This sermon emphasizes the need for personal reformation of the heart, going beyond historical reformation movements. It calls for a renewal, restoration, and revival of truth in individuals' lives, akin to reforming concrete to align with architectural plans. The sermon delves into the historical context of the Reformation 500 years ago, highlighting key figures like Martin Luther and the principles of Sola Scriptura, Sola Fide, Sola Gratia, Solus Christus, and Soli Deo Gloria. It challenges believers to put faith into action, return to the old paths of devotion, and examine their ways to turn back to the Lord in worship.

The Message this morning is the need for another Reformation the need for another Reformation and I'm really not talking about Particularly what happened 500 years ago. I'm talking about a personal Reformation of the heart me and Morgan were were Transformed with our trip recent trip to New York and just going to the Brooklyn Tabernacle and seeing their Tuesday night prayer service and 3,000 people Worshipping and and just it just came back with just with a renewed passion for what God can really do in a church that's on fire for him and Looking at and talking with the people there the need for a personal Reformation Is actually a greater need than Another Reformation I'm explaining what I mean by that in just a minute Because when when I put up the title the need for a Reformation most of us are like saying amen brother brother preach it The churches need to be changed the political system needs to be changed. I can get a huge amen on that one for sure So many things yes. Yes Reformation, but we forget that it actually starts here Reforming our own heart that reforms the the home that reforms our marriages and what I mean by Reformation is this it's a it's a Reforming a renewing a restoring a reviving of guess what? the truth Anytime in that word reform. I instantly thought of concrete Not everybody will know what I mean by that, but you you construction guys, especially in concrete You will know what I'm talking about reforming you you I remember many times I would come out and I would dig footings so they could put their Forms and then once they look they looked at the plans a little closer. They oh, we're off a foot So Shane, can you backfill the dirt and compact it? Very very good. So it's because we're actually in the house foundation now compact that and read do what remove? Those forms and reform it Reshape it according to the truth outlined in the archaeological and archaeological in the plans that the you know the I Knew that wasn't give me architect. Thank you. My goodness the architect the plans because who goes off with those plans, right? I mean the plumber can't say well, I'm gonna do I'm gonna put the restroom over here and the electrician Well, I'm gonna wire here and the roofer. I think the roof should go over here I mean who does that never? everybody goes off of the Actually the stamped set of plans the the most recent set of plans And that's what we have to do off in our own lives is to reform to renew to reshape to get back on track What we're celebrating after the second service and what the message is really centered around is what happened 500 years ago on October 31st Not everybody celebrates Halloween sometimes we celebrate the Reformation, right? That's a whole nother topic. But what happened 500 years ago? Well a person by the name of Martin Luther a monk who was actually in the Roman Catholic Church Started to read the Word of God and was actually saved by the verse that the jest shall live by faith And he was saved and as a result when you're saved and when you're looking at the Bible You'll see some inconsistencies within the established church. So he actually went after actually Protesting and went against the church. He had the audacity to what? And hammer the 95 thesis on the church doors of Wittenberg, Germany in 1517 these are all the grievances with the church that they need to go back to Let me pull this out a good reminder, right? Hey, what does this say now? What is everybody at what it because actually when it gets away from this anything goes anything goes that's when I Many of you saw the interview on Fox News That I did with a pastor who embraces the LGBT agenda and actually allows, you know anything to well I'm gonna not go there. I'm careful But what happens is it the whole battle was over this You know, this is changing. It really doesn't mean that anymore We can kind of we have a new truth now a new revelation of what God is doing. Where does that end? Because what you think then what what what he's telling me? Well what he's telling Pat and Chris and Mike it's all different You don't see it has to go back to the foundation back to the truth. So that's what we celebrate and believe it or not It actually didn't start with Martin Luther it started Well, let me let me just briefly talk about three different errors that they that we church in church in history in church history What they look at is the apostolic era. It's when they the church was born Then there's a church fathers era when people like Polly Carp Justin Martyr Ignatius Irenaeus Different church fathers in the early first second third centuries their writings We look to them and it's interesting. We were all part of the Catholic Church initially Okay, good nobody left yet, right That just means Rome that just means a universal church. We are all part of that and then around gosh 391 or so ad Rome married the church and That