Relying on the Spirit for True Transformation

Devotional

Day 1: Human Effort is Insufficient for True Transformation

True transformation in our spiritual lives cannot be achieved through human effort alone. The story of Nehemiah illustrates this truth vividly. Despite Nehemiah's monumental efforts to rebuild Jerusalem and revive the people's faith, the people reverted to their old ways once he left. This shows that human will, no matter how strong, is not enough for lasting spiritual change. True transformation requires the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, which empowers and guides us to live according to God's will.

In our own lives, we often rely on our strength and determination to make changes. However, without the Holy Spirit's work within us, these changes are temporary and superficial. We must recognize our dependence on God's grace and the Spirit's power to bring about genuine transformation. This is a call to surrender our efforts and invite the Holy Spirit to work in us, leading us to live out the gospel authentically. [54:49]

Ezekiel 36:26-27 (ESV): "And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules."

Reflection: In what areas of your life have you been relying solely on your efforts for change? How can you invite the Holy Spirit to work in those areas today?

Day 2: The Law Alone Cannot Transform Us

The law serves an essential purpose in revealing our sins and convicting us, but it lacks the power to change our hearts. Nehemiah's story shows that even with the law and strong leadership, the people of Jerusalem could not maintain their commitment to God. True transformation comes when the Holy Spirit indwells us, making the law more than just knowledge but a living part of our being.

The law can guide us and show us the way, but it cannot empower us to walk in it. This empowerment comes from the Holy Spirit, who writes God's laws on our hearts and enables us to live them out. We must move beyond mere knowledge of the law to a deep, Spirit-led transformation that changes our desires and actions. [01:01:50]

Jeremiah 31:33 (ESV): "For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people."

Reflection: How has your understanding of God's law influenced your actions? What steps can you take to allow the Holy Spirit to write God's law on your heart?

Day 3: Commitments Are Not Enough

Making commitments to follow God's commands is important, but it is not sufficient for true spiritual growth. Nehemiah's efforts to lead the people in renewing their covenant with God were commendable, yet the people still fell back into their old ways. This highlights that real transformation happens through the regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, which empowers us to live out our commitments faithfully.

Our commitments, no matter how sincere, can falter without the Holy Spirit's sustaining power. We need the Spirit to renew our minds and hearts continually, enabling us to keep our commitments to God. This involves daily surrender and reliance on the Spirit's work within us, transforming us from the inside out. [01:04:42]

Titus 3:5-6 (ESV): "He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior."

Reflection: Reflect on a commitment you have made to God. How can you rely more on the Holy Spirit to help you keep this commitment?

Day 4: Religion Alone Cannot Save Us

Attending church and participating in religious activities are valuable, but they are not enough for genuine transformation. Nehemiah's story shows that despite the people's religious practices, they still fell away from God when Nehemiah left. True change comes from an inward transformation by the Holy Spirit, making us new creations in Christ.

Religious activities can provide structure and community, but they cannot change our hearts. We need the Holy Spirit to transform us from within, making our faith more than just external practices. This inward change leads to a genuine relationship with God and a life that reflects His love and grace. [01:06:03]

2 Corinthians 5:17 (ESV): "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come."

Reflection: How have you relied on religious activities for your spiritual growth? What steps can you take to seek a deeper, inward transformation by the Holy Spirit?

Day 5: Rely on God's Grace and the Holy Spirit

The ultimate lesson from Nehemiah is that we must rely on God's grace, the work of Christ, and the sanctifying power of the Holy Spirit for real transformation. Our efforts, while important, must be undergirded by the Spirit's work within us. Nehemiah's story reminds us that human effort alone is insufficient and that true change comes from God's grace and the Spirit's power.

We are called to surrender our efforts and trust in God's grace to transform us. This involves daily reliance on the Holy Spirit, who empowers us to live according to God's will. By embracing God's grace and the Spirit's work, we can experience genuine transformation and live out the gospel authentically. [01:07:32]

Galatians 3:3 (ESV): "Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?"

Reflection: In what ways have you been relying on your efforts rather than God's grace for transformation? How can you cultivate a deeper reliance on the Holy Spirit in your daily life?

Sermon Summary

### Summary

Today, we explored the vision of our church and the reasons why people have stopped attending church. Insights from Jim Davis highlighted several factors: feelings of disconnection, lack of small groups, church hurt, perceived irrelevance, busy schedules, theological disagreements, and cultural shifts. Interestingly, the primary reason people stop attending church is because they move and fail to reconnect with a new church community. This underscores the importance of personal invitations in fostering church engagement.

