“We had a new girl in our class at church today,” Josephine said as she set the table for lunch. “Her name is Lauren, and she’s deaf. She reads lips.”
Mom nodded. “I met her mother. Their family moved here recently.” She set a plate of vegetables on the table. “Just last week I read an article that said several million people in our country are totally deaf, and even more can’t hear as well as they should.”
“Nolan doesn’t hear as well as he should.” Josephine smirked at her brother. “He only hears when he wants to. He hears just fine when somebody mentions dessert, but he doesn’t seem to hear when someone mentions chores that need to be done.”
Nolan smirked back. “Speak for yourself!”
“I guess we’re all guilty of that once in a while,” Dad said as he filled a pitcher with water. “It’s called selective hearing–only hearing what you want to hear.” He started pouring water into the glasses on the table. “Sadly, some of us who have perfectly good hearing are deaf in another way–we’re spiritually deaf.”
“Spiritually deaf?” asked Josephine. “What does that mean?”
“It means failing to hear what God has to say,” said Dad. “He invites everyone to trust in Jesus and be saved, but many people don’t seem to hear Him. God warns of coming judgment, but people are so busy with their own interests that they don’t pay attention. It’s as though they’re deaf to what He’s saying.”
“Even Christians often don’t hear God as well as they should,” said Mom. “After accepting His gift of salvation, we sometimes stop meeting with other Christians or don’t make time to read the Bible and pray. We seem to quit listening–especially if we’re afraid we’ll hear something from God that we don’t like.”
“I guess that would be like what Dad said we’re guilty of,” said Nolan. “Selective hearing.”
“That’s right,” said Dad. “We need to keep our spiritual ears open all the time and be listening for what God wants to tell us.”
Most of us live between memory and hope. We remember what God has done in the past with gratitude, and we hope that He will do it again. This makes our present sorrows and discouragements bearable. It is a sign that we need revival. Revival is the inrush of the Spirit into a body that threatens to become a corpse. It brings new life and fresh vigor. It brings renewed momentum. What can we do during these times? That’s the issue in Psalm 85.
In the psalm, Israel has experienced a great loss, probably a military defeat. She knows that God is angry. The psalmist remembers that God brought His people out of captivity before and forgave them, removing His wrath. Thus the psalmist has the courage to ask God to do it again. The six verbs-been favourable, brought back, have forgiven, covered, taken away, turned on-highlight God’s redemptive work in Israel’s history. God’s gracious dealings with Israel in the past justify the hope that He will again show grace and forgiveness.
Everywhere we look, there are signs of spiritual decay and decline in our society. This evil has infected both the world and the church. There is a need for revival, but it can’t be produced by human means or effort. It is the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on God’s children that we should be earnestly praying to see become a reality.
Throughout the Bible, God’s judgment is always a result of His righteousness and our moral failure. For this reason there will never be restoration, revival, or reunion apart from forgiveness. This makes the cross where Jesus was sacrificed central to our faith. As John 1:29 says, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” When restoration occurs, and it is based on forgiveness, God’s wrath is lifted.
If we have experienced a crisis in our lives, perhaps God has a purpose behind it. Perhaps God has taken steps to get our attention, and the next step is ours. Believers often complain because they don’t have any power, but God has given them the power. They simply refuse to use it. They get caught up in their own circumstances, problems, and issues. They simply forget to ask God for His help.
Christ breaks us free from Satan’s captivity, cancels our sins, and takes God’s judgment upon Himself. How then can we deal with our present depression and darkness? The first thing to do is to remember the past, especially what Jesus has done.
There are only two potions for us-God’s wrath or God’s life. Both come from Him. We can’t work up repentance and somehow deserve divine mercy. God has to do the work. All we can do is ask Him to do it. These truths emphasize His sovereign grace and lift the responsibility from us for our salvation and place it upon Him.
