YOUR FIRST STEP
BIBLE PASSAGE: Psalm 51: 1-12; Rev.2:5; 3:3; MARK 15:19-20,
33-39
SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON
APRIL
28, 2019
Lesson
prepared by: krisha of Solomon FB page
MEMORY
VERSE
2 Corinthians 13:5 (KJV)
Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your
own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you,
except ye be reprobates?
INTRODUCTION:
If we were in a situation where we deeply need spiritual
revival, and I’ll ask some of you today, “Do you find yourselves easy going
back to your spiritual ministry?” (Allow responses) Why there are some we say
Christians, we have known for so long, yet they’re having a very hard time
going back or getting revived? What do you think the reasons?
I have been in the church for 28 years and personally I see
people come and go. Some people left for economic purposes, some for spiritual
decline, money issue (debts), relationship problem with other members and
others personal reasons. I see that their desire of coming back are there, but
they are entangled with the issues of life that they can’t move and stand all
over again.
Some people say that it would be easy, just go to church. One
example: one woman was in a relationship with her co-member in a certain
church. They have been in relationship for six years and suddenly, he decided
to break up with this woman. One day the woman heard the man he loved for six
years has been dating a new member. If you were to place yourself in her
situations, what would you do? Aren’t you affected? This is easy to say but
hard to do. We can’t move on with our own; we need God, but we need to make our
first step. In our lesson for today is
titled “YOUR FIRST STEP.”
LESSON PROPER:
1 1) YOUR
FIRST STEP SHOULD BE TO HAVE THE RIGHT SPIRIT WITHIN YOU (Psalm 51:10; 2 CORINTHIANS 13:5)
There are several things involved
in keeping a right spirit within us. David found that his sin had
scarred and soiled his innermost being. He observed how an evil heart affected
King Saul. He never wanted his life to become empty and meaningless. He never
wanted the Holy Spirit to withdraw from his life. After you deal with the guilt
in your life, you have to live a life that is free from offense. At one
time David had lived with everything right between him and God. David
would play his harp and the Spirit of God would come. He knew the peace, joy,
power, and presence of God. When he sinned, David lost that and was
filled with a guilt that he attempted to hide. David had been living with the
pain of guilt for almost a year. He could find no way to suppress the mental
image of his sin. Although he did not speak of his guilt, it was always
present. He was covering up his sin. He knew he had transgressed the
law and love of the Lord His God. Then came the day when Nathan
confronted the guilty King of Israel. All of a sudden, everything he
had been trying to cover up was exposed. David had taken Bathsheba, the wife of
Uriah. He had committed adultery with her. Then to complicate everything, he
tried to cover his sin by ordering Uriah to be killed. David was exposed.
He had a reputation of being a man after God’s own heart. Yet,
now, he stood guilty before the man of God. Psalms 51 is David’s prayer for
forgiveness.
“Oh, God renew a right spirit
within me.”
What are the affects of a renewed
spirit?
A renewed spirit is a spirit after
God.
It is easy to become stagnant. We
need our spirit stirred. We need our spirit renewed with a passion for Christ.
A renewed spirit is a spirit of faith. Doubt, fear, guilt, and unbelief
get into one’s spirit. We need faith renewed in our spirit to accomplish the
things God has for us. Without a vital living faith we cannot please God. A
renewed spirit is a spirit of compassion. The world and sin have a way
of hardening us. If we live with the spirit of the world in us, we can become
indifferent to the suffering of others. We need to be renewed in our spirit
with the love of Jesus Christ. A renewed spirit is a spirit of holiness. The
salvation that God provides through faith in Jesus Christ is the only solution
for a heart and spirit that is defiled by sin. Holiness is to the soul what
health is to the body. Holiness cannot be possessed if you are controlled
by sin. The Holy Spirit’s within us changes the evil nature and gives holiness
and righteousness. A renewed spirit is a spirit of joy. No one
can experience true joy when their inner man is burdened and stained with sin. Only
God, by Jesus Christ, can give you joy. How do you keep a right spirit in
you? Follow these steps to keeping what you have gained.
