Message for June 2, 2002
by Pastor Glenn Layne
(Zechariah 8:18-23)

The Big Idea:
We stand at a moment of great opportunity for a GREAT AWAKENING; the key is a MOVEMENT OF PRAYER!

Henry Ford is famous for founding the auto business as we know it, with assembly line production and the Model T, and his terse way of communicating his views. For example, his opinion of what we can learn from history he summed up in a famous three word sentence: "History is bunk!"

Well, I don’t think history is bunk (let’s play our old Trivial Pursuit sometime and I’ll show you!) And one area that teaches us is the history of the church.

In that, one thing I find very interesting is how the Lord, over the centuries, takes a passage of Scripture and sets it on fire in such a way as to alter the state of the people of God.

When God’s word catches flame—

• 1516: Romans & Martin Luther = the Reformation

The most obvious example of this was in 1516, when Martin Luther’s life was changed as he studied the book of Romans. When he saw how what he read could not be reconciled with the beliefs and practices of the church of his time, when he dared to go public with his concerns, the Protestant Reformation was born.

But another passage has an interesting history. It’s interesting first because it’s so odd (like so much of the book it’s in). It’s interesting that a number of individuals have looked at the passage, came to the same interpretation, and then only later realized that others before hand had come to the same conclusions. It’s interesting as well how each time the passage served as a spark or at least an encouragement in a great work that the Lord was doing. It’s our passage today, Zechariah 8:18-23.

• 1745: Zechariah & Jonathan Edwards = the First Great Awakening

In 1745, Jonathan Edwards was studying this passage when he was startled by what he found within. Edwards has been called "the greatest theologian yet produced on the North American continent." He was also a man of profound spirituality, and his preaching was a key component in the Great Awakening of the mid-18th century in the American colonies.

• 1800: Same passage and William Carey = the modern missions movement

Half a century later, William Carey, a "layman" (I hate that term) was encouraged in his call to go to India with the gospel. Independent of Edwards, he came to the same conclusion that he’d come to, and through Carey, the modern world missions movement was born.

• Late 20th century: J. Edwin Orr, Richard Lovelace and David Bryant

The two greatest historian/theologians of revival and awakening in the 20th century were the Brit J. Edwin Orr and the American Richard Lovelace. I had the privilege of meeting Dr. Orr in college (he’s now home with the Lord) and studying under Dr. Lovelace in seminary. (He’s now semi-retired.) Both saw a marvel in this passage.

Starting in the mid-70s, and gaining speed since then, a world prayer movement has been in the making. Writing in 1995, David Bryant stated that worldwide, 170 million people are committed to prayer for national and worldwide revival and awakening. An International Prayer Assembly was held in Seoul, Korea, in 1984; a National Consultation for United Prayer was held here in the US in 1993, with many nations around the world holding their own national assemblies.

According to David Bryant, several unique features—unique in all of church history distinguish this modern prayer movement:

1. It is unprecedented in numbers. (170 million; 30 million for the 10/40 window, where resistance to the gospel is toughest.)
2. It is unprecedented in breadth. (Across ages, denominations and locations.)
3. It is unprecedented in strategy—employing a multitude of God-honoring strategies.
4. It is unprecedented in leadership. Prayer movements in the past have tended to be of one type at a time: pastor-led, or student-led or mission-led or parachurch-organization led. But this time, all those elements have come into play.
5. And finally, it is unprecedented in vision: all over the world, God has laid a common vision upon the hearts of His people: national and world revival, awakening and harvest evangelism.

You see, we are at a point in history, as a church, as a nation and as a world in which half-measures and slow incremental expansion of the gospel witness simply will not do. That’s true right here in our church as well. We must break through to a breakthrough!

What they saw in Zechariah 8:

Edwards, Carey, Orr, Lovelace and Bryant all saw the following taught in this passage:

• God has planned a great movement of prayer as the key to renewal
• This renewal is the key to the fulfillment of the Great Commission
• This prayer movement must be humble, united and concerted

If that’s the case, why isn’t everybody praying?

Why we don’t pray…

1. Indifference: we just don’t care. It’s not that we’re bad people, it’s just that we don’t have a sense of urgency about praying. And many of us looking at the state of the world have concluded that’s it’s heading to hell in a handbasket, so why bother? But can I remind you that that world that you’re tempted to write off is the world that God so loved, that He gave His only-begotten Son to? Indifference dishonors the love of God!

