THEN WE'LL SEE REVIVAL!

“...He that doeth these things shall never be moved.” (from Psalm 15:5)

One day this past week, I read Psalm 15 for my daily devotional reading. I’ve read through the entire Bible several times in my life, so I must have read Psalm 15 at least several times before, but for some reason I couldn’t remember having read it before. It’s funny how we seem to know some Psalms SO well, such as Psalm 23; you know “The Lord is my shepherd...” or Psalm 1 about spurning the counsel of the ungodly...or Psalm 22, the prophetic Psalm about Jesus’ suffering on the Cross. But I couldn’t have told anybody what Psalm 15 said should they have asked me.

Psalm 15 hit me like a ton of bricks. I’ve never preached an Ordination service. In the Assemblies of God, preaching at an Ordination service is usually reserved for highly important clergy such as District Officials or Officials from the National Office. There are a number of very predictable passages which are frequently cited at Ordination Services. After reading and “soaking” in Psalm 15 this week, I’ve concluded that in the unlikely event that I EVER have the honor to preach at an Ordination service, I’ll preach from Psalm 15. In fact, it’s a suitable passage for any service of commitment and consecration. We require people in our churches to take Membership classes and we receive them into Membership. We have candidates for Ministerial Licensing and Ordination take difficult written and oral examinations. They “learn all their stuff” and in most cases, they pass and go forward. I wonder if we made Psalm 15 the standard for Church Membership...how many Members would our churches have? If we made adherence to Psalm 15 the standard for ministers to be credentialled, how many ministers would ever qualify for credentials, and how many would STAY in the pulpit?

It’s sobering. The reaction I had to reading and meditating on Psalm 15 was like the reaction Isaiah had when he saw the Lord high and lifted up in the Temple (and just above the Lord’s throne, were angels of a very high order). Isaiah said, “Woe is me, for I am undone...” (see Isaiah chapter 6 verse 5).

I think Psalm 15 is a key portion of Scripture for bringing about true revival. Verse 1 asks, “Lord, who shall abide in thy tabernacle?
Who shall dwell in thy holy hill?”
In other words, who is worthy to come into Your presence, Lord?

The answer is found in verse 2: “He that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness, and speaketh the truth in his heart.” In the New International Version, that’s translated, “He whose walk is blameless and who does what is righteous, who speaks the truth from his heart.”

Now, we evangelical Christians understand that you cannot get to heaven by your good works because no one’s good works are ever good enough. We understand we “get saved” by grace through faith...by totally putting our trust in the Lord Jesus Christ and His “finished work” for our salvation. But sometimes we DO turn that into “easy-believism” and as Christian radio talk show host Jeanine Graff often used to say, “cheap grace”. How many of us have received Jesus Christ as our Personal Savior and Lord, have been baptized by immersion in water, have become Church Members, and have even been baptized in the Holy Spirit, and yet we live like the devil? I read verse 2 and asked myself, “Bob, do you ALWAYS walk uprightly, work righteousness, and speak the truth the whole truth and nothing but the truth?”

I’m ashamed to say, I DON’T. It’s true that “nobody’s perfect” and nobody IS. THAT’S why we need Jesus! But it’s a cop out to read verse 2 and say, “Well, I can’t live up to that so FORGET IT!” I think of the late Norman Milley, Sr. He’d be something like 109-years-old if he were still living. I think Norman Milley, Sr. was the most Godly man I have ever known. As I think of verse 2, I can HONESTLY say, he DID that stuff! I also think of the late Al Davis, who would probably be around 77 if still living. That African-American layman and his wife were instrumental in bringing me into the Assemblies of God. Al maybe wasn’t QUITE Norman Milley, Sr., but he was CLOSE! As I think of Al Davis, his life was also evidenced my verse 2. Both of these men stuck SO close to Jesus every day that they BECAME like Jesus!

