Sermon Tone Analysis

Fresh Faith Review

Last week we started our summer reading series on Pastor Jim Cymbala’s book, “Fresh Faith - What happens when Real Faith Ignites God’s People.”

We looked at the progression that the enemy uses to try to destroy the life of a believer.

Remember, he doesn’t have the right to do nor the ability to do it outside of us giving him the space in our life to do it.

shows us that progression

First he steals: Our first love, and then with that goes our joy

When these things are missing from a believers life, death starts to enter in.

Death to the calling that God has given to us - that is our purpose

Then our significance to God and more importantly God’s significance to us

And finally those things that God has created us for - our giftings and abilities

And when those things are dead - a life with Christ is destroyed

And then we closed out last week by looking at how our faith is the supernatural (Or I should say One of) weapons that we have to stop satan from being able to steal from us.

Basically if we don’t have faith, we are already destroyed

We have no walk - because it is a walk of faith

We have no salvation - because we accept what Jesus did on the cross for us by faith

and we have no prayer life - Because prayer is totally a statement of our faith.

Let’s get into today’s message.

It’s entitled, “A Home Like That.”

How many enjoyed Amalia’s Story?

It was powerful wasn’t it?

How God can restore all that the enemy has tried to rob, kill and destroy.

And that’s really what I want to look at this morning.

God’s powerful restoration that is available to each of our lives.

In the first chapter, just before this, you would see that God had sent an army against his people because of their rebelliousness and sinfulness.

But unlike in most of the situations, it was not an army of man.

It was an army of bug - locusts to be exact.

Now I don’t want to take the time to get into this today, but apparently there are four stages of a locusts life and these bugs must have spend enough time devouring Israels crops and fields that all four stages of a locusts life were present.

Look at chapter 1 and starting with verse 2

Joel 1:2-

So as these waves or times of locusts come through, the land is completely devastated.

The land is barren.

And we see here that every one is affected from the drunkard to the farmers, priests and so on.

But we see in the first verses that we read that God is going to restore it back.

And not just enough, but it all.

Back down to verse 25 of chapter 2

So I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten,

The crawling locust,

The consuming locust,

And the chewing locust,

My great army which I sent among you.

These are the scriptures that I heard in my heart as I read Amalia’s Story.

And I take the message title from one of the things Amalia says - “Oh I wish I could live in a home as this.”

Because of all the pain that she had been through, she experiences something different and it becomes something that she dreams about.

I don’t think Amalia is that far off from any one of us.

Our situation may not be her situation, but we have all been in places of

brokenness

pain

sorrow

even destruction.

It goes along with last weeks message - the enemy is out to steal, kill and destroy

And we all as human beings have been are still are at one point on that scale - robbed, facing situations of death of something or the destruction of something.

But look what God says - I will restore it back to you.

And not just one thing, but I will restore it all

What the swarming locust ate, what the crawling locust ate, what the consuming locust ate and even the chewing locust.

Amalia says that she felt that her father had destroyed and stolen everything.

And the enemy of our lives, satan, has been having a field day on this world

Why? because of the penalty of sin.

But while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

In our sin, through his sinless sacrifice, he makes a way for us out of this

We (everyone of us) can have a home like that.

God makes a way.

So we see here in these scriptures, that there is no degree or progression of devastation that God cannot restore in.

I think that one of the traps that the enemy uses is to make us think that we have gone too far for God’s forgiveness to effect us.

Or maybe God just won’t forgive us because of where we are at.

You are not the only one to think that.

Jesus brings it out in a parable that he used specifically for teaching about the progression of sin and the forgiveness of God - The prodigal son.

What does the son say when he decides to go back to his father?

I am no worthy of sonship, but I’ll go back and become a servant.

What’s the Father’s statement about that?

Bring the fatted calf, invite the neighbors, prepare the wine and the food, tonight we celebrate for my son who was once lost has returned.

My brother or sister, those of you who are not in the family of God yet, you are never too far away.

There is nothing that you can or could have done that God can not forgive and restore in.

Look what he says in verse 12 and thirteen

Turn to Me with all your heart,

With fasting, with weeping, and with mourning.”

13 So rend your heart, and not your garments;

That turn to me in the original language is return to me.

That implies that there has been a running or a going away from God.

A backsliding.

A choice to go away from or even desert the things of the Lord.

And yet he invites us to return.

Yes, he expects a brokenness on our part

He expects a heart change - rend your hearts and not your garments

He expects a repentant heart - one with weeping and mourning, like we saw back when we were looking at the beatitudes and blessed are those who mourn.

If we continue to read on we see

Return to the LORD your God,

For He is gracious and merciful,

Slow to anger, and of great kindness;

And He relents from doing harm.

So let me ask you.

Is that the God whom you have faith in?

This whole summer will be about our faith.

I’m not sure that the book is going to go there, but I know that I’m going to be speaking on not only the amount of faith that we have, but the type of faith we have.

Who is our faith in?

For most people it can be more in themselves than in their God

And then what kind of God to put their faith in?

What do they really know about Him, because that is all that they are going to be able to have faith in him for.

Then, what about His Word? Do you know his complete word?

Or have you just grabbed at pieces and segments because you like what they say.

A stable and secure and strong faith, is going to trust in the whole Word of God.