then became the position of power and authority and that's where many people Believe it a lot of the corruption came in Around that time and then that's when it became the Roman Catholic Church And then in my opinion because that's one argument They say well the Roman Catholic Church would say that our history is right from the apostolic era Shane right when Jesus built his church, but you guys started 500 years ago, and I usually say no We're actually we go back 2,000 years ago to what Christ said what the church was built upon the Word of God So in that time though, I think there was Reformation people were going back to the Word of God There were true, you know people following what God said We just don't have a lot of recorded history and then we get to around the 1380s 1384 John Wycliffe died. He had a stroke. He actually started to translate the Bible into The common tongue of the people that was not a good idea It was in Latin and they didn't want the people knowing the Bible That in and of itself should should tell you a lot. I made a promise today I wasn't gonna rail on different religions or different things, but I just here's the truth that it was in Latin So people like John Wycliffe who was called the morning star of the Reformation for this very reason and then people like Have you heard William Tyndale? Tyndale house John hus Actually hus means goose and when you get that phrase your goose is cooked from that William Tyndale and John hus were actually burned at the stake for translating the Bible Heretical heretics because they dare to challenge the established religious system of the day a lot to think about To be chained to a stake with wood underneath you and set on fire You see so there the this disagreement runs pretty deep between Protestants and Roman Catholics It's a pretty deep little hurt there, you know And and and I'm invited sometimes to ecumenical things Can't we all just get along and we can all get along when the foundation of Scripture if you go back to Scripture then the groups can get along and Protestant comes from the word protest so they protested what was being taught in the church at that time So hopefully that gives you a little bit of background So it's not some new movement that sprung out of the spirit of rebellion It actually was wanting to always go back to the initial teachings of the church and the initial teachings of Christ so a couple scriptures we're gonna put up on the screen when we talk about reviving renewing restoring going back to the truth Psalm 119 Psalm 119 The sum of your word the sum of your word is truth and every one of your righteous rules Endures forever forever. Did you catch that? It doesn't change It doesn't it's not relative based on our situation and then John 17 Jesus said sanctify them in the what relativism Sanctify them in the truth your word is Truth that's why a slogan we've always had here at Westside Christian Fellowship is times change, but Truth does not see it's the only sure foundation Jesus built the church on the truth We are to be sanctified which is to be cleansed to be renewed to be restored by the truth And then we look at John 1 and the word which is Jesus became flesh and dwelt among us and we have seen His glory the glory as the only Son from the Father full of grace Only Wait a minute. That's a big teaching right now Just grace just grace just mercy. That's it. No, there's an end in there grace and Truth so you have to have that I would be miserable if I didn't have that If I believe in ongoing revelation and that things change I would you would probably have to lock me up Because what do you what do you bank your life on? What do you raise your kids in? What do you go back to when you're drifting? Thank God for truth Think people died because of this and we take it so Nonchalantly today. I have eight of them. Really? There's people in China when they receive these they start crying And I've been reading to my friend who does missions work there sometimes they get through the Bible once every three months and Again, and again and again like four or five six times a year. I'm like, wow How do they find so much time see it's not finding the time it's the priority How many of you just spent three hours watching something last night that is over You watch a guy lick his bat, but we won't read the Word of God It's an inside joke, I just don't understand that but But I'm being serious we see we have the time it's not the time it's the priority If we this is God's you have to have that truth in your life because without it you start to drift So God I got to go back. What do you say? Oh, that's right. That's right, and it brings you back To what his word is John 8 if you abide in my word and you are truly my disciples You will know the truth and the truth will set you free Do you want to be set free of many things this morning? Now it's interesting here to know the truth. Here's where we make the mistake. You can study this word in the Greek There's a whole Bible dictionary on these things, but many times you think you know what I know it But Shane, I'm not set free actually knowing in this context is to apply it We have to if you apply the truth you will be set free if You apply it even the demonic realm knows What the truth is? But they don't apply it. So the power comes in the application. That's why I always say that So the true church the true church because everybody claims it right there's a church down the street That's the truth true church Jehovah Witness. That's