Sermon Tone Analysis

WE WORSHIP AN AWESOME GOD!

WE WORSHIP AN AWESOME GOD!

WE WORSHIP AN AWESOME GOD!

We serve an awesome and all powerful God!

He is beyond compare and continues to amaze me with what He has done and what He is doing in my life and the lives of others.

There are so many reasons to say that God is awesome and one of the reason that each one of us who claim Christ should be able to say is what God has done with our lives.

GOD HAS MADE ME NEW AND RENEWED MY LIFE: Just being able to speak to you today and minister here is incredible to me when I consider where I can from and what God has brought me through.

We serve an awesome and all powerful God!

When I was

What God has done with me is much more than I ever could have done and beyond what I could have imagined.

THAT IS NOT ANY CREDIT TO ME BUT CREDIT TO THE FACT THAT GOD CAN TAKE EVEN THE LEAST LIKELY PERSON AND MAKE SOMETHING USEFUL OUT OF THEM.

I am so glad that God was merciful and patient enough to continue to make me into something more.

I am glad that He is not done with me yet!

WHAT ABOUT YOU? Are you where you want you want be?

IS THERE ANYTHING YOU WOULD CHANGE?

Are you comfortable with who and where you are?

Or do you hope things will change?

TODAY WE ARE STARTING A SERIES CALLED RENEW

For some of you there is a great need to know that where you are right now is not where you have to stay because:

GOD IS A GOD OF NEW LIFE AND RENEWAL, HOPE AND RESTORATION.

Through the gospel, the death, burial and resurrection, God made a way for us to be saved from sin and new life with Christ.

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The greatest proof of this is what many are focused on today: the resurrection of Christ.

The greatest proof of this is what many are focused on today: the resurrection of Christ.

THINK ABOUT THE MIND BLOWING TRUTH OF THE RESURRECTION OF CHRIST: God took the darkest most seemingly hopeless things we experience sin and separation from God and death and through Christ and the resurrection turned them in forgiveness, hope of being resurrected as Christ and salvation.

BECAUSE CHRIST FACED THE DARKNESS OF THE TOMB, was willing to die on the cross and because He was resurrected we can face the darkest things that this life.

We face the shame, regret and the enslavement of sin that because Christ was resurrected can be forgiven and know we will be resurrected as well.

We can face the darkness of disease and sickness because we have faith that through Christ we will be resurrected to an imperishable body.

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We all know and love people who are suffering from illnesses like Parkinson’s disease (as my mother is) and cancer and Alzheimers.

Or we are suffering ourselves but can know that one day we will be raised to meet Christ and will never have to face these things again.

We can face the death of a loved one in Christ and the idea of our own deaths if we have come to Christ because we know that we will be resurrected to life.

(As tells us.)

because we have hope that we will be resurrected to

Through Christ’s resurrection He not only brought brought restoration but salvation and renewal for us.

Through the resurrection we can have a new beginning in this life when we are born again when we have our sins forgiven, but also we have hope that death for us will not be

BECAUSE OF GOD’S GREAT MERCY WE HAVE HOPE THAT CANNOT BE TAKEN AWAY!

God not only wants to save you and give you hope of salvation and being resurrected to be with Christ forever but He wants to continue to take us from where we ARE AND MAKE US NEW TO BE MORE AND MORE LIKE CHRIST.

GOD IS POWERFUL TO BRING NEW LIFE

If God can through His Holy Spirit resurrect Christ from the dead then He can BRING YOU BACK TO LIFE SPIRITUALLY.

Because the same power that God through the Holy Spirit used to resurrect our Lord is at work in you and me through the Holy Spirit who lives in us ().

God has promised to continue to make us new throughout our lives, if we are willing.

Phil 1:20

PHil

PHil 1:1

Trans: even though God has the ability to make our lives new or renew us does not mean we are willing to have him do that.

Or that we realize that we need Him to do that!

Some of

ARE YOU IN NEED OF RENEWAL?

WE CAN BE IN NEED OF RENEWAL AND NOT KNOW IT OR NOT BE WILLING TO ADMIT IT.

We may not see our need for a number of reasons; (1) We may be comfortable or too busy with where we are in life and not take the time to examine our relationship with God.

