A Close Encounter With Jesus - U.S. Senate Chaplain Barry C. Black

hello barry black the 62nd chaplain of the united states senate and how delighted i am to speak with you in this virtual camp meeting the emphasis is on revival and reformation as we look at our church are we having within it the kind of revival that our savior desires remember to some extent jesus was talking about revival and reformation when he encountered a woman at the well and this woman was debating about where people should worship we worship in mount gerizim you do not and our lord in john chapter 4 was hinting about revival and reformation when he said you can't put god in a box god is a spirit and those who worship him must worship him from the heart they must worship him in spirit and in truth in first samuel 16 verse 7 we find the words human beings look on the outward appearance but the lord god looks at the heart the psalter david seemed to know this in the 51st psalm the penitential psalm when he cried out for internal revival create in me a clean heart oh god and renew a right spirit within me has our church experience the kind of revival and reformation it desperately desires i believe every member of god's remnant church desires revival and reformation and so i want to talk today about experiencing a closer encounter with jesus you've heard of close encounters of the third kind this is a close encounter of the transcendent kind this is a close encounter of the divine kind because i believe that the key to revival and reformation in god's remnant church has to do with individual believers this is hinted at in the classic reformation promise in 2nd chronicles chapter 7 verse 14 if my people called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways wow wicked ways in the remnant church not everyone just those called by my name those who believe the truth of ephesians 2 8 and 9 for it is by grace we are saved through faith and that not of ourselves it is a gift from god not by works lest any person should boast wow that's a close encounter of the transcendent kind that's a close encounter of the divine kind we need to experience a close encounter with jesus because our bodies belong to god first corinthians 6 19 says know ye not that your body is the temple of the holy spirit who lives in you and you are not your own for you are bought with a price do you believe that god is living in you first corinthians 6 19 do you believe what i consider a revival verse because it raises the bar for many of us romans 8 11 that the same power that brought jesus from the dead resurrection power [Laughter] lives inside of us and will quicken our mortal bodies perhaps this is what the tent maker from tarsus was talking about when he said in philippians 3 10 talking about that experiencing a close encounter with jesus that i may know him and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his suffering wow that is why perhaps paul also said in galatians 2 verse 20 again experiencing a close encounter with jesus i am crucified i don't get much closer than that with christ galatians 2 20 nevertheless i live how close have you gotten to jesus paul yet not i but christ lives in me the life i now live i live by my faith in the and trust in the one who loved me and gave himself for me that experience of a close encounter with jesus is the religion from the heart that god desires for us all your body is his temple we need to experience a closer encounter with the lord jesus christ because that is his passion for us how passionate is our lord about this closer encounter with him in luke 11 13 he says if you who are evil know how to give good gifts to your children how much more is your heavenly father eager to give his holy spirit to those who ask this is an impartation of god's spirit i believe that comes by request only luke 11 13 again if you who are evil god is talking about us first john 1 verse 8 says if you say you have no sin you are a liar verse 9 but if we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive us of our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness we have a savior hebrews 7 25 whoever lives to make intercession for us the same savior who prayed for peter when the devil desired to sift peter like wheat luke 22 31 is praying for us hebrews 7 25 and he desires for us to have that closer encounter so much so that he wants us to have the gift of his holy spirit john 14 15 and 16 if you love me keep my commandments and i will pray the father and he will send you another paraglitas another comforter wow he wants you and me to experience a close encounter with jesus that will lead to reformation and revival throughout our church throughout our nation and throughout our world his people called by his name experiencing a closer encounter with the most consequential human being who whoever walked on the planet someone said of our savior all of the armies that have ever marched all of the navies that have ever sailed i'm a navy man all of the parliaments that have ever sat all of the kings and queens that have ever reigned have not made the impact upon humankind as has that one solitary life c.s lewis and his mere christianity said jesus was either lord liar or lunatic and i know in my heart of hearts as you know that jesus is lord there is a scripture passage that gives us a blueprint blueprint for experiencing this close encounter with jesus that will ignite revival and reformation it is a close encounter that martin luther had before he nailed his 95 theses on the church door at wittenberg that passage that i'm talking about is in romans chapter 12. luther was romans 1 17 the just shall live by faith but the passage that i'm thinking about is romans chapter 12 verses 1 and 2 i plead with you brothers and sisters beseech you says the authorized version by the mercies of god or because of the mercies of god oh what a merciful savior we have that you present your bodies your hands your feet your eyes your ears your bodies a living sacrifice talking about igniting revival a living sacrifice holy and acceptable unto god which is your reasonable service it is reasonable worship and be