(5th in a series)
Greetings in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. This is now the fifth in this series of Revival messages for the growing Christian.
Nearly six thousand years ago, in the most beautiful GARDEN, the world has ever known, lived a man and a woman. Formed in the likeness of their Creator, they lived solely to reveal him to his creation and to each other and therefore to GLORIFY HIM every moment of the day.
They humbly accepted the position of a creature with the Creator, which is a position of complete submission and yieldedness to HIS WILL. Because they always submitted their wills to his, because they lived for him and not for themselves, they were also wholly submitted to each other.
There, in that first home, in that beautiful garden, there was complete harmony, peace, love and oneness, not only with God, but with each other.
But then one day, the harmony was shattered, for the serpent stole into that God-centered home, and with him came SIN. And now, because they had lost their peace and fellowship with God, they lost it with each other.
No longer did they live just for God. They lived for SELF. They were each their own "gods" then, and because they no longer lived for God, they no longer lived for each other. Instead of peace, harmony, love and oneness -- there was now discord and hate -- in plainer words: SIN.
Revival must begin in the home. It was into the home that sin first came. It is in the home that we sin more than perhaps anywhere else, and it is to the home that Revival first needs to come. Revival is desperately needed in the church, in the country, in the world; but a revived church with un-revived homes would be sheer HYPOCRISY. Sure, It's the hardest place, the most costly, but also the most necessary place to begin.
But before we continue, let's remind ourselves again of what Revival really is. It simply means new life, in hearts where the spiritual life has ebbed -- but not a new life of self-effort or self-initiated activity. It is -not- man's life, but God's life, the life of the Lord Jesus Christ filling us and flowing through us.
That life is manifested in fellowship and oneness with those with whom we live -- nothing between us and God, and nothing between us and others. The HOME is the place before anywhere else where this should occur.
But, Oh how different is the actual experience in the home: irritations, frayed tempers, selfishness and resentments; and even where there is nothing very definitely wrong between the members of the home, there is just not that complete oneness and fellowship that ought to characterize Christians living together.
WHAT'S WRONG IN THE HOMES?
What is the root of the problems in our homes? When we talk about homes, we mean the relationship which exists between a husband and wife; a parent and child; a brother and sister; or between any others, who, through various circumstances are compelled to be together.
The first thing that is wrong with so many families is that they are not really open with one another. We live so largely behind drawn blinds. Other family members do not know us for what we really are, and we do not intend that they should! (Are you listening?)
Even those living in the most intimate relationships with us do not know what goes on inside -- all our difficulties, battles, failures, nor what the Lord Jesus so frequently has to forgive and cleanse us from.
This lack of openness is always the result of sin. The first effect of the first sin was to make Adam and Eve hide from each other and hide from God among the garden trees.
There they were, those two who before had been completely open with each other and with God, were covering their sins and hiding because of sin.
There were reactions and thoughts in Adam's heart that Eve was never allowed to know and there were like things hidden in Eve's heart too. We see some of these hidden thoughts of their hearts revealed when the LORD questions them. Adam ACCUSES his wife and accuses God who made her and gave unto him this help meet.
And so it has ever been: sins. Having something to hide from God, we hide it also from one another. Behind that wall of reserve, which acts like a mask, we cover our real selves.
How many different ways do we invent to hide ourselves? We are afraid to be serious because we do not want others to get too close and see us as we really are, and so we keep up a game of bluff.
We are not REAL with one another, and no one can have fellowship with an unreal person, and so the oneness and close fellowship become impossible in the home. This is called walking in DARKNESS (not "light") -- for darkness is ANYTHING which hides.
THE FAILURE TO LOVE.
The second thing that is wrong with our homes is our failure, really, to love one another. "Well," some will say, "that could never be said of our home, for no one could love one another more than my spouse and I love each other."
But wait a minute. What do you mean by "love". Love is not just silly sentimental "feeling", nor even strong passion. The kind of love needed in the home is what the Holy Bible calls CHARITY. (Love in action.)
IS YOUR "LOVE" -- REAL CHARITY?
Can you be honest enough with your self to test your "love" by comparing it with the CHARITY of the word of God so clearly defined in 1st Corinthians chapter 13? You may find that you are hardly loving at all and that your actual behaviour is all in the opposite direction -- and the opposite of love is HATE.
Some people think that "charity" is making donations to help the poor. But you can do that without charity:
"And though I bestow all my goods to feed [the poor], and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing." (1Corinthians 13:3)
Charity is a combination of a lot of traits and qualities which are the abundant grace and truth of the Lord Jesus Christ:
Where then is your long-suffering patience? Where is your kindness? Why do you boast and puff yourself up with vain conceit? Why are you selfish and irritated with others for not allowing you to have your own way all the time? Why do you think evil of others continually? Repent therefore and ask the Lord Jesus to forgive you and cleanse you in his own precious blood poured out for your sins.
