Sermon refreshed
- We reset our clocks last night. With doing that, I thought, it’s like turning the clock
back on our lives.
- Listen to what Paul wrote to Titus in speaking to the young men in Crete. Paul gave a
description fitting for both young men, & all Christians.
- In the day we are living, there is no better time to study this, because it’s
just like resetting the clock, as we’re going to see.
Titus 2:7
7 In all things shewing thyself a pattern of good works: in doctrine shewing uncorruptness, gravity, sincerity,
- Three describing words, but they all three mean the same thing.
- They each stand for purity, but the word Gravity goes a little bit further.
- What gravity stands for is dignity, & honor, but it’s not towards ourselves. It
towards God.
- We Give God Reverence with all of our lives. Every part, & every function of this
life gives reverence to the God that made, & saved, me!
Q- Do our actions, & choices, reflect who we are?
Prayer
- I’ve brought up the words John spoke to the Pharisees before. He speaks the words
of “Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance”
- It was a call to reflect your sincerity, but today I want to bring about a great truth
about this fruit.
- All three of the Words Paul used to describe a man reflected the word purity.
Q- So why didn’t he just say, be ye pure?
- I think a good way to describe both the change that happens in a new Christian’s life,
& the ongoing character/choices in a Christian’s life is found in Acts 3:19. Listen to
what Peter is describing.
Acts 3:19
19 Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord.
- The Word refreshing. When we look at someone that’s had a nice long rest, usually
our first words are, you look refreshed.
- You can look at that person & tell they’ve had a reset.
- Now go back to the word of Gravity. You can look at this person & see the reset. You
see the reverence of God on them.
- Now Here’s the big thing though.
Q- Do we always look like we’re refreshed? Like we’ve been to the sauna, or spa?
- Of course not.
Q- So, how can we look refreshed all the time?
Q- How often do we think about the Lord?
- I want you to hear what Paul says about his life, & his description of himself, as he
has been refreshed.
Acts 26:19-20
19 Whereupon, O king Agrippa, I was not disobedient unto the heavenly vision:
20 But shewed first unto them of Damascus, and at Jerusalem, and throughout all the coasts of Judaea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, and do works meet for repentance.
- The act of being refreshed was in one moment, & every time we remember that
moment. It’s a time of refreshing!
- Paul was on the road to imprison & ultimately kill all Christians at Damascus, but
now he preaches the One who is the Redeemer.
- Every moment he remembers the mercy given to him. Paul in turn gives it to all
around him.
- So, we don’t feel refreshed. Stop for a moment. Think about where you will be
without Christ. Think about the laws, & rituals you would be expected to
uphold.
Q- Now, Do you feel refreshed?
- We go out into a world that doesn’t have that moment of refreshing.
Q- How many people know that Jesus paid the debt of all sin?
- For anybody to have debt taken off their backs is a relief.
- I think the problem with our time of refreshing though is the fact that the world
sees our relief, but they don’t recognize our debt.
- You don’t fully understand debt, until you experience it for yourself.
- There’s the burden of the bills, & the longing of finally getting this paid off.
- On the road to Damascus, Paul did not have the burden of debt on him, but he was
carrying it.
- In the instant that Jesus revealed Himself to Paul, Through the light, & His voice.
Paul understood his debt. For all the years Paul held onto his temporary sacrifice.
He still held onto his sin. It had only been temporarily covered by the blood of the
sacrifice.
- When Paul realized that Jesus is the perfect Sacrifice, the payment for his
debt. He was broken.
Q- What broke him?
- The weight of, how can I be redeemed now, had overtaken him.
- Paul was drowning!
- Think of the time of refreshing it is when someone pulls you above the water
you are drowning in!
- I think I would be ready to tell everyone about someone that saved me from
drowning.
- This is the picture of a Christian, a person that has been refreshed, & is
being refreshed daily.
- Every time it seems like sin has sucked us under, Christ is still there
breathing life into our lungs, proclaiming live, live live!
Colossians 2:13-20
13 And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses;
14 Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;
15 And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.
16 Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days:
17 Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.
18 Let no man beguile you of your reward in a voluntary humility and worshipping of angels, intruding into those things which he hath not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind,
19 And not holding the Head, from which all the body by joints and bands having nourishment ministered, and knit together, increaseth with the increase of God.
20 Wherefore if ye be dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why, as though living in the world, are ye subject to ordinances,
- You are above the water! Be Alive!
- You have breath in your lungs. Live this life!
- Let’s walk around this world being refreshed, & here’s my closing word, being
refreshing.
- Listen to Paul’s testimony to Agrippa again.
Acts 26:19-20
19 Whereupon, O king Agrippa, I was not disobedient unto the heavenly vision:
20 But shewed first unto them of Damascus, and at Jerusalem, and throughout all the coasts of Judaea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, and do works meet for repentance.
- Paul was alive, & he was going to make sure everyone knew how he was alive!
- Paul was refreshing. Think of the lives that were refreshed by his life.
- We have been refreshed by both Peter, & Paul’s Words this morning.
- Their testimony was simply they told the truth, I Who was dead, am Alive.
- This morning, as this is a somewhat short sermon. I want us to close singing
Amazing Grace. Let’s be refreshed, & refreshing to others.
Prayer
