Why Exactly Do We Want an Awakening?

Carter Conlin from the historic Times Square Church in New York City. This is not to be the drive every saint of God is been praying for spiritual awakening is my safety, my security, my comfort my status. Well you log in your name one more time in the best Carter, and welcome to this week's call to the nation in the book of first Samuel chapter 17 we find the Philistine army with their champion of the light gathered together on one side of the valley and King Saul with the armies of Israel, on the other side. This is a pictorial representation of the constant battle which is taken place in this world. Since the Garden of the follow the will and the way of God. Let's join Carter as he asks the question why exactly do we want an awakening.

I have a thought that the Lord put on my heart and I want you to turn with me in the book of first Samuel chapter 17.

If you will.

First Samuel chapter 17 and given this title. Why exactly do we want an awakening. What is the reason why we pray for spiritual awakening unit. It might not be as simple as a lot of people think it is and maybe, just maybe, I'm only suggesting it.

Maybe our motives are not as pure as we'd like to think that they are first in the chapter 17 beginning at verse 45 then David said to the Philistine, you come to me with a sword in the spirit of javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand and I will strike you and take your head from you this day, I will give the carcasses of the camp of the Philistines to the birds of the air and the wild beasts of the earth, but all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel that all this assembly shall know that the Lord does not save with sword and spear for the Bible is the Lord's and he will give you into our hands. Let's just go into the scene for a moment Philistines with their champion Goliath are gathered on one side of the valley and Saul with the armies of Israel are on the other side. This this is a representation is a pictorial representation of this this constant battle since the Garden of Eden that's going on in this world where the powers of darkness animated by the devil himself. Stand up and threaten the testimony of the people of God by the people of God had a history and they had a purpose on the earth and I would assume that the Army many at least of the Army of the soldiers that were standing there and the people that were on Saul side of the valley.

They knew their history. They knew they were called to be a II people literally unconquerable of people that are representatives of the mercy the grace and the power and the goodness of God in the earth that a special people. People set aside to give glory to God and to bring glory to God and get it at certain points in history like this one were talking about one more time. The armies of darkness amassed themselves in morning by morning.

The issue with threats against the people of God and the threat was quite simple. You can't fight against us were stronger than you are. And if you send anybody you want out against us.

And if we defeat the person that you send against us.

You will serve us if you succeed in defeating us. We will serve you and that's exactly the way cultures and societies and those who have countries that have had the gospel have seen darkness pushed back in in in one sense, the powers of darkness have had to serve the Lord in the will of God, even if it was reluctantly they had to serve member and song to the psalmist writes and says why do the heathen rage and why do the kings of the earth. Imagine vain things they they gathered themselves together and they they they marshal their forces in the war against the people of God, and they essentially stated the people of God. We're going to cast off your cords from us. You see, your presence is a restriction on our behaviors we want to behave a certain way we want certain sins in our lives that God calls evil. We want them to be called good. So now were rising against you were stronger than you are we lifting our voices and were making this declaration you will serve us. That's what's going on in America today whether you recognize it or not, this same voice that was animating Goliath and the whole Philistine army behind him is now raised up again saying to the people of God, you are not as strong as we are. You can't fight against us were going to overpower you and you will serve us. In other words, you will alter your doctrines, you will alter your belief system and you will acquiesce to what we say is good and we will no longer have to serve the good that you tell us the word of God says we have to obey. Now there was no shortage of insurer people in the Army of Saul, because see the people of Israel were a religious people. Perhaps the most religious on the face of the earth of their time there are no shortage of prayer meetings that they all knew their history. The many new their purpose. Many of them would die when they had the occasion and would attend the synagogue, they would they would be involved in in prayers in as they knew it, and I have no doubt that there's soldiers sitting on the sidelines and and there there secretly praying because they were afraid it was a fearful moment in history. They were really under the threat of actually being brought into subjection to a foreign power a foreign power to the kingdom and the word the will and the ways of God and you can just see the soldiers are from God, why are we praying and you're not hearing us.

How come this is being allowed to prosper where's our courage. Why is there none among us will stand up and fight what was the fuel source of the fear that had gotten hold of the people of God in the, the Army of God of this time and if we look at data we take that whole scene and kinda more or less superimpose it on our present day. Today we we ask ourselves the question, why do we want revival were calling out for revival, calling out for a a spiritual awakening but I'm likening it to what must've been in the hearts of some of the soldiers at least of some of the civilians. Maybe there were with them hiding on God's side of the valley. If I can call it that we want revival because were afraid of losing our own safety in our own security is that the reason were asking for spiritual awakening. Verse 24 the same chapters as all the men of Israel when they saw the men being Goliath. They fled from him and were dreadfully afraid, so the men of Israel said, have you seen this man that's come up. Shirley's come up to defy Israel, and it shall be the man who kills and the king will enrich him with great riches.

