Loyal, OK

 
Pastor Leon Seaton

The Power of Love

We have looked at how to have a revival the past few weeks. Today we close this series by looking at the power of love.

 1 Peter 2:13-3:7

1. Willingly obey the laws of the land
2. Be like Jesus – totally willing to obey God even though it meant suffering for something that He did not do!
3. Wives, be in submission to your husbands. If they are not saved, perhaps your life (not your nagging) will bring them to the Lord.
4. Husbands, be considerate of your wives – treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you in the gracious gift of life.
5. So that nothing will hinder your prayers.

        God tells men to make peace with their wives lest their prayers be hindered.  We cannot enter into God’s presence if our hearts are full of anger, resentment, bitterness, jealousy, or unforgiveness against your spouse. (Male or female)

        Get a pen and write down the problems and any offenses against your husband/wife.

This is not fixing the blame, rather it is confessing honestly your sin and your guilt. Be honest with yourself and about yourself. No excuses or attempts to justify your actions. God knows the truth and we might as well confess it!

The Bible says, “A broken and a contrite heart, O Lord, Thou will not despise.” Psalm 51:17 “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” 1 Peter 5:5

As you recall the wrongs done to your mate, consider any wrongs done to your children. Have you loved them? Have you brought them up in the knowledge and admonition of the Lord? Have you been so rigid and authoritarian that they have rebelled against you and the Lord? Have you been available to talk, to listen carefully to them, and to understand their problems, hopes, and dreams?

If you do not have children, think of your attitude toward your parents. If you have elderly parents, have you loved them and cared for them, and showed them the attention they deserve?

After you write it all out, carefully review it. Pray over each item and ask God for forgiveness. If you are still doing something wrong, ask God for help.

After you have confessed your sin and made peace with God, write FORGIVEN! across the page and then burn the list!

Now, worship God! A time of praise will get you back on your spiritual feet.  God has forgiven you. The price for your sin has been paid once and for all by Jesus Christ. You are free. You are cleansed. As the scripture says, “We have been cleansed from a guilty conscience to serve the living God.”  See Hebrews 10:22 NIV

 Do not let Satan “beat you up” by going back over the list over and over. When God forgives, God forgets – and we should learn from the experience and forget the failure.

If you sin, confess it immediately and put it behind you. The Bible tells us that “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 
1 John 1:9

The next step is unity.

Jesus told His disciples that “If two or more of you agree on earth as touching anything that they will ask it will be done for them by My Father which is in heaven.” “Where two or more are gathered together in My name there am I in the midst of them.”  Matthew 18:19-20

          Part of the power of the Day of Pentecost was the fact that they were all in unity. One writer noted that every classic revival he knew of took place when the believers had gathered together in one accord in one place, whether that place was a church, a tabernacle, a barn, or a clearing in the woods.

Obviously, church leaders need to spend large amounts of time alone in earnest prayer and study. Evan Roberts, the leader of the Welsh revival, had a glorious encounter with the fire of the living God at 1:00 o’clock in the morning as he was praying in his bedroom. Charles Finney, America’s foremost revivalist, met the Holy Spirit while he was praying in his study. He reported the glorious experience as if “giant wings fanned his face.” Then he was lifted into a new experience of the presence of God.

 John Hyde of India prayed alone for six or eight hours a day. It was said that James, the Lord’s brother, had knees like a camel because of the hours that he spent alone in prayer.

Each of us can and must spend time alone with the Lord, but the visitation from God we are seeking will only come when believers are praying together. I have been your pastor for 12 ½ years, and I am convinced that it is time for us to add a service each week that focuses on prayer and Bible study. Churches built on programs alone never become spiritual giants, for when the excitement wears off the people attracted by programs alone drift away.

When the power of God is released, the things that appear as reasons for us to be separated from each other become insignificant in the light of God’s glory.

Unity must be coupled with persistence.

Just before Jesus returned to heaven He instructed His disciples to tarry in Jerusalem until they were endued with power from on high.

We forget that the lives of the 120 gathered in the upper room were in grave danger. They gathered to wait and pray for the promise of the Father. Nothing happened until the tenth day. They were probably impatient; facing their fears and perhaps their faith wavered… But then came the 10^th day!

When the day of Pentecost, the fiftieth day after the Passover, had finally come, the miracle happened. Acts 2 took place!

A crowd quickly gathered. Some were in awe of them, some laughed at them, but after Peter preached they cried out, “What should we do?”

Peter was a changed man! He went from fear and failure to Holy Spirit empowered. 3,000 people were saved that day!

          There have been several great revivals in the time since Jesus returned to heaven. And if the Lord tarries, there will be more outpourings of God’s power in the future. We are on the winning team.

          My heart’s cry is that you and I are part of the next great move of God!

Sunday, September 16, 2007