Renewing Intimacy with God Through Humility and Action
Summary
The sermon delivered by the pastor revolves around the theme of maintaining a strong relationship with God and the importance of humility. The pastor begins by emphasizing the significance of not becoming complacent with the blessings that God has given us. He encourages the congregation to use these blessings as motivation to pursue God with everything they have and to seek Jesus above all else. He also addresses the blockages that hinder the flow of God's blessings, such as pride, prayerlessness, and complacency, and urges the congregation to turn away from these wicked ways and turn to God in repentance.
The pastor then focuses on the importance of humility and the dangers of pride. He encourages the congregation to introspect and ask the Holy Spirit to reveal any issues of pride in their hearts and lives. He explains that pride leads to disobedience and a reliance on one's own thoughts and opinions rather than God's guidance. On the other hand, humility acknowledges the need for God and His word, prayer, and the community of believers. The pastor reminds the congregation that humility involves not only humbling oneself before God but also before others.
The pastor also emphasizes the importance of maintaining a strong relationship with God. He expresses gratitude for the church, Twin River Center, and its commitment to perseverance and good works. However, he warns that the church must not lose its intimacy with God. He encourages the congregation to remember their first love for God and to seek a renewed passion for Him. He invites the listeners to repent, turn to God, and receive His grace, mercy, and forgiveness.
The pastor shares a personal experience of a water overflow issue at his house, which serves as an analogy for the theme of "spring cleaning" in our lives, emphasizing the importance of removing obstacles and clutter to allow God's blessings to flow freely. He also warns against complacency and a lack of desire to seek God, stating that we can become familiar and prideful, which leads to a lack of prayer and pursuit of righteousness.
Finally, the pastor emphasizes the importance of removing anything that hinders one's relationship with God. He addresses distractions such as work, home, phones, and video games, urging the congregation to put them aside and focus on their spiritual lives. He encourages the congregation to be like the righteous kings who would destroy these false places of worship, emphasizing the passion and anger that God displayed when flipping tables. The sermon concludes with a call to action, urging the congregation to determine in their hearts to deal with whatever is blocking them from experiencing intimacy with God.
Key Takeaways:
- The pastor emphasizes that complacency with God's blessings can lead to a lack of pursuit for God. He encourages the congregation to use these blessings as motivation to seek Jesus above all else. He also warns against the blockages that hinder the flow of God's blessings, such as pride, prayerlessness, and complacency. [12:45]
- The pastor highlights the importance of humility and the dangers of pride. He explains that pride leads to disobedience and a reliance on one's own thoughts and opinions rather than God's guidance. He reminds the congregation that humility involves not only humbling oneself before God but also before others. [24:30]
- The pastor warns against losing intimacy with God and encourages the congregation to remember their first love for God. He invites the listeners to repent, turn to God, and receive His grace, mercy, and forgiveness. He emphasizes that this invitation is not about condemnation, but about deepening intimacy with God. [36:15]
- The pastor shares a personal experience of a water overflow issue at his house, which serves as an analogy for the theme of "spring cleaning" in our lives. He emphasizes the importance of removing obstacles and clutter to allow God's blessings to flow freely. He also warns against complacency and a lack of desire to seek God. [48:00]
- The pastor emphasizes the importance of removing anything that hinders one's relationship with God. He addresses distractions such as work, home, phones, and video games, urging the congregation to put them aside and focus on their spiritual lives. He encourages the congregation to be like the righteous kings who would destroy these false places of worship. [59:30]
Study Guide
Bible Reading:
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1. Revelations 2:2-5: "I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance, and how you cannot bear with those who are evil, but have tested those who call themselves apostles and are not, and found them to be false. I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for my name's sake, and you have not grown weary. But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent."
2. Matthew 5:3: "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."
3. James 4:8-10: "Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you."
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Observation Questions:
1. What are the actions and attitudes that the passage in Revelations 2:2-5 commends and condemns?
2. In Matthew 5:3, what does it mean to be "poor in spirit" and why are they blessed?
3. What are the instructions given in James 4:8-10 and what is the promise that follows?
Interpretation Questions:
1. In Revelations 2:2-5, what does it mean to "abandon the love you had at first" and how does it relate to the concept of complacency?
2. How does the concept of being "poor in spirit" in Matthew 5:3 relate to humility and dependence on God?
3. In James 4:8-10, how does the act of humbling oneself before the Lord lead to exaltation?
Application Questions:
1. Reflect on your spiritual life. Are there areas where you have become complacent or lost your initial love for God? What steps can you take to rekindle that passion?
