40-DAY FASTING SERMON – #1
Everyone knows that certain things just go together.
Like bacon and eggs…
Laurel and Hardy…
A bat and a ball…
Shoes and socks…
Paper and pen … or maybe Penn and Teller.
Well, I would like to begin this rather simple message by linking together two spiritual
entities. Let me describe the first word before actually telling you what it is.
This is a term ministers often use when describing what life would be like if God were to
suddenly make Himself known in an unusual way. More specifically, it’s how you would act were
Jesus to bodily walk through your day with you.
It’s the difference that would mark your family if Christ was your houseguest for a while.
What if the Son of God Himself became a member of our church, and regularly attended
services?
Beyond that, what would be the result if our risen Lord hung around in
________________ for an extended period of time?
So then, this first of two words that I eventually want to connect for you is characterized
by an overwhelming sense of the presence of the Lord.
Again, it’s like the spiritual eyes of Christians are suddenly opened wide, and instead of
the presence of Christ being just believed intellectually, but not really experienced all that much,
it’s as if Christ’s followers somehow become fully conscious of His wonderful presence as they go
about their days.
The dominant presence in the home is not a TV or computer screen, but the unique
reality of the Son of God as your invited houseguest.
In church, as people sing the praises of the Lord, it’s like they can actually see Jesus
sitting among them and receiving their praise. When the elements are served, He’s standing
there visible to all.
What’s news in the community? The buzz about ___(your city name)_____ is that our city
is being honored by an extended visit from the most important person in the history of the world.
And He’s not just meeting with the privileged and powerful; He’s also spending time with the poor
and powerless.
Do you know what the word is that I’m describing?
“Viv” words are life-related. V-i-v-i-d, vivid, means full of life. Vivacious—that’s a lively
person. “Viva!” or “to life!”
Well, this seven-letter word has v-i-v right in the middle of it. Did that give it away?
Its suffix “a-l” means “that which pertains to.” And the prefix “re” means “again.” So all
told, its definition is “that which pertains to life coming back again.”
R-E V-I-V A-L. Revival.
In theatre, when an old play is dusted off, maybe given a new twist, we speak of a revival
of, say, Carousel by Rodgers and Hammerstein.
If housing values, which have been down, start to pick up, we say, “There’s been a
revival in the market.” And that’s seen by all as a good thing.
And when Christ’s followers begin living their lives with a new sense of His presence, we
say, “Praise the Lord, the Church is experiencing revival.”
It’s a great word—revival.
If what you think of when you hear the word revival is a sweaty-faced preacher hollering
at the top of his lungs as he tromps back and forth on the platform, pointing his finger and
accusing his listeners of being sinners—you’ve been hoodwinked.
That’s a caricature. It’s a ludicrous exaggeration of a serious and wonderful subject.
Authentic revival is about Jesus in all of His attractiveness, lovingly and graciously making His
presence known in His Church. And that’s a plus in every way.
It’s not going to happen, but say Jesus bodily visited the churches here in August right
through September and October…

Our worship would be glorious.

The love for one another would be beautiful.

We would be only too happy to serve Him.

The Scriptures would come alive.

We would invite our friends.

