Sunday, February 8, 2026
Saturday, February 7, 2026
TIME TO DECIDE: The Will of God in Our Lives 2-8-26
TIME TO DECIDE: The Will of God in Our Lives 2-8-26
INTRODUCTION
Renewal comes from God but begins with decisions we have to make.
Angels, dreams, fleece v my reality
Once generations accepted what they were taught. Then generations challenged. Then generations began tinkering.
Tinkering - Doctrines, practices, values, churches, relationships
When my son lived at home he had a motorcycle, car, moped, pocket bikes, bikes in all manners of disrepair at our home. He likes to tinker. He now has motorcycles in his garage.
Tinkering leads to indecision. Stops and starts. Uninformed decisions. Chaos.
59 years - childhood certain, sure, unchanging
Young minister professional, all business,
Recently uncertain, focused on people, dynamic, active
What does God want?
Romans 12:1-2 NIV
“Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. 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.”
Romans 12:1-2 NIV
Let us pray.
I. The Seduction of Freedom
"Freedom is not procured by a full enjoyment of what is desired, but by controlling the desire."
Epictetus
A. Freedom as the highest outcome of life
B. Freedom as a value
C. Freedom as an end goal
“I know but one freedom and that is the freedom of the mind.”
Antoine de Saint-Exupery
II. The Satisfaction of Searching for "God's Will"
When Betty Goldstein of Staten Island, New York, entered the hospital, her husband Ron wrapped her 3.5-carat diamond ring in a napkin for safekeeping. But in a forgetful moment, the 63-year-old Goldstein threw the napkin in the trash.
When he realized his mistake, he dashed outside, only to see the garbage truck rumbling down the street. So he called the local sanitation department and got permission to follow the truck to a transfer station. Workers began sorting through hundreds of garbage bags and recovered the ring an hour later.
Dennis Davidson, “Discerning and Discovering Spiritual Blessings”, 7/4/2011.
The goal was to find the ring.
A. A beginning with no end
B. Certainty of nothing
C. A search without discovery
D. Activity with no action
"Success is finding God’s will for your life and doing it.”
Dr. Bob Jones, Sr., Founder of Bob Jones University in Greenville, South Carolina.
III. Living the Will of God
George W. Truett said: "To know the will of God is the greatest knowledge! To do the will of God is the greatest achievement!"
George W. Truett, "Toolkit," Cell Church, Winter, 1996, p. 10.
1 Peter 2:15 NIV
“For it is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish people.”
1 Peter 2:15 NIV
A. How can we know the will of God?
Charles Swindoll from his book The Mystery of Gods Will (pgs 44-51) gives us the following insight in how we can know:
1. God leads us through His written Word.
2. God leads us through the inner prompting of the HS.
3. God leads us through the counsel of wise, qualified trustworthy people.
4. God leads us into His will by giving us an inner assurance of peace.
B. How can we accomplish the will of God?
C. How can we help others live the will of God?
"Sir, my concern is not whether God is on our side; my greatest concern is to be on God’s side, for God is always right."
Abraham Lincoln
CONCLUSION
Are you living God's will right now? Are you doing what God would have you do?
“You feel you were hedged in you dream of escape; but beware of mirages. Do not run or fly away in order to get free: rather dig in the narrow place which has been given you; you will find God there and everything. God does not float on your horizon, he sleeps in your substance. Vanity runs, love digs. If you fly away from yourself, your prison will run with you and will close in because of the wind of your flight; if you go deep down into yourself it will disappear in paradise.
A quote of Gustave Thibon; given in a lecture by Gabriel Marcel, 1942.
“Just do it.”
Nike
“Have you decided to follow Jesus?”
INVITATION
It is our custom to offer an "invitation" following the preaching of the Word. You may want to follow Jesus. You may want to proclaim your faith. You may want to repent (stop doing ungodly things and start doing Godly things). Perhaps you want to be baptized for the forgiveness of your sins and receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Possibly, if you have already responded to God’s call in these ways, you would like to become a member of Kenwood Church. If you have been moved by the Holy Spirit to make a decision in your life, you can come forward now. If you would like, I would be honored to speak with you following the service about what God is doing in your life.
Sunday, February 1, 2026
Saturday, January 31, 2026
RENEWAL 2026: The Renewed Mind, part 2 2-1-26
RENEWAL 2026: The Renewed Mind, part 2 2-1-26
INTRODUCTION
Renewal 2026!
We have hope of renewed strength, spirit, and joy. We have that promise! God is the source of our renewed strength, spirit, and joy. We are renewed. We have a new self.
Matthew 11:28-30 NIV
““Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.””
Matthew 11:28-30 NIV
Remember from the first sermon in this series:
“The renewal of our natures is a work of great importance. It is not to be done in a day. We have not only a new house to build up, but an old one to pull down.”
