THE THREE Rs OF RENEWAL
( PSALM 51.)
Have mercy upon me, O God,According to Your lovingkindness;According to the multitude of Your tender mercies,Blot out my transgressions. 2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,And cleanse me from my sin.
3 For I acknowledge my transgressions,And my sin is always before me. 4 Against You, You only, have I sinned,And done this evil in Your sight--That You may be found just when You speak,And blameless when You judge.
5 Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity,And in sin my mother conceived me. 6 Behold, You desire truth in the inward parts,And in the hidden part You will make me to know wisdom.
7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. 8 Make me to hear joy and gladness,That the bones You have broken may rejoice. 9 Hide Your face from my sins,And blot out all my iniquities.
10 Create in me a clean heart, O God,And renew a steadfast spirit within me. 11 Do not cast me away from Your presence,And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.
12 Restore to me the joy of Your salvation,And uphold me by Your generous Spirit. 13 Then I will teach transgressors Your ways,And sinners shall be converted to You.
14 Deliver me from bloodshed, O God,The God of my salvation,And my tongue shall sing aloud of Your righteousness. 15 O Lord, open my lips,And my mouth shall show forth Your praise. 16 For You do not desire sacrifice, or else I would give it;You do not delight in burnt offering. 17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit,A broken and a contrite heart--These, O God, You will not despise.
18 Do good in Your good pleasure to Zion;Build the walls of Jerusalem. 19 Then You shall be pleased with the sacrifices of righteousness,With burnt offering and whole burnt offering;Then they shall offer bulls on Your altar.
NKJV
FATAL DALLIANCE ( TRIFLING, FRIVOLOUS ACTION )
ONE DAY A GRASSHOPPER DECIDED TO PLAY WITH A HARMLESS LOOKING SPIDER. SO, HE CRAWLED SLOWLY IN THE HOT SUN AND CAME WITH IN A FEW INCHES OF MR. SPIDER. THEN, HE GRADUALLY CAME WITH IN A VERY SHORT DISTANCE OF THE SPIDER. AND THEN, SLOWLY BUT WITH APPARENT DELIBERATION, THE GRASSHOPPER REACHED OUT WITH ONE OF HIS FEELERS TOWARD MR. SPIDER AS IF TO SHAKE HANDS.
QUICK AS A FLASH, OUT WENT ONE OF THE SPIDER’S LEGS, AND WHEN HE HAD WITHDRAWN IT A WEB HAD BEEN ATTACHED TO THE ANTENNAE OF THE GRASSHOPPER.
INSTEAD OF FLYING AWAY, AS HE MIGHT EASILY HAVE DONE, THE GRASSHOPPER REACHED OUT ANOTHER MEMBER, WITH THE SAME RESULT. TIME AFTER TIME THE PROCESS WAS REPEATED, UNTIL THE HOPPER SEEMED TO BECOME AWARE THAT HE WAS GETTING INTO TROUBLE.
BY THIS TIME HE WAS RESTLESS, AND HIS MOVEMENTS WERE MORE FREQUENT, BUT EACH TIME HE RAISED AN APPENDAGE A NEW WEB WAS ATTACHED. FINALLY IN DESPERATION, MR. HOPPER BEGAN A REAL STRUGGLE TO FREE HIMSELF. BUT, IT WAS TOO LATE.
AT THE VERY MOMENT WHEN HE COMMENCED IN EARNEST TO ATTEMPT HIS ESCAPE, MR. SPIDER JUMPED UPON HIM AND ROLLED HIM OVER AND OVER IN AN EVER-INCREASING COAT OF WEB UNTIL, WITHIN JUST A FEW MOMENTS, THE GRASSHOPPER WAS BOUND AND HELPLESS, AND MR. SPIDER BEGAN HIS MEAL.
THIS IS JUST HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE ENTANGLED WITH SIN - DRAWN AWAY OF THEIR OWN LUST, AND ENTICED WHICH LEADS TO DEATH!!!
THE STORY OF DAVID’S SIN - CONFRONTATION BY THE PROPHET OF GOD - HIS REPENTANCE - HIS RESTORATION - HIS REVIVAL !!! THIS BROUGHT HIM TO THE PLACE OF SPIRITUAL RENEWAL = A RENOVATION, A RESURRECTION OF THAT WHICH HAD DIED IN HIS HEART & LIFE, A REFURBISHING OF HIS SPIRIT, A NEW START, A REFRESHING IN HIS SOUL...
