Renewal Through THe Word.

Introduction:

As we continue with our worship of the Lord this morning, and as we continue with our study of God’s word, let us prepare our hearts before Him to receive what He might want to do in us this morning.

Let’s pray together.

In Isaiah 40:28-31 we read these words...

28 Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the whole earth. He never becomes faint or weary; there is no limit to his understanding. 29 He gives strength to the faint and strengthens the powerless. 30 Youths may become faint and weary, and young men stumble and fall, 31 but those who trust in the Lord will renew their strength; they will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not become weary, they will walk and not faint. (Is 40:28–31.)

This passage sets the stage for what we have been talking about the last few weeks as we start off this new year. We are in the middle of our sermon series: Renew. This is what we are wanting at the start of this year. We are wanting to be made new. We are wanting God to do something on the inside of us that would bring about lasting change in our lives.

And what I love about his passage is that it reminds us of a few important truths that I think we need to understand as we are seeking renewal for our own lives.

God NEVER Becomes WEARY.

God GIVES Strength

God RENEWS Those Who Trust In Him.

Think about how understanding these truths sets the ground work for our understanding of what it means to be renewed. This is not something that we just muster up in and of ourselves.

Renewal is a work of God.

We have to see that. We have to be willing to put ourselves in a position where God can work on and in us. That is what this series is about. We are looking at the different ways in which the Bible.... The Word of God… instructs us to seek Him so that we can learn to trust in Him and wait on Him to act.... so that HE can renew our strength.

The first week we took a little time in the service and we prayed over one another. I think that there are times in our faith where we need to slow down a little bit and simply apply what we know to be true.... and there are times where we as a body of Christ need to be reminded that we are for one another and we need to pray for one another.

Then last week, we looked at Psalm 63 and talked about how to be renewed is to desire God. If we are going to experience renewal in our lives then we have to see God as the most desirable thing on the face of the planet....and we satisfy this longing through Worship of God in all areas of life.

Body:

What I want us to look at this morning in the time we have together is a practical way in which we can seek to be Renewed.

Main Point: Getting Into The Word.

I cannot stress enough about how important the Word of God is for you in your spiritual walk with the Lord. If you are going to experience any kind of change or renewal this year in your life… then you must get into the Bible.

This is part of the reason why we are starting the Adult Bible Study on Wed. Night. We need to be people who are seeking after God through the Scriptures.

Here is why. Listen to what the Bible says regarding itself....

16 All Scripture is inspired by God, and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness, 17 so that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. (2 Tim 3:16-17)

The Bible claims to be the VERY word of God…and because this is HIS word it is profitable to us as His creation to change us and equip is for very good work.

12 For the word of God is living and effective and sharper than any double-edged sword, penetrating as far as the separation of soul and spirit, joints and marrow. It is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. 13 No creature is hidden from him, but all things are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give an account. (Heb 4:12–13.)

The Bible not only equips us…the Bible exposes our hearts so that we can be changed.

4 He answered, “It is written: Man must not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.” (Mt 4:4.)

Just as much as we need physical food for our daily lives....spiritually we need the Word of God to live. This is not optional for us. We cannot live without the Word.

But even still, we have to ask ourselves....How Then Do We Approach This book? Like, if this book brings about change because it points us to Jesus..... what are we to do with it and how are we to treat it so that we can experience renewal in our lives.

Here is where I want to do something different this morning… and I know that I have been saying that a lot through this series… but it is ok to be different.

What we are going to do is read Psalm 119 together…all of it. It is a long Psalm. But, as I read through this Psalm I want you to notice how many times the Bible is talked about in this Psalm. Make note of it. But also, I want you to make 5 observations about things that you can do with the Word of God to experience renewal in your life this year.

5 Ways to Be Renewed.

(Reading Of Psalm 119)

My 5 Ways To Renewed

God’s Word Is To Be Our Delight.

Those Who Study The Word Are Happy.

Memorizing Scripture Helps In Our Fight Against Sin.

We are To Meditate on the Word.

Our Sufferings Help Us Understand The Word.

There are a number of different things that we can say about this Psalm..

God’s Word guides through life.

God’s Word Makes us wise.

We are not to turn away from the Word.

There are many who DO NOT walk according to the Word.

God’s Word Gives US Peace.

God’s Word is Our Counselor and guide.

Obedience and Love for God’s Word go together.

And the list could just keep going. I think that it was said that out of 176 verses the Word of God is spoken about 171 times! There are at least that many observations that could be made.

Conclusion:

As we think about our own renewal.... at least part of that renewal needs to come from how we approach the Word of God. I know that Bible engagement is a struggle for us many times. Life gets busy. We get beat down. Some days we do well just to get out of bed in the mornings.... let alone pick up a book and read..... but there is nothing more foundational to our lives than the Word of God.

If you are going to experience renewal in your life, you have to learn to delight in the Word. You need to read the word, study the word, memorize the Word, and meditate on the Word.

However, there is one more point that I want to make here at the end least we forget the point of Scripture....

39 You pore over the Scriptures because you think you have eternal life in them, and yet they testify about me. 40 But you are not willing to come to me so that you may have life.( Jn 5:39–40.)

This is probably one of the most overlooked facts when it comes to the Scriptures… as great as they are.... they are great not because they give us eternal life… they are great because they point us to a person…Jesus Christ…who is able to give life. Jesus brings about the renewal in our lives. Jesus works through the written word to change us. Don’t forget this. This book is about a person.

Renewal Comes Through Christ.

We get into the Word so that we may know Him. The more we know Him, the more we are transformed.

So, I encourage you this week, get into the Word so that you may see Jesus.

Let’s Pray Together