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WHAT NOW?

INTRODUCTION

I ask you the question this evening “What now?”

Where do we go on from this point in our lives?

Now that these Revival Services are over, what do we do now? How can we keep that special thing that God did in our lives, if He did something?

Each service last week God met with us in a very special way and brought many of us to the end of ourselves and then brought us to Himself.

I don’t want to go back to the way things were before and I don’t believe that you do.

Now that the Evangelist is gone, what can be done to retain the fervor? Bro. Marshall was a dynamic speaker, much more dynamic than I am. His delivery was unique. He was a gifted man of God for the purpose that God has called Him to--Evangelist.

However, God has placed me here as pastor. God has also gifted me for the purpose that He has called me to--Pastor, Undershepherd.

Now that decisions have been made for God. What do we do to keep from drifting back to the old paths that led us to spiritual dryness?

Now that we get back to our lives. How do we keep it from just being routine, especially the same old routine?

   I.       DON’T GET OVER WHAT GOD HAS DONE FOR YOU. (PSALM 105:1-5)

            A.        REMEMBER WHAT HE HAS DONE WITH THANKSGIVING. (VS 1; 5)

                        1.         Satan will try to get us to forget.

                                    1 Peter 5:8–“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking

                                    whom he may devour.”

                        2.         Satan will try to get us sidetracked.

                                    “Revival’s over, you can get back to life as it was!”

            B.        TALK ABOUT WHAT HE HAS DONE WITH PEOPLE. (VS 1; 2b)

                        1.         It Keeps It Fresh In Our Hearts And Minds.

                        2.         It Glorifies God Because He Did The Work.

                        3.         It Encourages The Brethren To Walk With God.

                        4.         It Can Stir The Lost To See That God Is Real.

            C.        SING UNTO THE LORD. (VS 2)

                        This is an evidence of being filled with the Spirit of the Lord!

                        Ephesians 5:18-20–“And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit; Speaking to yourselves

                        in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; Giving thanks always for

                        all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;”

Colossians 3:16-17–“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.”

            D.        GIVE GOD THE GLORY. (VS 3) 

                        Psalm 34:2–“My soul shall make her boast in the LORD: the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad.”

Jeremiah 9:23-24–“Thus saith the LORD, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches: But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the LORD which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the LORD.”

                        1 Corinthians 1:30–“He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.”

            E.        REJOICE IN THE LORD IN YOUR HEART.     (VS 3b)

                        Psalm 33:1–“Rejoice in the LORD, O ye righteous: for praise is comely for the upright.”

Isaiah 61:10–“I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness.”

                        Philippians 4:4–“Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice.”

            F.        SEEK THE LORD AS YOU NEVER HAVE BEFORE. (VS 4)

                        1.         SEEK THE LORD.

                                    Amos 5:6–“Seek the LORD, and ye shall live”

                        2.         SEEK HIS STRENGTH.

                                    Ephesians 6:10–“Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might.”

                        3.         SEEK HIS FACE.

                                    Psalm 27:8–“When thou saidst, Seek ye my face; my heart said unto thee, Thy face, LORD, will I seek.”

   I.       DON’T GET OVER WHAT GOD HAS DONE FOR YOU.

 II.       HONOR THE COMMITMENTS YOU MADE TO GOD. (Psalm 40:6-8)

I Samuel 15:22 "Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams."

            Psalm 50:14–“Offer unto God thanksgiving; and pay thy vows unto the most High:”

            Psalm 116:18–“I will pay my vows unto the LORD now in the presence of all his people”

            Honor is obedience in the right heart attitude.

            That is doing exactly what we are told to do, when we are told to do it with a servant’s attitude of love for the master.

            Obedience brings blessing; disobedience brings conflict.

            The first time God prompts our hearts and we refuse to obey, then our revived life begins to dry up and shrivel away. To delay is to fail

            to honor and to be in disobedience.

