Renewed in the Holy Spirit

Good morning!

It has been 3 weeks since I last stood in the pulpit.

Thank you for allowing Sandra and I some down-time.

Truthfully, after a year and a half since our last vacation, we really needed it.

I could talk this morning about the many things that have happened in our world in the 3 weeks we were gone.

From a new AMERICAN pope in the Roman Catholic Church, to machinations of the political world, to international goings-on, including the President’s middle east trip.

I could, and will, talk about the many sights Sandra and I saw in South Dakota, Wyoming and Colorado.

Animals — Sandra really wanted to take a prairie dog home!

To the beautiful vistas — including snow-covered vistas, mountains carved into faces, canyons, caves and more.

But let me just briefly say that I particularly enjoyed being in 2 different Assembly of Gods on the 2 Sundays we were gone.

The first Sunday we were gone we were in Rapid City, SD and I attended Journey Church.

In fact, in my message this morning I will be mentioning some things Pastor Moore said in his sermon.

And then, last Sunday was a unique experience for me.

I attended the church in St. Charles, MO, in which I was saved, baptized in water and baptized in the Holy Spirit 54 years ago.

It has been 53 years since I was last there and it moved to a different facility.

It has had several pastors since I left.

And it has grown!

It was a “mega-church” when I attended. I mean they had about 3 or 400 in attendance each Sunday.

But now it is a multi-campus, multi-service, multi-language church.

On the main campus where I attended, I attended the first of 2 morning services.

But it was exciting to see what God is doing in other places.

As I said, the first Sunday we were gone I attended Journey Church, an AG in Rapid City,SD.

There were between 150 to 200 people in service.

Can I just say that there is nothing more awkward than attending a church where you know no one.

Churches all say they are friendly, but that just means they are friendly to one another.

In St. Charles, actually now right next door in St. Peters, MO the greeters carried signs saying, “Welcome home!”

Other than the greeter who was an older man that I thought could answer a question about the church, no one spoke to me.

Awkward!

Can we do better?

But anyway…

Worship music was great at both churches.

At Journey Church It was good to see the children — they went around with Buddy Barrels collecting for BGMC. Last year they raised over $5,000.

And then the size of the youth group (they had them all come forward) — that was impressive — probably around 20 teenagers.

They raised several thousand for Speed the Light last year.

The message the pastor brought was great!

He entitled it: The Beauty of Knowing God

Based on the Apostle Paul’s encounter with the Ephesians in Acts 19:1-20.

Speaking of Ephesians, I intend to start a verse by verse study on that NT letter on Wednesday nights after Brother barry completes his study of Israel.

Because Journey is smaller church, I went up and spoke to the pastor at the end of the service.

I asked him if he believed that imitation is the sincerest for of flattery?

I told him I really enjoyed and received a lot from his message.

That I would be mentioning it in my message when I got back here.

I’ll mention some points Pastor Moore made as I go along this morning.

But, this week I am begin a 4-week series leading up to Pentecost Sunday.

There are many passages that speak of renewal, but let me look at:

Reading from the NLT Psalm 126:1–6 (NLT) When the LORD brought back his exiles to Jerusalem, it was like a dream! 2 We were filled with laughter, and we sang for joy. And the other nations said, “What amazing things the LORD has done for them.” 3 Yes, the LORD has done amazing things for us! What joy! 4 Restore our fortunes, LORD, as streams renew the desert. 5 Those who plant in tears will harvest with shouts of joy. 6 They weep as they go to plant their seed, but they sing as they return with the harvest.

Psalm 126:5 speaking of streams renewing the desert, makes me think of:

Isaiah 35:4–8 (NLT) Say to those with fearful hearts, “Be strong, and do not fear, for your God is coming to destroy your enemies. He is coming to save you.” 5 And when he comes, he will open the eyes of the blind and unplug the ears of the deaf. 6 The lame will leap like a deer, and those who cannot speak will sing for joy! Springs will gush forth in the wilderness, and streams will water the wasteland. 7 The parched ground will become a pool, and springs of water will satisfy the thirsty land. Marsh grass and reeds and rushes will flourish where desert jackals once lived. 8 And a great road will go through that once deserted land. It will be named the Highway of Holiness. Evil-minded people will never travel on it. It will be only for those who walk in God’s ways; fools will never walk there.