2 Sam 11:1-5
11:1 In the spring, at the time when kings go off to war, David sent Joab out with the king’s men and the whole Israelite army. They destroyed the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah. But David remained in Jerusalem.
2 One evening David got up from his bed and walked around on the roof of the palace. From the roof he saw a woman bathing. The woman was very beautiful, 3 and David sent someone to find out about her. The man said, "Isn’t this Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam and the wife of Uriah the Hittite?" 4 Then David sent messengers to get her. She came to him, and he slept with her. (She had purified herself from her uncleanness.) Then she went back home. 5 The woman conceived and sent word to David, saying, "I am pregnant."
14 In the morning David wrote a letter to Joab and sent it with Uriah. 15 In it he wrote, "Put Uriah in the front line where the fighting is fiercest. Then withdraw from him so he will be struck down and die."
16 So while Joab had the city under siege, he put Uriah at a place where he knew the strongest defenders were. 17 When the men of the city came out and fought against Joab, some of the men in David’s army fell; moreover, Uriah the Hittite died.
NIV
2 Sam 12:9
9 Why did you despise the word of the LORD by doing what is evil in his eyes? You struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword and took his wife to be your own. You killed him with the sword of the Ammonites.
2 Sam 12:13
13 Then David said to Nathan, "I have sinned against the LORD."
Nathan replied, "The LORD has taken away your sin. You are not going to die. NIV
1. DAVID WAS LED TO REPENTANCE OF SIN BEFORE GOD
* HE ASKED FOR MERCY
- HE DID NOT DESERVE MERCY
- LUST - REBELLION
- ADULTERY - MURDER
- ONLY HOPE WAS IN THE MERCY OF GOD
There was a very capable evangelist whom God used in a significant way. But he lost his interest in spiritual things and drifted into a life of sin, for a number of months. Some of his sin was done in secret but ultimately, it became public knowledge and even made the headlines. At first, all he could think of was that he had been ruined for life, but, finally, he realized what a fool he had been, and he came back to God like the prodigal from the pigpen.
He found exactly the same thing the prodigal did. The Lord welcomed him with open arms and began to strengthen him and bless him. Finally, after a period of waiting, he felt pressed back into a public ministry for the Lord. He was afraid that his sin would be found out and brought up all over again, but after he felt sure it was hidden and tucked away in the past, he went back to preaching, rejoicing in the forgiveness of God.
One night he was given a sealed letter. Just before the service began, he read the unsigned letter. It described a shameful series of events he had been engaged in. His stomach churned as he read it. The letter said, "If you have the gall to preach tonight, I’ll stand and expose you."
He took that letter and went to his knees. A few minutes later, he was in the pulpit. He began his message by reading the letter, from start to finish. Then he said, "I want to make it clear that this letter is perfectly true. I’m ashamed of what I’ve read, and what I’ve done. I come tonight, not as one who is perfect, but as one who is forgiven." God used that letter and the rest of his ministry as a magnet to draw people to Jesus Christ.
Prov 28:13
13 A man who refuses to admit his mistakes can never be successful. But if he confesses and forsakes them, he gets another chance. TLB
1 John 1:7-10
7 but if we walk in the light as He Himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin. 8 If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us. NAS
WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN YOU HAVE SINNED AGAINST GOD?
GO TO HIM IN MERCY - HOPE IN HIS MERCY TO FORGIVE, RESTORE & REVIVE YOU! YOU COME TO HIM IN REPENTANCE
* DAVID HONESTLY FACED HIS SIN
- YOU CAN NOT RECEIVE HELP IF YOU
WILL NOT ADMIT THAT YOU NEED HELP!!!
- HIS SIN WAS DEEP
- STAINED HIS SOUL
- NEEDED THOROUGH AND COMPLETE
CLEANSING
- SPIRITUAL RENEWAL WILL NEVER COME
UNTIL WE DEAL WITH SIN IN OUR LIVES ...
- YOU CAN NOT HIDE YOUR SINS -
HONESTLY CONFESS/REPENT
- YOU CAN NOT IGNORE SIN ( EVER BEFORE
YOU )
- SIN WILL HAUNT YOU, MAKE YOU
MISERABLE, NO RELIEF
- SIN MUST BE FACED, FORSAKEN, AND
FORGIVEN BEFORE REAL RENEWAL WILL COME ...
