Spiritual Restoration

Attention- This has been a bit of a long week, the sermon you will hear this morning is not the one I started early this week.

Quickly into my study I realized I was trying to force my ideas into a text that did not teach what I was looking to...

So the Lord directed me elsewhere.

Introduction- The Lord has led me to several texts…the combined truth that these texts teach brought me back to a point in my life I have shared before...

-I was a car guy…Mustangs....rebuilding…rebuilding the engine...

What is the main driving point (CPS)? So whats the point? The point is…we need to be rebuilt as well

We have been looking at the work of the Holy Spirit in the lives of individuals…but what about how the Lord work in a corporate group?

As the Holy Spirit works in each individual life of this church…what is the bigger picture that the Holy Spirit is working on?

Those big picture items will be our three points for this morning.

Why does the CPS matter, what is the consequence? So, what if i’m not interested in the big picture?

What if I don’t want to do my part?

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There will be consequences...

In the same way that if I rebuilt an entire classic car and did not rebuild the engine, or the brakes, or the transmission…there would be consequences.

In the church, when even only a small part of the body is resisting the process of being rebuilt, the whole body suffers.

Transition- So this morning I want to look at three verses in the book of Acts and see three big picture areas that can affect our church based on our personal response to the Holy Spirit.

The first area I want to look at is that

I. The Holy Spirit takes the timid watchers and rebuilds them into transformed witnesses

Explain

This is the apostle Peter preaching on Pentecost

This is, depending on which calendar and some other things, 40-50 days after Passover...

What happened around Passover? The cricifixion of Jesus

Peter was there…Do you remember Peters response?

John 18:15–17 KJV 1900

And Simon Peter followed Jesus, and so did another disciple: that disciple was known unto the high priest, and went in with Jesus into the palace of the high priest. But Peter stood at the door without. Then went out that other disciple, which was known unto the high priest, and spake unto her that kept the door, and brought in Peter. Then saith the damsel that kept the door unto Peter, Art not thou also one of this man’s disciples? He saith, I am not.

-A damsel..a female slave asks him and he DENIES Jesus

,

18- And the servants and officers stood there, who had made a fire of coals; for it was cold: and they warmed themselves: and Peter stood with them, and warmed himself.

25- And Simon Peter stood and warmed himself. They said therefore unto him, Art not thou also one of his disciples? He denied it, and said, I am not.

Verse 18 tells us that the servents are warming themselves by the fire…they recognise Peter and call him out…HOW DOES HE RESPOND?

DENIAL...

John 18:26–27 KJV 1900

One of the servants of the high priest, being his kinsman whose ear Peter cut off, saith, Did not I see thee in the garden with him? Peter then denied again: and immediately the cock crew.

The third time Peter is confronted…HOW DOES HE RESPOND?

DENIAL

Bridge to today

Have you ever wondered…PETER HOW COULD YOU?!?!?!?!

But have you ever been at a family gathering and they start making fun of Christianity…

You’re at work and they make fun of another Christian....

How do you respond....

Why does this matter? Does it matter how you respond?

Absolutely it matters…We have been given a commission by the creator of everything to bring the message of salvation to a lost world...

Why does this matter?

How successful will we be if we are cowering in a corner...

Relevance The Peter we see in Acts chapter 2 preaching on Pentecost is a man rebuilt bu the Spirit of God

-Emboldened by the Spirit of God

Transition

-Fueled by the Spirit of God

And friends, as we walk with the Spirit we can experience the same boldness and power in our lives…we too can become transformed witnesses

Transition- The Holy Spirit is not satisfied to get us to this point and leave us…He continues on and rebuilds us further....

The second area I want to look at is that

II. The Holy Spirit takes worthless factions and rebuilds them into worthwhile fellowships

,

Explain

This is, depending on which calendar and some other things, 40-50 days after Passover...

What happened around Passover? The cricifixion of Jesus

Peter was there…Do you remember Peters response?

John 18:15–17 KJV 1900

And Simon Peter followed Jesus, and so did another disciple: that disciple was known unto the high priest, and went in with Jesus into the palace of the high priest. But Peter stood at the door without. Then went out that other disciple, which was known unto the high priest, and spake unto her that kept the door, and brought in Peter. Then saith the damsel that kept the door unto Peter, Art not thou also one of this man’s disciples? He saith, I am not.

