Times of Refreshing
Acts 3:11-26
Intro: What is the most refreshing thing you can think of? For some of you, perhaps Coke is it! For others, when you’ve been working hard and perspiring profusely, a nice tall glass of iced tea is just the ticket. Still for others, there is nothing like cool refreshing water to invigorate you. In fact, water is refreshing in more ways than one. You can drink it and be refreshed, but you can also bathe in it or swim in it and be refreshed.
-There are other things in life that are refreshing. Laughter is refreshing. There is nothing like a good belly laugh to keep you going. Have you laughed out loud today? Try it. You might like it! Singing can refresh you. Fishing – now there is a way to get refreshed. Jesus did it, so it must be pretty important, right? Sometimes, just good hard labor is actually refreshing – especially if you sit behind a desk or at a computer much of the time.
-Well, of all the refreshing experiences we can find, nothing can compare to the renewal of the mind and spirit that is found in the presence of God. That is what I’d like to talk about today. The message is quite simple, which is this:
Prop: We can be continually refreshed, if we will live in right relationship with God.
Interrogative: How does a right relationship with God affect our lives?
TS: We’re going to look at a few thoughts from our passage that will show us how a right relationship with God through Jesus Christ can bring refreshing to our souls.
I. Turning Away from Sin Brings Times of Refreshing
-V.19 says first of all, “Repent….” To repent means more than to feel sorry for the bad things we’ve said or done. The idea of repentance includes remorse, but also involves turning away from that which is offensive to God. It involves more than just an emotional response, but also moves the will into action. True repentance results in change.
-When Peter preached to the crowd on the Day of Pentecost, here was their response in Acts 2:37 “When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, ‘Brothers, what shall we do?’” This shows that repentance calls for action: What shall we do about the way we have treated God? Peter gave them the answer: “Repent, let God change your life, and receive His forgiveness.”
-When John the Baptist came preaching repentance, even the religious leaders were drawn to him and wanted to hear what he had to say. Well, John didn’t cut them any slack, but told them to bear fruit that was worthy of repentance. In other words, be willing to change the way you live, and God will forgive you and help you.
-Maybe there is something that God has told you to do, but like children sometimes do, you haven’t listened very well. Yes, you heard Him, but because it is something that makes you uncomfortable or requires you to trust God instead of yourself, you have not obeyed God. You keep saying that you will do what He says, but you keep letting yourself off the hook. Listen, that is not the way we should respond to our loving Father. Maybe we forget too quickly that He is Lord of the universe. Yet, sometimes we dismiss His word to us so easily. Let’s repent of our disobedience and be quick to say, “Yes, Lord, I will do whatever You ask me to do.”
-If we will become quick to listen and quick to obey the Lord, we will find times of refreshing in our lives. All disobedience is sin! Let’s repent and turn away from the sin we have allowed into our lives, and the times of refreshing will begin to flow into our lives like cool refreshing water.
-TS: In addition to turning away from sin, we must also turn toward our heavenly Father. We cannot turn towards sin and towards God at the same time. So, turn away from sin, but also, turn to God. That is our 2nd main point.
II. Turning to God Brings Times of Refreshing
-V.19 says, “Turn to God.” When there is sin in our lives, we do not want to face the Lord. We don’t want to look Him in the eye, because we know that all is not right.
-Just like Adam and Eve in the Garden, we sometimes try to hide from God, because we don’t want to face the consequences of our actions. However, God always knows what’s up! The longer we refuse to turn to Him, the longer we will wallow in the sense of guilt and failure.
-The Psalms are filled with the language of intimacy, in which the Psalmist asks to Lord to look on him favorably, or to make His face shine upon him. Now, be clear about one thing: God loves us beyond what we can comprehend. Even when we fail and sin against Him, He still loves us. However, His love is so strong towards us that He will not smile upon us when we sin against Him. The Bible tells us that the Lord disciplines those whom He loves. So, if we refuse to turn to God, we can expect some loving discipline to come our way. I like the saying: “God loves me just the way I am, but too much to let me stay that way.” God’s work in our lives is always for the better. At times we may not feel like doing better or turning to God, but He has a way of drawing us back to Himself.
-When we turn our hearts toward God, we will experience times of refreshing in His presence. There is nothing as refreshing as making things right with our Creator. Why is that? Because we were created to have unbroken fellowship with our Creator. We were created to have a good relationship with Him, talking and listening to Him. When it is well with my soul, I find myself refreshed because I am doing what I was created to do – that is to live in harmony with God.
-TS: Now, along the same lines, Peter tells this crowd that if they will repent and turn to God, then He will send His Messiah to them. And this is really the heart of what Peter is saying. How does a person turn to God? People turn to God by turning to Jesus, and having a close relationship with Him.
