Week 1: Renewed Spirit

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Video: Sermon Bumper - Week 1 - Renewed Spirit

Title of the Series

Renewed

Title of the Message is

Week 1: Renewed Spirit

Write Up:

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.

In order to renew our spirit, we must repent and believe the gospel.

This gospel is put on display in the story of Zacchaeus. When Jesus meets him, he is a thieving traitor who is only thinking about himself.

When he encounters the love of Jesus in his home, Zacchaeus’ spirit is renewed and it is evidenced by his extreme transformation.

He used to cheat and steal, but now, he becomes generous and eager to make things right.

Prayer:

God, forgive me for my sin.

I know it hurts your heart and disconnects me from you.

Fill me with your spirit and empower me to live a life that is in line with your will.

Thank you for sending Jesus Christ to seek and save the lost.

I once was lost but now I am found. Amen.

Scripture:Psalm 51:10-12// Luke 19:1-10

Think:

I am more than just a physical being.

I have a spirit that can be altered based on how I live my life.

Feel:

External change can lead to internal renewal.

I do not have to continue feeling defeated.

Do:

Begin doing the right thing before you want to do the right thing.

A healthy spirit often follows healthy practices.

Sermon

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 of 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.

Either way, if we can recognize these times when God wants to renew us, we can lean in and allow him to do his good work.

Today we begin a new sermon series called Renewed.

In my experience, the work that God wants to do in us is holistic in nature. (An approach to wellness considering the whole person - body, mind, spirit, and emotions)

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

We are all more than just physical.

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

God desires for our spirit to experience renewal.

Life can be hard and the trials that 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.

Illustration: (Have a class full of water.

Use multiple colors of food coloring to add to the pitcher as you introduce different sinful activity.

pour fresh water into the pitcher as you talk about renewal and let the dark water become clear again.)

The Bible talks about sin as a missing of the mark.

It is an archery term that suggests that when we sin, we miss the intentions of God for us.

Lets Start with a clear fresh glass of water

Sin comes in many forms.

It might be overwhelming greed (drop color),

it might be pride (drop color),

we see it now in racism (drop color),

sin is when we lie (drop color),

sin can be a sin of commission or a sin of omission (drop color). (There are two basic ways we sin: either by omission or commission. 

Sins of omission are those in which we knew we should have done something good, but refused (James 4:17).

A sin of commission is a sin we take action to commit, whether in thought, word, or deed.

A sin of commission can be intentional or unintentional.

The Bible tells us that each of us were born with a sinful nature that has been handed down from the fall in chapter 3 of Genesis.

Since Adam and Eve disregarded God and decided to live for themselves, we have been following suit.

When sin is in our lives, our spirit becomes dark and disconnects us from God. (just like mixed water in our Illustration)

Sin is a rejection of God and without renewal we are destined to spend eternity apart from God.

We have to be renewed.

When we invite Jesus into our lives to forgive us and to give us strength to live differently, our spirit, our soul, is renewed. (clear glass of water)

POINT 1: A RENEWED SPIRIT IS A CLEAN SPIRIT

In the Old Testament, King David wrote a Psalm in the wake 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.

READ Psalm 51:10-12

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

It is a desperate cry for forgiveness.

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 have been 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.

The question is are you heartbroken over your sin?

Does it grieve you?

Do you long for renewal?

Story:

One evening, I faced a challenging moment with my son.

After a heated exchange, I realized I had lost my temper and had reacted poorly with how I was disrespected in my own home.

As I stood there reflecting on my actions, I felt weighed down by guilt.

After things had cooled down between us, He approached me, and apologized sincerely.

I could see how both of our admission not only restored our relationship, but also lifted the burden from my spirit.

It reminded me of how God graciously forgives our faults when we admit our shortcomings to Him.

You see, my sin toward my son was breaking my relationship with God and it certainly, left unchecked, would break my relationship with my son.

I needed to repent.

We all need to repent to renew our spirit.

There are stories all thourh the bible, of individuals who, through repentance, experienced a renewed spirit within them.

As a matter of fact, a man named Zacchaeus comes to mind.

READ Luke 19:1-4

This man Zacchaeus is described in some pretty significant ways.

First, he is a chief tax collector and also a Jew.

This more than likely means he was at least viewed, if not confirmed, to be a sympathizer with Rome and a thief.

Many tax collectors would overcharge individuals to take some off the top and become rich.

Second, Zacchaeus was rich.

