RESTART SERMON

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1 of 6 SUNDAY MORNING WORSHIP EXPERIENCE SERIES: RESTART SERMON: RESTART 5-24-20

OPENER: > Have you ever had a day you wish you could start over? > Or, maybe you have been in a relationship where you wished you could go back and undo all of the hurt you may have caused and begin anew. > Maybe you have made some wrong choices and you are walking through the consequences of those choices and you wish you could go back and undo what you did. All of us make mistakes. We all make some wrong turns in this journey called life —but with Jesus we can experience a Restart. Jesus said in John 10:10 “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” The Lord's plan for you is that your life would flourish. Sometimes we have a false concept of God in which we see Him as One who is stingy with His blessings. But nothing could be further from the truth. The fact is that God wants to bless you even more than you want to be blessed. Medical science seeks to add years to our lives, but only Jesus can add life to our years. He wants us to experience the full life He created us to live. Are you experiencing the fullness of life that Christ has for you? This full life begins when we chose to follow the giver of life. As we place our trust in Jesus, we can experience a Restart in our lives. If you have experienced the life of Christ but have lost that fullness, that abundance of life that He gives we need to start over. WHAT DO YOU NEED TO DO TO START OVER? 1. RETURN To make a new start you have to go back to the beginning. Revelation 2: 4-6 4  “But I have this complaint against you. You don’t love me or each other as you did at first! 5 Look how far you have fallen! Turn back to me and do the works you did at first. If you don’t repent, I will come and remove your lamp stand from its place among the churches. (Explain Scripture)…..

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Where did you start this walk with Christ? I want you to remember when that was and where that was when you first decided to follow him. I want you to remember the passion that filled your heart, the revolution that took place in your life, the love that overwhelmed you, the joy that filled you! Would you like that back? Then you have to go back to the beginning. What did you do? What actions did you take? What decisions did you make? Personal Illustration: When I fell in love with Jesus… ILLUSTRATION: The disciples started their walk along the shores of Galilee. At the beginning of Jesus’ ministry, when he first called his disciples along the shores of Galilee, they had been fishing all night but had caught nothing. Then he told them to go back out to fish again. They took the risk, and they caught more fish than their boat could hold (Luke 5:1-11). For the next three years they followed and walked with him, learning what it means to fish for people instead. Then, after Jesus was crucified and had risen from the grave, he told them to go and meet him in Galilee where they had first met him. John 21:15-18 After breakfast Jesus asked Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?[e]” “Yes, Lord,” Peter replied, “you know I love you.” “Then feed my lambs,” Jesus told him. 16 Jesus repeated the question: “Simon son of John, do you love me?” “Yes, Lord,” Peter said, “you know I love you.” “Then take care of my sheep,” Jesus said. 17 A third time he asked him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” Peter was hurt that Jesus asked the question a third time. He said, “Lord, you know everything. You know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Then feed my sheep. 18 “I tell you the truth, when you were young, you were able to do as you liked; you dressed yourself and went wherever you wanted to go. But when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and others[f] will dress you and take you where you don’t want to go.” 19 Jesus said this to let him know by what kind of death he would glorify God. Then Jesus told him, “Follow me.” WE NEED TO GO BACK TO WHERE WE FIRST MET JESUS. TO REIGNITE THE PASSION THE ZEAL AND THE LOVE FOR HIM THAT WE ONCE HAD. THAT LOVE THAT OVERSHADOWED EVERYTHING ELSE IN OUR LIVES.

3 of 6 TO THAT PLACE WHERE NOTHING ELSE MATTERED BUT HIM. WE NEED TO GO BACK TO THE BEGINNING. WE NEED TO BEGIN AGAIN. 2. REPENT Revelation 2: 4-6 NIV Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first. 5 Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place. 6  But you have this in your favor: You hate the practices of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. Repentance is to turn away from sin and turn back. to God. Basically, turn 180 degrees. Are you tired and miserable? God intended our life to be lived to the fullest, where He alone can make our joy complete. The only way to live this life is to put our hope in the Lord by turning our hearts 180 * completely toward Him. THERE IS A MISERY WE EXPERIENCE IF WE DO NOT REPENT. THAT SORROW’S PURPOSE IN OUR SOUL IS TO LEAD US TO REPENT. BUT THAT REPENTANCE IS NOT ALWAYS ABOUT OUR DEEDS BUT THE SIN OUR HEART. EXAMPLE: Church at Ephesus….. Corinthians 7:10 For the kind of sorrow God wants us to experience leads us away from sin and results in salvation. There’s no regret for that kind of sorrow. But worldly sorrow, which lacks repentance, results in spiritual death. (Explain Scripture)…… Sorrow defined - aching and a groaning in our soul Godly sorrow manifests itself in a burden, weariness, heaviness, a lack of joy, a feeling of being overwhelmed, unhappy…… That overall crummy feeling, a feeling of unworthiness, failure, sadness. FEELING ROTTEN AND CRUMMY IS NOT EXPERIENCING THE FULLNESS OF LIFE THAT CHRIST HAS FOR US. WE CAN TELL GOD WE FEEL ROTTEN AND SAD AND TIRED AND NOTHING WILL CHANGE AND WHAT WE NEED. TO DO IS REPENT.

