Great is Where your Devotions lie!

Good Morning Church. if I have not you met you My name is Danny I am one of the Pastors here at Reliant. I am excited to preach this morning but Honestly I am feeling the weight of how heavy and the importance of this Sermon is. We often talk about wanting to see a move of God but we rarely see it actually happen. Why is that? Today I am going to talk about how if we realignn with Gods word, We realign our Worship and if we prepare our Weapons we can be prepared to experience God move.

but before we get started I wanted to tell you guys a few quick stories about some Revivals The first being Asbury Seminary in Kentucky. This college like many planned to host a weekly chapel meeting however this chapel meeting ended up lasting 2 weeks with 60,000 People that journeyed to the small town in Kentucky.

During the multiweek service, multiple reports of people said he witnessed goodwill, radical humility, compassion and a renewal of faith amongst visitors and students.

For the first few days of the Outpouring, it seemed that repentance and forgiveness were almost all we could do. All over the room, people were making their way to another, tumbling over one another to make the first move of offering apologies, owning mistakes, forgiving grievances, and explaining misunderstandings. The front steps of Hughes were populated by people on their phones sending texts of reconciliation and restoration

.The Next Event I want to tell you about is over at Auburn University during a Worship service 1 Student boldly declared she wanted to be baptized at the time they didn't have a tub so they decided to take it to the Nearest Lake. That Night 200 College Students decided to give their lives to Jesus and were baptized that Night.

As I am speaking about those revivals I want to say I cant help but think about the Conversation I had during football season with an athlete as I was inviting him to our Football Bible Study. he says Do you guys talk about Jesus in there? . At first glance i thought is this kid messing with me? be says I dont know much about CHURCH My Parents never go. So as I am talking about these revivals I yearn to see it happen in our City. Here is a quote to help sum up these thoughts on revival.

"Revival is not merely emotional excitement, but a return to God." - George Whitefield

“Revival isn't hype it is ordinary people who are hungry for the Lord.” -Asbury Revival

So with Revival in Mind go ahead and take out your bibles and turn to the book of Acts and find chapter 19 verse 10

Realign with the Word

1 Timothy 4:13 ESV

13 Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, to teaching.

Acts 19:10 ESV

10 This continued for two years, so that all the residents of Asia heard the word of the Lord, both Jews and Greeks.

Acts 19:20 ESV

20 So the word of the Lord continued to increase and prevail mightily.

Acts 20:18–20 ESV

18 And when they came to him, he said to them: “You yourselves know how I lived among you the whole time from the first day that I set foot in Asia, 19 serving the Lord with all humility and with tears and with trials that happened to me through the plots of the Jews; 20 how I did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable, and teaching you in public and from house to house,

Hebrews 4:12 ESV

12 For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

As I am talking about this I need to ask What does your time with the word of God look like? Do you claim the name of Christ but dont really know who he is because you have not dove into His word.

Are we Content with a Christianity that prays for a move of God but doesn't know the word of God.

“Because what you give your attention to is the person you become. Put another way: the mind is the portal to the soul, and what you fill your mind with will shape the trajectory of your character. In the end, your life is no more than the sum of what you gave your attention to.” ― John Mark Comer, The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry: How to Stay Emotionally Healthy and Spiritually Alive in the Chaos of the Modern World

Keys to Realigning with the Word.

Find your Rhythm to dive into Gods word

Find a Mentor (Potters Clay)

Commit to Lifelong Learning (Emotionally Healthy Spirituality,Experiencing God,Blueprint,)

Realign our Worship

Idolatry is the worship of anything other than the one true God.

It can be literal, through physical idols, or metaphorical, through anything that takes God's place in our hearts.

This type of idolatry is more subtle and dangerous as it can be harder to recognize. The Bible warns against such idols in various passages, emphasizing that God is the only one worthy of our ultimate devotion .

Material possessions: Money, power, status, possessions, etc.