And how much ENVY also there can be in a home. A husband and wife can envy the other's talents and even manifest envy of spiritual progress. Parents may be envious of their children and how often is there BITTER envy between brothers and sisters.
Why are we so quick to let down the other members in our home. Courtesy is just LOVE in little things, but it is in the little things that we so often stumble.
And puffed up! Conceit comes out in all sorts of ways. We think we always know best, we want our way, and we nag, or boss the other family members. Nagging or bossing eventually also leads to DESPISING the others and we blame them for everything and yet, we think we have charity.
Many times a day we put our wishes and interests before those of others. And, Oh how "easily provoked" we get sometimes. How quick to be irritated by something in the other. How often we allow the unkind thought, or the resentful feeling over something the other has done or left undone. And yet we claim there are no failures of love in our homes.
These things often times happen every day and we fail to realize the depth to which we have fallen. Such HATE! Impatience is hate, envy is hate, vain conceit and self-will are hate, and so are selfishness, irritability and resentment. Such SIN!
"He that saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in darkness even until now." (1 John 2:9)
What tensions, barriers and discord it all causes, and fellowship with both God and the other is BLOCKED.
THE ONLY WAY OUT.
Now the question is, Do you want renewed life? Revival? at home? You've got to challenge your HEART about this. You have to ask yourself by what spirit you make decisions. Are you prepared to continue in this state of defeat? or are you really hungry for GOD's LIFE!
You need to hunger and thirst after God's righteousness which is freely given to you by his faith. You must be willing to do whatever is necessary. The first step you must take is to call sin: SIN. (Your sin, not the other person's.) And go with it to the cross of Christ, and trust the Lord Jesus there and then, to cleanse you from your sins as you ask for his forgiveness.
As you bow before God at the cross, God's charity for others, his long-suffering and forbearance will flow into your heart. The precious blood of Christ cleanses us from the lack of charity and ill-will and the Holy Ghost fills us completely with the very life of the Lord Jesus. Will you reject this wonderful gift of life?
At the very beginnings of sin and un-love, that is the time for the cleansing of the fountain of blood which is available to us always. PLEAD THE BLOOD when evil thoughts enter. PLEAD THE BLOOD OF JESUS when you find yourself tempted to evil. As you again draw nigh unto God, he will again draw closer to you.
Again and again, we will see places where we must yield up our rights, as Jesus yielded up his rights for us! We shall have to see that the thing in us that reacts so sharply to another's selfishness and pride, is simply our OWN selfishness and pride, which we are unwilling to sacrifice. Accept the other's unlove toward you as God's will to humble you and bow the head before God and submit yourself to the LORD, knowing that "all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose." (Romans 8:28p)
As far as the other is concerned, God will probably want to use us, after we are broken, to help the other see their need. Certainly, if you are a parent, you shall often need to correct your child with firmness. But none of this is to be from selfish motives, but only out of pure love for the other and a genuine desire for their good. Our own convenience and rights must all the time be yielded to God's will.
When we have been broken at Calvary, we must be willing to put things right with the others -- sometimes even with the children. This is, so often, the test of our brokenness. Brokenness is the opposite of our stubborn hardness. Hardness says, "It's YOUR fault!" Brokenness, however, says, "IT'S MY FAULT."
"My fault." What a different Spirit will prevail in our homes when they hear us say that. Remember, that at the cross there is only room for one at a time. We cannot say, "I was wrong, but you were wrong too. You must come as well." NO, you must come alone, saying, "I'm wrong." God will work more in the other through your brokenness than through anything else you can do or say.
We may, however, have to wait...
Perhaps a long time...
But that should give us time to be closer with God, for he too has had to wait a long time since beginning to put things right with man so many centuries ago, even though there was no fault on his part.
God will surely answer our prayer and bring the other to Calvary too. That is where we become one; at the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ is where the middle wall of partition between us and others will be broken down; There we shall be able to walk in the light, openly, with Jesus, and with one another, loving each other with a pure heart fervently.
REAL TOGETHERNESS WITH JESUS.
The words "family" or "families" occurs many times in the old testament. The only family we find in the new testament is God's own family:
"For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, May be able to comprehend with all saints what [is] the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God." (Ephesians 3:14-19)
Grow therefore in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ unto the perfect man. May the true Spirit of Revival fill your HOME. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.
(Please see The Mote And The Beam next. Thanks. :)
URL of this page: http://www.avbtab.org/revival/05home.htm