Verse 3 also tells us some characteristics of the truly Godly person: “He that backbiteth not with his tongue, nor doeth evil to his neighbor,nor taketh up a reproach against his neighbor.”
In the New International Version, that says, “and has no slander on his tongue,
who does his neighbor no wrong and casts no slur on his fellowman,”.

Every time I read James chapter 3, I get convicted. No James 3 is not a typographical error here. James chapter 3 is about the sins of the tongue. There’s a joke about three clergymen who were sitting near each other on a plane flight. The plane was experiencing rough turbulence and some people were afraid it might crash. The Rev.Tom said, “I’ve got to come clean with you brothers. I’ve been having difficult times financially, and last month I stole $2000 from the church offerings.” The Rev. Dick then said, “I’ve also got to confess something. I had an affair with my Secretary last year. She has since moved away, but I’ve never told my wife or anyone about it.” The Rev. Harry then said, “Well, MY sin is GOSSIP and I can’t WAIT to get off this plane!!”

I’m a lot like the Rev. Harry. I can have a “big mouth”, and that mouth has gotten me in a lot of trouble. It’s so easy to spread a malicious story about somebody---to run someone down with your tongue. You can feel bad about it and ask God to forgive you, but you really can’t take back the damage you’ve done.

Verse 4 of Psalm 15 says, “In whose eyes a vile person is contemned; but he honoreth them that fear the LORD.He that sweareth to his own hurt, and changeth not.” That’s maybe a little tough to understand in the old King James Version. The New Living Translation puts it this way, “Those who despise flagrant sinners,
and honor the faithful followers of the Lord, and keep their promises even when it hurts.”

I don’t think “despise flagrant sinners” means to HATE people, but it DOES mean to give no support or endorsement of their actions. Romans chapter 1 verse 32 speaks of those who see and hear others doing absolutely vile, sick, perverted things, and then “take pleasure in them”. In other words, say or think things like, “Well, he raped that low caliber girl, well GOOD FOR HIM!!” I don’t think we’re to go around with our noses stuck in the air acting “holier than thou”. I think that just turns people off and does no good. But we do live in the midst of a moral cesspool and we are NOT to call good evil and evil good, (see Isaiah 5:20).
We are also to keep our promises no matter what. Have you ever emphatically made a promise and then BROKEN it? Peter did that on Maundy Thursday. He said, “Jesus, I’d never deny you!” and then just a short time later he was saying when questioned, “*#%!+*# I don’t even know the man!!” Many of us Christian men have made commitments at “Promise Keepers” meetings and then broken our promises. God is calling us to keep our promises no matter what.

Finally, verse 5 says, “He that putteth not out his money to usury, nor taketh reward against the innocent. He that doeth these things shall never be moved.”
In the New Living Translation, that says, “Those who lend money without charging interest, and who cannot be bribed to lie about the innocent. Such people will stand firm forever.”

“Yea, I’ll lend you 500 bucks,” we say, “but you’re gonna owe me 600! That’s only FAIR.” Well, the Lord says, it’s NOT. In fact, years ago Dr. Terry Lewis taught us to never LEND money but rather to GIVE it to people who are truly in need.

Imagine you saw a crime being committed and some “gangbanger” hands you $10,000 in cash and says, “Look, this is for YOU- YOU didn’t SEE anything!”
What would you do? I have to tell you, for ME it would be very tempting to keep the money and to keep my mouth shut. But God would know all about it, and it just wouldn’t be worth it! Norman Milley, Sr. and Al Davis would NEVER take the money. I hope and pray I wouldn’t, either! Just the fact that I have to THINK about it bothers me greatly.

The New Living Translation, in its last words of Psalm 15 says of those who truly LIVE by Psalm 15, “Such people will stand firm forever.”

See what I mean about Psalm 15?

No kidding, that’s the most powerful and convicting passage of Scripture I’ve read this year! I’m quite humbled and sobered by it.

May Christians read Psalm 15 and read it and read it and read it... and may we purpose, through and by God’s grace to WALK in that Psalm...to live it... to be living examples of God’s Word empowered by the Holy Spirit.

Then, we’ll see revival!