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First, maintain fellowship with God. Our spirit needs
constant fellowship with God. Part of David’s prayer that dealt with the guilt
of his sin said: “Do not cast me from your presence or take your
Holy Spirit from me.”
David recognized the need to be
with God. If you are going to keep what you have gained, you must stay in
fellowship with God. At one point in David’s life, he became so wrapped up in
the guilt of his sin that his conscience was completely eaten up by
it. He had been engaged in lust over Bathsheba. Gradually temptation
gained control of his life. He was drawn away by lust. His spirit
and soul were darkened by sin. James 1:14-15 But every man
is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust and enticed. Then when lust
hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin when it is finished, bringeth
forth death. It is impossible to maintain fellowship with God and live in
sin. Psalm 16: Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy
presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.
Have you lost the joy of His
presence?
If the joy is gone, there is only
one way to get it back into your life.
Acts 3:19 Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your
sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the
presence of the Lord
Refreshing comes from the presence
of the Lord. Most of us could stand some refreshing. God’s desire is for
His people to be refreshed. He wants us to go from strength to strength. He
wants to transform valleys of weeping into springs of rejoicing.
He wants to increase your strength
from Him. David had been blinded by his sin. Sin can have that
effect on your life. When Nathan told David what he had done, his eyes were
opened. David did not become defensive. He recognized his need
for refreshing. He knew he had lost his joy. He knew he had strayed from the
presence of God. How do you keep a right spirit in you? First, maintain
fellowship with God.
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Second, you need
the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is God’s gift to help you keep things right. Jesus
knew that we would need the Holy Spirit’s help in our lives.
Acts 1:8 “But ye shall receive power, after
that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses...” Most
of us in the church need some help in our daily lives. The Holy Spirit
is God the Helper, Comforter, and Guide. We need His power to keep what we have
gained. We need His power to live the life. We need the power of the Holy
Spirit in our lives. When the Holy Spirit comes upon you, He will
demonstrate the power of God that changes the way you live. Many people are
trying to do it on their own. They try to keep the joy. They try to
keep the peace. They try to keep the love. They try to keep the kindness They
try…Have you been trying? It is the work of the Holy Spirit that gives us
the fruit, and the power. The Holy Spirit is God’s gift that maintains
and sustains us. David knew he could not make it without the Holy Spirit.
He had seen the effect of a life that was devoid of the Holy Spirit. He witnessed the effect of the Holy Spirit
leaving King Saul. Sin had robbed Saul of the presence and power of the
Spirit of God. Have you noticed that the guilt of sin robs you of the evidence
of the Holy Spirit? Life cannot be full, rich, or joyful without the
Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit brings peace, joy and love into your life. Galatians
5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience,
kindness, goodness, faithfulness. This is the natural product of the Holy
Spirit in your life. Romans 15:13 Now the God of hope fill
you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through
the power of the Holy Ghost.
Romans 14:17 For the kingdom of
God is… righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit God wants that to be
the expression of your life in the Spirit.
He wants to establish you in that
fruitfulness. Sin will rob you of that. Sin will deplete your joy, peace,
and love. Sin will take the life out of you. Sin will take you farther than you
want to go Sin will cost you more than you are willing to pay The Holy
Spirit in our lives maintains the nature and character that is consistent with
Jesus Christ. David knew that without the Holy Spirit, life would be miserable.
When faced with his guilt David knew the answer to the sin in his life. With
tear-stained brokenness before God, he repented of his sin. He repented
for violating God and God’s nature. He cried out for pardon and purity. He
wanted acquittal and acceptance. He wanted comfort and cleansing. He was
willing to pay the cost. From a heart that was crushed by shame and
sorrow over sin, he pleaded for God’s mercy and forgiveness. If he was going to
maintain a life that was free from guilt, he needed restoration. He had known
the darkness and void of a spirit that was depleted and devastated by sin and
guilt. He needed God’s joy. He needed God’s presence He needed God’s
Holy Spirit.
