“When Repentance Brings Refreshing”
“Revive. Restore. Renew.” Series
Sermon Notes for Lesson 4
February 19, 2023

I. When Our Hearts Stray…

A. Many people fail to experience healing because they fail to follow the doctor’s

! (II Chronicles 7:14)

B. The issue is whether the people will swallow the prescription and this last pill is the hardest of all!

C. We must turn from our

ways and then God will hear. (Malachi 3:7)

D. Not one time since 1953 has any United States President used the word “

” in association with an Annual National Day of Prayer.

E. While God will always love us, He will never

_ of our sin. (Matthew 27:46)

F. Revival comes when we turn our hearts away from sin and back to

_. (Joel 2:12-14)

G. Reflection/Discussion Question: Think about the word “repentance.” What are some common views or beliefs about repentance? If you were going to try to explain “repentance” to a person who had little or no familiarity with Scripture or church, how would you do that? How might Deuteronomy 30:17-18 help us to understand the nature of repentance?

II. What Do We Need To Turn Away From?

    A.  We need to turn away from 

  

    
       
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 religion!

1.  Some people try to wear the “mask” of religion to conceal the fact their    

  

    
       
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 is cold and distant from God. (Hebrews 6:1-2)

2. God is unmoved and unimpressed by the dutiful performance of religious activity  when the heart is not engaged and one’s life is still characterized by disobedience     and a lack of holiness! 

3.  The blood of Jesus says to us that our problem wasn’t on the outside, it is on the  

  

    
       
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. (Hebrews 9:13-14)

4.  If you are investing a lot of time and attention in external religious activity, but    your heart is detached and disengaged, then you need to 

  

    
       
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_.

5.  Reflection/Discussion Question: In what ways do Christians sometimes use    religion or religious/church activity as a substitute for a vibrant and life-changing   walk with Christ? Can you recall times when this may have happened in your life? 


    B.  We need to turn away from proud 

  

    
       
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!

1.  We tolerate sin because we are able to 

  

    
       
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_ it.

2.  God views sin as 

  

    
       
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_ because you have rejected His way.   (Isaiah 53:6; Psalm 51:4)

3.  Turning back to God means that I have begun to see 

  

    
       
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 as Jesus sees   it. (Matthew 5:29)

4.  Reflection/Discussion Question: In your circle of family members and friends,   what are some of the ways that Christians “reclassify” or “reframe” sin? How does   “reclassifying” or “reframing” sin impact our spiritual lives? How does it impact our   relationships?  


    C.  We need to yearn for and seek the gift of 

  

    
       
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_. (Acts 11:18;   II Peter 3:9)

1. Seek to cultivate a heart that daily turns from 

  

    
       
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_ and turns to God!    (Psalm 51:10)

2. 

  

    
       
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 is that wall around your heart that will keep you from loving God     and growing in your faith! It is a very serious spiritual condition.

3.  The radical surgery that will save your life is described in Acts 3:19: “Repent,    then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may     come from the Lord.”

4.  Reflection/Discussion Question: What is your reaction to the idea that  repentance is a “gift?” If repentance is a “gift,” what are some implications of this   truth? To what extent do you think Christians seek the “gift” of repentance? What gets  in the way of us seeking the “gift” of repentance?