Re:Fresh

Everything needs a refresh eventually, right? We put a fresh coat of paint on the walls when they get worn, we refresh a webpage when it is loading too slow, we put in a mint or a stick of gum to refresh our breath… But when we the last time you had some refresh in your spirit?

is a desperate plea from King David. He finds himself being confronted by Nathan after his relationship with Bathsheba. He has been running from his infidelity for long enough, and God exposes his sin not just to David, but to Nathan, who is going to hold David accountable. This is David’s prayer when he is found out.

Today, I want to look at this Scripture and pull out some thoughts about refreshing our spirits. After all, we all have a need for refreshing at some point in our lives. David was called a man after God’s own heart. Not because he was perfect, but because of his willingness to be transformed by God, and this passage shows a big part of that transformation.

1- Spiritual Refreshment begins with self-reflection. Many times we see the Bible as a pair of glasses that we see the world through. We pick it up and examine the patterns and behaviors of the world through it. This is good practice and has good motivation behind it, but it is not the only use of the Bible. At some point in our lives the Bible is not just a pair of glasses, it has to become a mirror. An instrument that we look at ourselves through.

When David is confronted by Nathan about his sin listen to his reaction in v3-4. He does not retreat to “That self-righteous Nathan, he has no right to judge me!” or “Nathan must have forgotten about all of his sin” or “I am just going to rid myself of that Nathan, he is a holier than thou nutcase.” No, his response is to take a good hard look at his own self and take an inventory of his heart. The problem is many times when we are confronted with our own sin we begin to take an inventory of everyone else, instead of ourselves.

What? Suggest that we have sin? That is a bold idea. When was the last time you took an honest look at your life? And I am not talking about a quick look, but a deep inventory. Have you seen the Febreeze nose blind commercial? Its a comical look at 2 young men sitting in a room that smells like a typical teenage boys room. The problem is that they have been in the room for so long they have gone “Nose Blind”. In other words, they cannot recognize the stink that surrounds them. Sometimes we are the same way with sin.

David’s comments in remind us that refreshment in our spirit always begins in the inside of us.

Paul said the same thing in “Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you—unless, of course, you fail the test”

So self-examination is necessary. Furthermore we must make sure that we are looking for the true answers and not just saying the things we want to hear or assuming we know the answers. Think about some of these questions:

"How long did the Hundred Years War last?’ seems obvious, but the answer is 116 years.

"Which country manufactures Panama hats?" the correct answer is Equador.

From what animal do we get cat gut? From sheep and horses of course.

In which month do Russians celebrate the October Revolution? November.

What was King George IV’s first name? Well, everyone knows it was Albert.

Do not just assume that because you are a Christian that you are always right in heart and spirit.

2- True Spiritual Refreshment only comes from God- Don’t give into gimmicks. Many times when we identify our need for refreshment we run to the wrong things to try and provide it-

“I need to find a new church” “Maybe Ill listen to more Christian Music” “A new book will help, what does Blessings have in stock?”

Where does David turn? TO GOD- v10-12. Friends changing our habits and routines can often be a good thing, but they cannot replace God. The fact of the matter is that many of the things we often use to try and create spiritual refreshment should actually be byproducts of it.

There are a million things out there that claim to transform you. Our society is obsessed with the quick and easy transformation, aren’t we? Science and technology has driven us so far that we have become spoiled and lazy when it comes to many things. Take this pill and you will lose 50 lbs in a month, apply this creme and get rid of all your wrinkles, all you need to do is apply this gel and kiss unwanted hair goodbye.

What’s the problem? None of them offer real transformation, they offer a quick fix to your problem. Stop taking the pills and the weight comes right back, get off the lotion and the skins sags as much as before.

Real transformation is more than that, it is allowing God to create something in you. Feeling spiritually dead? Go ahead and move churches, but if you never change within yourself you will be just as dead at the church down the street. Feeling empty? Turn on that Christian music, but if you never allow the Spirit of God inside you will only be putting wrapping paper on a package of rotten meat.

Bottom line- stop seeking the refreshment of God in man made things.

Many of us know the messages of - the ministry of reconciliation that teaches us that God makes us into brand new creations when we accept Christ. Well, listen to v17-18 “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! 18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation”

The New International Version (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2011), .

3- Look past the obvious- David certainly did. It would have been easy to just ask for forgiveness for his impure relationship with Bathsheba, but he did not stop there. He asked God to expose all of himself. Almost every time he uses the words sins and transgressions in this psalm it is plural. After all, his sin with Bathsheba snowballed into lying, having a man killed, and all kinds of deception. Sin has a way of snowballing and growing. It is hardly ever just one sin. Your anger with a person may impact how you treat everyone else around you, cause you to gossip, and cause you to lie.

Jessica loves to watch HGTV. She really likes the Property Brothers show and the one with Chip and Joanna. There seems to be a theme with every one of those shows though. The renovation never goes as planned. All they want is an open floor concept and a new fireplace and halfway in they find asbestos and rotten floor joists- the next thing you know the budget is blown and the entire house is ripped apart.

Remember- high level renewal takes high level work. You want God to make substantial changes in your heart and bring a new refreshment to your spirit? Then you are going to have to allow him to address things you may not anticipate. But what is the point in laying down new carpet if the floor joists are rotten?

The other thing about those project is they take a looooong time. I was thinking about the Kline family when I was writing this sermon. You all remodeled your kitchen not so long ago, and you guys kept running into snags- and it took a looooong time to do that renovation- months if I remember right. But now you have a beautiful kitchen. You didn't throw in the towel as soon as the first unexpected issue came up.

Many times we want refreshment in Christ to be instant- but I said the prayer! Why isn't it working?!?! But the most precious projects take the most time. I bet that David probably did not get up after praying this prayer and say “Great, all better” and walk away, it probably took a lot more than that to achieve what he was looking for.

If God has begun to refresh you then he will finish it. Remember the promise of “being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus”

The New International Version (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2011), .

4- A sense of joy and purpose is rooted in salvation- Think about this for a moment. Because of sin you were headed for an eternity in hell- destined for destruction. But God in all of his grace and mercy reached down and saved you by his love and gave you a new life, a new beginning and a new status. You know have been given a guarantee of ever lasting life in heaven- if that does not bring joy and purpose to your life, friend then nothing will.