Given his daughter and give his father's house exemption from taxes in Israel so there's there's a deep abiding sense of fear in this army because their own security is now being threatened their own safety is now being threatened, we have to ask ourselves where did the courage go. Why were they so cowardly. What was in a one man that raised up among them. They had armor they had muscles they had. They had gone to. There's spiritual warfare conference as they had done all of this stuff, but why is nobody that has the courage and assents to get up and say all you think were going to serve you. Have you forgotten God is no they all stand back and they all cower and I have a suggestion to you as to why they were afraid they they were under the ministry that not only the kingship the ministry of Saul, Saul, at this point is an impulsive man is a carnal man is been rejected by God he's yes he still the king is still leading you still doing it as he sees it spiritual things, but all he has to offer these men were called to fight for the owner of God's wealth, status and power is offering the men that are called to fight for the glory of God. The very same thing that the Philistine army are fighting for. They all want wealth. They all want status. No one power sociologist tell us those of the three slices of the pie in a in every society that the outside of the kingdom of God. That's what everybody fights for Bill want money they'll want to rise above everybody else in wealth.

They all want to be close to the king, and they'll want special status in society and under Saul's ministry. That's what was being offered to the men were called to fight for the glory of God asking the question what we've been offering the people in America and our pulpits by and large another good breaches out there. Thank God for that.

But by and large that's exactly the gospel is been preached for two or three decades in America you come to Jesus and he will prosper you and make you powerful and give you special status in the church and in the community we lusted for titles we've we've lusted for preeminence. We are understood tired of it.

Watching these these guys with foot-long titles come walking the conferences with her huge entourage we skinny shallow message. Unable to fight against the darkness, having no effect against the darkness in our generation are we asking for spiritual awakening because we simply want to win or be the dominating thought in our present cultural battle. We just want our voices to be heard above everybody else's voice and were just it's almost like a contest was we just we want the upper hand.

We want our thoughts to be above everybody else's thoughts want to win the argument, and sometimes that's sad to say that's that's just what it's all about.

We just we just want to debate those who are living in darkness, thinking that somehow or debates, because in the slap their foreheads and admit the error of their ways, which is rarely the case.

We want a spiritual awakening because we want to return to our our former comforts and lifestyles with its accompanying self focused and powerless religion. Again we talked about verse 25 or it was about all about wealth and status and power are we afraid that we might lose our jobs, are we afraid that our comfort might be taken away. Are we afraid that having a biblical viewpoint might cost us something and so work was it just a God just just send an awakening to the nation, but that that the very the Corvette's were just afraid for ourselves.

We just afraid for our futures were afraid to lose our retirement plans were were afraid to lose our jobs were afraid to lose our homes were afraid to lose our status were afraid to just lose a lot of things and see when this on. These are the core values the core elements in in in the hearts of a fighting Army. It leaves the man of God and women of God standing under the threats of darkness, trembling, and I think in some measure we stand there today. There are so few voices being raised up to challenge the darkness of our time as it was in their time until suddenly the young man just a teenager comes walking into the camp of Israel, my God, I'm so thankful for the young people in our back-to-school this is my hope for the future. It's it's it's young man it's young women who are our young David's young asters that are just saying if nobody else wants to fight this. I will if nobody else cares. So the question that comes to my mind. They're about to experience a spiritual awakening.

There is a there's about to be a shout of victory to the Army of God's about to go down the valley and into the battle. People are going to come out from caves and holes where they been hiding this going to be a shout there's going to be a route there's going to be a victory one more time, against the powers of darkness, which is what we pray for in our generation. But what was the essential difference in David. There was no longer found in Saul. It was no longer found in in this Saul's army and wasn't found among the people that were associated with them in that particular battle at that time.

It's the simple words in first Samuel 1729 and David said what if I done now, is there not a cause.

His words was to cause even his own brothers to think. Did we miss something in the battle. What is it that we miss David is talking about a cause they don't know what the cause is the cause is really really simple. David said it this way, you come to me with a sword in the spirit of javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.

