe that there are many things that are holding back God's blessings.  In this message, we are going to explore one major issue that is hindering revival:  empty religion.

There's a huge difference between Biblical Christianity and empty religion.  Biblical Christianity centers on a thriving relationship with Christ, while empty religion is focused on tradition, legalism and ritual.  Biblical Christianity leads to meaningful worship, while empty religion leads to coldness and indifference.

One reason that we are not seeing revival in American churches is because many churches offer nothing more than empty religion.  Sadly, most church members leave church the same way they came:  empty. 

We have substituted ritual for relationship, ceremony for Christ, legalism for life, programs for prayer, and performance for praise.  Genuine worship is missing from many congregations. 

Jesus saw this problem among the religious crowd of His day.  In our text, Jesus quotes from the Old Testament.  Obviously, from the beginning, the devil has successfully caused people to substitute religion for authentic worship.

Too often, churches have a man-centered focus.  Churches are programmed like radio stations; formatted to please a certain audience.  I've heard of "seeker sensitive" churches --- churches that plan their services with the intent of being inoffensive to visitors.  Without being overly critical, the fact is that God is the Seeker.  We need to be sensitive to Him. 

Jesus pinpointed the problem of empty religion:  "... their heart is far from me."  The issue is not the style of music, length of a sermon or denominational title.  The real issue is the heart.  When our hearts seek God, our praise will be genuine.  When our hearts adore Christ, our worship will be heartfelt.  When we begin to see God (by faith) in His beauty and glory, we will experience the awe and reverence for Him that we should have.

I can't help but think that revival would occur in our churches if we would repent of empty religion and come boldly to the throne of grace.  Revival is nothing more than a move of God to transform the heart of His people.  When our hearts turn to Him, revival occurs.  As long as we hold on to dead, empty religion, we continue down the path of indifference and ineffectiveness.

Instead of following after ritual and tradition, let us seek the face of God.  When our worship becomes meaningful, everything else will fall into place.  Jesus said, "Seek ye first the kingdom of God...and all these things shall be added unto you."  We are not told to seek our own kingdom or even the kingdom of our church or denomination.  We are challenged to seek God and His kingdom.  God promised, "And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart." (Jer. 29:13).  Notice that the heart is the key. 

Empty religion is a hindrance to revival.  On the other hand, authentic, heartfelt worship of God fuels revival fires.

Why settle for empty religion?

REVIVAL BEGINS WITH YOU

"For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones." (Isaiah 57:15)

During the autumn season, many churches conduct "revival" services.  The intention of many of these services is to win souls to Christ.  While that is a great desire, the focus is on the product of revival instead of the process of revival.  Genuine revival produces fruitful evangelism, but revival itself is about believers coming clean and getting close to Jesus.

For the few saints who understand the nature of revival, there is a growing tendency to shift attention to others.  When you think of revival, whom do you think needs it the most?  Most of the time, we think that "church drop-outs" or compromising church members need revival the most.  We tend to think that someone else needs revival, don't we?

The fact is that revival begins with you.  Revival begins with me.  Instead of pointing the finger at others, let us closely examine our own lives.  Rather than condemning the sins of others, let's get honest and serious about our own sins.

We tend to think that God's blessings are felt most by those who are busy workers in His kingdom.  However, our text teaches us that some of God's greatest blessings are reserved for those who come to Him with a humble and contrite heart.

Humility is a difficult pill for most to swallow.  We don't like to eat humble pie.  Yet humility is a key to revival.  Most professing believers are too proud to acknowledge their sins and even more reluctant to repent of their sins.  It seems that humble pie is most difficult to digest when you must eat it publicly.

Yet the Lord has much to say about genuine humility.  Notice three promises in our text reserved for those who are humble:

First of all, God promises to exalt those who are humble.  Our text states, "I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit."  God dwells in a high and holy place WITH those who are contrite and humble.  God exalts the humble.  Jesus promised, "... he that shall humble himself shall be exalted" (Matthew 23:12).

