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Jan 07, 2024

A Spiritual Renewal

A Spiritual Renewal

Passage: Titus 3:3-8

Speaker: Andrew Kerhoulas

Series: That’s the Spirit: Learning to keep in step with Him who indwells

Keywords: holy spirit, good works, devotion, regeneration, renewal, enslaved to passions

Spiritual renewal and revival are buzzwords both inside and, in recent times, outside of evangelicalism. What is spiritual renewal and what is it for? We’ll turn to one of Paul’s final letters as we seek spiritual renewal for ourselves and for the world around us.

Readings & Scripture

PRE SERVICE TEXT: Titus 3:4-5
But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, 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…

PREPARATION: 2 Corinthians 5:17-18
LEADER: Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.
ALL: All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation.

OT READING: Psalm 85:1-4
LEADER: Lord, you were favorable to your land;
You restored the fortunes of Jacob.
You forgave the iniquity of your people;
You covered all their sin. You withdrew all your wrath;
You turned from your hot anger.

ALL: Restore us again, O God of our salvation
and put away your indignation toward us!

LEADER: Will You not revive us again,
that Your people may rejoice in You?

ALL: Show us Your steadfast love, O Lord,
and grant us Your salvation.

CENTRAL TEXT: Titus 3:3-8
For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another. But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, 5 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, 6 whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life. 8 The saying is trustworthy, and I want you to insist on these things, so that those who have believed in God may be careful to devote themselves to good works. These things are excellent and profitable for people.

BENEDICTION: Isaiah 55:10-12
LEADER: For as the rain comes down and the snow from the sky, and does not return there,
but waters the earth, and makes it grow and bud, and gives seed to the sower and bread to the
eater; so is my word that goes out of my mouth: it will not return to me void, but it will
accomplish that which I please, and it will prosper in the thing I sent it to do. For you shall go
out in joy and be led forth in peace.

RELATED SCRIPTURES:

  • Hosea 10:1-12
  • Psalm 63; 85
  • Matthew 19:28
  • Romans 8:17; 12:2
  • 1 Corinthians 6:11
  • Galatians 3:29
  • 1 Timothy 1:15
  • Revelation 21-22

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

  1. What thoughts does a word like “renewal” spark in your mind? Is it a word you hear outside of the church? Discuss.
  2. Read Titus 3:3 and then wrestle with this question: Why do Christians need ongoing renewal? 
  3. Look at Titus 3:4-7 with an eye towards God’s actions as compared to ours. Do regeneration and renewal stem from our efforts? How does that answer affect our pursuit of renewal? 
  4. In Psalm 63 the psalmist compares his pursuit of God like one who thirsts in a desert. How does spiritual thirst factor into our own spiritual renewal?  
  5. With an eye on Titus 3:8, what does genuine spiritual renewal produce in us and through us? 
  6. Mark Sayers writes, “We will not experience renewal by following the same patterns of life and ministry that are not delivering renewal.” What patterns of renewal do you need to adopt and/or further press into this year? After your discussion, spend time praying for personal renewal to lead to our church’s renewal that blooms into further renewal around us.

ILLUSTRATIONS:  

 

 

QUOTES: 

 

  • A new year doesn’t magically make the previous year’s troubles go away. But we are reminded that new beginnings are possible, and that God promises to go with us. Rich Villodas
  • We will not experience renewal by following the same patterns of life and ministry that are not delivering renewal. Mark Sayers 

 

  • The synonym for "revival" in the New Testament must be times of refreshing from the presence of the Lord," a phrase which indicates divine origin as well as human object, the people of God, who knew well the revival hope. J. Edwin Orr
  • The Atacama Desert, located in Chile, is one of the driest places on earth with some areas not receiving any rainfall for decades. It is a harsh and barren landscape with vast stretches of sand, rocks, and salt flats. The region is known for its extreme temperatures and strong winds, making it an inhospitable environment for most forms of life. For years, the Atacama Desert is the driest, most dead place in the world. No vegetation. No rain. Nothing growing, until once every 5-7 years…the desert experiences a phenomenon known as the Atacama Desert bloom, where a burst of colorful flowers transforms the barren terrain into a vibrant and picturesque landscape. The bloom usually occurs after a period of unusually heavy rainfall, which triggers the dormant seeds to germinate and grow into colorful flowers. The Atacama Desert bloom attracts visitors from all over the world, who come to witness the natural wonder and take in the breathtaking scenery…We believe the Superbloom of the Chilean Desert is an imaginative picture for our time of what revival in our context could look like.  Jon Tyson
  • The central problem of our age, the real problem is this: the church of the Lord Jesus Christ, individually and corporately, has a tendency to do the Lord’s  work in the power of the flesh rather than of the Spirit . The central problem is always in the midst of the people of God, not in the circumstances surrounding them. Francis Schaeffer

 

  • There is the gravity inherent in human sin, the kind of entropy in human nature which guarantees that the vigor of spiritual life will constantly run down unless it is renewed through the channel of dependent prayer. Second, in response to prayer God pours out his Spirit and revives the declining life of his people, raising up new leaders and turning the hearts of the laity to himself. Richard Lovelace

 

  • If you have ever walked among giant redwoods, you will never be overwhelmed by the size of a dogwood tree. Or if you have been through a hurricane, a spring rain is nothing to fear. If you have been in the presence of the almighty God, everything that once controlled you suddenly has less power. Edward Welch

 

  • If you want to chart your progress on the spirituality journey, test the quality of your closest relationships—namely by love and the fruit of the Spirit. Would the people who know you best say you are becoming more loving, joyful, and at peace? More patient and less frustrated? Kinder, gentler, and softening with time, and pervaded by goodness? Faithful, especially in hard times, and self-controlled? John Mark Comer
  • Amid our busy schedules, we’re constantly juggling relationships and responsibilities and often feel like we’re dropping more balls than we’re keeping in the air. When we lack a consistent and thoughtful way of doing life well, we will end up distracted and overwhelmed by life, and our spiritual and emotional growth will plateau. Few of us want to take this approach to life, but it just seems to happen. We wind up: Scattered: Our schedule is full but doesn’t reflect our purpose and priorities. Hurried: We’re busier than we want to be, but don’t know what to change. Reactive: It seems we’re never in charge, always responding to demands. Exhausted: We end each day weary and discouraged, unsure if we’ve spent it well. My experience as a pastor has shown me that many of my friends and church members aren’t undone by poor theology or a lack of biblical information. Instead, we often fail to grow spiritually because we haven’t planned and made space for a deep, abiding fellowship with God. Jeremy Linneman
  • People do not drift toward Holiness. Apart from grace-driven effort, people do not gravitate toward godliness, prayer, obedience to Scripture, faith, and delight in the Lord. We drift toward compromise and call it tolerance; we drift toward disobedience and call it freedom; we drift toward superstition and call it faith. We cherish the indiscipline of lost self-control and call it relaxation; we slouch toward prayerlessness and delude ourselves into thinking we have escaped legalism; we slide toward godlessness and convince ourselves we have been liberated. D.A. Carson

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