            To maintain the fire of revival in our hearts, we must be committed to absolute obedience to the Holy God. The closer we are to God,

            the faster we will obey.

            John 14:15 "If ye love me, keep my commandments."

            Continue To Ask Yourself These Questions:

            1.         Is there any known command of Scripture that I am not obeying?

            2.         Is there any God-ordained authority in my life (boss, parent, etc.) toward whom I do not have a submissive attitude?

            3.         Has God prompted my heart to some act of obedience which I have not gotten around to doing yet?

   I.       DON’T GET OVER WHAT GOD HAS DONE FOR YOU.

  II.       HONOR THE COMMITMENTS YOU MADE TO GOD.

 III.      LET HONESTY BE YOUR CONSTANT COMPANION.

            Proverbs 28:13–"He that covereth his sins shall not prosper; but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy."

            Honesty before God and others will safeguard us from the inclination to talk further down the road than we are actually walking.

Our cry should be, "Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me and know my thoughts; and see if there be any evil way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting." (Psalm 139:23-24)

            Honesty will help us maintain an understanding of our real condition of being poor and needy before the Lord.

Without honesty, we begin to lose sight of our true state of existence and tend to become like the Laodicean church, "rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing."

             The quickest path to honesty lies in getting a fresh vision of God.

            The closer we get to God, the more we will see our need for Him and His continual redemptive work in our lives.

            The smaller our list of needs is, the more deceived and self-sufficient we will become.

IV.      KEEP AN HUMBLE AND SUBMISSIVE HEART.

            Proverbs 22:4 "By humility and the fear of the Lord are riches, and honour, and life."

Philippians 2:3-4–"Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others."

             The heart of Jesus was to bring glory to the Father in all He did, never taking credit for Himself.

            The heart of humility is a heart that esteems others greater than itself. It serves others, it submits, and it desires that God be glorified.

            This principle is closely tied to the matter of being honest, for honesty before God and others will keep us humble. The moment we think

            we are humble, we're not!

            The opposite of a heart of humility is a heart of pride which has an exalted opinion of itself and is self-seeking.

            God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble. The pathway of humility is the key to God releasing His grace in our lives.

   I.       DON’T GET OVER WHAT GOD HAS DONE FOR YOU.

  II.       HONOR THE COMMITMENTS YOU MADE TO GOD.

 III.       LET HONESTY BE YOUR CONSTANT COMPANION.

 IV.       KEEP AN HUMBLE AND SUBMISSIVE HEART.

   V.      WALK DAILY IN THE GRACE THAT ONLY GOD CAN GIVE.

            Philippians 2:13–"For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure."

            God alone gives us the power and desire to obey Him--that is just as much grace as Salvation is.

            Just as we could not save ourselves, we cannot live the Christian life in and of ourselves.

            God gives grace in response to humility (I Peter 5:5-6).

            A Christian needs grace to respond to circumstances that God brings into his life.

            A Christian needs grace to respond to the conviction of God's Spirit over his sin.

            We all will encounter situations and circumstances in the days ahead when the last thing we will want to do is respond to life God's

            way, but it is the very thing we must do and God gives us His grace to do it.

            Remember that grace, like an ambulance, comes racing to the scene of need as we cry out to God for help.

             Apart from understanding this vital principle, we will inevitably lapse back into the Romans 7 syndrome whereby we try and try but

             cannot walk obediently before God. It is God's grace (power and desire) that we need.

II Corinthians 9:8 "And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work."

II Corinthians 12:9,10 "And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me . . . for when I am weak, then am I strong."

            Hebrews 4:16 "Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time

            of need."

            What circumstance or circumstances are you currently facing for which you need God's grace? Have you been depending on your

            own abilities or on God's grace today?

            Have you cried out to Him in dependence and humility, expressing your need for grace?

Home Page   Contact Us    Service Times    Sermons   Are You Going To Heaven?

NOTICE:   THESE SERMONS ARE FREE TO BE USED BUT ARE NOT TO BE SOLD!