The second promise is linked to the first.  God promises to bless the humble with His presence.  The humble are exalted to be with the Lord.  Many are missing out on the felt presence of God because they refuse to come on God's terms.

Finally, the humble are promised to be revived.   God promises He will "... revive the spirit of the humble, and....revive the heart of the contrite ones."  God brings revival to those who humble themselves.

Instead of waiting on others, God is calling us to experience revival.  Humility may seem like a step down but it is actually an exalting experience that climaxes with a mighty encounter with God.

God has given you the promise of revival.  Do you want to take Him up on His promise or do you prefer continuing to live below your privileges?

Revival begins with you. 

THE NEED FOR REVIVAL

"Wilt thou not revive us again: that thy people may rejoice in thee?" (Psalm 85:6)

Let's be honest about it.  Our nation is in a mess right now.  We must honestly confess that our nation is in desperate need of a spiritual awakening.  While our nation continues to spiral out of control, the American Church is casually practicing religion without power.  These are low days in the church.  It is easy to identify the problems in our nation and government, but we are slow to address the problems in the church.  In my personal opinion, our nation would not be in the mess she's in now if the American church had been clean and close to God. 

We need revival in the American Church.  Most churches will have "services as usual" on Sunday mornings, yet they are making little impact on the culture.  We are far from being like the church in the book of Acts.  The first century church was making a difference in spite of intense persecution.  The American church is suffering little persecution and is not making much of a difference at all.

Let me define a few terms.  When I refer to a spiritual awakening, I'm referring to a widespread move of God to bring multitudes to a saving faith in Christ.  When I write about revival, I'm referring to a move of the Spirit to awaken believers and set them on-fire for God.  Both are needed in America, yet I believe that change must begin with God's people.  Apart from revival, we shouldn't expect a spiritual awakening.

Let me give you four reasons why I believe that we need revival in the American Church:

1.  COLDNESS

First of all, there is apathy and coldness among professing believers.  Most churches are seeing a plateau or decline in attendance and baptisms.  On a given Sunday, many church members will not even attend their own church.  These days, professing believers tend to think that watching a TV preacher or reading something spiritual on the internet is a substitute for public worship.

Even worse, most professing believers are not living out their faith day by day.  They may claim to pray, but their lives are not exhibiting the fruit of the Spirit.  Friends, neighbors and co-workers cannot see an active faith being lived before them. 

Churches themselves have fallen into this trap.  By and large, most American churches are like the church of Laodicea. They are very lukewarm.  Despite the fact that they have impressive buildings, modern technology and numerous programs, they can't honestly claim that they are impacting their neighborhoods like they should.

2.  CORRUPTION

Secondly, there is corruption in the American Church.  We have permitted false doctrine to become acceptable.  I am amazed at the number of people who follow false teachers and quote them on Facebook.  Either Americans are ignorant of the Bible or they simply don't care. 

Most frown upon those who call out these false teachers.  We are told not to judge them.  However, the Bible instructs us to "contend for the faith."  Paul was very blunt about false teaching (Galatians 1:6-10).  We need some old-fashioned, Spirit-filled, Bible-believing preachers who'll simply "tell it like it is."  The American Church won't experience revival while permitting the filth of doctrinal error to spread.

3.  CARNALITY

Third, there is carnality in the church.  Sinful behavior has been allowed to infiltrate churches.  We no longer frown at such behavior.  We are no longer burdened about the sinful acts of professing believers. 

In the name of "love," some denominations embrace lifestyles that are strictly condemned by the Scriptures.  When churches and professing believers embrace the teachings of Oprah or "The View" instead of the Word of God, it is no wonder we are in such a mess.

Simply put, instead of impacting our society, our society is impacting the church. 

4.  COMPROMISE

Finally, there is worldly compromise in the church.  Nearly every church wants to reach more people.  We'd love to see attendance increase and membership multiply.  We'd love to see mass baptisms again.  However, we are enacting worldly methods to accomplish this.  We have forgotten that it is God who gives the increase. 

