Reset-2
Notes
Transcript
As we get ready to watch the super bowl this evening, no matter who you are pulling for, if anyone, there is one thing that everyone will have on their mind. How in the world did the Patriots make it to the super bowl. Last season they struggled week in and week out, they fought and lost, they fought and won. Ultimately ending their season last year at 4-13. This year they put together a 14-3 season but lost in the most inopportune times. They put a season together that led them to the playoffs and because of some luck in calls when they needed it the most would face off against the Bronco’s. When they played the Broncos the, Broncos started their back up and had injuries plaguing their defence. Going into the game against the Sea Hawks the Patriots are definitely the underdogs. But you know something, they are in the Super Bowl. So what made the difference in one season to the next? They experienced a reset. They experienced a belief system that caused them to challenge themselves, they experienced a season that led them to questioning why they even step foot on that field. Coach Vabrel said this about his team.
“You get everybody to believe in something and buy in, and that doesn’t come without adversity,”
“They’re fun to coach. They’re entertaining,” Vrabel said of his team. “They’ve been resilient. They’ve been very coachable. There’s a lot of connectivity in them. I appreciate what they do.”
He would go on to say that his team reflected on their previous year. Reflected on themselves, then allowed his staff to help move them into position to win. It was not until they all put down their ego, and pride that they became a coachable team that could become successful.
Often times church can become well routine. Everything about our faith can become static. Things are not bad, they aren’t good they are just there. Things we do can become habits and the drive behind why we do what we do is not there.
Let me ask you, are you coachable? Are you in a place in your life where you can lay down your pride and look in the mirror and say, ok what is it that I need to do to be successful in my faith?
We need to maintain a drive behind us and maintain hearts that are intent on being changed by God. This morning we will be in Psalm 51:10-13 and in these scriptures we will find David in a place of seeking a spiritual reset. Are you in a place of needing a spiritual reset? Let me walk you through a few questions that will help determine if you need a spiritual reset. These are 7 keys of a successful Christian.
Do you prioritize your relationship with God?
Do you live a life of Obedience?
Do you seek to develop Godly Character?
Does your Faith Persevere?
Do you Serve others in Love?
Do you maintain a grateful heart?
Are you investing in the next generation of the faith?
These are simple on the surface questions that I have to ask myself to see if I am in a place of Spiritual reset. What does spiritual reset look like though? When we find David in Psalm and Nathan has come to David. Nathan made known to David that not only did he know about Davids sin which he believed he had hidden, but God also knew and was displeased with David. David found himself in the worst place possible. He was a murderer, he let his people down, he let his mighty men down. David was in a position of simply walking through the steps and not really doing anything with a heart or passion. There are a number of things that can bring us into this same place whether it be sin, stress, inattention. We can find ourselves in the same position as David simply going through the motions of our faith without any real driving force. Church and what we do together can find the same place. We need though to be a church with deep conviction for our calling, passion for others, and the Spirit of God in us. In the Scripture this morning we will find that a Spiritual reset starts with repentance, leads to a renewed spirit, and results in a restored relationships. Read with me the scripture this morning.
10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. 11 Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me. 12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit. 13 Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will return to you.
Spiritual Reset starts with Repentance
Spiritual Reset starts with Repentance
10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.
