Class Lesson August 9, 2015

Don't sleep through your spiritual life.  
Wake Up!

This series is important because the church in America needs revival. Period. And the church will experience revival to the degree that the members of the body experience revival. Average Christians may not see revival and spiritual renewal as a felt need in their lives, but this series of lessons can open their eyes to see that we should all examine ourselves and consider where we stand in our walk and commitment to Christ.

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Do you want God to say “YES” to every one of your prayers?

A friend of mine took his small son with him to town one day to run some errands. When lunch time arrived, the two of them went to a familiar diner for a sandwich. The father sat down on one of the stools at the counter and lifted the boy up to the seat beside him. They ordered lunch, and when the waiter brought the food, the father said, "Son, we'll just have a silent prayer." Dad got through praying first and waited for the boy to finish his prayer, but he just sat with his head bowed for an unusually long time. When he finally looked up, his father asked him, "What in the world were you praying about all that time?" With the innocence and honesty of a child, he replied, "How do I know? It was a silent prayer."

What have we taught our children about prayer? How does prayer bring about revival? We have said that our nation, state, local community, and church need revival. We have said that revival begins with ME and that it’s has to start with PRAYER! Many preachers use 2 Chronicles 7:14 in their revival call. "If My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray, and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin, and will heal their land."

What does this verse really say? It’s used as a banner in many a revival service. But the world seems to continue to influence the Church. We hear about lots of revival services but we hear very little about genuine repentance. We don’t hear a lot about people humbly praying, but we do hear a lot about people going to worship because it’s more entertaining.

 
What’s the conclusion? Do God's people really want to seek God's face and pray or have we forgotten how to approach the Lord in genuine prayer.
 



Now, Americans are praying people. Over 86 percent of Christians pray at least once a day, but what are we praying about?
 


Most prayers are tied to something we need or want, but what would happen if Christians began using our prayers to earnestly seek what God wants? 
 


God’s call to return to Him means we humble ourselves before Him and pray. The Old Testament leader Nehemiah gives us a great example of what it looks like to pray and fast.

 
You’ve heard it said that we are all only a phone call away from a crisis situation. How would you handle a crisis situation? How would you pray? Would you pray first?

Is your prayer life up to the challenge of a crisis situation?

How do you typically respond to bad news?

The Point:

Move forward by retreating into prayer.

It's staring right at you:

• The warning light on your car's dashboard.
• The unopened bill.
• The calendar reminder to make a doctor's appointment.

You know what you need to do, but you don't want to take the next step. Why? Because you know that it's likely to be bad news.

We can try to avoid bad news - pretend it's not there. But that doesn't change reality. We have to face up to bad news when it comes. The key question is: how do we face an onslaught of bad news?


When we pray, remember:

1. The love of God that wants the best for us.

2. The wisdom of God that knows what is best for us.

3. The power of God that can accomplish it. 

That's what Nehemiah was faced with in this week's lesson: a mountain of bad news that hit him like a truck. Fortunately, Nehemiah responded by turning to God in prayer. His example can help us do the same.


A recent study indicated most Christians pray at least once a day. The question is, What are they praying about? Most prayers are tied to something we want. What if Christians began to pray only for what they needed and earnestly sought what God wants? The path back to a renewed relationship with the Lord is marked by humbling ourselves before Him and praying that His will be done and His name glorified.

Return To Prayer 

Nehemiah 1:3

3 They said to me, “The remnant in the province, who survived the exile, are in great trouble and disgrace. Jerusalem’s wall has been broken down, and its gates have been burned down.” 

After 70 years of captivity in Babylon, the people of Israel were allowed to return to their homeland, including Jerusalem, in 538 B.C. Around 90 years later, a man named Nehemiah, still living in Babylon, asked his brother Hanani about the condition of Jerusalem and those who had returned to live there. The report he received was grim, the people were in trouble, the walls around Jerusalem had been broken down, and its gates were destroyed.

Nehemiah was stunned. No walls and no gates meant the residents of Jerusalem were completely unprotected. They were vulnerable to any number of threats. Why would God allow this to happen? After all, these were His chosen people, and He had promised they would return to their own land and prosper after the exile (see Jer. 29:10-11, 14). But God also said: "You will call to Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart" (vv. 12-13).

God wants a relationship with us. To accomplish that goal, He often moves in our lives in one of two ways:

1. He moves in response to our desperation for Him.
2. He allows trouble in our lives because He knows that will bring us to desperation for Him.

When I think about that word "desperation," I think about growing up in south Texas. The summers there are boiling hot, and I think about going outside to play as a child. I often took no water with me, and in the scorching afternoon heat I would suddenly realize I was thirsty. To ignore that thirst and keep playing would eventually lead to dizziness, nausea, and even a loss of consciousness. At some point, I would become desperate for water and hydration. 