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Third, keep control of your thought life.
How can we control what we think?
We must learn how to apply a
filter to the things that stimulate our thoughts. Before action
come thoughts. It starts with our thought life. We all have good and bad
thoughts. We must learn how to guard and control our thoughts. Some
thoughts are negative thoughts, and some are destructive. Some thoughts are
positive and constructive. We must learn how to control our thought life.
Every thought must be controlled. This was David’s
downfall. He allowed his carnal mind to run free. He was drawn away by
his own lust.
How do you keep
a right spirit?
We must bring
every thought and purpose captive to the obedience of Christ. Philippians
4:8 Finally, brothers, 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. This is preemptive
aggressive action. Before negative thoughts take root…change your
thinking. Before evil thoughts bring you into captivity… change
your thinking. Make every thought conform to this rule. Your
thoughts must be true. Think what is noble. Think what is right. Think what is
pure. Think what is lovely. Think what is admirable. Think what is excellent
and Think what is praiseworthy. If you do this, the God of peace will be
with you. God’s desire for your life is joy and peace
2 2) YOUR FIRST STEP
SHOULD BE TO GET CONNECTED TO SPIRITUAL THINGS (REV.3:3)
Do you know how to revive yourself
spiritually? If you are feeling depleted, you might be feeling disconnected and
disempowered. Moving on from a state of disconnection and disempowerment is
easiest when you have treated yourself well during your times of connection and
empowerment. It is simple matter of learning the tricks – like how to revive
yourself spiritually – and practicing them, so they are ready to go when you
need them.
There are many ways to revive
yourself when you are feeling depleted, but taking the spiritual route is one
of my favorites. Connecting with your spirituality allows you to quickly access
a strong, internal power source and bring your focus to what is most important
for you. Strengthening this direct line to your inner core is a great way to
decrease your “revival time” when you are feeling depleted.
It is important to remember that
spirituality is a process more than a goal. Sometimes, even if you know how to
revive yourself spirituality, the reality of feeling totally depleted and
overwhelmed can make it hard to put this into action. If you find yourself in
such a situation, try these easy steps to revive yourself spiritually, even
when you’re feeling totally depleted.
Reconnecting with your spiritual
self is a challenge in and of
itself, but the work pays off when you know how to revive yourself spiritually,
even when you feel completely depleted. By practicing pausing, breathing, and
doing something small to connect with your spirituality, you will strengthen
this connection, preparing you for a final step:
3) YOUR FIRST STEP
SHOULD BE TO REPENT FROM ALL THINGS THAT YOU HAVE DONE (1 SAMUEL 7; REV.2:5)
√ How does Samuel tell the people to return to the Lord? (With all of their hearts.) What does that mean? This is what Samuel had been waiting
for. Only God can change the heart. We make a move toward God and He will hear us
and forgive us and change our hearts to be totally His. Why are our hearts so
important to God? How do our hearts get divided? What
did Samuel ask them to “put away?”
(foreign gods) (Ashtoroth is the Canaanite goddess who was the wife of
Baal.) Samuel knows that the people of Israel have accepted the Canaanite
lifestyle and have allowed their worship of idols to seep into their home and
hearts. They need to put away or get rid
of all these things. What did Samuel ask them to prepare? (their hearts) How do you prepare your heart?
How do you serve God only? This speaks
of whole-hearted love for God and to serve Him only! No one else can be in the picture. When our
hearts are right – what was the promise that God will do? (He will deliver you from the Philistines.) Did
the children of Israel “house clean?” (1
Samuel 7:4) The children of Israel choose to obey God. They choose to put God first and serve Him only. That was a choice that they made. For 20 years they had not obeyed God…this is
an important moment in the life of Israel. 1 Thessalonians 1:9-10, says, “…how you turned to God from idols to serve
the living and true God, and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised
from the dead, even Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.”