not conformed to this world another translation puts it don't let the world squeeze you into its mold don't copy the fashions of the world but be transformed we're talking about newness transformed by the renewing of your minds here it is that you may know or prove what is the good acceptable and perfect will of god notice the gradation good acceptable and perfect will of god was it the perfect will of god for this great church to sometimes not be the leader in critical matters in our nation and in our world i was once turned away from sabbath worship because of the color of my skin and the church in alabama at the time was doing something legal they were implementing brown v the board of education the 1954 supreme court decision with all deliberate speed and the church followed that mandate but was that the good acceptable and perfect will of god for his church we once had one of our hospitals turn a patient away yes one of our churches hospitals turned a patient away because that hospital was i guess probably implementing plessy v ferguson the 1896 supreme court decision of separate but equal but was that for those who have had an experiential connection with the lord jesus christ the good acceptable and perfect will of god there are people thirsty for courageous utterances about critical issues are we speaking so that they hear the voice of god and the word of god for john 17 17 says thy word is truth each of us can experience this close encounter with jesus by understanding the following suggestions suggestion number one you're going to experience that close encounter with jesus comprehend that true worship is offering your body in service to the lord jesus christ wow what would happen if each member made offering his or her body in service to the lord jesus christ as their manifestation of worship what would happen in terms of reviving your neighborhood reviving your nation someone once put his or her body on the line by placing an evangelistic hand bill in my mother's mailbox that turned our lives around someone helped my family by taking a hand and putting it in a purse and contributing to an education fund in my church that enabled my seven siblings and me to matriculate praise god at christian schools grade one all the way through andrew's university in berrien springs michigan all the way through seminary and graduate school wow that is using your body in worship every where you go you can worship god your daily activities involve worship when you recognize that you are salt and light to your generation wow so comprehend that true worship is offering your body in service our savior said a body you have prepared hebrews 10 5 talks about that fact it his incarnation required a body john 20 21 our savior says as the father has sent me so send i you when god sent our lord into the world a body was prepared your body becomes god's instrument that is why paul in first corinthians 12 refers to the church of the living god as the body of christ some of us are eyes i'm probably a mouth [Laughter] some of us are ears some of us are feet but i am thine oh lord i have heard your voice and it told your love for me and i long to rise in the arms of faith and be closer there it is experience that close in us has died draw me nearer near a blessed lord to thy precious he wants us to worship him by drawing nearer to him offering him our bodies as a living sacrifice the second suggestion is that we expect truly expect to become a new person in christ jesus expectation is so important if anyone is in christ he or she is a new creation says ii corinthians chapter 5 i believe it is all things are passed away all things are have become new it is as splendid as a caterpillar becoming a butterfly holy and acceptable under god which is your reasonable service be transformed there's that metamorphosis by the renewing of your mind there's the key wow to becoming a new creature in christ john 17 17 puts it this way sanctify them through thy truth my word is truth how often do you have a spiritual meal by getting into the word of god i love to pray the scriptures i recommend that you learn to pray the scriptures all you need is to open a bible get a translation that really gets you excited read slowly i read the psalm and the proverb for today for that particular day today was the 25th i read psalm 25 actually 26 psalm 26 and and proverbs 26 wow convicting i read slowly very slowly and when something stopped me i talked to god about it and what an amazing conversation we had the power of temptation is not nearly as great when you have the word of god inside of you 119th psalm david declared your word i have hidden in my heart that i may not sin against you if you're going to be that new creation that new person in christ that second corinthians 5 17 talks about then you need to make sure wow that you hear the word of the lord i believe that woman at the well was a new creation when she ran back into town but she had heard the words of the word made flesh and this woman who in the heat of the day was trying to avoid the accusing stares of the gossips i believe rush back into the city prepared to witness without any fear of intimidation come see a man who's told me everything i've ever done that is the new creation we can expect to become when we have that experience of a close encounter with our lord be not conformed to this world is the third suggestion don't let the world squeeze you into its mold john first john 2 15 and 17 put it this way love not the world neither the things that are in the world if anyone loves the world the love of the father is not in him or her all that is in the world the lust of the flesh the lust of the eyes the pride of life they are not from god god is not trying to reign on our parade john 10 10 our lord declared i have come that you might have a rich and satisfying life praise god our lord was so apart from the world he could say in john 8 46 can any of you prove that i have committed any sin you see we are born in sin and shapen and iniquity we have flammable areas in our lives paul declared in romans 7 18 for i know that in me that is my flesh dwells no good thing