In a similar way, we can deceive ourselves into thinking our spiritual lives are fine - even when we have no intimate walk with Jesus, no fellowship with others, and no sense of being on mission to make disciples. The reality is that we need the refreshing water of God's presence in our lives.

God's people were in a desperate situation, and Nehemiah knew it. Fortunately, the desperate situation moved Nehemiah to desperately seek God.

What are some symptoms of spiritual trouble in today's culture?

Nehemiah 1:4-6a

4 When I heard these words, I sat down and wept. I mourned for a number of days, fasting and praying before the God of heaven. 5 I said, Yahweh, the God of heaven, the great and awe-inspiring God who keeps His gracious covenant with those who love Him and keep His commands, 6 let Your eyes be open and Your ears be attentive to hear Your servant’s prayer that I now pray to You day and night for Your servants, the Israelites.



Hearing the plight of God's people and Jerusalem humbled Nehemiah. He was so broken at the news that he sat down before the Lord for days in order to mourn, pray, and fast. He allowed the devastation of his people to drive his desperation to see God move.

It's interesting that the first words of Nehemiah's recorded prayer weren't focused on the bad news he had received. Instead, Nehemiah began by focusing on who God is - by throwing himself on the foundation of God's character. Standing on the truth of that foundation, Nehemiah prayed that God would listen to his prayer and respond with compassion. 

In the same way, our hope for moving forward spiritually isn't based on overcoming our problems, but on the simple fact of who God is. If you find yourself in a place of devastation and desperation, consider the character of God and surrender to Him. This is the path to spiritual renewal and awakening.

I admit this can be difficult.

When we see a problem or encounter a crisis, our first response typically is to try and fix it ourselves. Nehemiah did the opposite by retreating into prayer and fasting. By turning away from his problems, Nehemiah sought the ultimate solution to those problems. The reality is that retreating into prayer is actually the best way to move forward. Prayer should be our first response, not our last resort. When we seek God in prayer and fasting, He responds.



"Fasting is abstaining from food with a spiritual goal in mind. When we fast, we;re willing to give up the most natural thing our body desires - namely, food - in order to beg the God of heaven to do something supernatural in our lives." - Ronnie Floyd

Nehemiah responded with mourning, praying, and fasting. When should we incorporate these practices in our lives?

Nehemiah 1:6b-10

6b I confess the sins we have committed against You. Both I and my father’s house have sinned. 7 We have acted corruptly toward You and have not kept the commands, statutes, and ordinances You gave Your servant Moses.8 Please remember what You commanded Your servant Moses: “If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the peoples. 9 But if you return to Me and carefully observe My commands, even though your exiles were banished to the ends of the earth, I will gather them from there and bring them to the place where I chose to have My name dwell.” 10 They are Your servants and Your people. You redeemed them by Your great power and strong hand. 


As Nehemiah contemplated the circumstances of his people, he knew they must deal with their sin. Repentance was the only answer. It's interesting that Nehemiah included himself as part of the problem. He wasn't living in Jerusalem, yet he counted himself and his family among those who had sinned against God, Nehemiah sought restoration for his fellow Jews, but he began with himself. That's important.

Before God brings revival to a nation or group of people, He brings it first into the hearts of individuals. One person's confession and repentance can be the spark that ignites a great awakening. Nehemiah was that spark for the Jews in Jerusalem, God burdened Nehemiah about his own condition, and He used Nehemiah to rebuild and restore.

In September 1857, God used another spark by the name of Jeremiah Lanphier. He was a businessman so burdened to see God move that he began a prayer meeting in Manhattan. While it started out small - the first meeting only had six in attendance - God began a wave of prayer and renewal that led to the revival of 1858. More than one million people were converted to faith in Christ in one year.

Can you imagine what would happen is that kind of movement happened in your community today? In our country? Millions would come to Christ! And it all starts with prayer. You never know how God will use the spark of one desperate, praying believer to influence another person, who influences others, who influences others - until millions of lives are changed to the glory of God. Be that spark.

What role should confession play in our lives?

What's one step you could take to improve your prayer life?

LIVE IT OUT

How will you move forward with God this week? Consider the following suggestions:

• Pray every day. Stop trying to fix your problems on your own and take your problems to the only One who can really solve them.

• Schedule time for uninterrupted prayer. Block out at least 15-30 minutes for longer experiences with prayer. Guard that time and use it to focus on God as you pray for revival for yourself, your family, your church, and your community.

• Fast. Fasting can take your prayer life to a whole level. Consider fasting as a group on a particular day.

We all receive bad news, but there is a way to deal with it: pray. There has never been a great movement of God that was not preceded by the extraordinary prayer of God's people.

Prayer of Commitment

Lord, I say it is my desire, so now I make it a promise: to spend more time with You in prayer. Amen.

See you on Sunday!


In His Love,

David & Susan