John 18:

-A damsel..a female slave asks him and he DENIES Jesus

,

18- And the servants and officers stood there, who had made a fire of coals; for it was cold: and they warmed themselves: and Peter stood with them, and warmed himself.

25- And Simon Peter stood and warmed himself. They said therefore unto him, Art not thou also one of his disciples? He denied it, and said, I am not.

And Simon Peter stood and warmed himself. They said therefore unto him, Art not thou also one of his disciples? He denied it, and said, I am not.

Verse 18 tells us that the servents are warming themselves by the fire…they recognise Peter and call him out…HOW DOES HE RESPOND?

DENIAL...

John 18:26–27 KJV 1900

One of the servants of the high priest, being his kinsman whose ear Peter cut off, saith, Did not I see thee in the garden with him? Peter then denied again: and immediately the cock crew.

John

The third time Peter is confronted…HOW DOES HE RESPOND?

DENIAL

Acts chapter 4 begins the first persecution of Christians....

The Jews way of life…means of providing for their families was at risk...

If Christianity was true it was about to change everything

The response was to persecute the Christians…beat them, throw them in jail…and as the book progresses they will resort to killing them...

They were attempting to splinter this new movement

-They were trying to create factions...

Bridge to today- We know how this works, 5 minutes into the world news and you see tension, divisiveness…factions at odds with one another.

But have you ever been at a family gathering and they start making fun of Christianity…

You’re at work and they make fun of another Christian....

How do you respond....

Why does this matter? We are just as susceptible to these factions as any other group.

Absolutely it matters…We have been given a commission by the creator of everything to bring the message of salvation to a lost world...

And I don’t mean Christianity as a whole…I me us…those of us who have committed to this local assembly...

We are just a susceptible to factions as any political party

How successful will we be if

Why does this matter?

Relevance It was the Holy Spirit that brought fellowship out of their faction…look again at

Acts 4:31–32 KJV 1900

And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness. And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul: neither said any of them that ought of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things common.

There is the Holy Spirit again…first we saw him make witnesses out of timid watchers...

and what is the result of His work in this passage? He is making fellowship out of factions

He brought unity to this group...

Friends, you and I need to be walking in the Spirit in order for this church to have unity…there is no other way

It is imperative that we be in step with the Holy Spirit.

And we have seen that being in step with Him brings about a transformed witness and worthwhile fellowship…Transition...but the third area I want to look at is that

Transition

The third area I want to look at is that

III. The Holy Spirit takes the subdued and rebuilds them into unfailing successes

Acts 2:47

Explain From Passover to Pentecost, Peter was not the only one with issues. All that followed Jesus struggled to find their way…they were lost and confused...

One day they are watching this man do miracles and the next they are watching him hang on a tree to die...

-Talk about losing momentum.

-It wasn’t suppose to be like this...

Bridge to today-

Have you ever spoken those words?

Have you ever thought those words?

It wasn’t suppose to be like this Lord!!!

Bridge to today

Why does this matter? Yes, it is suppose to be like this

And I am not meaning to demean anything you are struggling with today but you are exactly where you need to be..

You say, Pastor Matt you have no idea the struggles and pain I have…you’re right, I probably don’t...

But God does and he has sent His spirit to indwell and empower you…to rebuild you…to restore you...

Relevance This group of ragamuffin fishermen and servants were transformed into the group that would as the Jews said in “These that have turned the world upside down”

Relevance

Why does this matter?

Transition

I don’t know what you are dealing with today but I do know the God who, by the Holy Spirit, can do one of two things...

1-Turn your situation upside down

2- Turn your perspective on the situation upside down...

Either is essential to not only you as an individual but to the church as a whole.

Conclusion

Review of the Principles and the Sermon Proposition

The Holy Spirit can rebuild us, individually and as a church...

He can transform our witness,

He can bring about fellowship and unity

He can bring us unfailing success...

Challenge to act now (your part)…immanence

But remember, we have a choice to make…will we wlak with the Spirit of God...

Final Statement

Visualize Audience Implementation

Not will we run ahead.....not will he have to drag us along...

How about if we were to start i

Final Statement

We need to be walking in stride with the Spirit.

Closing Hymn

334- Jesus, I Come