This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand. I will strike you take your head from you in this they'll give the carcasses of the camp of the Philistines to the birds of the year and the beast of the field that all the earth may know there is God in Israel. You see, that was the difference. David's prayer, David's purpose, David's ministry David's heart that made him the King was it's all about you, Lord. It's all about your honor, it's all about your glory these people. This dominant evil cannot be allowed to triumph over you because you are God and the whole heartedly to know there's a God of Israel. I'm not content to let this present weakness or to let this present threat against my nation exist when there still is a God was the same yesterday today and forever. It's as if David was saying in his heart God that destroyed the Egypt and the Brown of Egypt, through just to know and his older brother God parted the Red Sea and made a way for your people to enter into the promised land. You are the God who brought down the walls of Jericho when all they had was a trumpet in his praise to you all. God Almighty is your name again. Jesus Christ himself in John chapter 12 verse 27, 28 this season of the cross was rapidly approaching and he said to his own disciples releasing their hearing what should I flee from is our know is that I was born for this hour. I was sent here for this hour and he said these words.

Father, glorify your name and a voice came from above in this voice that came from his heavenly father said, I have glorified my name and I will glorify it again.

So this is my cry and it ought to be the cry of every saint of God is been praying for spiritual awakening is not about my safety, my security, my comfort my status, my wealth, my power to make this about you, Lord, for your name one more time in the earth desire to be praised, deserve to be glorified is to be revered. Let the entities of God. Let those who are inspired by hell itself. Let them train your zeros as the God of Israel moves one more time into the battle. If you have time to read it. Go to Ezekiel chapter 36 and begin a verse 22 and go right to the end where God said to his own people. Israel is a certain point in history. I don't do this for your sakes, you have profaned my name everywhere you've gone.

Another was you, you've made my name, small everywhere you traveled, you've you've you've displayed something of me that is not me you were sent into the nations and you went into the nations and and he said it was it an essentially a mockery when people looked at you and said these are the people of God is is no I don't do it for your sake. I do it for my own holy names sake. I will gather you out of the places where you been driven I will bring you back to your the place that I have determined you should be all sprinkle clean water upon you all put my spirit upon you and cause you to walk in my ways and at the end of the chapter he says and I will do this. Also, for you because you will inquire of me and I will fill your cities with flocks of men, not because your prayers hit the right pitch resetting the right song. We found the right formula, but simply because God says I decided to rise up and defend my own name. I will be kind to you for my own names sake, so he was selling his own people, Israel. When I do this, don't point to anything you have done is not about you don't boast of how many people you got together to pray, don't don't boast of all your petitions and plans is not about you. I'm going to do what I'm about to do for my own namesake.

So walk very low in my site and acknowledge that I'm God. This is the cry of my heart I pray for this nation.

I pray for the use of this nation.

I pray for our cities but it's really with one purpose in mind that all the earth may know, I pray for spiritual awakening in New York City so powerful that the whole world have to stop and acknowledge that only God could have done this simply for his namesake. I'm just so tired of the name of Jesus Christ being taken in vain. So father in Jesus name God Almighty. We bring our prayers to you and they might not be any more than the little boys lunch but you multiplied it and you fed thousands with it.

So were asking Almighty God in Jesus name. You take our little offering of our prayers and you would multiply it and you would save a multitude of people.

People that are destined for the slaughter.

God you would save them from the womb to their senior years we saw tonight in one of the prayer requests that a new despicable law allowing people to be euthanized that very same day they ask for.

Without a chance to even counsel with family God.

This is evil. We want to kill them in the womb, and I want to kill them when they get old pretty soon.

Pretty soon we'll be including those in the middle. I do ask. We ask, thank you for my brothers or sisters with us who are praying for spiritual awakening in the nation.

But we recognize Lord that our prayers are just a little lunch and the need is so big. We ask you to take them and multiply them, and we pray the prayer that Jesus prayed father, glorify your name. In Jesus name. Now let's close with Carter as he sings when I don't understand Joe Munoz understand the way the and not mere tries to say no.

It's there with have a sweet low and to me for her and own me or her all chosen testing my heart moving losses with mercy. Why is the such a flawed sinking vessel have moved here so share his glow to use when I do understand the way that you and mom here is saying no, it's the with the means will and to me or her.

So leave me to where I can't go give strength never had so that there is you call not the righteous, but the week fool. Your role will pass through and there and when I don't understand the way and not say that you will with have screen hello to me already. You and to me already, and the will you been listening to Carter Conlon from Times Square Church in New York City. For more information and resources to help you in your walk in Christ. Log on to TSC.NYC that's TSC.NYC, be sure to be with us next week for a call to the nation with Carter,