THE MARKS OF A TIME OF REVIVAL, AND THE MEANS OF BRINGING IT ABOUT

Part I

It’s a blessed time, brethren, when the word of God grows mightily and prevails. It’s a blessed time in a soul, it’s a blessed time in a family, it’s a blessed time in a congregation, it’s a blessed time in a country — when the word of God grows mightily and prevails. Is this your desire? I do not think that the desires of a Christian should be bounded by anything short of eternity. It’s a blessed state of things of which the prophet Isaiah speaks. “Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing: for in the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert.” It is a blessed state of things that is described in that passage, “Is it not yet a very little while, and Lebanon shall be turned into a fruitful field, and the fruitful field shall be esteemed as a forest?” Isaiah 29:17. It is a blessed state of things that is described by the prophet Ezekiel, “I will make them and the places round about my hill a blessing; and I will cause the shower to come down in his season: there shall be showers of blessing.” Ezekiel 34:26. It is a blessed state of things that is described in the seventy-second Psalm, “He shall come down like rain upon the mown grass: as showers that water the earth. In his days shall the righteous flourish; and abundance of peace so long as the moon endureth.” Ah! these are just lively descriptions of such a state of things as is described in our text, when the word of God grows mightily and prevails.

From these words I would show you —

1. The marks of such a time.

2. The means for bringing about such a time. Let us consider, then,

1. THE MARKS OF SUCH A TIME, and first of all, in ministers.

1st. When ministers have got a deep and abiding discovery of sin. Often ministers do not see much of sin, but oh! when God gives ministers a true discovery of sin, then their words come with power. When God gives ministers a deep discovery of indwelling sin — sin in their own heart, ah! that is a time when the word of God grows mightily and prevails. Sometimes, God gives ministers a deep discovery of the ugliness of sin in their people — shows that your sins are like the torch that set hell on fire. We cannot preach if we do not see sin. It is only outside preaching if we do not see sin.

2nd. A second mark in ministers is, when they have a great discovery of Christ. Those of you who have been reading the eighth chapter of the Acts this morning, will have seen that when Philip went down to Samaria, he preached Christ unto them, “and there was great joy in that city.” So it must be with ministers still; Christ must be the theme of all their preaching; but oh! there are many times when ministers preach of Christ as through a veil. There are times when ministers cannot speak with any power, for they do not see the preciousness of Jesus; but oh! when he shows himself through the lattice, when he shows ministers his hands and his side, as it were; when they have got a fresh view of his finished work, oh! it is then, it is then that the word of God grows mightily and prevails. It is then they can speak as with the manna in their mouth. Oh pray for such a time! Pray that ministers may not be without Christ, for, O brethren, it is a true saying, “Like priest, like people.”

3rd. There is a third mark. It is when ministers have an awful sense of the value of immortal souls. The redemption of the soul is precious. A soul is of more value than a house of gold and silver: “Ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold… but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.” There are times when ministers do not realise the value of spots. There are times when ministers see no value in the souls of their people. But, brethren, there are blessed times when God gives us to know that your souls are of infinite value. There are times when God lets us see that you must live for ever, either in heaven or hell. There are times when ministers may be said to be insatiably greedy about precious souls. You may have seen a father standing on the seashore, beholding the vessel that bears his son dashed upon the rocks. Oh! at that moment when she goes to pieces, he would be willing to dash into the boiling surge to try and save his child. Something like this at times is the feeling of ministers for souls. You have seen a house on fire. The father has escaped, but his wife and children are left behind in bed; and as he stands beside the fire engine, you may have seen his feelings working, his agitation, and his look of intense anxiety, as the means are being applied to attempt their rescue; but greater than this is the feeling, at times, of ministers for souls. Yea, they are willing to die — to lay down their own life if souls could thereby be saved. “I am ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand.” These are times when the word of God grows mightily and prevails.

