August 30 2015 Keeping The Spirit Of Renewal

KEEPING THE SPIRIT OF RENEWAL

Nehemiah 8:1 -10:39

Verse 1 – all the people assembled as one man in the square before the Water Gate.

Six principles that keep the renewal.

1. Keep spiritually sensitive.

Nehemiah 8:1 - When the seventh month came.

2. Maintained by unity.

Nehemiah 8:1 – All the people assembled as one man.

3. Came as a family to hear the Word.

Nehemiah 8:2 – Ezra the scribe brought the Law before the assembly, which was made up of men, women and all who were able to understand.

Verse 10 – For the joy of the Lord is your strength.

4. There was a spirit of broken heartedness.

Nehemiah 9:1-2 – The Israelites gathered together, fasting and wearing sack cloth and having dust on their heads.  They stood in their places and confessed their sins.

If you avoid in your present Christian walk a daily humiliation before God, you will soon become hard hearted, cold and indifferent to the things of God.

1 John 1:9 – If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

5. Reflection upon God’s goodness.

Nehemiah 9:6-15

1) He preserved them all.

2) He chose Abraham.

3) Heard their cry by the Red Sea.

4) Divided the Red Sea – signs & wonders._

5) Defeated the enemy in the Sea.

6) Cloudy pillar and pillar of fire.

7) Produced water from the rock.

6. A life of obedience gives way to a Spirit of renewal.

Nehemiah 10:29 – All these now join their brothers and nobles to obey carefully all the commands of the Lord our God.

First they restored the family altar.

Ver. 29-30

Second it affected their social life.

Ver. 30

Third obedience affects the Church.

Ver. 39 – We will not neglect the House of our God.

1. Faithful giving of their money.

2. Faithfulness in Worship.

August 23 2015 Renewing Our Passion For God And His Church

RENEWING OUR PASSION FOR GOD AND HIS CHURCH

THE PLACE OF OBEDIENCE IN RENEWAL
I Kings 18

Introduction: Choice, not chance, determines our destiny.

Life’s Living Options:

1. Every person has a choice to make.

2. Every person has the ability to make these choices.

3. The choice we make always has consequences.

4. While we’re choosing we live in one of the choices.

Sermon goals help us to choose to live a life of continued obedience to God.

Observations About Obedience:

1. We need to be sensitive to the voice of God.
Vs. 1 – After a long time, in the third year, the Word of the Lord came to Elijah.

How to be Sensitive to the Voice of God:

1. We must be serving.
2. We have to be in the right place.
3. Samuel listened to a mature Christian.

2. Obey God even when the path is difficult.
Vs. 1-19 

3. Obedience is difficult if we haven’s seen God move in the lives of people.
Vs. 20-29
Vs. 21 – Elijah said, if the Lord is God, follow Him, but if Baal is God follow Him.

Three Classes of People at Mt. Carmel:

1. A group that was devoted to God.
2. A group devoted to a false god.
3. A group that was undecided.

4. God honors an obedient heart.
Vs 30-38

The preparation of an obedient heart.
Vs. 30 – He repaired the altar of the Lord which was in Ruins.

The predicament of an obedient heart.
Vs. 32-35

The prayer of an obedient heart.
Vs. 36-38

5. Obedience is easy when we see God move.
Vs. 39 – When all the people saw this, they fell prostrate and cried, the Lord He is God!  The Lord He is God!

August 16 2015 The Place Of Consecration In Renewal

THE PLACE OF CONSECRATION IN RENEWAL

1 Samuel 7:3,4,12,13
  
God never asks us to give more, He asks us to give all.

THE PROCESS OF CONSECRATION

1. Remove all that hinders your relationship with God.

Vs. 3 – Then rid yourselves of the foreign gods.

Christians don’t push God from #1 position all at once, He’s gradually edged out.

What causes us to remove attitudes and things which come before God?

(1) The place of helplessness.

(2) When we’re given hope.

2. Direct your heart towards God.

Vs. 3 – Commit yourselves to the Lord.

What had captured Israel’s attention?

(1) The Philistines.  (Sometimes all our attention is directed towards our problems.)

(2) The stolen Ark.  (Your mind is sometimes directed to our religious symbols instead of God)

Samuel wanted all attention to be given to the Lord.

3. Serve the Lord alone.

Vs. 3 – Serve Him only.

Service is love in working clothes.

4. Rest in God and watch Him work.

Vs. 12-13 – Thus far the Lord has helped us.  So the Philistines were subdued and did not invade Israelite territory again.

August 9 2015 Renewing Our Passion For God And Church-Humility's Place In Renewal

RENEWING OUR PASSION FOR GOD AND CHURCH HUMILITY’S PLACE IN RENEWAL

2 Chronicles 34

Intro:

Humility is a strange commodity.  The moment you think you have it, you’ve already lost it.

Josiah – A Picture of Humility

He humbled himself before the Lord. (vs. 1-13)

He humbled himself before God’s Word. (vs. 14-28)

He humbled himself before his people. (vs. 29-33)

I. What is humility?

True humility is knowing where we stand before God.

What clouds the picture of our standing before God?

1. Presumption

2. Comparison

3. Pride

What clears the picture of our standing before God?

1. God’s circumstances

2. God’s Word

3. God’s people

II. What does humility do?

It causes us to:

1. Realize that we are wrong. (v. 19)

2. Repent of that wrong. (v. 19)

3. Reach for the truth. (vs. 21-26)

Humility reveals that we do not have all the answers.

4. Respond with tenderness. (v. 27)

5. Recommit yourself to God before others. (vs. 29-32)

Personal renewal must become public.

6. Remove all hindrances from your life. (v.33)

The result of a renewal of humility?  Consistent Christian living (v.33)

August 2 2015 How Repentance Brings Renewal

HOW REPENTANCE BRINGS RENEWAL

2 Chronicles 29-30

Introduction:  Repentance means to change your mind.

Why is Repentance not understood?

1. The appeal of modern evangelism.

The Gospel must bring the conviction of sin before it can be the good news of redemption.

2. Unwilling or unable to accept the reality for personal sin.

God’s Steps Towards Renewal

1. I must confess any known sin to God

2. I must ask forgiveness of any I have wronged.

3. I must put away doubtful habits.

4. I must obey the Holy Spirit promptly.

5. I must share what God is doing in me with others.

Hezekiah did these things.

The Call of Repentance

1. Hands us a challenge.                  

2 Chronicles 30:9 –If you return to the land, then your brothers and your children will be shown compassion.

2. Gives us a choice.

2 Chronicles 30:11 – Some humbled themselves and came to Jerusalem. 

3. Asks us to change.

2 Chronicles 30:12 – God gave them singleness of heart.

4. Allows us to (Vs 13-23) celebrate.

The people were (2 Chronicles 30:20) heard.

The people were (2 Chronicles 30:22) encouraged.

The people were (2 Chronicles 30:22) enlightened.

The people were (2 Chronicles 30:27) blessed