Restoring Spiritual Fervor: A Journey Back to God

 

Summary

In reflecting on Job's lamentation, we are reminded of the profound spiritual journey that each believer undertakes. Job's cry, "Oh that I were as in months past," resonates with many of us who have experienced the ebb and flow of spiritual fervor. Job's regret was not merely about the loss of material prosperity but more so about the spiritual richness he once enjoyed. He mourned the loss of divine preservation, consolation, illumination, and communion. These are the treasures of a close walk with God, and their absence is felt deeply by those who have once basked in their light.

The sermon challenges the notion that spiritual decline is inevitable. It is a common misconception that every Christian must experience a cooling of their first love or a decline in zeal. However, the path of the righteous is meant to shine brighter and brighter. Spiritual growth can be continuous if we remain vigilant and close to God. The sermon encourages us to reject the idea that backsliding is a natural part of the Christian journey and instead strive for a consistent and deepening relationship with God.

Regrets over spiritual decline are common, but they should not be seen as inevitable or insurmountable. They serve as a call to action, a reminder to return to the fervor of our first love. These regrets should lead us to examine our lives, identify the causes of our spiritual decline, and take decisive steps to restore our relationship with God. This involves returning to the basics of faith, such as prayer, scripture, and community, and addressing any distractions or sins that have led us astray.

Ultimately, the sermon calls us to a life of faith and gratitude, recognizing that our salvation is secure in Christ. Despite our failings, God's grace is sufficient, and His love is unchanging. We are encouraged to live by faith, continually seeking God's presence and striving to serve Him with renewed zeal and commitment.

Key Takeaways:

1. Spiritual Loss and Regret: Job's lamentation highlights the profound loss felt when spiritual intimacy with God diminishes. This loss is more significant than any material decline, as it affects the very core of our being and relationship with God. We must recognize and mourn this loss, using it as a catalyst to seek restoration. [01:46]

2. Rejecting Inevitable Decline: The belief that spiritual decline is unavoidable is a misconception. The Christian journey is meant to be one of continuous growth and deepening faith. By staying close to God and vigilant in our spiritual practices, we can maintain and even increase our spiritual fervor. [11:23]

3. The Call to Action: Regrets over spiritual decline should not be passive. They must prompt us to take action, returning to the basics of our faith and addressing the root causes of our spiritual stagnation. This involves a renewed commitment to prayer, scripture, and community. [35:25]

4. Living by Faith: Our salvation and spiritual vitality do not depend on our feelings or circumstances but on the finished work of Christ. We are called to live by faith, trusting in God's grace and seeking His presence daily. This faith sustains us through spiritual highs and lows. [43:26]

5. Gratitude and Renewal: Despite our failings, God's grace remains steadfast. We are encouraged to respond with gratitude, seeking to serve God with renewed zeal and commitment. This involves a conscious effort to restore our spiritual fervor and live in a way that honors God. [44:10]

Youtube Chapters:

- [00:00] - Welcome
- [00:12] - Job's Lamentation
- [01:46] - Spiritual Loss and Regret
- [03:34] - Divine Preservation and Consolation
- [05:09] - The Joy of the Lord
- [06:28] - Divine Illumination
- [08:32] - Loss of Communion
- [11:23] - Rejecting Inevitable Decline
- [14:32] - No Excuse for Spiritual Decline
- [18:40] - Holy Jealousy and Regret
- [24:56] - Common Spiritual Decline
- [35:25] - The Call to Action
- [43:26] - Living by Faith
- [44:10] - Gratitude and Renewal
- [49:23] - Closing Prayer and Invitation

Study Guide

### Bible Study Discussion Guide

#### Bible Reading
- Job 29:2-4
- Proverbs 4:18
- Revelation 2:4-5

---

#### Observation Questions
1. What specific spiritual losses does Job lament in Job 29:2-4, and how do these reflect his relationship with God? [00:12]
2. According to the sermon, what are some of the spiritual treasures that Job mourns losing? [01:46]
3. How does the sermon describe the common misconception about spiritual decline among Christians? [11:23]
4. What does the sermon suggest is the role of regrets in a believer's spiritual journey? [35:25]

---

#### Interpretation Questions
1. How does the sermon interpret Job's lamentation as a reflection of spiritual rather than material loss? [01:46]
2. What does the sermon suggest about the inevitability of spiritual decline, and how does it challenge this notion? [11:23]
3. In what ways does the sermon propose believers can maintain or restore their spiritual fervor? [35:25]
4. How does the sermon connect the concept of living by faith with the assurance of salvation in Christ? [43:26]

