Rekindling the Flame

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Service Intro:

Good morning, friends. I’m so glad you’ve joined us today. Let me ask you something—have you ever just felt… spiritually tired? Like your passion for God isn’t what it used to be? You love Him, but the fire doesn’t burn quite as bright?

If so, you’re not alone—and you’re not broken. Today, we’re talking about how to rekindle that flame—not through pressure or performance, but through the gentle, faithful love of a God who never gives up on us.

Whether your heart is blazing or barely glowing, I believe today’s message will meet you right where you are. So settle in, open your heart, and let’s worship and grow together.

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Opening Prayer

Opening Song

Kids Time

Oliver, Charlotte, and Elliot.

Hey kids!

Is there something you need to learn more about, but maybe you don’t feel like doing it? Like in school, maybe you are told to read or study something, and because it isn’t fun, you find it hard to do?

Today, I’m going to talk to your parents about having a zeal for God.

Zeal can mean a love for or a passion for something.

For instance, we should have a love for reading God’s Word. But the truth is, sometimes, we might not. We should enjoy it, but sometimes we might not.

Douglas is going to talk about the importance of learning and growing.

Sometimes we mistakenly think we know everything, and so we don’t want to study it. The bible can be that way. Because we’ve heard or read the stories, we may think there’s nothing more to learn. So we lose our zeal, our desire, or our passion for reading it.

But each time we read it, we can actually learn more about it and about God.

So, like Douglas asked us to do, let’s make reading the bible one of the most important things in our lives every day. You might even want to challenge or ask your parents to read with you if you’re not good at reading it well yet.

Pray that God gives you zeal, a love for reading His Word every day!

Have a great day!

Sermon

Have you ever experienced seasons where your spiritual passion felt dim or distant?

Rekindling the Flame: A Call to Passionate Faith

Text: Psalm 69:9, John 21:1-25

Opening: The Zeal We Already Have

We're passionate people. We have zeal for things that matter to us. We get fired up about our favorite sports teams, we argue passionately about politics, we work tirelessly for our families' wellbeing, we stress over our finances. Our hearts can burn with intensity for the things we love or the causes we believe in.

But here's what I want to acknowledge honestly today - and I know many of you will relate to this - sometimes that same fire just isn't there when it comes to our faith. Sometimes I open my Bible and it feels like homework. Sometimes prayer feels like I'm talking to the ceiling. Sometimes I walk into church and think, "I'm just not feeling it today."

And that's okay. That's human. That's real.

(Note: This isn't about manufactured emotion or comparing church to entertainment - they're completely different experiences with different purposes. What we're talking about is something deeper.)

The question isn't whether we'll have seasons where our spiritual passion feels dim. The question is: What do we do when the flame grows low? How do we rekindle what God has already placed within us?

I. Understanding True Zeal: It's Not What We Think

Psalm 69:9 - "Zeal for your house consumes me, and the insults of those who insult you fall on me."

When David wrote these words (later quoted about Jesus in John 2:17), he wasn't describing an emotional high. He was describing a love so deep it shaped everything about how he lived.

True biblical zeal isn't:

Emotional intensity that comes and goes

Something we work up or manufacture

Dependent on how we feel in the moment

About being louder or more demonstrative than others

True biblical zeal is:

A steady, consuming love for God that persists through seasons

Born out of understanding who God is and what He's done

Expressed through faithful obedience, even when it's costly

Rooted in God's unchanging character, not our changing emotions

Additional Scripture: Deuteronomy 6:5 - "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength."

This isn't about feeling intensity all the time. It's about wholehearted devotion that encompasses every part of who we are.

II. When the Flame Grows Dim: Peter's Story

John 21:15-17 - Jesus and Peter by the Sea of Galilee

Peter had been zealous once. He declared he'd never deny Jesus (Matthew 26:35). He drew his sword to defend Him (John 18:10). But then came the denials, the guilt, the shame. When we meet Peter in John 21, he's gone back to fishing - back to what was familiar and safe.

John 21:15–17 ESV

When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Feed my lambs.” He said to him a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Tend my sheep.” He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” and he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep.

Notice what Jesus doesn't do:

He doesn't shame Peter for his failure

He doesn't question whether Peter ever really loved Him

He doesn't make Peter prove his devotion through grand gestures

How many of these have you felt, “God must be thinking of you?”

What Jesus does do:

He meets Peter where he is (by the familiar sea, doing familiar work)

Peter was just going fishing.

He provides for Peter's needs (the miraculous catch, breakfast on the beach)

Have you ever, especially after feeling you’ve failed God in some way, gone back to your normal routine, or maybe into some regular task that you’re used to be proficient in, and it just didn’t go well? And so you felt as though, “I’m getting what I deserved because I’ve failed.”

Maybe you’re looking at your life like that right now. “Because I’ve not done enough to please God, He is allowing me to go through hard times, suffering like I am, because I’ve not been zealous enough, or disciplined enough to do enough for Him.”

He doesn’t ask Peter, “are you zealous enough for me?” instead he asks the simple question: "Do you love me?"

I think some times we can look at our lives, our situations, and feel as though because we can’t or haven’t done something great for the Lord, then we have failed Him. And so, our fire, our flame, may be a bit more dim. Our zeal may be a bit less than. Our motivation, not be where we feel it ought to be.