- DAVID’S SIN HAD BROUGHT PAIN TO
GOD’S HEART
- IF YOU COMPARE YOURSELF WITH OTHER
SAINTS OR THE WORLD YOU WILL ALWAYS
FIND EXCUSES FOR YOUR SINS BUT MAY
YOUR EYES BE OPENED TO WHAT YOU
ARE DOING AGAINST THE LORD GOD!!!
- SIN IN OUR LIVES NEEDS TO BE
REPULSIVE TO US!!!
- DAVID’S SIN HAD BROUGHT GOD’S
PUNISHMENT UPON HIM AND IT WILL
DO THE SAME FOR YOU AND ME.
- HE WAS CHASTISED BY GOD FOR HIS SIN.
- WHEN WE SIN WE SIN AGAINST GOD !!!
Repentance means that I own responsibility for my part in what was unsatisfactory behavior. I accept responsibility for my part in what is and what will be new behavior.
Repentance is owning responsibility for what was, accepting responsibility for what is, and acting responsibly now.
It is responsible action. It is not a matter of punishing ourselves for past mistakes, hating ourselves for past failures, and depressing ourselves with feelings of worthlessness.
Repentance is finishing the unfinished business of my past and choosing to live in new ways that will not repeat old unsatisfactory situations. In the full Christian meaning of the Word, repentance is a process. It is a thawing out of rigid lifestyles into a flowing, moving, growing, repenting process.
Acts 3:19
19 Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord... NIV
REPENTANCE OF SIN IS THE FIRST STEP TO HAVING
A RIGHT RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD!!!
IT WILL LEAD YOU TO RESTORATION!
2. DAVID WAS LED TO RESTORATION
*DAVID ASKED FOR GOD’S FORGIVENESS
7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. 8 Make me to hear joy and gladness,That the bones You have broken may rejoice. 9 Hide Your face from my sins,And blot out all my iniquities.
- DAVID’S SIN HAD CAUSED HIM TO HURT INWARDLY
AS IF THE BONES OF HIS BODY HAD BEEN BROKEN.
- YOUR SIN WILL BRING YOU MUCH PAIN
- FACING AND FORSAKING SIN AND BEING FORGIVEN
MEANS THAT THE BROKEN BONES ( FELLOWSHIP
WITH GOD ) WILL BE MENDED AND THE PAIN
REMOVED ...
10 Create in me a clean heart, O God,And renew a steadfast spirit within me. 11 Do not cast me away from Your presence,And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.
12 Restore to me the joy of Your salvation,And uphold me by Your generous Spirit. 13 Then I will teach transgressors Your ways,And sinners shall be converted to You.
Stanley Jones writes about a crucial moment in his life when he found himself on his way to what could have been a spiritual disaster:
For months after my conversion, I was running under cloudless skies. And then suddenly I tripped, almost fell, pulled back this side of the sin, but was shaken and humiliated that I could come that close to sin. I thought I was emancipated and found I wasn’t. I went to the class meeting -- I’m grateful that I didn’t stay away -- went, but my music had gone. I had hung my harp on a weeping willow tree. As the others spoke of their joys and victories of the week, I sat there with the tears rolling down my cheeks. I was heartbroken. After the others had spoken, John Zink, the class leader, said: "Now, Stanley, tell us what is the matter." I told them I couldn’t, but would they please pray for me? Like one man they fell to their knees, and they lifted me back to the bosom of God by faith and love. When we got up from our knees, I was reconciled to my heavenly Father, to the group, and to myself. I was reconciled. The universe opened its arms and took me in again. The estrangement was gone. I took my harp from the willow tree and began to sing again -- the Song of Moses and the Lamb, especially the Lamb. The cross was my refuge and my release.
- RECEIVING CLEANSING FROM SINS REMOVES THE
CONSEQUENCES OF SIN. NOW YOU NO LONGER
HAVE TO FEEL THAT YOUR SINS ARE
CONSTANTLY BEFORE GOD’S FACE BECAUSE THEY ARE GONE!
Ps 103:8-12
8 The LORD is merciful and gracious,
Slow to anger, and abounding in mercy.