We also delved into the final chapters of Nehemiah, focusing on the theme of human effort versus divine transformation. Nehemiah's efforts to rebuild Jerusalem and revive the people's faith were monumental, yet ultimately, they reverted to their old ways when he left. This illustrates that human effort alone is insufficient for lasting spiritual transformation. True transformation requires the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, which was not available to the people of Nehemiah's time but is accessible to us through Christ.

The sermon emphasized that human will, the law, commitments, and religious practices are not enough for genuine transformation. Instead, it is the grace of God, the work of Christ, and the sanctifying power of the Holy Spirit that bring about real change. This is a call to rely not on our own efforts but on the Spirit's work within us, leading us to live out the gospel authentically.

###

Key Takeaways

1. Human Effort is Insufficient for True Transformation: Nehemiah's story teaches us that despite our best efforts, human will alone cannot bring about lasting spiritual change. True transformation requires the work of the Holy Spirit within us, guiding and empowering us to live according to God's will. [54:49]
2. The Law Alone Cannot Transform Us: While the law reveals our sins and convicts us, it lacks the power to change our hearts. True transformation comes when the Holy Spirit indwells us, making the law more than just knowledge but a living part of our being. [61:50]
3. Commitments Are Not Enough: Making commitments to follow God's commands is important, but it is not sufficient for true spiritual growth. Real transformation happens through the regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, which empowers us to live out our commitments faithfully. [64:42]
4. Religion Alone Cannot Save Us: Attending church and participating in religious activities are valuable, but they are not enough for genuine transformation. True change comes from an inward transformation by the Holy Spirit, making us new creations in Christ. [66:03]
5. Rely on God's Grace and the Holy Spirit: The ultimate lesson from Nehemiah is that we must rely on God's grace, the work of Christ, and the sanctifying power of the Holy Spirit for real transformation. Our efforts, while important, must be undergirded by the Spirit's work within us. [01:07:32]
### [67:32]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[28:41] - Importance of Small Groups
[29:32] - Reasons People Leave Church
[31:03] - Cultural Shifts and Church Engagement
[31:58] - The Power of Invitation
[32:38] - Reconnecting Post-COVID
[33:17] - Vision for Church Engagement
[43:45] - Introduction to Nehemiah's Final Chapters
[45:48] - The Big Fail in Nehemiah
[46:22] - Personal Story of Failure
[48:55] - Nehemiah's Efforts and Challenges
[50:21] - The High Point and Subsequent Decline
[52:01] - Nehemiah's Return and Disappointment
[53:33] - Lessons from Nehemiah's Failures
[54:49] - Human Effort and Divine Transformation
[56:13] - Insights from Augustine and Calvin
[57:37] - The Role of the Holy Spirit
[58:54] - The Insufficiency of Human Will
[60:17] - The Law and Its Limitations
[61:50] - The Fulfillment of the Law in Christ
[63:21] - The Necessity of the Holy Spirit
[64:42] - Commitments and True Transformation
[66:03] - Religion and Inward Change
[67:32] - The Role of God's Grace and the Holy Spirit
[69:01] - Closing Prayer and Reflections

Bible Study Guide

Observation Questions

What were some of the reasons mentioned in the sermon for why people stop attending church? [29:32]
How did Nehemiah react when he returned to Jerusalem and found that the people had reverted to their old ways? [52:01]
According to Romans 8:3-4, what was the law powerless to do, and how did God address this issue?
In Titus 3:5-6, what does it mean to be saved by the "washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit"?

Interpretation Questions

Why do you think personal invitations are so effective in fostering church engagement, as mentioned in the sermon? [31:58]
How does Nehemiah's story illustrate the insufficiency of human effort for true spiritual transformation? [54:49]
What does it mean for the law to be "fulfilled in us" through the Holy Spirit, as described in Romans 8:3-4?
How does the concept of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit in Titus 3:5-6 contrast with merely making commitments to follow God's commands?

