RENEW YOUR FAITH

(S1)

WALKING TALL - a retired soldier who returns to his hometown overrun by drugs and corruption. Facing great odds, he eventually becomes sheriff and cleans up the town (2x4)

Don’t we love these kinds stories...? Unless we are the one with the big stick!

SERIES — (Noah) Offering our BEST to God (Noah ) Offering our FULL COMMITMENT...

(S2) — SPACE + SURRENDER = SHIFT

LENT is a time to consider our own SPIRITUAL POSTURE — like a suit that needs altering to fit us well (mannequin)...where is ALTERATION needed in our own lives— making SPACE...a willingness to SURRENDER and fully commit to following Jesus

If we’re honest, its hard to WALK TALL in a world with so many ALTARS; drawing our devotion to to anything else but, our BEST LIFE with God

BIBLES - PRAY

(S3)

…the prophet Elijah’s confrontation with a POWERFUL king, who had corrupted God’s people in a way that LED THEM AWAY from their true IDENTITY—where idolatry and evil had replaced the ONE who gave them purpose.

The Altar built for devotion to Yahweh was in DISREPAIR—now an altar to another God. The people were DIVIDED in their DEVOTION; the altar was in need of REPAIR

MARRIAGE—a most sacred relationship between man and woman…It’s the best of example of GODS LOVE of humanity...CHRIST’ LOVE for the church...and OUR LOVE for each other.

50% of all marriages in the U.S. end in divorce or separation. More than one-third cite infidelity as the cause; when either one or both people have shifted the focus of their affections and commitment to someone else.

The Bible tells us that a fractured relationship GRIEVES the spirit of God…the very reason the prophet Elijah confronted King Ahab and spoke plainly to the people

(S4) — {18:21)

Divided hearts lead to DREARY Lives

Misplaced devotion to other things then the ONE TRUE GOD, leads to broken lives...communities...nations...and churches...

“A jealous God will not be content with a divided heart; He must be loved first and best.” Charles Spurgeon

The Message…

“How long are you going to sit on the fence? If God is the real God, follow him; if it’s Baal, follow him. Make up your minds!”

Their divided hearts fractured relationaship GRIEVED God—a renewal of faith was needed. What did that look like for them? For us?

The Altar is about making space…so a shift will l happen…but without surrender its a broken and in need of repair.

(S5) —

Renewal of faith means, HEALING the heart that is not fully SURRENDERED to God.

CONTEXT — A difficult time for God’s people. Their nation divided into 2 kingdoms—Judah/south and Israel/north— the result of Gods JUDGEMENT (famine/drought) and human failure.

— It goes back to God’s anger with Solomon’s divided heart, centered on his unfaithfulness; his worshiping foreign deities (1 Kings 11).

Elijah, who is early in his career as a prophet (18:1), finds himself the LONE VOICE of God

1ST APPT/FUNERALS/SEMINARY

Maybe you’ve been there—The only beleiver in your family…the lone voice…

The severity of the famine causes Ahab to send for OBDIAH; to see if any living prophet lived…surprised to find Elijah, whom he recognizes. Elijah insists that he must meet the king. Obadiah objects fearing the king; and for good reason.

(S6) — {16:30}

Known for being the most wicked king in Israel’s history, Ahab had a legacy of idolatrous behavior

—married Jezebel, a Phoenician woman, a BIG NO-NO! Worshiped one of her gods, Baal , also a BIG NO-NO! And, built an altar to Baal inside God’s temple, a really BIG NO-NO!

The people were divided in their devotion; the multiple gods; many different religions that coexisted

They had a foot in every camp except God’s

James 1:8 “Their loyalty is divided between God and the world, and they are unstable in everything they do.”

The author of this series says it this way…

(S7) — “We may want everything, but God must be our ONLY thing.”

Elijah knew they were wavering; wanting everything but God who was to be their only thing—Renewing their faith, meant repairing the altar of their devotion

Renewal is the reason the church is the church today...

Reformation/Wesley/How the GMC came to be

The Bishops of the GMC have challenged congregations to move from a "state of survival to a state of revival." They don’t claim themselves as prophets but as ‘GUARDIANS OF THE FAITH’

1. Theological Orthodoxy - right belief

2. Mission over Maintenance - a missional movement

3. Passionate worship -

4. Global solidarity around the bible, the gospel; both its truth and grace

5. Personal renewal - repentance, holy living, and accountability

The Vision (our vision) is to be a church that...