These days, it is not uncommon for the pastor to be seen as a CEO instead of a shepherd.  The vision of the church is shaped more by business leadership strategies rather than the Word of God.  What has happened to us?

Bold preaching, doctrinal purity and Biblical evangelism are not important to many churches.  We've replaced God's agenda with our own.  We have learned to "do church" without God.  No wonder His hand has been removed from many congregations. 

We need revival in our churches.  We should no longer be content with "church as usual."  We desperately need the Lord.

It is time we quit playing church.     

SOMETHING WE ALL CAN DO:  GIVE

"Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again." (Luke 6:38)

For some time, many people have criticized the subject of giving.  Certainly there have been TV evangelists who have used guilt tactics to extract money from well-meaning viewers.  Others have abused the finances they've been entrusted with. 

Despite the abuse of money by a few TV ministers, the subject of giving is one that needs to be addressed.  Every believer should be a giver.  Giving should be an expression of our love for the Lord.  Sadly, many Christians have the reputation of being uncaring because of their stinginess. 

God wants us to give.  Far too many are legalistic with their giving.  Their attitude is summed up in the question, "What is the least I have to give?"  Instead, God wants us to have the attitude, "What is the most I am able to give?"  As recipients of God's abundant grace and love, we should be generous in our giving.

I recognize that many who read this are not financially wealthy.  Some of my readers are on a monthly fixed income and find it difficult just to pay their bills.  I want you to understand that there's more to the subject of giving than money.  As you'll see, giving is something all of us can do.

Giving is a reflection of the heart.  Gratitude, compassion and love should motivate us to give generously.  Let's look at three areas of giving.

1.  GIVE OF YOUR TIME

First of all, you can give of your time.  When a person gives of his time, it shows that he cares.  Some try to use money as a substitute for time.  That is a serious mistake.  When you are raising children, they need your time more than they need an expensive toy or trinket.

Time is the most precious gift you can give.  Think about it.  You can earn more money but once time is gone, it is gone forever.  We have just a limited amount of time left here on earth.  It is imperative that we use our time wisely.

So many need our time.  When you befriend someone who is lonely, you are giving that person a precious gift.  When you take time to listen to a neighbor with a broken heart, you're giving a valuable gift to them.  When you visit a nursing home or someone in the hospital, you are giving them a loving gift.  When you give of your time to volunteer at a soup kitchen, you are giving a wonderful gift to those in need.

Don't underestimate the gift of your time.  You may impress a few people by writing a check, but you impact lives by giving them your time.

2.  GIVE OF YOUR TALENTS

Everyone has unique gifts and talents that God has given for us to use.  He expects us to use our talents for His glory and the benefit of others.  We tend to overlook the value of our talents, but when you give of your talents, it can make a profound difference.

A person does not need to have money to give of his talents.  Cooking a meal for a family that is grieving is a loving gift.  Lending a hand to someone in need can really be a blessing.  Providing free carpentry work for a widow can really make a difference. 

When you give of your talents, you will be a blessing others and you'll find yourself being blessed.

3.  GIVE OF YOUR TREASURES

Financial giving is something that God honors.  Do not think that you must be a wealthy person to give.  Many ministers have publicly given high praise to a wealthy person who donates thousands of dollars.  Yet the Lord looks beyond such superficial nonsense.  He looks at your heart and your capacity to give.  If Jesus recognized and praised a widow for giving just two mites, He will bless when you sacrificially give just a few dollars or even a few cents.

The Lord loves a cheerful giver.  When you give of your time, talents and treasures, the Lord sees it.  He knows why you've given.  Although others may not know about your giving, the Lord does.  Ultimately, He will reward you for your loving gifts. 

I think it is time for Christians to repent of their stinginess.  Since we have received the greatest gift of all ---- the gift of eternal life --- we should show our appreciation and love through generous giving.

It is something all of us can do.