the truth true church Seventh-day Adventist, that's the true church Roman Catholicism, that's the true church. I actually had a quote on here. I took it out this morning I probably should have left it from Catholicism org that says there's no salvation actually outside of the Roman Catholic Church And so see I'm not and people say why are you why are you putting and I get meaning but I'm just this now if I'm telling A lie, call me on it. If I'm saying something that's incorrect. Tell me but if this is all true and it's just facts Why do people get upset? The true church was built 2,000 years ago and it holds to Christ teachings Not perfectly, but we tighten our grip when necessary It's it's interesting I'm glad I don't do this ever again, I'll never forget it. It's the first time I've had a heatstroke There was something at our fair in town known as the Rural Olympics and There was East Side against West Side tug of war You guys remember that and guess who they asked to be on the tug-of-war team? I didn't know you could hold a rope and pull so long. I mean for so long I mean you think a tug of war is over right a couple seconds I think this was like five six minutes of Pulling as hard as you can and they had the bodybuilders against the farmers and the farmers won It's interesting Think Troy green many of you I just talked to him yesterday in Idaho He was on the team. He was a big anchor. I think six five or 350 pounds or something and we thought we could win but You kept losing your grip, you know You couldn't you just your hands were falling and I was just you know And finally I had a heatstroke afterwards and but just tightening but it reminded me of truth You have to go back and you tighten your grip around the truth. Okay I'm falling off course. I'm losing. I have to come back and tighten my grip on this. So that's the true church It the true church is throughout all of the world we can take you to India or South America or Uganda and the true church are the brothers and sisters in Christ are there because they love the Lord They've repented of their sin and they believe so be very careful of any church It tells you you have to belong to our church You have to be baptized by our person you have to say the right things So from this Reformation 500 years ago Came five things that are important and you should probably know about many of you already do know about it number one Sola scriptura Sola all these come from the Latin, of course Sola meaning singular one person Sola scriptura and what they meant by that is Scripture alone The reason is because papal authority the Pope actually could decree things that were that superseded the Bible Okay, it's it's not really what this says. It's what they decree. So that became the standard of authority Not the Bible So you have to go back to Sola scriptura the the inerrancy of Scripture 2nd Timothy 3 6 I think there's a handout that you all have with these verses 2nd Timothy 3 16 actually from the King James I learned a lot of these in the King James. So I use that that Bible from time to time You know what I should maybe throw this out there for those listening For you that are curious people probably one of the top questions I get is what translation is best? So that is actually on our website. I went through an hour teaching on what translation is best or what translation or should you use? What's the difference? How do we get our Bible? It's on our website if you search for that King James 2nd Timothy 3 16 all scripture is given by inspiration of God and it's profitable for doctrine for reproof and for correction for instruction and righteousness that the man of God May be perfect not a perfect person but complete and everything they do Thoroughly furnished unto all good works. So that's the point of scripture See, it's interesting. It's profitable for doctrine. Okay, do you want to know the heart of God and how to live? It's profitable for that. Do you want to? reproof somebody hopefully you don't want to hopefully just comes from time to time and that's why preaching sometimes gets a Bad mark. Oh, it's it's correcting me. It's it's convicting me. Can't you guys just tell me what I want to hear? It doesn't do that. It reproofs it rebukes It corrects off isn't interesting rebuking a doctrine correction Instruction and righteousness with how to live those four things. Tell me it's going to be challenging more often than it's encouraging Because we're often off track and to get back on track See, it's not like we're always walking on track and sometimes we do need encouragement We need to be built up when to me when I'm convicted I change I am built up Is interesting, you know, it's not always just beating up beat But it's profitable for correction and instruction and righteousness that you may be thoroughly furnished that you have everything you need So I could spend a whole sermon on this, but I pulled something from got questions org Because the question always comes up Shane you just believe in a book that was put together By men some men met at a council and they said him. I think this one's good. I think this one's good I think this one's good a couple things. You need to know for sure The letters of Paul that the letters from John the the Jude and these different books of the Bible They were already being used by the early church in the first century in the second century in the third century These letters were viewed as canonical being can't being being authoritative than the New Testament They already