Spiritual reset always starts with repentance. Repentance starts with us having a truthful understanding of ourselves and our actions and admitting to ourselves where we are in our lives. The thing about repentance is that it requires a person to be honest with themselves so that they can make the changes in their lives. Have you ever met a person who is just not honest with themselves and because of this they cannot change anything? Are you the type of person who can handle being honest with yourself or accepting honest criticism from others? A we turn to this passage in Psalm in order to understand the fulness of what is happening here we must go to 2 Samuel 12. In this passage Nathan comes to David after David has taken Uriah and slept with his wife, tried to convince Uriah to sleep with his wife to hide the pregnancy and when that did not work had Uriah murdered to conceal his sin. After this takes place David thinks he is in the clear and that no one will know what happened. Then comes Nathan. 2 Samuel 12:1-13
1 And the Lord sent Nathan to David. He came to him and said to him, “There were two men in a certain city, the one rich and the other poor. 2 The rich man had very many flocks and herds, 3 but the poor man had nothing but one little ewe lamb, which he had bought. And he brought it up, and it grew up with him and with his children. It used to eat of his morsel and drink from his cup and lie in his arms, and it was like a daughter to him. 4 Now there came a traveler to the rich man, and he was unwilling to take one of his own flock or herd to prepare for the guest who had come to him, but he took the poor man’s lamb and prepared it for the man who had come to him.” 5 Then David’s anger was greatly kindled against the man, and he said to Nathan, “As the Lord lives, the man who has done this deserves to die, 6 and he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity.” 7 Nathan said to David, “You are the man! Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you out of the hand of Saul. 8 And I gave you your master’s house and your master’s wives into your arms and gave you the house of Israel and of Judah. And if this were too little, I would add to you as much more. 9 Why have you despised the word of the Lord, to do what is evil in his sight? You have struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword and have taken his wife to be your wife and have killed him with the sword of the Ammonites. 10 Now therefore the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised me and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.’ 11 Thus says the Lord, ‘Behold, I will raise up evil against you out of your own house. And I will take your wives before your eyes and give them to your neighbor, and he shall lie with your wives in the sight of this sun. 12 For you did it secretly, but I will do this thing before all Israel and before the sun.’ ” 13 David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.” And Nathan said to David, “The Lord also has put away your sin; you shall not die.
Nathan came in and held a mirror up for David. This was not a parable this was real life and it was what David did. David at this point could have handled things in 2 ways. He could have killed Nathan and moved on as if nothing ever happened. David though chose to see his reflection and understand the need for change and repentance. David had already been handed his punishment and understanding that the sword would never depart from him or his household, so why did David choose to go the route of repentance? Because David wanted to honor God in his life. We know that David was a man after God’s own heart. 1 Samuel 13:14
14 But now your kingdom shall not continue. The Lord has sought out a man after his own heart, and the Lord has commanded him to be prince over his people, because you have not kept what the Lord commanded you.”
God Himself stated that David was a man after His own heart. This repentance came about because no matter what David wanted to honor God. There were low points in his life and there were mistakes that he made but it did not deter him from repentance and serving the Lord. What about you? Are you the type of person who is willing to see yourself and your life in the mirror of God and repent and turn back to who God has called you to be? David sinned and struggled with being who he wanted to be in his life just like me and you. The thing though is at some point many people begin to stop seeking repentance and simply settle to live in their sin. Are you a person who has settled into your sin? Are you willing to be ineffective and stuck? I want you to know that you are not the only person who struggles with sin. If you want to see a good example of someone who struggles with sin, simply look up here. But guess what, me and you, we are not the only ones.
13 No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.
While we are human and we are susceptible to sin, we also have been given the ability to see it in our lives either through self reflection or through other believers helping us to see it, to seek repentance. If you are at a point in your faith where you feel simply stuck, or like you are just going through the motions and you are not making the impact daily that you were created for then it is time to look at your life and find the areas that are keeping you from that and seek repentance. A spiritual reset will begin with repentance.
One of the things about being a parent is you see your kids grow into who they will be. One afternoon Rhaynee was doing Laundry when Cam and Rylan were at home with her before Cam started school. Rylan was still really young and Cam was just old enough to really know what he was doing. In the quiet of the toy room, Cam took a marker and convinced Rylan that he would give him an amazing tattoo. From the top of his head to the bottom of his feet cam used a marker to color Rylan. Rylan looked like he was auditioning for the next spot in the blue man group. Rhaynee face timed me and I had the hardest time keeping my composure as it was one of the funniest things I had ever seen. Meanwhile Rhaynee is interrogating Cam. She is asking Cam if he colored on Rylan and naturally Cam is saying no. The problem though is that Cam had not looked at his hands. Camden's hands were blue as the ocean and it was clear that he painted his brother. Camden was so intent on denying that he had done anything that he would not look at his hands. He refused to look at his hands to see the blue all over the place.
Are you willing to see where you are in your life? Are you willing to look at your hands and see that you need repentance?
14 if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.
This repentance started with the people humbling themselves. It is pride that keeps us from admitting our failures and faults. God is seeking to forgive all who will repent. Yes, even us believers.