2. Intimidation: another reason we don’t pray is that we hear stories about "great prayer warriors" who get up every morning at 4 AM and pray until 7. That’s a little like saying that since Tiger Woods is so good, I’m never going to golf again! Don’t be intimidated by the "superstars" of prayer.

3. Ignorance: people don’t know to pray…how prayer works…what prayer can accomplish…Ignorance is perhaps a bigger barrier than we often imagine.

Why We Should!

What we need to do is to recapture the essence of prayer. We must understand that in the mysterious ways of the Lord, He chosen to do nothing except in response to prayer; only that which is begun in prayer comes from God and is blessed by God.

Specifically, real prayer is like this:

• An intimate seeking of God: it is not just asking God to do stuff. It is, as many have described it, like a child climbing into daddy’s lap.
• Transformation by His holy presence: being with Him, we are changed by Him. If you spend all your time with cops, or jockeys, or computer geeks, guess what? You’ll end up speaking, thinking and talking like a cop, or a jockey or a computer geek. And if you spend time with God, you’re transformed by becoming more like Him in His values, perspective
• Worship: a time of adoration of the Creator of the Universe and the Redeemer of your soul.
• Commission to holy tasks: and finally, in prayer, the Spirit of God moves us to tack action, to enter into the holy tasks the Lord would have us do.
• Let’s look at the passage:

The Zechariah Passage

• The prophets Haggai and Zechariah were given the joyous privilege of encouraging those Jews returning from exile to the land of Israel.
• Some returning from exile posed this question: Should we continue these special fasts which marked various stages in the defeat of Israel, the destruction of the temple and the turning of the nation into exile? (The full story is in chapter 7.)
• The Lord’s Answer through Zechariah:
• 1. Adopt a NEW ATTITUDE (vs. 18-19)

18 Again the word of the LORD Almighty came to me. 19 This is what the LORD Almighty says: "The fasts of the fourth, fifth, seventh and tenth months will become joyful and glad occasions and happy festivals for Judah. Therefore love truth and peace."

No! The Lord desires that times of fasting be replaced by times of feasting (I like that!). Lesson: our walk with God should be one of joy, not slavish drudgery. Sure, bear the cross, but bear it like Christ! Remember what He said: "My joy I leave with you!" "Be of good cheer!"

The bane of religion is Christian people who are joyless. As I read the word of God, I observe people with serious intent, but also joyous hearts. And prayer should never be seen as the last resort of hopeless people; as a matter of fact, prayer and hope burn brightest together.

2. Engage in NEW ACTIONS (vs. 20-22)

20 This is what the LORD Almighty says: "Many peoples and the inhabitants of many cities will yet come, 21 and the inhabitants of one city will go to another and say, `Let us go at once to entreat the LORD and seek the LORD Almighty. I myself am going.' 22 And many peoples and powerful nations will come to Jerusalem to seek the LORD Almighty and to entreat him."

Focus on the statement, the "quote" at the end of verse 21:

`Let us [UNITY] go at once [URGENCY] to entreat the LORD [INTENSITY] and seek [IN PRAYER] the LORD Almighty. I myself am going [INITITIVE].' (v. 21b)

This attitude of hope, overcoming past disappointments, moves into a spirit of urgent action. An electric current of commitment surges through the people of God. Do you see it?

1. UNITY: "Let us go…"
2. URGENCY: "at once"
3. INTENSITY: "to entreat the Lord"
4. IN PRAYER: "and seek the Lord Almighty"
5. INITITIVE: "I myself am going."

Let me ask you some questions:

• Do you believe that it honors God when His people come together, not in a spirit of compromise, but in a true spirit of Biblical unity to seek the Lord?
• Do you believe that it honors God when we encourage one another to seek the Lord in prayer?
• Do you believe that God is ready and willing to bless a church that calls out to Him in prayer?

Be careful how you answer! Most of those were "we" questions. It’s easy to get a group to agree to "we" questions—it’s the "me" questions that are tricky.

That’s why you can’t overstate the importance of vs. 21b: I myself am going! I will take the initiative to seek the Lord. I will not wait for the pastors, I will not wait for Greg Laurie or Max Lucado. I must decide: I myself am going!