And also Isaiah 43:18–19 (NASB95) “Do not call to mind the former things, Or ponder things of the past. 19 “Behold, I will do something new, Now it will spring forth; Will you not be aware of it? I will even make a roadway in the wilderness, Rivers in the desert.

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Pastor Moore at Journey Church talked about the Apostle Paul going to Ephesus.

And, according to Acts 19:1–7 (NASB95) It happened that while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul passed through the upper country and came to Ephesus, and found some disciples. 2 He said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” And they said to him, “No, we have not even heard whether there is a Holy Spirit.” 3 And he said, “Into what then were you baptized?” And they said, “Into John’s baptism.” 4 Paul said, “John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in Him who was coming after him, that is, in Jesus.” 5 When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 6 And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they began speaking with tongues and prophesying. 7 There were in all about twelve men.

Pastor Moore gave a BLUF of his message (that means Bottom Line Up Front):

He said: Paul’s acid test of a gathering of people was: Is the Holy Spirit here?

He said: “The devil is quite all right with people being spiritual — just not filled with the Holy Spirit.

The devil wants our gatherings to be filled with a religious spirit — NOT the Holy Spirit.

The evidence of true salvation is the Holy Spirit active and alive in us.

But the things of this life can distract us.

As Hebrews 2:1 says, these things can cause us to “drift away from and neglect our salvation.”

We can dry up like a desert that has no rain.

The Holy Spirit will turn this around.

The Holy Spirit is like streams or rivers in the desert — renewing our spirit and soul.

Doing a NEW thing within us.

Parched ground bursting forth with new life.

One of the ways we sense this drift, this neglect is weariness in our body and in our souls.

Beyond our physical body lies our spirit.

This spirit has been placed within us by God and it must be taken care of.

Sometimes our spirit can become weary and defeated because of sinful decisions we make.

Decisions made because we are so caught up in the things of this life.

In order to renew our spirit, we must repent and believe the gospel, the Good News of Jesus.

We must have a fresh infilling of the Holy Spirit.

Today we begin a new sermon series called Renewed.

In my experience, the work that God wants to do in us is wholistic in nature.

God’s renewal is as much for our physical being as it is for our inner being.

And yet, we are more than just the physical.

There is a depth to us that is soul and spirit.

God desires for our spirit, our soul to experience renewal.

Life can be hard and the trials they we face can cause our spirits to become weary.

Relational conflict can cause deep sorrow.

Financial woes can be stressful.

Disappointments can be so discouraging.

All of these and more have a way of affecting our spiritual state.

However, there is one thing above everything else that causes us to need renewal within our spirit.

That thing is sin.

There are times in our lives when it becomes apparent that God is interested in doing a new thing within us.

It can coincide with the changing of the year, the changing of the seasons, the changing of life circumstances, or the changing of a physical location.

God is interested in moving each us, from time to time, into a deeper and more meaningful relationship with him.

This can be scary. It can be hard. It can be confusing.

In any case, if we can recognize these times when God wants to renew us, we can lean in and allow Him to do His good work.

A RENEWED SPIRIT IS A CLEAN SPIRIT

In the Old Testament, King David wrote a Psalm in the aftermath of his sinful actions with Bathsheba.

After his adulterous affair and murder of Bathsheba’s husband, David’s spirit was dark.

His sin harmed his relationship with God and it harmed his relationship with others.

Sin always does.

In Psalm 51 David cries out to God for renewal.

He wrote in Psalm 51:10–12 (NASB95) Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me. 11 Do not cast me away from Your presence And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. 12 Restore to me the joy of Your salvation And sustain me with a willing spirit.

Maybe you can relate to the words that David pens here.

It is a desperate cry for forgiveness.

For restoration, renewal, refreshing.

It is deep repentance.

David acknowledges that the state of our spirit has an effect on our connection with our Creator. \

He is heartbroken over his actions.

The thing David prays for is exactly what we will be addressing in this series.