Sometimes, we’re just tired and worn out. Our flame of faith may be just an ember left.

It’s not that our love has grown cold, it’s just we’ve gotten stuck in the mire of life, or are simply feeling as though we’re going through the motions some days.

The beautiful truth: God doesn't wait for us to rekindle our own flame. He meets us in our dimness and gently fans the embers that are still there.

Additional Scripture: Isaiah 42:3 - "A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out."

Even when our spiritual fire feels like barely glowing embers, God doesn't give up on us. He tenderly nurtures what remains. He won’t allow your flame to be snuffed out.

I am aware of the weariness of life, the pressures and the stresses, and how these things can dim our fire. Truthfully, some times the disciplines of the faith can simply become more work for us to do, and so the desire, the fire may not be all that it can be.

What if the reason your flame feels weak… isn’t because God is disappointed in you — but because He’s inviting you to rest in Him again?

I want to encourage you to take some steps to rekindle that flame. Of course, begin with prayer. Pray that God would blow fresh wind on your faith. And then begin taking some practical steps like:

III. Practical Steps to Rekindle the Flame

1. Remember What God Has Done

Start with gratitude, not guilt

Rehearse God's faithfulness in your story

Scripture: Psalm 103:2 - "Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits"

Gratitude often results in praise and thankfulness moving us to truly have zeal to spend time with the Father.

2. Take Small, Faithful Steps

Don't wait for feelings to lead; let obedience kindle affection

Feelings cannot be trusted to lead. They can confuse and even lie to us.

Read one verse, pray one sentence, take one step

The idea is to keep moving, keep doing what you know is good and right, even when you’re not quite feeling it.

So many times, I’ve not felt it, but did it anyway and truly received a blessing.

Scripture: Luke 16:10 - "Whoever is faithful in very little is also faithful in much"

3. Surround Yourself with Reminders

Participate with others who are seeking God (Hebrews 10:24-25)

This where Church community comes in.

Fill your mind with truth that stirs your heart

When shame, guilt, or unworthiness fills your mind, remember that you are loved and greatly treasured by the Lord. His love for you will never cease as we focused on last week.

Scripture: Romans 10:17 - "Faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ"

In community, we have the opportunity to give and receive encouragement from God’s Word.

Remember that power. Give it to others and be willing to seek and accept it as well.

4. Ask God to Renew Your Heart

This isn't something we do alone - prayer is always key for transformation.

Our wants and desires in life may need reorienting. We may need the Spirit to remove some distractions from us, or to simply restore us mentally and physically as we’ve been worn down.

We need His strength in us, His steadfast Spirit to restore us.

Scripture: Psalm 51:10 - "Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me"

A pure heart that loves and seeks to spend time with the Father.

A steadfast Spirit to help us remain obedient and faithful against life’s circumstances.

These are some practical steps we can all take to rekindle the flame that is still there within us. But I don’t want you to think this means that it is up to you to keep the fire burning. It isn’t. I want you to have zeal for the Lord, but...

Conclusion: The Flame That Never Dies

The most beautiful thing about biblical zeal is that it's not dependent on us keeping it burning. It's fueled by God's never ending, steadfast love, sustained by His faithful presence, and renewed by His grace.

When you feel spiritually cold, or simply spiritually tired, remember: God's love for you burns as bright today as it ever has.

When you question whether He delights in you, remember: Jesus went to the cross with zeal for your redemption.

Hebrews 12:29 says...

Let us be grateful… for we have received… (it’s already ours)… a kingdom that cannot be shaken.

Your faith, your salvation in Christ is secure.

Therefore, let us offer God acceptable worship… as Peter was asked, “Do you love me?”

Love is the proof of our acceptance and salvation in the Lord. Let that love lead you into worship of Him in reverence and awe, for our God is an all consuming fire.

Let His fire rekindle yours. His zeal for you excite you to be zealous for Him.

The call today isn't to manufacture passion you don't feel. It's to take one small step toward the God who is already running toward you with arms wide open.

Closing Scripture: Revelation 3:20 - "Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me."

He’s waiting on you. Will you take that step towards Him and let Him in? His desire is for you to sit with Him, to dine with Him, to have fellowship with Him.

He’s made it possible through Christ, the One who bore your sin to make you right with the Father because of the Father’s love for you.

It’s Him who sets the heart of man ablaze with an everlasting fire. If you haven’t received it, or if it feels weak and small, let me encourage you to pray.

Pray that He will set your heart on fire for Him.

Prayer: "Lord, we don't always feel the fire, but we know You are faithful. Meet us where we are today. Rekindle what has grown dim. Help us take the next small step toward You, trusting that You will do in us what we cannot do for ourselves. Amen."

What is one small, faithful step you sense God inviting you to take this week?

Post-Service Discussion

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Stay connected with Innovate Church by downloading our app: https://innovateccc.com/app

Download this week's 5 Day Study Guide: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1uTBHODcDLFEJovPbA7_gTsOIdlifl3chR7nGfp9U1GQ/edit?usp=sharing

Download this week's Small Group Discussion Guide:https://docs.google.com/document/d/1oJY1VijJciWFPdt5qKmFD0GG5NVgSjvwKjchP8sK1AM/edit?usp=sharing