In 1996, I had a taste of this. In February of that year, the first Promise Keepers Clergy Conference was held in Atlanta. 38,000 pastors came together to seek God, to worship, and to be encouraged by the word of God. Next February, the second will be held in Phoenix, and you bet I’m going.

It was a transformational event in my life. When Max Lucado finished speaking on Biblical unity, there was a spontaneous response of worship, a moment that when I think of it I get a little misty and maybe a little mystical. I think history will record that gathering as a key event in the things the Lord is now doing.

The passage first speaks of new attitudes, then new actions. Now it speaks of new results.

3. Expect some NEW RESULTS (vs. 23): 21st century Great Awakening!

23This is what the LORD Almighty says: "In those days ten men from all languages and nations will take firm hold of one Jew by the hem of his robe and say, `Let us go with you, because we have heard that God is with you.' "

This is often regarded as a "mystery" verse, but let me unpack it the same way Edwards, Carey, Orr and the others understood it. "Ten" in the Old Testament is often used the way we might use the phrase, "a whole bunch"; it can be an undetermined number, meaning "more than several" in certain contexts (like this one).

Next—and here’s where some might take exception, but I am convinced this right—the "one Jew" here is not necessarily a person of Jewish people. In Romans 2:28-29, Paul says that from a New Covenant standpoint, a "true Jew" is not made so by rites and descent; but rather by the work of the Spirit of God—that a "true Jew" is a person who knows the Messiah, the Lord Jesus.

The meaning of Zechariah 8:23 is, I believe, that in response to this unprecedented seeking of God in prayer, we can expect God to pour out His Spirit in reviving the church and awakening the lost world for their need for the new life in Christ. Just as I recounted the spontaneous Welsh Revival of 1904 last week, I believe that we are already in a worldwide revival that is already around the world sweeping millions of people into the Kingdom of God.

Further, I believe that the Lord is using the war on terrorism as a tool to break open the single most spiritually resistant portion of the world: the Muslim world. I am trusting God for a grand harvest of souls from the Muslim world as the Lord pulls down these tyrants of terror.

I don’t know about you, but this sounds pretty exciting to me. If it doesn’t, then maybe you need to be awakened yourself! You need to recapture the joy of your salvation and be reminded of the sheer excitement there is in being a servant of the living God.

But I’m trusting that this DOES excite you, and encourage you and bless you. My heart cries out for a new Great Awakening—and that this Great Awakening does not pass us by because we have failed to take the necessary steps to enter into sphere of blessing.

Which begs the question—how do we enter in?

How to Enter In:

1. UNITE in prayer: Let us go at once and entreat the Lord!

We will pray—and pray together as often as possible. Pray in your homes and I urge you to pray with one another. One vehicle we have this summer for prayer is the Mid-Summer Prayer Summit, July 17. May I encourage you even now to mark your registration sheet indicating that you will come out on a Wednesday night in July for an evening of prayer for awakening?

2. SHARE your prayer expectations

Tell your Sunday school class, your brother and sister in Christ, "This is what I’m praying for." And pray big. It’s fine to pray for a good grade or a promotion, but how about praying and interceding for your workplace, your school, or even a specific country that the Lord has laid upon your heart?

3. INTERCEDE for your church, community, nation and world

Revival starts with me—but doesn’t stop there! In our region, we have certain churches that have become revival hotspots. First Baptist of Mesa, AZ has been in revival for 5 years now, and have seen over 400 people come to the Lord in that time. First Baptist of San Luis Obispo was ready to shut the doors five years ago—they had 40 people on Sunday, and no money. But now that same church is running almost—get this—1000 on Sundays!

This is not the result of any cleaver human plan, but rather the sovereign doing of God in response to the humble, united prayers of His people.

4. MISSIONS prayer must be a key ingredient

I don’t believe that God will honor awakening prayer unless it embraces the Lord’s own worldwide vision. Get a map, get a globe and start praying for the nations. Get a copy of Operation World and start praying for the counties of the earth.

5. COMMIT yourself to regular prayer, and special seasons of prayer

Pray for:

• Awakening in your own heart
• For the people in your sphere of influence, however large or small
• For your church
• For America, especially in these terror times
• For the nations
• The difference between and praying and non-praying church…
  

© Copyright 2002, Pastor Glenn Layne, www.templecitybaptist.org