19 Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out,
1 John 1:19
19 And this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?”
13 Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy.
8 Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.
3 Therefore say to them, Thus declares the Lord of hosts: Return to me, says the Lord of hosts, and I will return to you, says the Lord of hosts.
19 Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent.
We are called to be people who are willing to see ourselves and to understand Gods desire for our repentance. If you are in a place this morning and you want more power in your life and faith then it is time to repent. Turn from your sins and seek God, He will return to you.
9 For if you return to the Lord, your brothers and your children will find compassion with their captors and return to this land. For the Lord your God is gracious and merciful and will not turn away his face from you, if you return to him.”
Spiritual reset begins with repentance, this repentance leads to a renewal.
Spiritual reset leads to renewal
Spiritual reset leads to renewal
10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. 11 Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me.
The greatest part of repentance is it leads to renewal. The word renew here is better translated to repair. David asks God to create in him a new heart and to repair his spirit in him. Perhaps the greatest part of this is to understand that we repent and God does the work. After David repented he then asked God to do the work of giving him a clean spirit and renewing him. It is God who does the work inside of us. God though is going to do the work after our repentance. Are you in a position of wanting renewal in your life? Are you ready to be repaired and to get back to having a passion for the things of God? Can I tell you that churches who use age as a reason for not getting things done are not churches who struggle with an aging congregation but are churches that struggle with passion and renewal. When God gives you a clean spirit and a renewed spirit, your age does not matter you will be ready to do the work of the Kingdom. You will be energized and ready. The repentance will lead to renewal. We need renewal, I need renewal. I want to wake up with that passion for the Kingdom, I want to go out with a passion to do more for the kingdom than I do for myself. I want to find ways to serve the Lord. What about you are you ready for some renewal in your life? If you are ready for renewal then it begins with repentance, then you must let God do the work of renewal. One of the greatest challenges in the church and in the faith is to understand that our position is to view clearly our depraved hearts and to repent. The act of renewal is God’s.
Compared with salamanders and starfish, mammals have a dismally limited ability to replace lost parts. But now reports of children growing back finger tips and spleens are changing that.
In 1974, Cynthia Illingworth, an English physician specializing in emergency medicine, discovered that when children accidentally sever the finger tip (down to the first joint), the best treatment is no treatment. Cleaned and covered with a bandage, the finger tip, including the nail, grows back. In 11 or 12 weeks the new finger tip usually looks as if nothing had happened to it.
There seem to be three requirements for regrowth: the patient must be under 12 years old, the cut must be above the crease of the first joint, and surgeons must keep hands off the injury. Any operation performed on the finger destroys its ability to grow back. The last condition is the hardest to accept, admits Dr. Michael Bleicher, a pediatric surgeon at Mt. Sinai Hospital in New York City.
We must get our hands out of the mix and understand that it is God Himself who after our repentance will do the work inside to renew us. We try so many things to reach that renewal. We will do all the work we can to step into God’s role of changing and renewing. It is time for us to repent and to lean into God, to lean into that relationship and trust that He will do the repairing.
21 assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, 22 to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, 23 and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, 24 and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.
10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.
30 When you send forth your Spirit, they are created, and you renew the face of the ground.
5 he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit,
21 Restore us to yourself, O Lord, that we may be restored! Renew our days as of old—
Are you ready for some renewal in your life? Some energy around your faith? A church that is powerful in the community? It does not come with more action on our part, it comes with true repentance on our part so that God can do the moving in His part. The moving of God and the renewal comes after our repentance. I am ready for some renewal.
Anyone in here who has had a successful knee or hip replacement will tell you of the great change that comes in their life when the renewal of joints happens. Just like the joints are renewed we can experience the same freedom in repentance through the renewal that God brings.
If you are feeling trapped in your life, slow in your faith and moving hurts, It is time to allow God to do some renewal in your spirit. Spiritual resets start with repentance, lead to renewal, and result in restored relationships.
Spiritual Reset leads to Restored Relationships
Spiritual Reset leads to Restored Relationships
11 Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me. 12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit. 13 Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will return to you.