---

#### Application Questions
1. Reflect on a time when you felt a loss of spiritual intimacy with God. What steps did you take, or could you take, to seek restoration? [01:46]
2. The sermon challenges the belief that spiritual decline is inevitable. What practical steps can you take to ensure continuous spiritual growth in your life? [11:23]
3. Consider any regrets you have about your spiritual journey. How can these regrets serve as a catalyst for positive change in your relationship with God? [35:25]
4. How can you incorporate the basics of faith, such as prayer and scripture, more consistently into your daily routine to prevent spiritual stagnation? [35:25]
5. In what ways can you express gratitude for God's unchanging grace, even amidst personal failings? [44:10]
6. Identify any distractions or sins that may be hindering your spiritual growth. What specific actions can you take to address these issues? [35:25]
7. How can you live by faith, trusting in God's grace, even when your feelings or circumstances suggest otherwise? [43:26]

Devotional

Day 1: The Profound Loss of Spiritual Intimacy
In the story of Job, we see a man who mourns not just the loss of his material wealth but, more importantly, the spiritual richness he once enjoyed. Job's lamentation, "Oh that I were as in months past," reflects a deep yearning for the divine preservation, consolation, illumination, and communion he once experienced. This loss is profound because it affects the very core of our being and our relationship with God. Recognizing and mourning this loss is crucial, as it serves as a catalyst to seek restoration and rekindle our spiritual fervor. [01:46]

"For the Lord will not cast off forever, but, though he cause grief, he will have compassion according to the abundance of his steadfast love; for he does not willingly afflict or grieve the children of men." (Lamentations 3:31-33 ESV)

Reflection: Think of a time when you felt distant from God. What steps can you take today to begin restoring that intimacy?


Day 2: Continuous Spiritual Growth is Possible
The belief that spiritual decline is inevitable is a misconception. The Christian journey is meant to be one of continuous growth and deepening faith. By staying close to God and vigilant in our spiritual practices, we can maintain and even increase our spiritual fervor. This involves rejecting the idea that backsliding is a natural part of the Christian journey and instead striving for a consistent and deepening relationship with God. The path of the righteous is meant to shine brighter and brighter, and spiritual growth can be continuous if we remain vigilant and close to God. [11:23]

"But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, which shines brighter and brighter until full day." (Proverbs 4:18 ESV)

Reflection: Identify one spiritual practice you can commit to this week to help maintain or increase your spiritual fervor.


Day 3: Regret as a Catalyst for Action
Regrets over spiritual decline should not be passive. They must prompt us to take action, returning to the basics of our faith and addressing the root causes of our spiritual stagnation. This involves a renewed commitment to prayer, scripture, and community. By examining our lives and identifying the causes of our spiritual decline, we can take decisive steps to restore our relationship with God. These regrets serve as a call to action, a reminder to return to the fervor of our first love. [35:25]

"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." (Revelation 2:5 ESV)

Reflection: What is one specific distraction or sin that has led you astray, and how can you address it today?


Day 4: Living by Faith, Not Feelings
Our salvation and spiritual vitality do not depend on our feelings or circumstances but on the finished work of Christ. We are called to live by faith, trusting in God's grace and seeking His presence daily. This faith sustains us through spiritual highs and lows, reminding us that God's love is unchanging and His grace is sufficient. Despite our failings, we are encouraged to live by faith, continually seeking God's presence and striving to serve Him with renewed zeal and commitment. [43:26]

"For we walk by faith, not by sight." (2 Corinthians 5:7 ESV)

Reflection: In what area of your life are you relying on feelings rather than faith, and how can you shift your perspective today?


Day 5: Gratitude and Renewal in God's Grace
Despite our failings, God's grace remains steadfast. We are encouraged to respond with gratitude, seeking to serve God with renewed zeal and commitment. This involves a conscious effort to restore our spiritual fervor and live in a way that honors God. Recognizing that our salvation is secure in Christ, we are called to a life of faith and gratitude, continually seeking God's presence and striving to serve Him with renewed zeal and commitment. [44:10]

"Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need." (Hebrews 4:16 ESV)

Reflection: How can you express gratitude to God today for His unchanging grace, and what is one way you can serve Him with renewed zeal?