9 He will not always strive with us,
Nor will He keep His anger forever.
10 He has not dealt with us according to our sins,
Nor punished us according to our iniquities.
11 For as the heavens are high above the earth,
So great is His mercy toward those who fear Him;
12 As far as the east is from the west,
So far has He removed our transgressions from us.
NKJV
RESTORATION IS TO HAVE YOUR SONG BACK ONCE AGAIN! OH GOD, RESTORE US ONCE AGAIN! RESTORATION IS HAVING A PURE HEART AND A RIGHT SPIRIT!
RESTORATION IS HAVING THE JOY OF THE SALVATION OF THE LORD BACK IN YOUR LIFE! RESTORATION IS HAVING THE PRESENCE OF THE LORD BECOME STRONG & REAL ONCE AGAIN! THE HOLY SPIRIT IS MOVING IN YOUR LIFE!
3. DAVID WAS LED INTO REVIVAL
( REVIVAL IS HAVING A CHANGED LIFE )
( IT IS A RESURRECTION )
( IT IS A CHANGE OF COURSE )
( IT IS GETTING RIGHT WITH GOD AND MAN, TOO )
( IT IS MAKING THINGS RIGHT )
( IT IS LIVING RIGHT & TALKING RIGHT )
* A FERVENT DESIRE TO WITNESS FOR THE LORD
13 Then I will teach transgressors Your ways,And sinners shall be converted to You.
14 Deliver me from bloodshed, O God,The God of my salvation,And my tongue shall sing aloud of Your righteousness. 15 O Lord, open my lips,And my mouth shall show forth Your praise.
* A FERVENT DESIRE TO WORSHIP THE LORD
16 For You do not desire sacrifice, or else I would give it;You do not delight in burnt offering. 17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit,A broken and a contrite heart--These, O God, You will not despise.
* A FERVENT DESIRE TO PLEASE THE LORD
2 Cor 5:10
10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad. NIV
Rom 14:10-12
For we will all stand before God’s judgment seat. 11 It is written:
"’As surely as I live,’ says the Lord,
’every knee will bow before me;
every tongue will confess to God.’"
12 So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God. NIV
HOW WILL SPIRITUAL RENEWAL COME TO YOUR LIFE
AND MY LIFE?
( RENOVATION, RESURRECTION,
REFURBISHING, A NEW START,
REFRESHING, MENDING, REPAIRING,
REBUILDING... )
1. REPENTANCE OF SIN
- HONESTLY FACE YOUR SIN(S)
- SIN IS REAL
- SIN HURTS
- SIN HINDERS YOUR WALK WITH
GOD
- SIN AFFECTS OTHERS
- SIN LEADS TO SPIRITUAL DEATH
- SIN CAUSES MUCH PAIN
- SIN GIVES YOU A TERRIBLE
GUILTY CONSCIENCE
- SIN CAN NOT BE IGNORED
- SIN WILL BE PUNISHED
- SIN IS AGAINST GOD
2. RESTORATION OF YOUR LIFE BY THE LOVE,
MERCY,AND THE GRACE OF THE LORD GOD
- ASK GOD TO REMOVE THE CONSEQUENCES
OF YOUR SIN (S)
- ASK GOD TO RESTORE A CLEANLINESS OF
YOUR SOUL
( CREATE IN ME A CLEAN HEART, O GOD;
AND RENEW A RIGHT SPIRIT WITHIN ME. )
- ASK GOD TO RESTORE THE CONSCIOUSNESS
ONCE AGAIN OF YOUR SALVATION = HIS
JOY !!!
3. REVIVAL WILL BE RESURRECTED IN YOUR LIFE
- BEGIN TO PRAISE GOD FOR HIS
CLEANSING AND FORGIVENESS!!!
- BEGIN TO WORSHIP WITH ALL YOUR
HEART, SOUL, MIND, AND STRENGTH !!!
- BEGIN TO WITNESS FOR THE LORD OF
WHAT HE HAS DONE IN YOUR LIFE TO
OTHERS !!!
- LET YOUR HEART BE BROKEN AND HUMBLED
WHEN YOU COME TO GOD FOR CLEANSING,
HEALING,RESTORATION, REVIVAL AND
YOUR LIFE WILL BE RENEWED IN
CHRIST!
REPENT - RESTORE - REVIVE = RENEWED