We find David asking for God to restore in him the relationship and to not take the Spirit from him. David is asking for a restored relationship with God and with the Spirit. David does not stop there though. David continues to say that with the restored relationship with the Father and with the Spirit, his relationships with those around him will also be restored. David will be able to lead others in the way of God. David will once again lead in the way of the Father. David will make a difference in his family. David will make a difference in his kingdom. David will make a difference in the lives of all around him. Becoming effective in his world started with repentance. We need to be people of restored relationships, led by the Spirit to love those around us. We need to be a church of restored relationships. Our community should see us as a light shining in the dark, ready to serve, energized to do good. Are you sitting in your seat today ready to serve? Are you ready for God to restore in you a willing spirit? We need to be people who are renewed by God and impactful in our world. God is ready to renew you so that you can be a part of restored relationships. The days of Highlands Baptist Church being packed are not over, they are waiting on us. Those days are waiting on us to decide on repentance, to be ready for God’s renewal, and to restore the relationships in our lives and in our community.
A few years ago, an angry man rushed through the Rijks Museum in Amsterdam until he reached Rembrandt's famous painting "Nightwatch." Then he took out a knife and slashed it repeatedly before he could be stopped. A short time later, a distraught, hostile man slipped into St. Peter's Cathedral in Rome with a hammer and began to smash Michelangelo's beautiful sculpture The Pieta. Two cherished works of art were severely damaged. But what did officials do? Throw them out and forget about them? Absolutely not! Using the best experts, who worked with the utmost care and precision, they made every effort to restore the treasures.
By His sovereign grace, God can bring good out of our failures, and even out of our sins. J. Stuart Holden tells of an old Scottish mansion close to where he had his little summer home. The walls of one room were filled with sketches made by distinguished artists. The practice began after a pitcher of soda water was accidentally spilled on a freshly decorated wall and left an unsightly stain. At the time, a noted artist, Lord Landseer, was a guest in the house. One day when the family went out to the moors, he stayed behind. With a few masterful strokes of a piece of charcoal, that ugly spot became the outline of a beautiful waterfall, bordered by trees and wildlife. He turned that disfigured wall into one of his most successful depictions of Highland life.
12 Return to your stronghold, O prisoners of hope; today I declare that I will restore to you double.
When God restores He does so much better than we ever could.
7 Instead of your shame there shall be a double portion; instead of dishonor they shall rejoice in their lot; therefore in their land they shall possess a double portion; they shall have everlasting joy.
33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
We are called to repentance. We are called to renewed spirits. We are called to restored relationships.
This morning we will take the Lord’s Supper. As we partake in the Lord’s Supper this morning I pray that this will be a time for each of us to find the same place that David found. The place of understanding what God can do with our lives if we are willing to repent. Some in here need to repent for the first time and turn your heart to God. Some of us need to repent for the thousandth time. The thing about it is God is so excited the first time you repent and He is excited the thousandth time you repent. I am going to ask us to get together with our families. If there is someone next to your family without their family invite them to join you and your family. As we take part in the Lord’s supper today this will be our alter call. This will be the time for you to repent of your sins, to remember the great sacrifice of Christ and a time for you to be renewed in your spirit and restored in your relationships. What greater way to experience a spiritual reset than to come to a place of remembering what Jesus did for us on Calvary and how Great our Fathers love is for us.
As we take Communion this morning I want to remind us of who partakes in Communion. Communion is for those who are believers in Christ, those who have given their lives to Christ. It is a time to reflect on our lives, to seek repentance, to remember the sacrifice of our savior. It is reminder of our constant need for a savior and for the spotless sacrifice that filled the gap that animal sacrifices were never able to fill. The Bread represents the body of Christ that was broken for our sins, The cup of juice is to remind us of the blood of Christ that was spilled on Calvary's hill for our sins. Jesus had a time with His disciples to share in the communion and told them that from then forward every time they took communion which was the passover meal that they should do so in remembrance of His upcoming sacrifice. With your families and in your seats I want you to read along with me the scripture.
19 And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”
As Jesus broke His body for us we remember his great sacrifice that gives us the ability to receive the forgiveness of our sins.
20 And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.
Jesus gave us his life freely by pouring out the life source, his blood, spilled on Calvary for our forgiveness, to bring about renewal and restore a relationship with the Father that was destroyed by our sin.