Quotes

"His soul was depressed he had lost the light of God's countenance his inward Comforts were declining his joy in the Lord was at a low ebb, this he regretted far more than anything besides, no doubt he deplored the departure of those prosperous days when as he words it his root was spread out by the waters and the Dew lay all night upon his branch, but much more did he bemoan that the lamp of the Lord no more Shone upon his head and the secret of God was not upon his Tabernacle." [00:67:55]

"It is a great thing for a man to be near to God, it is a very Choice privilege to be admitted into the inner circle of communion and to become God's familiar friend, great is the Privileges, so great is the loss of it, no darkness is so dark as that which falls on eyes accustomed to the light, the poor man who was always poor is scarcely poor, but he who has fallen from the summit of greatness into the depths of poverty is poor indeed." [00:164:64]

"Job had also lost Divine consolation for he looks back with lamentation to the time when God's candle shot upon his head, when the son of God's love was as it were in the Zenith and cast no shadow, when he rejoiced without ceasing and triumphed from morning to night in the god of his salvation, the joy of the Lord is our strength the joy of the Lord is Israel's Excellency, it is the heaven of Heaven it is heaven even upon Earth, and consequently to lose it is a Calamity indeed." [00:306:18]

"Moreover job deplored the loss of divine illumination, by his light he says I walked through Darkness, that is to say perplexity ceased to be perplexity, God shed such a light upon the mysteries of Providence that where others miss their path job made Wise by Heaven could find it, there have been times when to our patient Faith all things have been plain, If any man will do his will he shall know of the doctrine, but if we walk far off from God then straightway even the precious truth of God is no more clear to us." [00:396:18]

"These regrets are not inevitable, that is to say it is not absolutely necessary that a Christian man should ever feel them or be compelled to express them, it has grown to be a tradition Among Us that every Christian must backslide in a measure and that growth in Grace cannot be unbrokenly sustained, it is regarded by many as a law of nature that our first love must grow cold and our early Zeal must necessarily decline, I do not believe it for a moment." [00:673:68]

"Nor do outward circumstances ever furnish a justification to us if we decline in Grace, for under the worst conditions Believers have grown in Grace, deprived of the joys of Christian fellowship and denied the Comforts of the means of Grace Believers have nevertheless been known to attain to a high degree of lightness to Christ Jesus, thrown into the midst of wicked Companions and forced to hear like righteous lot the filthy conversation of the ungodly yet Christian men have shown all the brighter for the surrounding Darkness." [00:776:34]

"These regrets by themselves are useless, it is unprofitable to read these words of job and say just so that is how I feel and then continue in the same way, if a man has neglected his business and so has lost his trade it may Mark a turn in his Affairs when he says I wish I'd been more industrious, but if he abides in the same sloth as before, of what uses his regret, if he shall fold his arms and say oh that I had dug that plot of land oh that I had sown that field no Harvest will come because of his Lamentations." [00:2088:78]

"Inactive regrets are insincere if a man really did lament that he had lost communion with God he would seek to regain it, if he does not seek to be restored he is adding to all his former sins this of lying before God in uttering regrets that he does not feel in his soul, I've known some I fear who even satisfied themselves with expressions of regrets, oh say they I am a deep experienced man I can go where job went I can mourn and lament as job did." [00:2175:079]

"Let your previous failings teach you to walk cautiously for the future, be jealous for you serve a jealous God, since gray hairs may come upon you here and there and you may not know it, search watch try yourself day by day lest you relax yet more, this should teach us to live by faith, since our best attainments fail us, we Rejoice today but we may mourn tomorrow, what a mercy it is that our Salvation does not depend on what we are or what we feel." [00:2574:06]

"Let us keep to the Good Ship of free Grace, steered by immutable faithfulness for none other can bring us to the desired Haven, but oh let that free Grace fill us with Ardent gratitude, since Christ has kept us though we could not keep ourselves let us bless his name and overwhelmed with obligations let us rise with a solemn determination that we will still serve him better than we have ever done before, and may his blessed Spirit help us to make the determination a fact." [00:2637:96]

"Dear Brethren and sisters if any of you desire now to come into the higher life and to feel in you your first love what shall I say to you go back to where you started, do not stay discussing whether you are a Christian or not, go to Christ as a poor guilty sinner, when the door to Heaven seems shut to me as a saint I will get through it as a sinner trusting in the precious blood of Jesus." [00:2694:00]

"Begin life again, the best Heir for a man to breathe when he is sickly is said to be that of his birthplace, it was at Calvary we were born, it is only at Calvary we can be restored when we are declining, do the first works as a sinner repair to the Savior and asked to be restored, then is a further means of Health search out the cause of your declension, probably it was a neglect of private prayer, where the disease began there must the remedy be applied." [00:2759:40]

Chatbot

  • I'm an AI bot trained specifically on the sermon from Jun 12, 2023. Do you have any questions about it?

Transcript
What was the most surprising thing in this sermon?
Were there any personal stories shared?