Relationships: Putting someone or something else before God in our affections.

Self-worship: Pride, ambition, seeking personal glory instead of God's.

Other desires: Anything that becomes more important to us than following God's will.

1 Corinthians 10:31 ESV

31 So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

So whether you eat or drink or play sports or watch sports, how do you do that to the glory of God, particularly in a culture that idolizes sports in so many ways. Maybe to get more specific, particularly in a city like Birmingham that idolizes sports in specific ways. Imagine for a moment that you live in another country, one completely foreign to this one, and you have an opportunity one fall to spend a week in Birmingham. So you come on a Sunday morning and you observe many people, maybe even most slowly rising to make their way to a building they call a church. They groggy approach that building for some sort of ceremony. Clearly whatever happens at the beginning of that ceremony is not that important because most of the people don’t come until after it has started. I’m not looking at anybody, I’m just saying.

And so you watch them file in and begin to mouth the words to songs, many of them almost expressionless, virtually emotionless after which they sit down and passively listen to someone, talk to them for a period of time. You notice people starting to get a bit fidgety, uneasy at the time for the ceremony to end approaches when it’s finally over, they quickly walk out. But as you walk with them, you listen to them and you hear many of them talking with one another about something that had happened the previous day. They smile and they laugh as they recount. Another ceremony they’ve been to apparently a bit more interesting than this one, a ceremony that happens apparently on Saturdays. In fact, the rest of the week that’s almost all you hear people talking about the coming Saturday ceremony. Even the people who were at the Sunday ceremony are strangely silent about what they heard and sing about there, but very enthusiastic about the Saturday.

They can’t seem to get here soon enough. So as your curiosity is peaked, you begin to eagerly anticipate the coming Saturday ceremony with them. That Saturday comes and you see people wake up and leave their houses dressed in some sort of outfit that they love to wear for these types of days. Many of them drive out of the city, some an hour west, others a couple of hours south where they gather together on what they call hallowed grounds for the Saturday ceremony. They get there early for this ceremony way early where they eat and drink and laugh and play not just with their family or with their friends, but with complete strangers. You’ve never seen community like this. And when the time comes, they all, tens of thousands of them enter a shrine together. You can’t think of another word for it, where they raise their voices with passion to applaud some sort of assembly of children they don’t know playing a game on a field.

As that game begins, they shout and chant and sing until they virtually lose their voices with far more passion than the previous Sunday ceremony. For sure. People don’t look at their watches at this ceremony. They’re so engulfed in what they’re seeing and experiencing and they actually get excited when it goes into what they call overtime because going long like this is a sign of a really exciting game and the fun doesn’t end after the ceremony is over anyway, when the boys that everybody has been cheering for win the game, the celebration has only begun. And the amazing thing is that it’s not just the people who are at the ceremony who are celebrating. You come to find out that back in Birmingham, thousands and thousands of others who couldn’t get here stayed there to watch this game on what they call a TV. Though many of them are large enough to be virtual movie screens, they’re actually designed that way to make the most of watching ceremonies like this. And back in Birmingham, scores of people have circled up together around their screens to be a part of the ceremony from a distance. They too in their homes are jumping up and down and high-fiving each other, celebrating the ceremony when it’s over and then when it’s all over late in the evening, almost as if there’s nothing to be prepared for the next day they go to bed.

Acts 19:18–20 ESV

18 Also many of those who were now believers came, confessing and divulging their practices. 19 And a number of those who had practiced magic arts brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all. And they counted the value of them and found it came to fifty thousand pieces of silver. 20 So the word of the Lord continued to increase and prevail mightily.

Matthew 6:24 ESV

24 “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.

Colossians 3:5 ESV

5 Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.

