REVIVALTALK

  II Corinthians 5:17 – “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” The Christmas season is a celebration of the coming of the Jewish Messiah. It was the fulfillment of over 300 Old Testament prophecies. Christmas should be a celebration of the birth of the Savior of all mankind.  Galatians 4:4-5 says, “But when the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth His son, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.” On the first Christmas night this baby, the seed of the woman, the eternal Son of God was found by shepherds, who were keeping watch over their flock by night. He was lying in a manager and was wrapped in swaddling clothes by His mother.   The angels had appeared to the shepherds to announce the miraculous birth of this king. Luke 2:13-14 says, “And suddenly there was w...

Jude 20 – 21 - “But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.”             Someone has said, “If you are swept off your feet, it’s time to get on your knees.” The Word of God backs this claim. Throughout the pages of Scriptures there is evidence that prayer can dramatically change situations, people, and sometimes even the course of nature.  We need change in our city, state, and nation.               I do not believe it is too late for our nation. My prayer declaration is “America shall be saved.” The change will come when we rebuild the broken altars and spend time crying out to God in prayer. James 5:16b says, “The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.” J. Sidlow Baxter writes, ...

  Luke 24:50-52 – “And He led them out as far as Bethany, and He lifted up His hands and blessed them. Now it came to pass, while He blessed them, that He was parted from them and carried up into heaven. And they worshiped Him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy.” Jesus led the disciples as far as Bethany, He lifted His hands, and He blessed them. This was before His ascension and before they went to the Upper Room to spend 10 days seeking to receive the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Luke 24:52 says, “And they worshiped Him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy. This is the first time the disciples are described as having great joy. To say we are living in troublesome times is an understatement.  We are engaged with an enemy who would love to destroy our society, rob us of our freedoms, and eliminate our worship.  The financial world is in a place of uncertainty. Inflation is at all-time highs. The world is in a difficult place and many nations a...

  Mark 3:23 -27 – “So He called them to Himself and said to them in parables: “How can Satan cast out Satan? If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. And if a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand. And if Satan has risen up against himself, and is divided, he cannot stand, but has an end. No one can enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man. And then he will plunder his house.”             We are engaged in a spiritual battle. Jesus said, “No one can enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man. And then he will plunder his house.” In Revelation 12:10 we learn about true spiritual warfare, “Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, ‘Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, w...

  Romans 6:23 – “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Sin has consequences. The highest wage of sin is death. Sin brings both physical and spiritual death. One consequence of sin is separation from God. Luke 16:26 says, “And besides all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed, so that those who want to pass from here to you cannot, nor can those from there pass to us.’” When we sin, we move away from the heart of God and from the principles He gives for living our lives in blessing. As we move away from the principles of Scripture, we open the door for Satan to affect our belief system. White lies and compromise become easier. Song of Solomon 2:15 says, “The little foxes that spoil the vines.” What are the rewards of sin? Sin ensnares and entraps us. John 8:34 says, “Jesus answered them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin.” Sin brings a reproach. It will result in a curse of o...

  Romans 3:23 - “for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” We sometimes wonder why people sin. People sin because sin is in their nature. Jeremiah 17:9 says, “The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it?” When we experience salvation, we receive a new nature. II Peter 1:4 says, “by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.”  We are born into sin. That’s the reason we must be born again. Psalms 51:5 says, “Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, And in sin my mother conceived me.” Sin entered the world when Adam sinned. In Genesis 3:6 we learned his actions brought mankind under the curse of sin. Romans 5:12 reveals, “Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned.” To understand why p...

  Romans 3:23 – “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”             I love to watch the Andy Griffith Show. In Season 4, Episode 4 there is a scene with a visiting preacher. In a conversation about his sermon Andy says, “You hit the nail right on the head.” Barney then replies, “That is a subject you can’t talk enough about, sin.”  The truth is this is not a subject we are comfortable with. We live in a time of great deception. People are confused. We celebrate what is wicked and perverse and call good evil and evil good. Isaiah 5:20 says, “Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; Who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; Who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!” Perhaps we are not comfortable talking about sin because we don’t want to be condemning of other people or appear to be judgmental. Jesus gave us these instructions in Matthew 7:1-5, “Judge not, that you be not ju...