This was likely true because of a practice of taking advantage of his clients.

Zacchaeus may have been fully aware of his bad reputation and his corrupt heart.

Sometimes we are fully aware of our broken spirit, but we ignore it.

Maybe, for Zacchaeus, this is the reason he wants to see Jesus so badly when Jesus comes to town.

The Bible tells us that Zacchaeus is so short he has to climb a sycamore tree in order to see Jesus.

POINT 2: OUR DESIRE FOR JESUS IS SEEN IN OUR ACTIONS

In the first four verses of this passage, we see a key component in experiencing a renewed spirit.

Zacchaeus wanted to see Jesus.

It seems simple, but many individuals never get here.

Far too many of us never develop the desire to see Jesus in our lives.

We certainly would not do the hard work that Zacchaeus goes through to climb a tree to get a better vantage point of the Savior, but 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?

Not climbing a tree, like in the story, but drawing near to God through prayer, through good counsel or through honesty with Him.

READ Luke 19:5-10

A surprising twist happens in the story as Jesus looks up at Zacchaeus and acknowledges him and tells him to come down.

Jesus intends to go to Zacchaeus’ house and spend time with him.

Can you imagine this man’s excitement?

Maybe his fear?

Maybe a mix of emotions as the Messiah that he had been hearing about wants to come to his house.

Suddenly a man who was too short, a tax collector, a thief, and hated by many, was going to be hosting Jesus Christ.

This was God’s way of saying, “no one is too far gone that I will not come to rescue them”.

Everyone who was standing there begins to mumble about how Jesus was going to spend time with a sinful tax collector.

How could he possibly do something like this?

They had utterly missed the point that this is exactly what God does: he goes after those who are far from him and who are weary in spirit.

Maybe it is encouraging to know today that Jesus is coming after you today.

You are not too far gone. Jesus extends his love and grace to you.

Zacchaeus’ response to Jesus wanting to come to his house tells you everything you need to know about how eager he is to experience renewal.

He repents.

He does what David did in Psalm 51.

The real question is how do we respond?

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

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

Story:

Wabush, a town in a remote portion of Labrador, Canada, was completely isolated for some time.

But recently 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.

But in order to take that road, 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)

POINT 3: 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.

So, Zacchaeus promises to give half of his possessions to the poor.

He promises to pay back four times as much from anyone he stole from.

For this man, this is what repentance looks like.

For you and me, it may look like something different.

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.

Either way, repentance should be followed by evidence.

You see, Zacchaeus experiences salvation based on his response to Jesus’ invitation to come and spend time with him.

Jesus initiates it, but Zacchaeus’ renewal takes place because of his obedient and humble response.

At the very end of this passage, Jesus gives us a glimpse into his mission here on earth.

He says that he has come to seek and save the lost.

He came to pursue Zacchaeus, a lost tax collector.

He has come to pursue you 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 enslaver.

“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 he thought 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.” (https://www.prisonfellowship.org/2017/04/amazing-grace-2/)

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.

POINT 4: BE TRANSFORMED BY GRACE

I wonder what keeps us from responding to the invitation of Jesus to meet with us and our willingness to repent?

Maybe we believe we don’t deserve grace.

The grace of God cannot be earned.

It is a free gift that is extended to each one of us.

All we do is receive it, embrace it and be transformed by it.

We need to pinpoint our sin.

We need to trust God’s grace for us.

We need to embrace God’s grace for us.

We need to extend God’s grace to others.

Response:

If you would like to experience a renewed spirit within you today, you can.

All it requires is a simple prayer. One like this…

God, forgive me for my sin. I know it hurts your heart and disconnects me from you. Fill me with your spirit and empower me to live a life that is in line with your will. Thank you for sending Jesus Christ to seek and save the lost. I once was lost but now I am found. Amen.

Let’s pray together.

Salvation:

The Word of God says in: John 3:16

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

Romans 10:13 NKJV

For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

If you’d would like to receive Jesus today, please pray this prayer with all of us:

Lord I believe that Jesus is the Son of God, and that He died On the cross for my sins and His resurrection from the dead gives me eternal life. I ask forgiveness of my sins, and I accept Jesus as my Lord and Savior. Amen.

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Benediction Scripture

For God so loveThe world that he gave his one and only son,That whosoever believe it in himShould not perish but have everlasting life - John 3:16

Have a Great Week! Goodbye!

This is Pastor Doc and Lady Pepper signing off until next time we meet. Blessings to you all!