Revival Brings Us to Repentance

Revival starts with the saved, waking us up from our slumber and convicting us of our compromise before it reaches out to the lost. Revival starts with us! So, if you want revival, you must have repentance; if you want God to come, you must prepare His way.

Consider the ministry of John the Baptist. Do you think he “pledged his head to heaven”? John came as the “voice of one calling out in the desert, ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight paths for Him.'” His message was simple and blunt: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.” His baptism was straight to the point: “I baptize with water for repentance.” And he minced no words with the crowds: “Produce fruit in keeping with repentance !” (Matthew 3:1-11). He cleared out the sin and made room for the King by preaching his sermon, “Repent!” How does the preaching of repentance prepare the way of the Lord?

1) The preaching of repentance prepares the way of the Lord by humbling the proud.

Before this word every “mountain and hill” are “made low” (Isaiah 40:4). It pronounces all men guilty before the righteous Judge, and it strips them of their arrogance, telling them they are nothing, and bringing them to their knees. Who can be proud when measured against the standards of God? “For the LORD Almighty has a day in store for all the proud and lofty, for all that is exalted (and they will be humbled)” (Isaiah 2:12). When men bow down with their faces to the ground, God is ready to come!

2) The preaching of repentance prepares the way of the Lord by exposing man-made religion.

The essence of all man-made religion is simply this: while claiming to fulfill the commandments of God, it actually makes them void. By exalting the sacred traditions of men, it nullifies the Word of God. It sets itself up in the place of God. Thus, all man-made religion is idolatry, since idolatry is simply bowing down to the work of man’s hands.

3) The preaching of repentance prepares the way of the Lord by removing the presence of willful and chronic sin.

Before God will come to bless, sin must be removed. Otherwise, His coming spells destruction. This is the heartbeat of the call to repent: “Get rid of everything unclean! Prepare to meet your God. He is holy, and He is coming your way.”

Repentance is the great equalizer. It removes all man-made distinctions. It restores true kingdom order. It makes the last first and the first last. It esteems the humble in heart. It exalts those who honor the Lord.

Question: How is God leading you into a heart of repentance?

Godly sorrow produces repentance that leads to salvation and brings no regret, but the sorrow of the world produces death. - 2 Corinthians 7:10, MEV