Application Questions

Reflect on a time when you felt disconnected from church. What steps can you take to reconnect, and how can you help others who might feel the same way? [29:32]
Nehemiah's efforts were monumental, yet the people reverted to their old ways. How can you ensure that your spiritual growth is sustained even when external support is not present? [52:01]
The sermon emphasized the importance of relying on the Holy Spirit for true transformation. What are some practical ways you can invite the Holy Spirit to work in your life daily? [54:49]
Think about the commitments you have made to follow God's commands. How can you rely more on the Holy Spirit to help you keep these commitments faithfully? [01:04:42]
The sermon mentioned that attending church and participating in religious activities are not enough for genuine transformation. How can you cultivate a deeper, inward transformation by the Holy Spirit? [01:06:03]
Personal invitations were highlighted as a key to church engagement. Identify one person you know who has stopped attending church. How can you reach out to them this week and invite them back? [31:58]
Reflect on the cultural shifts and busy schedules that can lead to disengagement from church. What specific changes can you make in your life to prioritize your spiritual growth and church involvement? [30:10]

Sermon Clips

### Quotes for Outreach

1. "One is that people feel a little disconnected and they feel lonely. They lack community. When people don't form meaningful relationships with the church, they may feel like they don't belong. And that sense of isolation can lead to disengagement. And also, one of the things was absence of small groups, actually. People are looking for ways that they can... They can connect in smaller groups." [28:41] (21 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

2. "We could actually see more engagement with our church if we would just ask people to come. If we would just simply invite them. So think about that as you're meeting new people. As you're running into your neighbors. Whatever that may look like. Just remember that they may not be part of a church. Just simply because life circumstances have changed. And they're just waiting to be invited." [32:38] (21 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

3. "Everybody needs Jesus. Everybody needs to hear the gospel. Everybody should be plugged into a faith community. And so I feel like that's an encouragement. We could actually see more engagement with our church if we would just ask people to come. If we would just simply invite them." [31:58] (17 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

4. "How many people do you know that were faithfully attending a church during COVID? And then they stopped going. But really the reason they haven't come back is just they got out of the habit. And it may just take a couple invites to get them back. To get them to come to church from COVID." [33:17] (17 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

5. "When we think about millennials and younger people, really I think when they're looking at opportunities for connection, they want to pray, they want to learn more about God's Word. But one of the ways that they do that is in connecting in a more casual environment. And a lot of times that might be at a coffee shop or even in your home." [28:41] (21 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

### Quotes for Members

1. "First of all, we need to learn that what Nehemiah teaches us in this final chapter is that human effort lacks the ability to bring about real transformation. You hear that? Nehemiah teaches us that human effort lacks the ability to bring about real transformation. You know, we have this thing in our life called the will, and it's something that we are always having to battle. And what we've learned is that we have the will to do a lot of things, but when it comes to living for God and living a transformed, overcoming life, if we rely on our will, we're really going to be disappointed because there's a battle there that, that really keeps us from what we need to be when it comes to the things of God." [54:49] (43 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

2. "When it comes to real gospel transformation, the law is not enough. The law. Remember, Ezra stood up and he opened up the law and he read it. And people were weeping. They were moved by the law. There is something powerful about the law. There's something convicting about the law. There's something inspiring about the law, or God's word, or God's statutes, or when we read about the life of Christ. There's something powerful and inspiring in that. But the law, and when we talk about the law, most of the time we're talking about the Ten Commandments. So we're talking about morals. We're talking about right actions. Our actions are not enough. Our morality is not enough." [01:00:17] (45 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

3. "When it comes to real gospel transformation, commitments are not enough. If you remember, the people of Israel made commitments, right? They began to say, okay, I'm convicted by the Word of God. Now I know what's going to happen. So I'm going to keep the Sabbath. I'm not going to marry non-Jewish people. I'm going to care for the Levites. I'm going to do the things that the law tells us to do. But those commitments were not enough." [01:03:21] (23 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

4. "When it comes to real gospel transformation, religion is not enough. Going to church, it's not enough. There has to be more than that. You see, the people of Israel, they showed up on a Sabbath day and every day thereafter, remember when we were reading in the chapters leading up, every day for 26 days, they came from morning to noon, morning to midday, they came and they would read the law and they would praise and worship God and then they would disperse and have meals together, right? They did all that. But when Nehemiah leaves and comes back, guess what? All that stopped. All the praise and worship ended. All the glorifying God, it all ended. See, religion is not enough." [01:06:03] (44 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

5. "When we rely on anything other than God's grace and the work of Christ and the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit, we will never see real transformation. When we look through the book of Nehemiah, we see all the work that Nehemiah did. He was kind of left in a spot where he could never really accomplish what he needed to accomplish for one very simple reason, that the Holy Spirit had not yet been poured out yet. That Christ had not come yet to redeem humanity." [01:07:32] (32 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

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