He asks for renewal. A renewed spirit within him.

This psalm and others are the very reason that David is referred to in the scriptures as a man after God’s own heart.

It was not because David was flawless.

It was not because David was perfect.

It was because David was willing to confront his sin and ask God for forgiveness and restoration.

A person who has a renewed spirit is a person who longs to be right with God and is willing to repent of sin in order to be fresh and clean of heart.

Do you sense the moving of the Holy Spirit as He does the work Jesus said He would do in

John 16:8 (NASB95) [Where Jesus said… ] “And He [the Holy Spirit], when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment;

Can we hear the Holy Spirit?

Are we heartbroken over our sin?

Does it grieve us?

Do we long for renewal?

RENEWAL REQUIRES REPENTANCE

The word repent means to make a one-hundred-and-eighty-degree turn.

It means to no longer continue on the trajectory of life we have chosen.

It means to turn around.

Story:

Apparently there is a town in a remote portion of Labrador, Canada, called Wabush.

Waybush was completely isolated for a long time.

But not too long ago a road was cut through the wilderness to reach it.

Wabush now has one road leading into it, and thus, only one road leading out.

If someone would travel the unpaved road for six to eight hours to get into Wabush, there is only way he or she could leave--- by turning around.

Each of us, by birth, arrives in a town called Sin.

As in Wabush, there is only one way out--a road built by God Himself.

The ONLY Way out is Jesus who is the THE Way, THE Truth and THE Life.

But in order to take that road of slavation, one must first turn around.

That complete about face is what the Bible calls repentance, and without it, there's no way out of town. (Sermonillustrations.com / Brian Weatherdon)

In Psalm 51 we read of King David’s eagerness to experience renewal.

To receive that renewal, that refereshing, David repents.

How do we respond to that dryness, that desert in the core of our being?

If our sin harms our relationship with God, we demonstrate our desire for Jesus by making a change.

If our sin has harmed others, we demonstrate our desire for Jesus by making it right.

Jesus gives us a glimpse into His mission here on earth.

He says in Luke 19:10 (NLT) For the Son of Man came to seek and save those who are lost.”

He has come to pursue you and me as well.

It reminds me of the great hymn, Amazing Grace.

Amazing grace How sweet the sound That saved a wretch like me I once was lost But now I'm found Was blind, but now I see

This beloved hymn was written by John Newton, a man who was a former slave trafficker.

“In 1748, Newton was on board a slaving ship called the Greyhound.

The ship was in bad shape.

During a violent storm, it began to fall apart and take on water.

A crew member was swept overboard.

All night long Newton tried to keep the ship from going under.

And it caused him to think about the state of his life.

He knew he had run from God, hurt other people, and made a wreck out of his own situation.

Newton realized he might die in the storm.

Would God still be forgiving, even after Newton had rejected Him?

At last, Newton recalled what his mother had taught him from the Bible: God loves to show mercy even to people who feel they are beyond redemption.

Newton asked for God's help for the first time in years.”

Through the Holy Spirit Newton was fully aware of the wretch that he was.

He knew where he had come from.

He knew that he had been lost.

He needed to be renewed.

He found the grace of God and that grace brought renewal to his spirit and he penned one of the most famous hymns of all time.

OUR DESIRE FOR RENEWAL IS SEEN IN OUR ACTIONS

When we encounter Jesus in a life changing way and when we ask God to forgive us, it means our life will never be the same.

That repentance should be followed by evidence.

The evidence of a renewed relationship with Jesus.

As the worship Team comes …

People who know their spirit is weary are desperate to get a glimpse of Jesus.

How much do you want Jesus to change your life?

Would you be willing to do anything in order to have Him renew your spirit?

Like laying aside the old self?

Like drawing near to God through prayer, through good counsel or through honesty with Him?

Colossians 3:9–11 (NASB95) Do not lie to one another, since you laid aside the old self with its evil practices, 10 and have put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him— 11 a renewal in which there is no distinction between Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave and freeman, but Christ is all, and in all.

Let’s pray that the Holy Spirit will open our eyes to the TRUE situation in our souls.

That we will not lie to ourselves OR to others.