(2) We may know deep down that something is not right but we do not want to admit it because we know change would be hard.

(3) We might be trying to make ourselves feel fulfilled running after other things rather than God.

(4) We might be too comfortable as a follower of Christ and/or have lost our zeal for Christ.

(5) It is possible that we have gotten involved in sin and it has pulled you away.

JUST LIKE ISRAEL WE MAY FALL INTO NEEDING RENEWAL

Through our Bible reading this year we have seen the nation of Israel (especially in Judges) drift away from God spiritual and then be renewed back to Him.

This happened to Israel many times but it also happened to individuals.

Israel often trusted in other things rather than God only to realize that there was nothing that can compare to God.

They had to learn the hard way that nothing can replace or fulfill like serving the one who created them with all their hearts.

The nation of Israel is a parallel to our lives at times.

God placed their story in scripture to show that He should be our God and no other and that He loves us.

ThROUGH CHRIST WE CAN BE SAVED AND RENEWED TO GOD

While many here today may need to hear about what it mean to be renewed to a passionate relationship Christ, other need to hear how God saves us through Christ and gives us a different kind of renewal.

Through Christ we can be forgiven of our sins and be made new through the Holy Spirit that happens through “the washing of regeneration” or baptism when our sins are washed away () and we are given the gift of the Holy Spirit.

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HOW DO YOU KNOW IF YOU ARE IN NEED OF RENEWAL?

THROUGHOUT HISTORY GOD’S PEOPLE BOTH COLLECTIVELY AND INDIVIDUALLY HAVE MANY TIMES BEEN IN NEED OF SPIRITUAL RENEWAL.

Israel is shown in scripture over and over again to have been in desperate need of renewal.

The book of Judges that we recently read is one of the best examples of that.

It wasn’t just that the nation needed renewal but the individuals within the kingdom needed renewal.

At any given time there are people within a group of God’s people or even an individual congregation that need renewal.

But in any case, it does not matter how much the renewal is needed, unless the group or individual sees their need for renewal there will be no change.

So how do we know if we are in need of renewal or how do you know if you are in need of renewal?

(ill: someone needing to change and not knowing it…)

It is easy to look at others or someone else and say what they need.

It is much harder but much more productive to look within ourselves and ask the hard questions that might indicate we have something to change.

Are you willing to do that?

It

HOW DO YOU KNOW IF YOU NEED SPIRITUAL RENEWAL IN YOUR LIFE?

IF YOUR FAITH IS BORING:

If you are bored with your faith and spiritual walk and you do not expect it to get any better.

(If we are ever bored it is not God’s who is boring it is you.

God is always doing awesome things in and through the lives of His people.

It is not that He isn’t working, it is likely that it is you are not doing anything.)

If we lose our zeal we need to ask why and realize that God intends that we are zealous with our faith and work for Him.

YOU HAVE LITTLE INTEREST IN GOD’S WORD:

If the idea of reading God’s word and knowing Him more through it is not appealing and you constantly let other things get in the way.

(The yearly reading might be an indicator)

But if God is your greatest love then studying His word should be a love for us as well.

This is true because it is His message to us but also a large part of our connection to Him.

IF YOU HAVE LOST YOUR SPIRITUAL ZEAL:

When you lose your zeal for Christ, His church and His teaching and living out what He says then something is wrong.

When you lose your zeal for Christ, His church and His teaching and living out what He says then something is wrong.

If we lose our zeal we need to ask why and realize that God intends that we are zealous with our faith and work for Him.

IF YOUR PRAYERS ARE INFREQUENT AND COLD

Do you have any excitement and interest in connecting with your Heavenly Father through prayer?

Christ

IF YOU HAVE LITTLE DESIRE TO TO TELL OTHERS ABOUT CHRIST

Do you feel a desire and any obligation to tell other about Christ, salvation and what an awesome thing it is to follow Him?

It should be hard to not want to tell others about Christ everything that He has done for your life.

IF THE IDEA OF SERVING OTHERS IS NOT VERY APPEALING

If we are not concerned with serving others then it may be that we have become so focused on ourselves that we have forgotten that the greatest command is loving God and then loving our others as ourselves.