Seaoson of Renewal

Slide

“What will you do with your dash?”

So we come to the end and that’s really the question. All of these seasons are going to come in and out of our lives; we are going to be faced with different opportunities for building, for reflection, for suffering, for success, and for crisis.

What are we going to do with the dash? And so, at the end of this time, dealing with the season of renewal, I want to give you the opportunity to make some decisions and if needed, to surrender to Jesus Christ.

Before we do that, though, I want us to think about what it means to enter into a season of renewal.

Slide

When we say “renewal,” we’re talking about a deep, spiritual renewal—a rest and refreshment at the core of who we are.

Slide

In a season of renewal, we move from A life of self-reliance versus a life of faith. This is one of the most fundamental transitions we could ever make in our lives.

We have to turn away—or repent—from—relying on ourselves and turn to relying on God.

Martin Luther, in the first of his 95 theses, said that when our Lord and Master, Jesus Christ, called men to repent, He meant that the whole of the Christian life was to be one of repentance.

In other words, what Luther is saying is that when Jesus said repent, He didn’t mean that we just repent one time, that we put our faith in God one time, and then from then on it’s up to us. He meant that every day was to be lived out of faith. Every day was to be lived out of repentance.

I want to explore these two questions: In a season of renewal, what is our part? And what is God’s part?

Our Part

Slide (three clicks)

We do have a role to play in renewal. The first aspect of our part is FAITH.

We’ve already talked about the sin David committed, but scripture also tells us that David was a man after God’s own heart.

Slide In 2 Samuel 5:17-21, we see David as King of Israel and the Philistines come up. “

Okay, so the Philistines come up to fight against David. David prays, “Lord, what shall I do?” And the Lord says, “Go out and defeat them.” And so he goes out and he does. Look what happens.

Slide 97

The Philistines came up again and spread out in Rephaim Valley.

Same thing happened. So if I were David, I would probably think, well we just beat them once, we’ll beat them again. Let’s go knock them dead. But no.

David didn’t think that. It says:

So David inquired of the Lord,

and he answered, “Do not attack directly, but circle around behind them and come at them opposite the balsam trees. When you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the balsam trees, act decisively, for then the Lord will have gone out ahead of you to strike down the army of the Philistines.” So David did exactly as the Lord commanded him, and he struck down the Philistines all the way from Geba to Gezer.

You see, even though David had been in those circumstances before, even though the exact same situation was happening that he had already proven he could handle, he still stopped, and he inquired of the Lord. He still stopped to pray; he was a man of faith.

We talked earlier about what it meant to be a called man. It’s one who answers—one who responds to God’s leadership in his life. David, in spite of all his flaws, was called.

How often do we think, “Oh I’ve done this so many times, I can just handle this.” It can be aspects of work, it could be in relationships, it could be doing an event like this.

Whatever it is, we get involved in something where we have experience with it, it’s part of our routine, and we just think oh I can handle it.

But we need to inquire of the Lord. We need to pray for His blessing, His anointing, His power, His leadership in our life. Because that’s the thing that is really going to renew us and make us new.

So in a time of renewal, we want to move from self-reliance to faith, to utterly depend on the Lord. And the first aspect of our part is faith.

The second aspect of our part is WORKS.

Slide (three clicks)

James wrote about how faith without works is dead. What did he mean by this? True faith will always show itself in works and we have a responsibility to do the things that God calls us to do. But those works should grow out of our faith.

In these passages, David did not just pray; he prayed and then he fought. He fought the Philistines as God had called him to do. And we need to do the same thing.

In a season of renewal, out of our faith, needs to come a renewed trust in Christ that shows itself in our works. Out of our trust in Him, we need to take responsibility for our lives.

God’s Part

Slide (two clicks)

But then what is God’s part in this process?

Well, we talked about the problem of evil and how people would say that either God doesn’t know, God doesn’t care, or that God can’t do anything about it. The testimony of Scripture and the testimony of the Gospel is that He knows, He cares, He will do something about it.

That’s the promise that we have, and that promise is God’s part in a time of renewal in our life.

No matter where you come from, no matter how devastating the sin that’s in your life, no matter how bad the suffering that you’re enduring, no matter how long you’ve been a Christian, whether you’re not even a Christian and you need to put your faith and trust in Jesus Christ today—whatever season you’re in right now, the promise of the Bible is that God knows, He cares, and He will do something about it. He will redeem you.

When you’re going through anything—good or bad—there will never be a shortage of advice or viewpoints from the world and the people around you.

Slide (two clicks)

But here is THE BIG IDEA: There are always going to be multiple Perspectives. Whose will you use?

In a time of renewal, we need to remember His faithfulness—that He can change us with the power of the Holy Spirit from the inside out. He can work in us and through us. That’s the perspective to use.

As we grow in our faith and our lives begin to be transformed in the way that we work that faith out, we remember that He is faithful to be good to us.

What’s Next for You?

Perhaps God wants to begin a time of renewal in your life in these next six weeks. Perhaps He’s going to use this small group opportunity to begin that process.

What has God been speaking to you through this event? I’d like for us to look at these and think about the big ideas from each of the seasons that we’ve talked about. As we read over them, think about how they may apply to you…

Slide

In the season of success, integrity is a one-to-one correlation between my Bible, my belief and my behavior. In the season of reflection, the goal of reflection is to see ourselves as God sees us. In a season of suffering, there is comfort in suffering because there is purpose to suffering. In a season of building, Lord, help us to say no where we should say no so we can say yes where we should say yes. In a season of crisis, we need to hold on to the one who won’t let us go. In a season of rebuilding, don’t focus on a list of things to do; instead order your life around the person of Christ. In a season of renewal, decide whose perspective you will use.

The Gospel & Reflection

Slide 102

What is it that God might want to renew in your heart and life? I’d like just to give you a few minutes here to think about that.

When this event ends, in the coming hours and days and weeks, spend some time before Him, praying and asking Him to show you what He’d like to renew—and to show you the game plan that He wants to work in your life in whatever season you’re in right now.

And if you’re here and you’ve never surrendered to Jesus Christ, the Bible promises that if we will come to Him by faith, if we will confess to God, “Lord, I’m sorry for wanting to live independently from you. I’m sorry to want to go my own way, to rule my own life. I realize that I have been basically a slap in your face, because you alone are the Lord, and I have been worshiping other things than you.” If you’d like to talk more about what it means to be a disciple of Christ, I’d love to talk with you, and other men here would, too.

But no matter where you are right now in your life and in your walk with Christ, let’s take a few minutes for reflection again.

[few minutes of silent time]

No matter where you are when you came here today, no matter what circumstances you are in, God is here.

The promise of Jesus Christ is that He is here, and He is reaching down His hand to you, saying, “Son, take my hand, I’ll lead you home.” My prayer is that in the days ahead, you will see that; that you will see God’s hand reaching down to you and that you will reach up and grab it with all your might and hold onto it with all your strength so that you can walk with Him and let Him lead you home.

Let’s end with a few minutes at our tables to go through the discussion questions on page 19 of your outlines.

Slide 103

END SESSION WITH DISCUSSION QUESTIONS AT TABLES, AS WELL AS ANY OTHER CLOSING PLANS, SUCH AS WORSHIP, PRAYER, AN ACTIVITY, OR A MEAL.

[Discussion questions found on bottom of page 19 of the Session Outline]