Romans 7:13
"Was then that which is good made death unto me? God forbid. But sin, that it might appear sin, working death in me by that which is good; that sin by the commandment might become exceeding sinful," Romans 7:13. The Christian desires to have closer communion with God. We want to have sweet fellowship with the Lord. We read about great revivals of the past, and we desire to have great revivals in our day. Or at least we say we desire to have great revivals in our day. I am afraid that our desires for revival are no different than good intentions and new years resolutions. The word revival sounds good, but when the rubber meets the road, that desire to have closer communion and sweet fellowship with the Lord comes to a screeching halt. The requirement for true revival is usually more than what most Christians are willing to pay. Yes, there is a cost for true revival.
When we look at the revivals of the past we always see a brokenness over sin. In Acts 2 when Peter preached on the day of Pentecost, he used Scripture in context, he proclaimed the gospel, and the people were pricked in their hearts. When they heard Scripture proclaimed, the Holy Spirit pierced their hearts. They were violently agitated in their minds. What they heard convicted them, so they cried out in verse 37, "Men and brethren, what shall we do?' Peter commands them in verse 38 to "Repent". As a sign of true repentance Peter also tells them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Instead of identifying with Moses and the Law, be identified with Christ and grace. If the Lord has truly forgiven you of your sins proclaim it to the world by being baptized. This was the believer's confession of faith. This would cost them dearly. It would cost them with their families, their friends, their social status, and financially. There is a high cost to follow Jesus Christ.
As a result of the high cost of following Jesus, many do not. In place of having a true move of God, people fabricate false worship and replace true repentance with emotionalism and call it revival. The preaching of the Law and the Gospel are replaced with certain Scriptures taken out of context to make the hearers feel better about themselves. What is missing is a brokenness over personal sins as a result of hearing the preached word. Scripture is not preached because it reveals what is truly in man. "And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God," John 3:19-21. The Word of God is light. If you desire personal revival, get in the Scriptures. The Scriptures will show us things that we may not want to see, and will expose sin in our lives.
Those preaching at the outset of revivals were always men who were conscience of their own sinfulness, and the sinfulness of those they were preaching to. They were not putting on a show, and they were not preaching to please men. When Jonathan Edwards preached "Sinners in the hands of an angry God" people were devastated over their sins and were hanging on to the sides of the pews for fear that God would open up the earth and hell would swallow them. When George Whitfield preached the people were convicted of their sins. Three were no theatrics, no gimmicks, no short devotions with an invitation and a song. No! They were preaching Scripture! Sometimes they would preach for hours upon hours and the crowds would continue to grow. As a result of the preached word, there would be a brokenness over personal sins, and communities, towns, and cities would be transformed.
I dare say that the majority of Christians today do not want revival. We have become comfortable and cozy with our sins. We even think our sins are not exceeding sinful. This means we are not broken over our sins. The man in Romans 7 is broken over his sinfulness. The more we rightly divide the Scriptures, the more sin we will see in our lives. The more sin we see, the more we understand that we are in a war with our flesh. "But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members," Romans 7:23. Paul is not writing about past battles, no, he is writing about present battles he is having He is writing about the law that brings him into captivity. This is "another" law which is a different kind of law, not like the law of God. The law of God makes sin exceeding sinful, this other law that is in our members makes sin exceeding pleasant. Since it is pleasant to our unredeemed flesh, it brings us into captivity. The law defined is simply rule. Instead of saying the law of the land, we can say the law of the man. Some may say they are not captive to sin. Have you had sinful thoughts? Yes, you have. Those thoughts have taken you away from worshipping God in spirit and truth, and they have kept you from loving God with your whole body, soul, and mind. That in itself is sin, but we do not see it as being that bad.
If we want true revival, then we must truly view ourselves as Paul did in Romans 7:24, "O wretched man that I am!" The word "wretched" in this verse simply means miserable. It is used one other time in the New Testament in Revelation 3:17, "Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked." Paul knew that he was wretched, and he continued to repent of his sins, and as a result he was in continual personal revival (I Timothy 1:15). Paul had a great walk with the Lord. The Laodiceans did not have a great walk with the Lord. They did not see themselves as wretched. They had everything down pat, and life was good; but in the eyes of God they were wretched. They did not see their need for constant deliverance from the law in their members.
In Romans 7:24 Paul asks this question, "Who shall deliver me from the body of this death?" Figuratively, Paul is walking around with a dead man tied to his back, and he wants to get away from it. It stinks, it weighs him down, it is embarrassing, and it keeps him from doing those things he wants to do. Paul answers his own question in verse 25, "I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin." Paul understood he would be in this battle until the Lord takes him home. Paul also understood that the Lord would take him home one day. Paul was a man in personal revival.
May the Lord grant us grace to see ourselves according to the bible. Lord, we pray for revival, but I do not think we want the cost for revival. Lord, be merciful to me a sinner. Please send questions and comments to richardsonbaptistchurch@gmail.com. Soli Deo Gloria.