had the Old Testament. That was a given the books of the Old Testament were a given They've been passed down for hundreds of years the New Testament These are just letters that were the church was already using so when the council meant I don't want to give you the exact date 300 something 80 They just they just said here's the books that the church has already been recognizing so see they didn't bring in all these because that's what people say to get you off track and Actually when people say things they don't really know what they're talking about They if you challenge him on things name one verse of the Bible that's wrong. Well, that's what I've been told Well council met and they did this. What council was that? How'd they go about doing it? So see they just they just throw things out there So you need to know that you also need to know for Bible got questions org For a book of the Bible to qualify the author had to be an apostle or had a close connection with the Apostle The book was accepted by the body of Christ at large by the early church. The book contains consistency of doctrine and Orthodox teaching the book bears evidence of high moral spiritual values that were to reflect the work of the Holy Spirit That's why they say it's it's not really 66 books. It's one book written by one author So you have all these these books that match the authoritative and then the Catholic Bible has something called the Apocrypha And they throw in Maccabees they throw in different books of the Bible interesting reads Sometimes but they're not authoritative. We don't look at those as being Being ordained by God to be the canon of Scripture and in many books They'll they'll like the Da Vinci Code think that was one and these different they'll throw out. What about this book? It says Jesus was married Well, what about this book? It says this but is it consistent with Scripture and how many years ago it was written? A lot of this is fake and and fake news. We have bad fake news back then too So that's where the Scriptures come from sola scriptura Then the second point sola fide Burnett forgive me if I don't pronounce these correctly. I didn't look at my Latin Translation sola fide faith alone faith alone. So see you have Scripture and then you have faith alone Romans 5 1 Therefore all of you that are believers being justified by faith See that's how we're justified But the church was teaching that you're justified by what? works God did so many works for God today. I'm gonna go to heaven. It's it's not biblical. So faith alone Faith alone is this God. I believe you are who you said you are I believe that I am a sinner in need of a Savior. I repent of my sin. I confess Christ to Savior and Lord I believe in my heart. I have faith that you are sufficient in a person to save But see the works flow from it because I don't know anybody that's truly saved that doesn't do works you can't it's like you have The Holy Spirit now in you. It's like Shane. We got to do works. We got to do works You got it I mean every when you're full at the spirit everywhere you go you want to talk about Christ The person on the corner the person here that's door. It's just this work of God There's fruit everywhere because of the correct branch that is within you the correct fruit and that's the argument All you guys do is Protestants you preach faith and faith and faith you minimize works You just sit at home and have faith no your fate has feet You show me your faith. See they say show me your faith by my works We say no, we'll show you faith because of faith alone and we work we have works because of our faith So that was one of the sticking points It's faith alone Justified by faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ Something is very interesting. If you just have works works works works and don't know Christ. You have no peace. I Asked somebody he got upset at me at the gym a couple years ago Jehovah Witness Do you know where you're going? No, I don't and I won't know until I get there. Do you have peace? No, he's angry, man No peace no hope but a lot of works and he was mad about those works So you see if it's just because how if you just stop and think for a minute When does it I got to do the guy I got to do this I got to do this and God's gonna not sit and look at us in heaven go gosh You did do a lot of work. She did a lot of bad things too. And let me just weigh these on a scale No, I'd be miserable wouldn't you? Because you're each day. Oh, did I do it my mind's thinking bad things of that now I got to do another good work I do a few good works, but then now I'm doing in the good works because of pride and ego now that I'm actually in Sin, so they're not good works. They don't even count Because let's be honest how many of our good works are really? Good work straight from the heart. I'll just leave you. I'll just let you chew on that one So faith alone Ephesians 2 8 for by grace you have been saved through faith and it's not of yourself It's the gift of God So we go back to faith and faith alone Sola gratia sola gratia grace alone Romans 324 being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus So it's by grace alone again, not by work so that the Martin Luther was going back to this actually John Calvin Eurek Zwingli in Switzerland John Knox in Scotland. They were going all back to this truth solo Christo Solo Christo, and it's solo instead of sola because it's a masculine form their solo Christo Christ alone Now this might seem odd to some of us, but back