4th. There is another mark I should not miss; that is, when ministers can pray for their people’s souls. There are times when ministers can only pray for themselves. But ah! brethren, it is a blessed time when ministers are not only near God themselves, but can bring their people with them; when they can say, “Who is weak and I am not weak? Who is offended and I burn not?” Ah! these are blessed times, when ministers can take the Lord to witness, “God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers.” These are blessed times, brethren, when God gives ministers the grace and spirit of prayer, and that spirit is diffused through their sermons, their only desire being the conversion of souls. It is said of Shepherd, when dying, that when speaking to a young minister, he said, “God is my witness, that I never preached a sermon without having the conversion of souls in view.” It is said of a Scottish minister, that always on the Sabbath night he used to pray for every one of his people individually. Pray that ministers may have the same yearning for souls now, for it is then, and not till then, that the word of God grows mightily and prevails.

Secondly, the marks of such a time in God’s people.

1st. When they undergo, as it were, a second conversion. The disciples of Christ once put the question to him, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven? And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them, and said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.” At another time Jesus said to Peter, “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat: but I have prayed for thee that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.” These two passages show you that there is, what ministers call a second conversion. At such a time believers get a deeper and more awful discovery of the pollution of their own hearts; they get such a view of the volcano within that they are brought to see Christ after a different manner; they are brought to see him, it may be, as Thomas was, when he exclaimed, “My Lord and my God.” They are brought to see a new power, and love, and beauty in Christ, which they never saw before. They hear Jesus saying to them anew, “I will betroth thee unto me for ever; yea, I will betroth thee unto me in righteousness and in judgment, and in lovingkindness, and in mercies; I will even betroth thee unto me in faithfulness: and thou shalt know the Lord.” And they join themselves to Christ in a perpetual covenant that shall never be broken. Ah! brethren, at such a time, they give themselves again to the Lord. Brethren, pray for such a time: you know it is not now, and you know you need it.

2nd. A second mark in believers is, when the sanctuary becomes amiable. “How amiable are thy tabernacles, O Lord God of hosts.” You know, brethren, when the soul of a believer is dry and languishing, the house of God becomes as a dry and thirsty land where no water is. There is no power in ordinances. The voice of the Beloved is not heard; and the song of praise touches no chord of sympathy in the heart. But oh! it is quite different when the ordinances are felt to be sweet; when the Psalms are like the notes of the songs of the New Jerusalem; when it is like a breeze wafted across from the shore of the better land; and then the prayers are like speaking to God face to face, there is a real meeting with God in prayer; there is a real confession; there is a real taking hold of the robe of Jesus and saying, “I will not let thee go except thou bless me.” And, O brethren, at such a time as that, the preaching of the word comes with authority. The preaching of the word is like his rod out of Zion. It is then that the doctrine drops as the rain, and the speech distils as the dew; and then the broken bread and the poured out wine are like the avenues leading into the palace of the king. These are times when the name of Christ is like ointment poured forth. Pray for such a time, brethren.

3rd. Another mark is, holy living. It is a time when Ephraim shall say, “What have I to do any more with idols?” Now there is much careless walking; now there is little care to keep yourselves unspotted from the world; now there is little earnest walking with God; but oh! brethren, how different when the word of God grows mightily and prevails! when it pleases God to pour out his Spirit with the word! then believers walk softly — they walk with God; then believers begin to lay their hearts before God, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me, and know my thoughts, and see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” At such a time believers begin to search their hearts, to see if there be any leaven in the house. You remember, the children of Israel were commanded, when keeping the passover, to put away all leaven out of their houses; so the leaven of malice, and envy, and evil speaking, is put away. There is a holy circumspectness in their walk and conversation. And then the family altar is set up, and family government is exercised. You remember the case of Abraham, how we read of him over and over again building an altar unto the Lord, and calling upon the name of the Lord, and how the Lord says of him, “For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the Lord.” Ah! that’s a lovely sight, brethren. Is it so amongst you? It will be the case when the word of the Lord grows mightily and prevails. Pray that it may be so.

(to be continued)

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