(S8)

Renewing our faith, means repairing the altar of our devotion.

Devotion AWAY from God is a surrender of devotion to OTHER things

What in your relationship with God, your daily walk with Jesus, needs renewal?

Matthew 6:24 ““No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and be enslaved to anything.”

Elijah knew that the problem was the CONDITION of the ALTAR, a place to encounter God, was in disrepair and needed rebuilding

Why had no one noticed or responded when the altar was torn down? Had they been distracted and allowed something else to take their focus?

“Research indicates that the human brain is not designed for true multitasking. Instead, it switches rapidly between tasks, leading to a decrease in overall efficiency and increased chances of making errors.” (AI)

We live in an age of distraction. We can become proud of our ability to multitask, and yet how often does it affect our priorities in relationaship to God, worship, tithing, caring for others

When you throw a toy for a dog, they will focus on that and chase after it. But if you throw a second toy, the dog is easily distracted by the new toy.

How easy it is to replace God with the pursuit of other desires and, without noticing it, the space we used to have for God becomes cluttered leaving no room...

Lent is a time when we confront our own idolatry; what distracts us from full devotion to God—wanting less of everything and more of God who is to be our ONLY thing!

(S9)

When the Israelites were being led to the promised land...God instructed them to make an offering, a sacrifice, of grain as a reminder of their commitment to God being first in their lives—the only offering that did not required a blood as a sacrifice and was common to everyone, rich or poor...

— They were to bring the finest flour, mix with oil, and burn it on the altar. The flour, or grain, was the central element of all life which every person required. It represented one’s dedication to God’s authority over their life.

When this space was made in surrender to God, the offering brought on the an altar only to God

Leviticus 26:10 “You will have such a surplus of crops that you will need to clear out the old grain to make room for the new harvest!”

Its why Jesus became the altar rebuilt offering himself as the best of God—as a new covenant, to repair the brokenness and heal our hearts...

John 6:35 “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry again. Whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.”

Our grain offering today is our devotion and commitment to God.

“Your priorities must be God first, God second, and God third until your life is continually face to face with God.” Oswald Chambers

(23-29) And so before the people, face to face with King Ahab, his many god’s and 450 prophets of Asherah, Elijah makes a stand to END their SPIRITUAL DROUGHT and RENEW their faith by challenging their misguided loyalty (MOVIE)

(S10) — {18:24}

They call, plead to their God...and no reply — Elijah mocks them, “shout louder” —the rest is a pretty ugly

The Bible tells us that God hears our prayers. Its why we pray! But when we are pleading with God and no answer comes, or the answer we would like, should we question who has authority in our life? Is the God we are praying to our God?

“When we lose the focus of our faith (Jesus), we lose our devotion” Susan Kent

The torn down altar reminds us of our sin and our need for the rebuilding, and renewing of our faith

30 “Then Elijah called to the people, “Come over here!” They all crowded around him as he repaired the altar of the Lord that had been torn down.”

Three steps to a renewed faith - three symbols of rebuilding their spiritual altar

31 “He took twelve stones, one to represent each of the tribes of Israel, 32 and he used the stones to rebuild the altar in the name of the Lord.

The 12 stones represent God’s faithfulness to the 12 tribes of Israel (Jacobs sons), signifying a return to the foundational covenant of God— a pattern set by Moses when he constructed an altar with twelve stones when establishing a covenant between YHWH and the people (Exod 24:4).

They had forgotten their true identity, whose they were! By repairing the altar, Elijah was calling the people back to who God.

(S11) — The first step to a RENEWED FAITH is to...

I. Repair the altar of our RELATIONSHIP with God

A renewed faith means remembering your true identity in Christ who is the new covenant

Galatians 2:20 “My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”

Ephesians 2:19 “So now you are no longer strangers and foreigners. You are citizens along with all of God’s holy people. You are members of God’s family.”

The twelve stones show us that we restore our spiritual foundations by removing idols and seeking God anew—Inviting God's presence and power into areas of our spiritual desolation and renewing our covenant relationship with Jesus.

Their broken altar was a sign of their broken relationship with God

24 “Then call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of the Lord. The god who answers by setting fire to the wood is the true God!”