then It was Christ plus certain things Christ plus I have to do these things. So I said no, it's it's Christ alone Matthew 7 21 not everyone that says unto me Lord Lord shall enter the kingdom of heaven But he that doth the will of my father which is in heaven John 14 6 Jesus said unto them. I am the way the truth the life No man comes unto the father, but by me That's pretty narrow So see they were going back to that because they're teaching the people just go to Christ Christ alone not these things and and they have things where you could actually Put put money into a coffer put money into a box or something and you could spring your relatives and friends out of purgatory More money quicker, they'll be out. I mean, can you see why this is infuriated true believers? I Mean purgatory is not even a biblical concept And I mentioned before I when I met with a priest down in Santa Clarita of a large church 4,000 people church And I asked him what about purgatory goes with Shane our shame and guilt has to be done with somehow Did you catch that we have to go to purgatory because our shame and guilt Has to be dealt with somehow That that dealt with it that dealt with everything so you don't have to go somewhere and get punished for your sins for a certain time It's already been paid See, none of that's biblical. So that's why people get passionate They get upset because it's not correct. You're leading people down a false road and then the fifth one Where I'd want to just camp out a minute Solely deo gloria Forgive my pronunciation solely deo gloria to the glory of God alone To the glory of God alone first Corinthians 1031 the English Standard Version So whatever you do, whatever you eat, whatever you drink, whatever you do do all to the glory of God whatever you do due to the glory of God See individual reformation leads to larger change Individual reformation and I will tell you this as a living witness no reformation will occur without accepting the Holy Spirit's correction and Guidance No reformation will start in your heart in the church without accepting the Holy Spirit's correction and his guidance Many of you have heard the the verse and we've taught it taught on it many times that that salt about salt losing its its savor Right losing its flavor. Jesus said that how will how will you be any good if that salt loses its its its savor that that's That that that you know when you taste salt that that saltiness that it has a light Is it is it meant to be put underneath a bushel? It's meant to be Shown But I started to think about this when I was a kid How does salt lose its savor? How does it lose its preserving effect? How do churches? How do pastors Christians fall away Depending on your theology if they fall away if they don't fall away the bottom line is we can walk away From God we can begin to get carnal in our thinking we can begin to drift our salt Loses its effectiveness. Have you ever had salt? That's no good. I Think it's it's I don't know that the chemical makeup but chlorine dioxide or something sodium dioxide But the the salt there's two ways interesting I look this up two ways that salt can lose its savor can lose its effect The first is an outside influence Try dipping your salt in water and then take it and then put it on me put it you won't even taste it same thing with the believer same thing with you in this room an outside influence can come in and Begin to quench that work of God begin to quench and grieve what God is doing it It takes all the savor away. It's an outside influence And then the second thing an internal change in our taste buds Something can happen on the inside So see salt loses its effectiveness by what's coming on the outside and guess what else what's coming from the inside? Something within us can change it So if the taste buds when a person's sick, have you ever noticed or they told you I just don't taste the things anymore I can't taste that one of the interesting things that happened to me over the years of fasting and different things is Now I crave broccoli I crave bell peppers cut up and put into hummus what my taste buds used to hate that what happened? something changed within Changing within and that happens here with salt if there's something changing in your body's changing in your taste buds You will not taste that. So is there something within us that is drifting? Is there something within us that is that is starting to weigh weighed away from God? But think of that song give me Jesus if you're singing that song with a cold Callous heart if it doesn't mean anything to you, may I suggest? That there may be a drift going on May I suggest that you that there's a possibility of losing that first love? May I suggest that what God is wanting to do in your heart is being stripped away by outside and internal influences That's why I often say if worship is boring if worship is hard if it's distracting if you can't say sing sing Oh Jesus, I love you. Oh how I love you, but you can't wait to watch the Dodgers something is wrong In the heart there might be a drift that is happening And with your permission I'm going to add another sola if I can 500 years later. Are you ready for this one? I'm gonna take a drink first on this one Because this is going to hit home Sola is the Latin but the word after it is not it's English ready sola action Put feet to our faith Put feet to our faith. This is a big issue in the American Church. I Recently read a quote we're professing believers, but practical atheists I Had to sink in