Keys to Realigning our Worship

Take an Honest Inventory of where your spend your time, talent and treasure

“Because what you give your attention to is the person you become. Put another way: the mind is the portal to the soul, and what you fill your mind with will shape the trajectory of your character. In the end, your life is no more than the sum of what you gave your attention to.” ― John Mark Comer, The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry: How to Stay Emotionally Healthy and Spiritually Alive in the Chaos of the Modern World

Ask someone your Family the Hard Questions. (What does it seem like I am always focused on?)

We must expect Warfare

Acts 19:20–40 ESV

20 So the word of the Lord continued to increase and prevail mightily. 21 Now after these events Paul resolved in the Spirit to pass through Macedonia and Achaia and go to Jerusalem, saying, “After I have been there, I must also see Rome.” 22 And having sent into Macedonia two of his helpers, Timothy and Erastus, he himself stayed in Asia for a while. 23 About that time there arose no little disturbance concerning the Way. 24 For a man named Demetrius, a silversmith, who made silver shrines of Artemis, brought no little business to the craftsmen. 25 These he gathered together, with the workmen in similar trades, and said, “Men, you know that from this business we have our wealth. 26 And you see and hear that not only in Ephesus but in almost all of Asia this Paul has persuaded and turned away a great many people, saying that gods made with hands are not gods. 27 And there is danger not only that this trade of ours may come into disrepute but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis may be counted as nothing, and that she may even be deposed from her magnificence, she whom all Asia and the world worship.” 28 When they heard this they were enraged and were crying out, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” 29 So the city was filled with the confusion, and they rushed together into the theater, dragging with them Gaius and Aristarchus, Macedonians who were Paul’s companions in travel. 30 But when Paul wished to go in among the crowd, the disciples would not let him. 31 And even some of the Asiarchs, who were friends of his, sent to him and were urging him not to venture into the theater. 32 Now some cried out one thing, some another, for the assembly was in confusion, and most of them did not know why they had come together. 33 Some of the crowd prompted Alexander, whom the Jews had put forward. And Alexander, motioning with his hand, wanted to make a defense to the crowd. 34 But when they recognized that he was a Jew, for about two hours they all cried out with one voice, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” 35 And when the town clerk had quieted the crowd, he said, “Men of Ephesus, who is there who does not know that the city of the Ephesians is temple keeper of the great Artemis, and of the sacred stone that fell from the sky? 36 Seeing then that these things cannot be denied, you ought to be quiet and do nothing rash. 37 For you have brought these men here who are neither sacrilegious nor blasphemers of our goddess. 38 If therefore Demetrius and the craftsmen with him have a complaint against anyone, the courts are open, and there are proconsuls. Let them bring charges against one another. 39 But if you seek anything further, it shall be settled in the regular assembly. 40 For we really are in danger of being charged with rioting today, since there is no cause that we can give to justify this commotion.”

Ephesians 6:10–18 ESV

10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. 14 Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. 16 In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; 17 and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, 18 praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints,

Belt of Truth: This piece symbolizes living truthfully and according to God's principles. It represents integrity and resisting deception.

Breastplate of Righteousness: This represents living a righteous life based on God's standards and doing what is right, even when it's difficult.

Shoes of the Gospel of Peace: This represents carrying the message of peace and reconciliation found in the gospel wherever you go.

Shield of Faith: This represents trusting in God and His promises, using faith as a shield against doubt and negativity.

Helmet of Salvation: This represents the assurance of salvation through Jesus Christ, protecting your mind from spiritual attacks.

Sword of the Spirit (which is the word of God): This represents using the Bible as your weapon against spiritual enemies and for spreading truth and knowledge.

1 Peter 5:8–9 ESV

8 Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 9 Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world.

2 Corinthians 10:3–5 ESV

3 For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. 4 For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. 5 We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ,

Actions Steps

Burn Your Idols

Repent

Stick to the Gospel

R-Group Questions

Do you truly believe Revival can Happen? Why or why not?

When you hear the word idol what comes to mind?

How confident are you in your ability to share the Gospel?

How can you live a lifestyle of Repentance?