Second, to rebuild the altar, required four large Jars of WATER

33 “He piled wood on the altar, cut the bull into pieces, and laid the pieces on the wood. Then he said, “Fill four large jars with water, and pour the water over the offering and the wood.” After they had done this, he said, 34 “Do the same thing again!” And when they were finished, he said, “Now do it a third time!” So they did as he said,”

The act of dumping twelve jars of water serves three purposes for Elijah.

— First, a drenched altar would be harder to ignite (but not for YHWH), thus making the miracle more dramatic and more glorious when the fire eventually arrives.

— Second, Elijah’s actions show that he did not cheat by secretly hiding fire or hot ashes somewhere in the newly constructed altar.

— Third, it gave the people an opportunity to display great faith as they “wasted” precious water during the time of a drought

Jesus and the resurrection of Lazarus. No better way than to prove this was God then make sure he was dead!

John 11:39 ““Roll the stone aside,” Jesus told them. But Martha, the dead man’s sister, protested, “Lord, he has been dead for four days. The smell will be terrible.””

The amount of water removed the human safety net—any doubt of trickery...natural explanation...any doubt that this was GOD

The second step to a RENEWED FAITH is to...

(S12)

II. Repair the altar of UNFORGIVENESS

Its easy to say you are forgiven, but do you believe it in your heart of hearts that you are forgiven?

I believe that when we neglect our own need for forgiveness, we find it more easily to condemn others—Its start here, with me, getting my heart right with God—who alone can forgive! Its why Jesus got in trouble...

Mark 2:8–10 “Is it easier to say to the paralyzed man ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or ‘Stand up, pick up your mat, and walk’? So I will prove to you that the Son of Man has the authority on earth to forgive sins.” Then Jesus turned to the paralyzed man and said,” “Stand up, pick up your mat, and go home!”

Jesus’ reply to Peter who...

Matthew 26:34 “I tell you the truth, Peter—this very night, before the rooster crows, you will deny three times that you even know me.””

Renewal of our faith comes we have a greater trust and need for healing in Jesus who forgives then trying to find assurance in the things of this world

It took 12 stones, a restoration of their covenantal IDENTITY —four large jars of water; to remove any human endeavor only Elijah’s God could do this—Next rebuilding the altar, required PRAYER

(S13) — (36-37)

His prayer wasn’t fancy, but it was short and profound.

Elijah didn't focus on his own needs, he asked that God be known, that his own role as a servant be confirmed, and—most importantly—that the hearts of the people would be turned back to the Lord.

When Jesus raises Lazarus...

John 11:42 “You always hear me, but I said it out loud for the sake of all these people standing here, so that they will believe you sent me.””

The third step to a RENEWED FAITH is to...

(S14)

III. Repair our altar of a neglected PRAYER life

Psalm 51:10–12 “Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a loyal spirit within me. Do not banish me from your presence, and don’t take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation...”

What if we prayed more...? What if we started and ended every petition to God, in the name of Jesus

Renewal of our faith comes when we encounter God, When our prayer life is modeled in our walk with Jesus. When we make SPACE, are willing to SURRENDER, and to WALK TALL...and when we no longer have a divided heart.

Renewing our faith means healing the heart that is not fully surrendered to God...only when...

(S15)

We are CONSUMED by the Holy Presence of a SAVING GOD

38 “Immediately the fire of the Lord flashed down from heaven and burned up the young bull, the wood, the stones, and the dust. It even licked up all the water in the trench! 39 And when all the people saw it, they fell face down on the ground and cried out, “The Lord—he is God! Yes, the Lord is God!””

THE FIRE FELL—This is our big 2 x 4! To be consumed by the HOLY SPIRIT, the presence of God; who repairs our broken altar and renews our faith—We can change some things get better at, be more devoted to...but true renewal happens when god’s fire burns in our hearts...

“Light yourself on fire with passion and people will come from miles to watch you burn.” John Wesley

The fire fell only after the altar was built, the sacrifice was laid, and the prayer was offered. God is ready to send the "rain" of renewal to your life, but He asks to heal your heart, so that is no longer divided—A RENEWED FAITH

Begin by asking the Holy Spirit to fall on you, where does your relationship needs rendering.

What part of your "altar" is in disrepair?

3. Is there any UNFORGIVENESS in your heart? Are you neglecting time with God?

Divided hearts lead to DREARY Lives—I pray that today is the day to stop wavering and declare that the Lord is God and proclaim Jesus as Lord in your life.