DOES THE SITUATION DEFINE THE MOMENT?
OR DO WE DEFINE THE SITUATION?
RENEW! RESTORE!
By Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. Kyfingers@aol.com
Good things happen to bad people.
Bad things happen to good people.
What ever happens is neither good or bad it is what we do as we face the negative?
Often the worse thing that could ever happen to us, could be the best thing?
You are where you are? God knows about it! Will we trust Him?
I. DOES THE SITUATION DEFINE THE MOMENT?
GOD NEEDED ONE MAN TO DECLARE AN ANSWER TO THIS QUESTION? CAN THESE BONES LIVE AGAIN?
THEY ARE VERY DRY BONES?
A. HAVE YOU EVER SEEN A HOPELESS SITUATION?
Does the situation DEFINE THE MOMENT?
Ezekiel 37:1 The hand of the Lord was upon me, and carried me out in the spirit of the Lord, and set me down in the midst of the valley which was full of bones,
2 And caused me to pass by them round about: and, behold, there were very many in the open valley; and, lo, they were very dry.
3 And he said unto me, Son of man, can these bones live? And I answered, O Lord God, thou knowest.
4 Again he said unto me, Prophesy upon these bones, and say unto them, O ye dry bones, hear the word of the Lord.
B. WE NEED NO ONE TO DEFINE HOW HOPELESS DRY BONES ARE?
GOD NEEDED A MAN THAT WOULD OBEY HIS WORD, DECLARE HIS WORD, AND SEE WHAT GOD CAN DO.
Ezekiel 37:10 So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood up upon their feet, an exceeding great army.
C. THIS EXCEEDING GREAT ARMY BEING RESTORED AND RENEWED CAN ALL BE TRACED TO ONE MAN BELIEVING THE UNBELIEVABLE.
D. Can faith reach beyond your ability?
II. HAVE YOU EVER HEARD: I DON’T LOVE YOU ANY MORE?
OUR LOVE DIED? EVER CONSIDER WHAT KILLS LOVE?
ARE WE EXHAUSTED? FRUSTRATED? DOOMED?
A. REGENERATION:
Spiritual renewal, revival.
Cut a starfish in half? You can grow 2 starfish?
2 Cor. 4:16 For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.
B. RENEW:
Restore freshness, vigor, --- to make spiritually new.
To do again.
Restore what has become faded.
C. REFRESH:
To revive, to restore strength, renewing supply, to give a new face.
D. RESTORE:
To give back, return, to cure, heal, remedy.
E. Have you ever been exhausted and at your wit’s end.
Then you had a good night’s sleep, and wake up and things look different?
Ephes. 4:23 And be renewed in the spirit of your mind;
Romans 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
Col. 3:10 And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:
III. WE NEED TO KNOW A SECRET PLACE, A SOURCE OF WATER, OF LIFE ...
WHERE WE CAN COME AND RUN DURING A DRY TIME.
Song 4:12 A garden inclosed is my sister, my spouse; a spring shut up, a fountain sealed.
A. Hidden in this METAPHOR IS A REAL PROBLEM, DURING A BAD TIME THE ENEMY WOULD CAPTURE THE SPRINGS OF WATER.
A wise person would have a hidden spring, the entrance was hidden from view, but in bad--- hard times one could come and find water to sustain the family.
B. As believers we must develop sources of RENEWAL, not a common place, but an EXTRA EFFORT HIDDEN PLACE.
C. We come to God with our garden, we planted what ever we planted?
Our harvest will depend on what we planted and how much we planted.
D. We need God’s blessings upon our GARDENS.
We must come to that secret spring that sustains us even when we can’t understand this day? We must not react --- we must ACT BY FAITH.
IV. ADAM AND EVE LOST THE CLOSENESS OF GOD’S VISITATION. THEY TOOK GOD’S PRESENCE FOR GRANTED, AND STARTED FLIRTING AND ENTERTAINING GOD’S ENEMY.
A. Where are our eyes and heart fixed?
Psalm 38:21 Forsake me not, O Lord: O my God, be not far from me.
B. Adam and Eve had a PROMISE and they grew a passion for life. Over time this PASSION SEEMED TO DIE?
C. BEFORE THE DISCUSSION WITH GOD’S ENEMY,
BEFORE THE LOOKING AT THE FRUIT OF THE TREE,
THERE HAD TO BE A HEART ISSUE.
D. THE PROBLEM OF THE HEART WILL ALWAYS BE THE HEART OF THE PROBLEM.
E. SOMEWHERE THE MAIN THING WAS LOST...
WHEN THE MAIN THING IS NOT THE MAIN THING ANY MORE, THE PASSION FADES, TROUBLE LIES AHEAD.
V. GOD RENEWS HIS VOWS TO ABRAHAM.
A. God had already made a covenant with Abraham.
Abraham accepted the deal.
Genesis 13:14 And the Lord said unto Abram, after that Lot was separated from him, Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art northward, and
southward, and eastward, and westward:
15 For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever.
16 And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth: so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, then shall thy seed also be numbered.
17 Arise, walk through the land in the length of it and in the breadth of it; for I will
give it unto thee.
B. God reassured Abraham of the PROMISE.
God made the PROMISE CLEARER.
VI. WE COME TO GOD FOR DAILY BREAD... ON THE TABLE OF GRACE AND MERCY...
Psalm 51:10 Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.
A. God gives no stored energy sources.
We must come daily to GOD TO SUPPLY OUR NEEDS.
B. GOOD HAS A WAY OF GRADUALLY GROWING WEAKER.
HELL IS CONSTANTLY BATTLING AND BOMBARDING OUR FAMILIES AND OUR SPIRIT MAN.
There are battles WITHOUT and then there are BATTLES WITHIN.
C. We must find a PLACE OF RESTORATION!
VII. WE NEED TO DO MORE THAN WASH A DEAD MAN’S BODY,
WE SEARCH FOR A NEW TOUCH...
A. MAN NEEDS A RENEWAL FROM GOD FROM TIME TO TIME:
Isaiah 40:28 Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is
weary? there is no searching of his understanding.
29 He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.
30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall:
31 But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk,
and not faint.
Isaiah 41:1 Keep silence before me, O islands; and let the people renew their strength: let them come near; then let them speak: let us come near together
to judgment.
B. ALL THINGS WE KNOW NEED TO BE RENEWED EVERY NOW AND THEN.
Nothing created can continue without RENEWING...
C. We have a new day? A new week? A new month? A new year?
D. ABUSE IS TERRIBLE!
NEGLECT IS JUST AS TERRIBLE!
VIII. WE SEEM TO LOOSE ALL SINCE OF THE TREASURE WE HAVE WITHIN? DOUBT IS FOREVER CASTING IT’S UGLY SHADOW AND WOULD HINDER US COMING TO THE FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH.
A. GOD IS A REWARDER...
2 Tim. 4:8 Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only,
but unto all them also that love his appearing.
B. IF WE FAINT NOT ---
Galatians 6:9 And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.
C. AFTER A HEALING OR DIVINE DELIVERANCE FROM A TIME OF TROUBLE, NEW BUDS OF HOPE SPRING FORTH AND WE RETURN TO THE FOOT OF THE CROSS.
CONCLUSION:
Does the situation define the moment? Can these bones live again?
It is up to you! Will you invest more?
Will you release the Word of God?
Will you make the DECLARATION OF FAITH AND RAISE AN ARMY?
His servant, Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. Kyfingers@aol.com
Help me? Pass this on to another?