2. How can you cultivate a spirit of humility in your daily life? Can you identify a specific situation where you can choose humility over pride this week?
3. What are some distractions in your life that hinder your relationship with God? How can you intentionally set them aside to focus on your spiritual growth?
4. Can you identify any areas of pride in your life? How can you invite the Holy Spirit to reveal these areas and help you turn to God in repentance?
5. How can you actively draw near to God this week? What specific actions can you take to cleanse your hands and purify your heart?
Devotional
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Day 1: Overcoming Complacency in Pursuit of God
Complacency can be a silent enemy in our spiritual journey. It can lead us to take God's blessings for granted and hinder our pursuit of Him. Instead, we should use these blessings as motivation to seek Jesus above all else, and be wary of the blockages that can hinder the flow of God's blessings, such as pride, prayerlessness, and complacency. [12:45]
Proverbs 1:32 - "For the waywardness of the simple will kill them, and the complacency of fools will destroy them."
Reflection: Reflect on your spiritual journey. Are there areas where you've become complacent? How can you use God's blessings as motivation to seek Him more?
Day 2: Embracing Humility in Our Walk with God
Humility is a virtue that is often overlooked, yet it is crucial in our walk with God. Pride can lead to disobedience and a reliance on our own thoughts and opinions rather than God's guidance. Humility, on the other hand, acknowledges our need for God, His word, prayer, and the community of believers. [24:30]
James 4:6 - "But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: 'God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.'"
Reflection: Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal any areas of pride in your life. How can you cultivate humility in these areas?
Day 3: Rekindling Our First Love for God
In the busyness of life, it's easy to lose our intimacy with God. We are encouraged to remember our first love for God and to seek a renewed passion for Him. This is not about condemnation, but about deepening our intimacy with God. [36:15]
Revelation 2:4 - "Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first."
Reflection: Reflect on your relationship with God. Have you lost your first love for Him? How can you rekindle that passion?
Day 4: Spring Cleaning Our Lives for God's Blessings
Just as we do spring cleaning in our homes, we need to do the same in our lives. We need to remove obstacles and clutter that hinder God's blessings from flowing freely in our lives. This includes complacency and a lack of desire to seek God. [48:00]
Hebrews 12:1 - "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles."
Reflection: What obstacles or clutter are hindering God's blessings in your life? How can you remove them to allow God's blessings to flow freely?
Day 5: Removing Distractions to Focus on God
In our digital age, distractions are everywhere. Work, home, phones, and video games can all take our focus away from God. We are urged to put these distractions aside and focus on our spiritual lives, just like the righteous kings who destroyed false places of worship. [59:30]
Luke 10:41-42 - "Martha, Martha," the Lord answered, "you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her."
Reflection: What distractions are taking your focus away from God? How can you put them aside to focus on your spiritual life?
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Quotes
"Humble yourself in the sight of the Lord and He will lift you up, he will bring you into that place of intimacy as you humble yourself... God resists or God rejects the proud... but he gives grace to the humble." [54:17]
"Pride can even use the Bible as a weapon against others, not against the flesh within our own soul... it is a religious spirit, it is a spirit of comparison... are you a speck critic someone that just sees the speck in everyone else's eyes as the parable says or are you a log Crusher and your heart is God I come to you deal with me first deal with the issues in my own heart and life first." [55:41]
"Use those blessings as motivation to go after him harder and pursue him with everything that you have... Desire Jesus Above All Else... Seek him with all your heart... Keep running with the Holy Spirit." [01:09:58]
"Pride is ultimately going to show up in disobedience in doing things our way and not God's way... Humility on the other hand says God I can't live without you... I can't live without your word being imparted into my life daily because I need something absolute to sift through the voices that bombard me on the daily." [58:00]
"God says love me with your all and then love your neighbor... you can't love God and hate your brother... God says yeah humble yourself before me then he says you want that to show humble yourself before others." [58:33]
"Don't fall into the Samson trap... he became so familiar and complacent with what God had given him that he tossed it aside in seemingly a moment of craziness... it was a lifestyle, consistently going after the things of God." (#!!01:07:51!!#)
"I want you to understand this in Paul says this you now are the Temple of the holy spirit... this should be a temple of the holy spirit this should be a place of prayer but you have allowed things to come in and steal that place of prayer... you've allowed blockages the things of this world to come and still what should rightly be mine should be rightly the place of intimacy because you can't have intimacy without communication." #!!01:01:14!!#
"I want to love you with that abandoned passion like I did when I first met you when I first knew you when I first experienced The Wonder of your Grace your mercy how you set me free God I just want to love you like that again." (#!!01:13:10!!#)
Chatbot
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