George Whitefield
God has changed us to that we can live a new life free of the old attachments. As God changes us, we are even given a renewed mind. The old has gone; the new has come.
I. THE RENEWED MIND
Ephesians 4:22-24 NIV
“You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.”
Ephesians 4:22-24 NIV
A. Old desires
B. New attitudes
Henry David Thoreau, in his classic book, Walden, told of a powerful custom of the Mucclasse Indians. Once each year, they had a village clean up called a "busk." First they would make new clothes for themselves as well as furniture and cooking utensils. They would keep all of these new things in a building outside of the village. When everything was ready, they would begin their annual spring cleaning.
Every corner of every house was scrubbed. Every stick of furniture was thrown out. Every child's toy went to the garbage heap. The dirt paths were swept, and the weeds were plucked up. Even the food left over from winter was thrown out. All of the refuse in the village was gathered together into a pile in the center of the village. Then the chief set it on fire. As they watched it burn, they took off their clothes and tossed them into the fire as well. They tended the fire carefully and made sure that every last piece of garbage was burned.
On the fourth morning, they washed and bathed, and dressed in their new clothes. They then gathered again at the heart of the village. The chief started a new fire and from the flames each family took burning sticks home to start their own fires. The old was gone, life was beginning again!
Perry Greene, Sermon Central, April 1, 2013.
C. New self
1. Like God in true righteousness
2. Like God in true holiness
II. THE TRANSFORMED MIND
Dr. Jim Berg uses the illustration of a tea bag to help us understand that it is not financial, social, medical, or circumstantial pressures that causes man to sin. When a tea bag is put into hot water, the water activates the tea in the bag, unleashing its taste into the water around it. The hot water doesn't create the taste, it merely reveals, or draws out, what is in the tea bag. The circumstances around you only reveal what is still in your heart. If you don't like the flavor of the tea, then you must change the ingredient within the bag, or rather your heart.
Your either making bitter tea or tea that is pleasing to God. In view of the price paid for your sins at Calvary, I urge you to look to Christ. Only He can bring about Biblical change.
Terry Laughlin, Sermon Central, August 11, 2008.
Romans 12:1-2 NIV
“Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. 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.”
Romans 12:1-2 NIV
A. Worship-focused
B. Nonconformity
C. The transformed mind
D. Capable of knowing God’s will
III. THE RENEWED WAY OF THINKING
A. New thinking begins with you
Romans 12:3 NIV
“For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you.”
Romans 12:3 NIV
B. The renewed way
Duke University did a study on “peace of mind.” Factors found to contribute greatly to emotional and mental stability are:
· The absence of suspicion and resentment. Nursing a grudge was a major factor in unhappiness.
· Not living in the past. An unwholesome preoccupation with old mistakes and failures leads to depression.
· Not wasting time and energy fighting conditions you cannot change. Cooperate with life, instead of trying to run away from it.
· Force yourself to stay involved with the living world. Resist the temptation to withdraw and become reclusive during periods of emotional stress.
· Refuse to indulge in self-pity when life hands you a raw deal. Accept the fact that nobody gets through life without some sorrow and misfortune.
· Cultivate the old-fashioned virtues—love, humor, compassion and loyalty
· Do not expect too much of yourself. When there is too wide a gap between self-expectation and your ability to meet the goals you have set, feelings of inadequacy are inevitable.
· Find something bigger than yourself to believe in. Self-centered egotistical people score lowest in any test for measuring happiness.
http://www.bible.org.
Philippians 4:4-9 NIV
“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.”
Philippians 4:4-9 NIV
1. Everything begins with praise.
2. Everything is followed by prayer.
3. Peace comes from a new way of thinking
a. Positive thoughts (inner life/outer action)
i. True and noble
ii. Right and pure
iii. Lovely and admirable
iv. Excellent and praiseworthy
b. Positive actions (lesson and response)
i. That which is taught and received
ii. Heard from me and seen in me
4. Right thoughts lead to right actions!
5. “And the God of peace will be with you.”
"The vision that you glorify in your mind, the ideal that you enthrone in your heart this you will build your life by, this you will become."
James Allen
CONCLUSION
"Garner up pleasant thoughts in your mind, for pleasant thoughts make pleasant lives."
John Wilkins, 17th century clergyman
We have been given a new mind. We have been given a transformed mind. We have been given a new way of thinking.
INVITATION
It is our custom to offer an "invitation" following the preaching of the Word. You may want to follow Jesus. You may want to proclaim your faith. You may want to repent (stop doing ungodly things and start doing Godly things). Perhaps you want to be baptized for the forgiveness of your sins and receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Possibly, if you have already responded to God’s call in these ways, you would like to become a member of Kenwood Church. If you have been moved by the Holy Spirit to make a decision in your life, you can come forward now. If you would like, I would be honored to speak with you following the service about what God is doing in your life.
Sunday, January 25, 2026
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)