The word “mercy” means “lovingkindness” or “steadfast love.” It is a powerful word used elsewhere in the Old Testament to describe God’s unconditional love and His covenant commitment. There is great comfort in knowing that when a person sins, God does not change. His steadfast love allows everyone to seek further grace and forgiveness.
No one is beyond hope-no matter how far gone they appear to be. God is sovereign, and He is able to bring revival and new life to even the coldest heart or the most rebellious nation. The promise of salvation is followed by a warning not to return to our sinful, human nature. Grace must never create presumption. We are to respect God. As we do, salvation will be near. With God’s deliverance comes His glory. Only those who renounce their sinful autonomy and put their complete trust in the living God will enjoy the blessings of salvation and the future kingdom. Spiritual revival is not only about getting right with God. It is about returning to a place where we can delight in God. The very presence of God lives among us.
A good word to describe Christianity is “exposure.” We become Christians after being exposed as sinners. We grow as Christians and become exposed to our need of change in some area. We confess daily sin and it is exposed in our lives. We flourish in rwalk as a result of being exposed to the Scriptures. Joy depends on our understanding the grace of God, knowing that God’s grace is at work even when we suffer. Faithful living requires an attitude of listening for God’s voice, and then determining its meaning for our lives or our situations. Faith requires action on our part. We must seek forgiveness for the times we have neglected or turned away from God. We must recommit our hearts to Jesus.
What we need is a sweeping revival. Decline occurs in nine cycles. We go from:
- Bondage to spiritual faith
- Spiritual faith to courage
- Courage to liberty
- Liberty to abundance
- Abundance to selfishness
- Selfishness to complacency
- Complacency to apathy
- Apathy to dependence
- Dependance back again to bondage.
As humans we are forever returning to our old, sin-filled ways. No matter how many times God rescues us from ourselves and the damage we do to one another, when will we ever learn? When will we listen to God and live in the promised peace and wholeness that is ours in Christ?
This psalm expresses the union of God’s mercy and peace on the one hand and His kingdom order, truth and righteousness. Law and gospel, demand and gift, become one by His grace. We are pointed to Jesus, who bears all of these attributes in His own person. We gain His righteousness, and this righteousness brings peace or wholeness to God’s people. Righteousness comes from heaven as God’s gift and measures and judges the earth. God’s mercy and righteousness will triumph, and the earth will be blessed again. This gives us hope for the future-a future that impacts our homes, our cities, our nations, and our world.
Bibliography
- Jeremiah, David: The Jeremiah Study Bible: New Kings James Version (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc.; 2013; pp. 762-763)
- Williams, D. & Ogilvie, L.J.: The Preacher’s Commentary Series, Vol. 14: Psalms 73-150 (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc.; 1989; pp. 108-113)
- Stanley, C.F.: The Charles F. Stanley Life Principles Bible: New King James Version (Nashville, TN: Nelson Bibles; 2005)
- MacArthur, J.F. Jr.: The MacArthur Study Bible: New American Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers; 2006)
- Stephen Davey, “Taking a Bath…Daily!” Retrieved from http://www.wisdomonline.org
- Bayless Conley, “The Vital Sign of Joy.” Retrieved from Bayless@AnswersBC.org
- Bayless Conley, “The Importance of Revival.” Retrieved from Bayless@AnswersBC.org
- Christine Caine, “A Time for Revival.” Retrieved from no-reply@christinecaine.com
- Shelley Cunningham, “Psalm 85:8-13.” Retrieved from communic@luthersem.edu
- Raul Ries, “Revive Your People.” Retrieved from http://www.crosswalk.com/devotionals/somebody-loves-you-radio-w-raul-ries/
- Krista Vingelis, “Psalm 85 verses 8-13.” Retrieved from communic@luthersem.edu
- Ron Moore, “Soul Calm.” Retrieved from Crisswalk@crosswalkmail.com
- “Hearing Problems.” Retrieved from info@keysforkids.org
Sermons From My Heart 