the good that i would do i do not and the evil that i would not do i find myself doing plato described the human will as a charioteer with two headstrong horses each pulling in the opposite direction there is an uncivil war going on inside of each of us and so the poet declared there's a little bit of bad and the best of us and a little bit of good and the worst of us so it behooves the best of us not to talk about the rest of us but all cried paul in that same chapter romans 7 i thank god that through jesus christ i have been set free the old spiritual put it this way something within me that holdeth the reins something within me that banishes pain it's something within me remember that holy spirit living inside of you i cannot explain all that i know praise god there is something within you can experience a close encounter with jesus by comprehending that true worship is offering to god your body in service god wants all of you and all of me you can experience that close encounter that will ignite revival his revival was ignited in nineveh when people fasted and prayed by expecting to become a new person in jesus christ transformed by the renewing of your mind you can expect to experience oh beloved that revival and that close encounter with the transcendent by refusing to be conformed to this world and you along you and i we need to experience that encounter finally by really seeking to understand the will of god for our lives and the will of god for his church desiring to know the will of god our lord said in matthew 6 33 but seek ye first make it your top priority the kingdom of god and his righteousness in the our father he lets us know in a simple couplet what that means thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven when the will of god on earth is done in my life even as it is done in heaven oh what a close encounter that will be our savior said one of the most astonishing things in john 8 29 he said i always do the things that please my father wow i always do the things that please my father wow i wish i could say that i wish i could say that i wish you could say that but there is no one who is listening to me who has always done the thing that pleased his or her heavenly father but oh to be in his will and prove what is the good acceptable and perfect will of god how amazing how amazing that internal revival will make us sometimes we cannot discern the will of god except when we look back and watch how his providence has unfolded joseph did not know necessarily that god was in it when his brothers threw him in a pit or when they sold him into egyptian slavery or when he had to in genesis chapter 39 rebuff the unsanctified overtures of mrs porterfa or when he was kicked into jail for standing up for righteousness but in genesis chapter 50 verse 20 he said to his brothers i understand better now and what god was up to you meant it for evil hallelujah but god meant it for good ah romans 8 28 and everything god is working for the good of those who love him who are the called according to his purposes so this is what i want to challenge you to do and i'm challenging myself to do the same thing i want to challenge you to on a daily basis ask god for the gift of his holy spirit to be in you luke 11 13 on a daily basis and this is something i've been doing every day including today for over 40 years that it's made all of the difference in my life on a daily basis if you are truly serious about revival in this great church i want you to make a commitment on a daily basis to say god i want so much to experience a closer encounter with jesus that what you have promised in luke 11 13 the gift of your holy spirit i want that for today matthew 6 34 each day has enough trouble of its own matthew 6 give us this day our daily bread living in daytime just for today wow that's the first thing the second thing that i want you to make a commitment to do is going forward into the days and months as you pray for yourself for a closer experience with jesus as you pray for the body of christ his church for a closer experience with jesus christ i want you to begin ending your prayers with a petition he's given us in the lord's prayer thy will be done wow if you want to put your prayer on steroids get the gift of the holy spirit living inside of you on a daily basis romans 8 26 says we do not know how to pray or for what to pray but the spirit wow helps us romans 8 26 in our infirmity and prays for us with groanings that we cannot utter wow we don't know how to pray we don't know for what to pray but isaiah 55 89 god says my thoughts are higher than your thoughts my ways are higher than your ways as the heavens are higher than the earth so are my thoughts higher than your thoughts and my ways higher than your ways so why not have this transcendent third person of the godhead who intercedes on your behalf to put our prayers on steroids in this challenging time then we have the third person of the godhead praying for us the second person of the godhead jesus our ascended lord ever living to make intercession for us just in case you've forgotten it second corinthians 5 says god within christ reconciling the world unto himself that is your daily homework assignment for all of the years to come and i believe i really believe if you will daily ask god to give you that promise in luke 11 13 of his his holy spirit and if you will conclude your prayers by saying vi will be done we're going to see a healing to our land and our healing not just physical but spiritual a healing to our world that will cause heaven to smile are you willing to do those two simple things are you willing pass daily for the gift of the holy spirit and daily praise god daily to say have thine own way lord have thine own way thou art the potter i am the clay mold me and make me after thy will while i'm waiting yielded and still i will be done absolutely filled with thy spirit [Laughter] until all shall see christ only allways living in me god bless you

Channel: Revival and Reformation

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Id: mz-eKyeUV78

Length: 39min 12sec (2352 seconds)

Published: Thu May 20 2021