4 of 6 We can tell God we feel rotten and sad and crummy and tired and nothing will change. And what we need to do is get specific about our sins. We need to call to mind the commands we frequently break. ▪ Love God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength. Not 95%, but 100%. (Matthew 22:37) ▪ Love your neighbor as you love yourself. Be as eager for things to go well for him as you are for things to go well for you. (Matthew 22:39) ▪ Do all things without grumbling. No grumbling — inside or outside. (Philippians 2:14) ▪ Cast all your anxieties on him — so you are not being weighed down by them anymore. (1 Peter 5:7) ▪ Only say things that give grace to others — especially those closest to you. (Ephesians 4:29) ▪ Redeem the time. Don’t waste away the minutes. (Ephesians 5:16) Now the enemy is visible. The sins are specific. They’ve come out of hiding. I look them in the eye. I’m not whining about feeling crummy. I’m apologizing to Christ for not doing specific things that he commanded. PERSONAL ILLUSTRATION: Me feeling unhappy because things aren’t the best they can be is my need to be affirmed in my position. The Bible has a lot to say about our motives. A motive is the underlying reason for any action. Proverbs 16:2 “All a person’s ways seem pure to them, but motives are weighed by the LORD.” Because the human heart is very deceitful (Jeremiah 17:9), we can easily fool ourselves about our own motives. God is “a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12). Here are some specific questions to help us evaluate our own motives: 1. If no one ever knew what I was doing (giving, serving, sacrificing), would I still do it? 2. Am I trying to be successful or am I laying my life down as a sacrifice for God to do His will through me? 3. Am I waiting for the one who offended me to change or is the hurt and offense I have because of my own pride? 4. Am I doing this for the praise of others or for God? 5. If I had to suffer for continuing what God has called me to do, would I continue? 6. If others misunderstand or criticize my actions, will I stop? 7. Do I judge my success or failure based upon my faithfulness to what God has

5 of 6 asked me to do, or how I compare with others? 8. Am I truly thankful to God for my life or am I unhappy with the way things are? 9. Am I bitter on the inside about someone else’s blessings? 10. Do I get angry when I am given advice that I do not agree with or instruction that goes against what I believe. 11. Do I become hurt when others don’t help me? 3.BE RENEWED Acts 3:19. Now repent of your sins and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped away. 20 Then times of refreshment will come from the presence of the Lord, ILLUSTRATION: Smartphones are an important part of communication. Not only can we make and receive calls on them, we can also seamlessly access text messages, search the internet, play games, watch television, and share information with our friends and loved ones. Years ago, cell phones were not equipped to provide the same kind of information they do now. Today, anyone who attempts to use an older phone will be limited according to the capabilities of that phone; they are limited to the technology that was available when it was new. There is a constant state of renewal that takes place on today’s smart devices. Makers of smartphones are constantly updating the hardware to reflect new advances in technology. Additionally, constant software updates allow access to new information and notifications, which add to what the phone can do. Older phones are not as well-equipped or able to receive the same type of software updates as a smart device. Like the notifications on our phones, When Jesus Christ died on the cross for us, we were made new. It is our responsibility as believers to abide in the word of God to receive the spiritual notifications and updates He sends us through the guidance of the Holy Spirit. GOD HAS UPDATES AVAILABLE FOR YOU TO DOWNLOAD. HAVE YOU MISSED THE UPDATE? GOD WANTS TO UPDATE YOUR HEART AND MIND AND YOUR DEVOTION. ILLUSTRATION: For your phone to update you have to give consent to the creator or developer to update it. You must first give consent. And then it will ask you to shut down.

6 of 6 Romans 12:2. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. Paul says instead of being conformed to the patterns of the world, be transformed from the inside out, by the renewing of your mind. This type of change is what takes place in our lives as we follow Jesus. And this change, this transformation, is not an event that takes place when we first choose to follow Jesus, rather it is a process that continues every day of our lives as we continue to follow Him. And look at what happens through this change—we are able to know more fully and have the ability and strength to do God’s will for our lives! To be renewed we must turn away from the world’s way (we can’t operate the old way) and be transformed (changed) by the renewal of our minds so we will have the ability to do God’s will.

CLOSING: Psalm 139:23-24 Search me, O God, and know my heart;     test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you,     and lead me along the path of everlasting life.