Psalm 51:17

1. Intro.
1. America needs a genuine spiritual awakening
2. only the Holy Spirit can bring about such an awakening
3. a spiritual awakening will never start among the unchurched, drunkard, or the self-righteous
4. revival starts in the church of Jesus Christ
5. the destiny of our nation & our world hinge on the Christian
6. Christians stand in the gap between a lost world and the power of God
2. if revival is to come, Christians must be broken - Psalm 51:17
1. there is no other way, God has never used a proud man - I Cor. 1:26-29
1. this is a hard saying for a proud and self-sufficient America
2. even in the churches there is boasting of this achievement of that
2. if God is to work mighty work, then the Christian must be broken
1. then the hearts of lost men will be changed
2. then will nations be changed
3. what does it mean to be broken - Psalm 51:17
1. a broken spirit and heart
1. intense sorrow
2. renounces all ideas of merit & seek only for mercy - Psalm 51:1
3. makes a full confession of sin - Psalm 51:3
4. it is most concerned over the God-ward aspect of sin- Psalm 51:4
5. will never find fault with God about deserved punishment - Psalm 51:4
6. will be as anxious for purity as for pardon
1. "have mercy upon me" - Psalm 51:1
2. "create in me a clean heart" - Psalm 51:10
7. does not despair
1. does not doubt God’s power to cleanse
2. does not question God’s willingness to forgive - I John 1:9
2. a broken heart and spirit will never be despised by God
1. we have God’s Word in it
2. this is the sacrifice that god most delights in - Psalm 51:16-17 ("the sacrifices of God are")
3. the broken heart and spirit will bring God close to us - Psalm 34:18
4. things that need to be broken before revival can come
1. our self-will must be broken
1. self wants to be on the throne (my plans, my rights, my desires, my goals)
2. self is the cause of all the heartache, misery, and tragedy in the world today
3. we need to put self on the cross and Christ on the throne - Gal. 2:20
4. evidence of self-will
1. slow to admit any fault
2. wants his own way
3. irritable, envious, and critical
5. if the Holy Spirit is permitted to break the self-will…
1. there would be confession of sins
2. there would be asking for forgiveness
2. our self-reliance must be broken
1. as a Christian servant it is easy to get a little self-reliant on what we are & what we do
2. after doing something so long, we begin to feel that we can do it by ourselves (Samson)
3. He is the vine and we are the branches - John 15:5
4. if we accomplish anything, it is by the grace of God - I Cor. 3:6-7
5. if we would let the Holy Spirit take, over we could shake this world for Christ
3. our pride and ego must be broken
1. this is a difficult task in America were we look out for #1
2. only a broken Paul could state I Cor. 3:6-7
3. only a broken John could say, "He must increase, I must decrease"
4. God can do great things if we do it for His glory and not ours
5. Christians broken in pride will be a channel through which the grace of God can flow
5. to be broken, a Christian must abide at the cross of Christ
1. to the cross, from the cross & back to the cross again (a continual process)
2. the power and grace of God can only flow through a broken Christian
3. are you willing to be a broken instrument in the hands of God, for this great hour of need?