for a minute because it's very easy to believe it's very easy to be here But when have we went out and actually put feet to our faith? When was the last time? Many of you here visited the hospital homes When was the last time you reached out to the homeless in our community? When was the last time that we did something see it's not meant and this is hard. Trust me. I struggle too It's not just about absorbing and absorbing and absorbing. It's about absorbing God and then giving it out. I Mean it's interesting. There's a there's a something they're doing in Lancaster I might talk about this more for in a little bit in the way as the weeks come but they're wanting to get the homeless people out of the cold this winter and They're asking some churches to house them on certain nights And Minister to them and the first thought I had was wonderful That sounds great. The second thought I had is would anybody be willing to do that? Because I don't know about you But I'm getting tired of being fed up on this fed that it's probably not right word But being fed right on the Word of God, but then not giving it out That's why many people are stifled in their growth that's why they're angry and unproductive Because you weren't designed to just take in and take that that's actually selfishness as a fellow struggler, right? Right here admitting it. It's the hard part learn I mean, I can sit to I can read the Bible all morning. I can listen to air one on the radio I can put on apps. I can listen to Jim Simbala's book on tape put on my bluetooth. I can do all these things Feed me feed me feed me but when it comes to putting faint feet to our faith, that's where we can look practically like atheists and That is meant to cut a little deep. It is meant to challenge We also have something we're going to talk about the end of the service about water wells and bringing water to Children that they have to walk miles and miles and miles to just get water Is anyone convicted or just me? I Remember growing up you had to park your car outside and then something built called a garage comes from a French word in the early 1900s to house a vehicle and If one car garage wasn't enough guess what came out and then when my short time in real estate everybody wanted to get a house with a And just this week I thought about those things it just it really it hurt my heart Because how See, we don't notice see we get very I'm very good at staying to the truth in my mind but we don't realize how far we've drifting when it comes to putting our feet into motion Because God didn't save us just to save us. He saved us to make a difference and How blessed we are? I'm not joking about three-car garage now, there's Four car garages and then all these storage units to do what? See we got we really have to put this stuff in perspective sola action Sola action. This is where the rubber meets the road. This is where it's gonna hurt a little bit We've got to do something with our faith So I am going to lovingly challenge this congregation on some of these things in the weeks to come and It's hard. I get frustrated. Maybe just at my own self, but I'll get emails that you know Shane We need more helpers. We need more servers in the hospital homes ministry We don't have enough people that can go visit them on Sundays people that are looking for the whole week They're looking forward to Sunday afternoon when we bring the church to them And I see the email I sometimes I get mad maybe mad at myself maybe I could do more we don't have enough people To hold on let me get this straight. We don't have enough people to go and visit Take an hour or two out of their day and go visit these people who desperately need to know about the love of God There's a problem there And again, I'm not coming up here with the whip Because as Leonard Ravenhill said you need to weep before you weep But It should touch your heart. This is the point. I mean I and maybe it's me Maybe it's a season of life, but okay preaching the Word of God preaching the Word of God. It's wonderful We're getting in part of it by truth, but if it doesn't produce Action if it doesn't produce us going out and making a difference What is the point really because we're supposed to be going out and doing something so that's the first part of sola action is put feet to our faith the next part about action is We do need to go back to the old paths Go back to the old paths Do you remember do you remember when this meant everything some of you are there? I know but some of you you've drifted off that old path the Bible says go back return to the old path Return and I and I thought about this week. Where are they today? Where are these guys? Where are these guys? Where are the are the White Cliffs who stood so? Unyielding for the truth that he was called the morning star of the Reformation Where is the Tyndale's and the Husses who were burned at the stake for simply declaring the truth of God's Word? Where are the Martin Luther's who when he was faced by his executioner? He said here I stand I can do no other Where are the Euric Zwingli's who preached in Switzerland so boldly that he was often being chased People wanted to kill him where the John Knox's I love John Knox. You should read this guy's biography. He said give me Scotland for the cause of Christ or I shall die Where's that today? Who's saying give me Lancaster God give me Lancaster give me Palmdale Give me this Leona Valley give me it for the cause of Christ or I shall die The reason they're feeling that is