Present Christians would be far more conscious of just how holy Jesus is.
… And so on. That’s all part of the good that happens when revival is real.
Well, that’s word number one—revival. Now for its mate. Like peanut butter and jelly, or
Saturday and Sunday, it’s revival and … blank.
Let’s fill in word number two.
Here’s a long, 8-paragraph quote from the book America’s Great Revivals. It’s about what
was happening in our country back during the Great Revivals of 1857–58.
In Chicago, where 2,000 people showed up for prayer in the Metropolitan Theatre, a
newspaper commented: “So far as the effects of the present religious movement are concerned,
they are apparent to all. They are to be seen in every walk of life, to be felt in every phase of
society. The merchant, the farmer, the mechanic—all who have been within their influence—have
been invited to better things; to a more orderly and honest way of life.”
And everywhere, it was a revival of prayer. There was no hysteria, no unusual
disturbances. Just prayer.
Finney said: “There is such a general confidence in the prevalence of prayer, that the
people very extensively seemed to prefer meeting for prayer to meeting for preaching. The general
impression seemed to be, ‘We have had instruction until we are hardened; it is time for us to pray.’”
In a church in the Midwest twenty-five women got together once a week to pray for their
unconverted husbands. The pastor traveled to the Fulton Street meeting to testify that on the
Sunday he had left, the last of the twenty-five husbands had been received into the church.
At the very first union prayer meeting held in Kalamazoo, Michigan, someone put in this
request: “A praying wife requests the prayers of this meeting for her unconverted husband, that
he may be converted and made an humble disciple of the Lord Jesus.”
At once a stout, burly man arose and said, “I am that man. I have a pious, praying wife,
and this request must be for me. I want you to pray for me.”
As soon as he sat down, another man got up and said, “I am that man. I have a praying
wife. She prays for me. I am sure I am that man, and I want you to pray for me.”
Three, four or five more arose and said, “We want you to pray for us too.” That started a
revival that brought at least 500 conversions. (That’s the end of the quote.)
I don’t believe there has ever been a powerful revival movement but what some folk,
somewhere, were paying the price prayer-wise.
So the two words you need to always fit together (like “Jack” and “Jill”) are revival and prayer.
Quite frankly, I wish it were some other word that could be linked with revival …
something like “money.”
Americans are generous people. And if money were the key, that price would have been paid
long ago. But it’s prayer and revival. And unfortunately, as a people, that’s one of our weakest areas.
Because revival and prayer are inseparably linked, now is the time for each of us to
examine our prayer lives. That sentence pretty much summarizes what I want to say this
message, so let me repeat it for you. Because revival and prayer are inseparably linked, now is
the time for each of us to examine our prayer lives.
I believe this is an unusual time for the United States. God has laid it on the hearts of
some of His choice servants to sound the call for focused prayer and fasting for this nation. These
are not people who are novices in terms of ministry. Not only have they witnessed revival
firsthand in other parts of the world, they have been commissioned by church leaders in the
Middle East to believe that God would be pleased to also move mightily among His people here.
However, understanding fully that revival and prayer are like hand and glove, they’re
inseparable, they have called for 40 days of prayer and fasting to mark their efforts.
I believe these servant leaders know that superficial prayer will mean superficial results.
It’s just that simple.
Our nation has scores of musicians skilled at writing and performing music. We’re
probably the best in the world at it. But to date, our great music hasn’t contributed what it could to
the movement of revival that this country so desperately needs.
Churches across our country have put up large and beautiful buildings and run many
commendable programs. But we have yet to tap into the great power of the Holy Spirit of God in a
way that will reverse the sad downward spiral of our nation. For this I believe we admit we lack
the prayer base that always characterized past genuine times of revival. It’s not all that
complicated this is our Achilles’ heel.
Individually, for the most part, we are nice people. Compared to the non-church crowd,
we don’t look all that bad. But America’s slide has been on our watch, and on our own we really
don’t know what to do about it. We admit that without divine help, things are only going to get
worse. And we’re not going to get God’s help without coming to grips with our prayer weakness.
I believe a God-ordained challenge has been laid before the churches of ____________.
Is the Christian base of this metropolitan area ready to assume the prayer role necessary
to see God work?
Word one—revival—is spiritual life coming back again. First, it’s the Church knowing the
powerful presence of the Lord, and then society in general being touched by this miracle of the
Lord drawing close.
Word two—prayer—not fast chats with God while on the run—but it’s God’s people going
to bed early so they can get up and have the extra time needed in the morning to talk seriously
with the Lord.
It’s tracking the hours spent during the week with entertainment of some kind—sports, TV,
movies, reading, whatever—compared to the now needed minutes spent communing with the Lord.
It’s looking for and finding a prayer partner to meet with on a consistent basis to talk with
the Lord about your loved ones, your church, your city, your country, and yes, your world.
It’s responding positively to involvement in the 40 Days of Fasting and Prayer. Even if the
challenge seems unreal to you, because your options are so few, you don’t just toss it off, say
“this is for someone else,” but you ask the Lord what your participation should be.
Question—if everyone’s prayer life was like yours, would this city we love believe revival
was truly possible, or would we write off revival as a pipe dream?
What about our churches? In his book With One Accord in One Place, the late Armin
Gessweim wrote:
Most churches are said to fail because they do not generate their own power. This is also
true of the individual Christian. Prayer is the generator. The great London preacher Charles
Spurgeon once took some people down to his Metropolitan Tabernacle basement to show them
his “power plant.” There, on their knees, were about three hundred people praying for the service!
Listen to 2 Chronicles 7:14. You know these words, I am sure. “If my people, who are
called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their
wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”
Allow me to do something a bit unusual. I want to give you the last three minutes of my
sermon for quiet and reflection. In just a moment you’re going to have three minutes of me not
talking when you can say, “I’m listening, Holy Spirit. Put in my heart how YOU want me to
respond to what I have just heard.”
I will tell you when the three minutes are up. If you then feel that God has specifically
made clear what your response should be, I’m asking that you stand quietly where you are, and I
would like as your pastor to pray for you.
What I have said to us all is that revival and prayer are inseparably linked, and because
of that, now is the time for each of us to examine our prayer life.
Now let’s see what the Lord says to you as individuals.
Personal note to pastors from David Mains
I have attempted to keep my sample message short so you can add specifics for your church’s
approach to “Worship City Transformation”. The sequence is simple so there are also numerous
opportunities to include Scripture references of your choice. Please refer to www.WorshipCity.US
for further information to help your church participate in this nationwide 40 day fast ending with
David’s Tent Nashville. We would appreciate you encouraging worshipers in the church to sign
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up to come to Nashville and minister during the last week of this movement, September 28 to
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October 4 .
Thank you for participating in Worship City Transformation! We prayerfully anticipate a move of
God, a great awakening like we’ve never seen across our nation through this great unified effort.
We’re so glad you’ve chosen to join us!