Restoring And Renewing The People Of God

Restoring and Renewing the people of God

Psalms 42

As we’re heading towards the last days there’s a weariness that’s settling in on the Body of Christ. People are growing weary of well doing.

Galatians 6:9 “And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.”

Those we never thought would ever wear out are laying their swords down.

There’s a battle that’s raging some can be seen with the physical eye, battles in our homes, battles at work, battles in our life, but there are those in a spiritual battle and the casualties are high.

Ephesians tells us that we wrestle not against flesh and blood but against principalities and wickedness in high places.

We’re in a spiritual battle. The enemy is attacking our homes, our finances, and our churches. He knows that his time is running out and is doing everything he can to stop God’s church and God’s people from going forward.

A report that just came out last week from the Barna Research group says that the church is stagnating. We have not seen any appreciable growth over the past year.

I know I’m painting a dismal picture, but some of you that are sitting here this morning, you’ve been under attack and you know what I’m talking about.

I do have good news for you this morning.

Isaiah 54:17 says, “No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, saith the LORD.”

But how do we make it in the middle of the battle. How do we keep standing?

There are some principals that you need to learn in order to make it through those times in your life where you feel overwhelmed, dry and lifeless.

Let me tell you church, God’s got the remedy for you if your battle weary and worn. If your tired and frustrated of being tired and frustrated, then take these principals that you learn today and put them into practice in your life.

You will find yourself being renewed and restored by God.

The first step for us to enter into a time of renewal and restoration is Worship.

God chastened His people Israel seventy years in Babylon because they had repeatedly and persistently rejected His rule over their lives.

When that period of chastening ended and the Lord set out to reestablish His covenant people in the land He had promised them, He did not begin by restoring and renewing their political establishment.

His first priority was not restoring and renewing their economy. It was not restoring and renewing education, housing, or transportation.

God restored and renewed the worship of His people as the first stage of reestablishing them as a nation.

Whenever our lives feel ineffective or stale, whenever we have experienced the chastening of the Lord, whenever we want to reach a greater level of intimacy with God, the first priority must be rebuilding or strengthening our worship of the living God.

The Holy Spirit makes His dwelling and His base of operation in hearts given to worship.

As I’ve shared with you before, so often our focus is on us when we come to church instead of focusing on God. When we’re focused on ourselves that means we’re out of focus with God.

So how do we get back to the heart of Worship?

Worship starts with an altar.

When Ezra returned to Jerusalem, the walls were still in ruin, the temple area had not been cleaned up or prepared to celebrate the feast days but the first step that they took in rebuilding their community was they built an altar.

Whenever you get off track spiritually, the first thing you need to do is rebuild an altar. We’ve taken the altar of God out of our homes and replaced it with all sorts of entertainment and amusements.

There are people who almost loose their salvation if they miss their favorite TV program, but don’t care if they miss church or not.

I’m not talking about building a stone thing in your house, or putting a wooden altar in there. But I’m talking about having you a place in your home where you can get alone with God.

I’m telling you church, we’re missing it in our homes. We need to make sure that our homes are homes of Worship to God.

We can talk all we want about going to church on Sunday morning, but if what you’re receiving in church isn’t being lived out in your homes, then you’re in serious trouble.

The filth of this world will zap the spiritual joy out of your life. If we want to get back to the heart of Worship, if we want to walk in restoration and newness of life, then you’re going to have to say no to the filth of this world, and start spending quality time with the Lord.