they feel the work of the Holy Spirit in their hearts and they have to do it George Whitfield who brought the UK and America to her knees DL Moody who stood so unyielding for the truth Richard Richard Baxter the Puritan who said I preach as a dying man to dying men Where are they today? Yes, I know they're here and they're there don't get me wrong But we need to put action back into our faith So I'll leave you with the closing prayer I'll leave you with our closing action Our prayer is this 25 Psalm 25 5 and I prayed this many times this week God lead me Lead me in your truth God lead me in your truth and teach me for you are the God of my salvation for you I wait all the day long Are you praying that Lord lead me to your truth because you better be praying that because if you're not praying it guess what direction? You might be going Remember the human heart by default is already set on sin Let me just turn this dial on sin. So if I don't do anything, that's the direction I'm going So Lee, oh, there's another prayer lead me not into temptation Jesus I pray like this lead me not into temptation So our prayer this morning should be God lead me into your truth Teach me for you are the God of my salvation for you. I wait all the day long For you, I wait. Did you know that hurry is the archenemy of devotion? Hurry hurry hurry hurry hurry going here Do you cannot be devoted to God in that sense of seeking it? You know many of you know right now that when you can spend that time away with God, you are a new person Because the spirits being built up and the flesh is being crucified We have a retreat that men go to women go to it's twice a year talk to Mike Livingston after the service We just had a group of guys come back from it and a group of women there right now They are being transformed by the power of God Anytime you take that little thing in your pocket that beeps all the time you shut it off and you say Lord I'm going to seek you guess what with an hour you have withdrawals We don't realize how hurried we've become and that's the enemy of devotion. That's what's happening It says just wait for we don't know how to wait anymore. Do we try going to New York? Oh my goodness Nobody knows how to wait Fast-paced fast-paced fat everything so fast-paced go and wait. She's just wait on me and Then our action this week needs to be Lamentations 3 40 through 41 let us search out and examine our ways and turn back to the Lord Let us lift our hearts and hands to God in heaven Is that powerful in Lamentations who would ever thought? Lamentations is Jeremiah lamenting over the destruction of Jerusalem because of the sins of the people So he's encouraging people. Let us search out. See no matter how far you've drifted no matter how far you've gone Let us search out and examine our ways Isn't interesting search search means to examine and to investigate does my lifestyle line up with God's Word or do I need? to tighten my grip examine ourselves Turn back to the Lord lift up our hearts and hands to God in heaven See as a result of turning back to God I begin to worship It's interesting there's a whole debate in the church right the hand raisers and on hand raisers the suit and the tie the not suit and tie The charismatic songs the conservative songs the hymnals the contemporary the suit and tie the this attire You know, you have those different things going the worship wars. There's whole books written on the worship wars But the bottom line when your hearts turn back to God just like it said here Let us lift up our hearts and hands to God in heaven See to me. It's actually a point of submission Because to do this 25 years ago, I would have laughed at you Bunch of God babies Worships for women. That's what is this? And we'll praise our favorite team Won't we Look at that because see it's what's happening in the heart. That's why people how many people jumped off the couch? I can't believe I did you see that hit? Did you see all that? Did you what are they doing? They're excited They're worshiping. So that's all it is when it says we lift up. Holy hands to the Lord. Our hearts are on fire for him We want to worship we want to because it's what's happening in the heart See, I don't know about you, but I can't I can't just sit there and let's get through these guys 30 more minutes. I Can't do that any more than I could tell my kids to just sit outside of Disneyland for three hours and do nothing Why what's going on in the heart So you have to wonder And I was convicted at Tuesday night, New York 3,000 people I'd say 2,500 We're not ashamed to worship They were worshiping yet. That sound was just penetrate and if people were all nationalities black white red blue yellow all languages Now it doesn't matter you don't worship more the more you turn up the volume you do have people that act weird That's not worship But if something is happening in your heart if God grips my heart Isn't there isn't there an emotional response? Isn't there something God? I just want to worship you something in my heart I mean tell the father who saw his prodigal son coming to just settle down So now just wait for him to sit at the table and wait What did that father have to do he ran to the sign he ran you tell the blind men who were just healed to be quiet See Action is a normal response. It's a God-given response when something vital happens So think about that verse as we worship let us search out and examine our ways and turn back to the Lord Let us lift up our hearts and hands to God in heaven