III. Staying Close to Jesus Brings Times of Refreshing (It is all about relationship!)
-V.20 says that if they will repent and turn to God, He will “send the Christ, who has been appointed for you-- even Jesus.”
-Jesus had already come and lived, died, and rose again. However, Peter tells them that in addition to the times of refreshing Jesus brings in the here and now, Jesus is going to come back again to restore things the way they are supposed to be.
A. We Must Listen to Jesus
-In v.22, Peter shows that first they must listen to Jesus. 22”For Moses said, ’The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own people; you must listen to everything he tells you. 23 Anyone who does not listen to him will be completely cut off from among his people.’” The idea, of course, is not just to hear what Jesus says, but to do it. If we will listen to Jesus, we will stay close to Him and find times of refreshing in His presence.
-Jesus compared Himself to a Shepherd and said, “My sheep know My voice.” Can you recognize when Jesus is speaking to you? He speaks through His word, through the HS, through circumstances, through a still small voice that we can only hear with our hearts. Jesus is speaking, but it is up to us to listen and obey.
B. All the World Will Be Blessed By Jesus
-God said to Abraham, ’Through your offspring all peoples on earth will be blessed.’ Since Peter is preaching to Jews here, he goes on to say in v.26, “When God raised up his servant (Jesus), he sent him first to you to bless you by turning each of you from your wicked ways." The Jews were the first to receive the blessing that was promised through Abraham. Jesus was a descendent of Abraham, and He came to save the people from their sins.
-As we move on through the book of Acts, we find that the gospel of Jesus is moving outward from Jerusalem. It is for all the people of the world, not the Jews only.
-The key to this blessing is how we receive it. Obviously, not every person in the world will be blessed by Jesus. Why not? Because not everybody will repent and turn to God. Not everyone will listen to Jesus. In fact, many people will choose their own destruction, rather than God’s blessing. If we choose to ignore God’s answer for mankind, we are passing up the only way to get right with Him, and to find the refreshing we need in our lives.
-Why do we sometimes hold on so tightly to things God is asking us to let go of? God really does want to bless us with His very best, but we can get so attached to the things of this life that we aren’t willing to release them to Him.
-One little girl saved up her money for weeks and weeks. She wanted to buy a pretty little plastic pearl necklace she had seen down at the store. At last, she had enough money to buy the necklace. She was so excited! Her Daddy took her down to the store so she could purchase the necklace of her dreams. She brought it home and paraded around in it proudly. That night, when her Daddy came in to kiss her goodnight, he asked her, “Selena, can I have your necklace?” Little Selena looked at her Daddy with a frown and said, “No, Daddy. It’s my necklace.” Her Daddy just smiled and kissed her and said, “I love you, Sweetie. Good night.” The next night the same thing happened. Her Daddy asked her if he could have her necklace, and her response was the same: “No, Daddy. I saved and saved and bought this with my own money.” Daddy just kissed her and said, “I love you, Selena. Good night.” On the third night, when her Daddy came in, Selena was sobbing, with big alligator tears streaming down her face. She handed her necklace to him and said, “Daddy, you can have it. I don’t need it anymore.” Her Daddy smiled and knelt down beside her and pulled her close for a great big Daddy hug. Then, he took her necklace and slipped it into his pocket. As he did, his hand came out with a thin black box with a velvety cover. He opened it and held it out to her. Her eyes got as big as saucers as she saw a string of real pearls shining back at her. “Oh Daddy,” she said. “Thank you, thank you! If I had known, I would have given you my necklace the first time you asked.”
Conclusion: Are you willing to let go of what seems so important to you? If you will, I can assure you that God has something 1000 times more wonderful than what you would be giving up. Let go of your plastic pearls, and trust Him to give you something far more valuable. Maybe you are holding onto some things in your life that are wrong. The only way God can give you what He has for you is for you to be willing to let go of the old life. As Peter said, “Turn away from sin. Turn to God, and you will begin to experience times of refreshing in your life.” Jesus will forgive you, and one day He will come back to this earth to give everyone the reward they have prepared themselves for. What have you been preparing for? Life with Jesus for eternity, or just enjoying the here and now? The Lord gives times of refreshing in the here and now, but He has so much more in store for us when He returns for us. How about it? Do you want plastic beads or beautiful pearls?
-If you don’t have a personal relationship with Jesus today, He has been waiting to catch your attention. He has been involved in your life from before you were born. Now, He has brought you here today, and He is asking you to make a choice. Are you willing to let go of the old life and turn to God? If we confess our sins, God will forgive us. If we are willing to give up our way of doing things, God will show us His way of doing things, and He does all things well. He will give you a new heart, a new hope, a new life. If you really mean it today and are ready to make a commitment to God; if you will ask Him to forgive you and become the leader of your life, I want you to raise your hand. This is the most important decision you will ever make in your life, so if you’re ready, do it with all your heart! [Sing, “Lord I Give You My Heart]
