Last week I talked a little bit about “No Turning Back”. This week I want to talk about “Turning Back”. Many people find themselves in a time away from God. Sometimes it sneaks up on you and for others it is very intentional. Have you ever found yourself in a time where you realize you have gotten away from God?
As I read the Old Testament I found where Hezekiah gave us a pattern to follow for returning to God. When Hezekiah became King,
2 Chronicles chapter 29, he wanted to return the people of Israel to God. The first thing he did was cleanse the Temple. (2 Chronicles 29. The next thing he did was to celebrate the Passover. Found in 2 Chronicles chapters 29 and 30. The third thing he did was purify the Temple (Found in 2 Chronicles chapter 31). And finally he commanded to people to give gifts to the Levites and priests (2 Chronicles 31:5,12).
What does this mean to us? If you have been away from God the first thing you should do is:

1. Turn back to God. In the Old Testament God resided in the Temple. Now, we are the Temple of God, 1 Corinthians 6:19. The Holy Spirit is in each one of us. So where do you go to meet God again? Go back to the foot of the cross.

2. Worship Him! This was interesting to me because Hezekiah put worship before purifying the temple. Why? Let me ask you, do you have to get cleaned up to take a bath?

3. Purify the Temple. During your time of worship the Holy Spirit will convict you heart and He will clean you up. Be obedient to the leading of the Holy Spirit.

4. Give to God. Show your love and commitment to God. He says in Malachi 3:10 Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the LORD Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it.”

Here is another interesting thought. From my experience this works in the opposite direction for those who are walking away from God.
• 1st, they stop giving to the ministry of the Church.
• 2nd, they begin to allow things into their lives that are not pure in God’s eyes.
• 3rd, they stop worshipping Him because of the guilt that they feel.
• 4th, God is finally ignored.

So where do you find yourself today? I hope this challenges you to either stay close to God or to turn back to him. Hezekiah gave us this formula thousands of years ago and it still works, both ways!

Our foundation hymn for Sunday, April 22, 2012 is “All Creatures of Our God and King”. Saint Francis of Assisi wrote the words in 1225. As a young man he was said to be quite indulgent but he reformed his ways after a time as a soldier. At age 25, he made a decision to be like Christ. This was not a casual thing to Saint Francis. When he made this decision to be like Christ it was a serious life change for him. He chose to be selfless as Jesus was selfless. He denounced his family’s possessions and wealth. He lived with only the absolute necessities of life.
I remember reading the classic book, “In His Steps”. The main character is the Rev. Henry Maxwell, pastor of the First Church of Raymond, who challenges his congregation to not do anything for a whole year without first asking: “What Would Jesus Do?” What kinds of things would change in our lives if we asked this same question? Our second song, Holiness (Take My Life), is also about life change.
So take my heart and form it.
Take my mind transform it.
Take my will conform it.
To Yours oh Lord
“Holy is the Lord” and “How Can I Keep from Singing” are songs about praising our Holy God. Our last congregational song is an old chorus. It is a song of commitment to God. “I Have Decided to Follow Jesus” may seem like a simple camp song but this morning I pray that it will have a powerful impact on each of us. Just think of the power of these words. “I have decided to follow Jesus” then the next phrase, “No turning back”.
I pray that we will sing these words with conviction in our hearts. No turning back, no turning back.

My prayer for this Sunday; Lord this morning as I sing these songs I ask that you would let my heart focus on you. Let the words not just escape from my lips but also penetrate my heart. As I sing of your creation let me feel the presence of the Creator. As I sing of giving you my heart, mind and will I pray that I would not take them back when pressed by this world. As I sing of Your Holiness, let me experience the Joy of the Lord! Let this joy never escape me and always flow out of me. Lord, when I make decisions in Your name, let there be no turning back.

A Mighty Fortress Is Our God was written by Martin Luther. It’s based on Psalm 46 and is the most powerful and inspiring hymn written during the movement started by Luther when he nailed his ninety-five theses to the Cathedral of Wittenberg, Germany. This hymn became the battle cry for the Protestant Reformation.
Think of this song in light of the world that we live in. Luther tells us that our God never fails. He points out in verse two that if we try to live by our own strength we will fail. In verse three he states that we have no need to fear the devil, our enemy. “One little word shall fell him.” Finally, no matter what comes our way, even if they kill this body, God’s truth remains steady and His Kingdom will last forever! This hymn, in my opinion, remains the most powerful hymn of the Church.
His Kingdom is forever and “His Love Endures Forever“. That is a line from our second song of the morning. Also this morning, I would like to teach you a brand new song. I am very careful about what songs I introduce to the body of Christ. I heard this song for the first time three weeks ago. It is called, “Jesus, Son of God”. The chorus says,
“On the altar of our praise
Let there be no higher name
Jesus Son of God
You laid down Your perfect life
You are the sacrifice
Jesus Son of God
You are Jesus Son of God”
Think about your “Altar of Praise”. We each have an altar of praise. We place the things most important to us on this altar. What is on your altar this morning? What are the most important things to you? Is there a name higher than Jesus on your altar? Do you lift the name of Jesus higher than any other name? I pray that this new song will be as meaningful to you as it is to me.
Before Pastor Al prays for us we will sing Mighty to Save and O How He Loves You and Me. Then the choir will sing Holy Holy Holy.
Let’s lift the name of Jesus Higher than any other name! Let His name be louder than any other name! There is no power that can come against His love for us. The power of Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross was enough to carry us through whatever trials or tribulations we face each day. The Cross is enough! The Cross is enough!

“Jesus is Alive” is a song written by Ron Kenoly in 1987.
“Hallelujah Jesus is alive! Death has lost its victory and the grave has been denied.
Jesus lives forever He’s alive, He’s alive!
He’s the Alpha and Omega the first and last is He.
The curse of sin is broken and we have perfect liberty.
The Lamb of God has risen He’s alive, He’s alive!
Hallelujah Jesus is alive”
These are words of hope. The resurrection of Jesus gives us hope. Romans 3:23 says “For all have sinned”. That means me and you and everyone you see in this room this morning. It does not matter how much we go to church, we are all sinners according to the Bible.
Romans 6:23 says, ” The wages of sin is death”. Death, eternal separation from God, is our punishment. There is nothing we can do to get around the punishment for our sinfulness. But there is more to Romans 6:23 than I just told you. The rest of it says, “But the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord”.
When I was a young man someone asked me if I thought I would go to heaven when I died. I said, “I think so”. I decided I wanted to know for sure. What about you? If you suddenly died would you go to Heaven? If you want to know for sure then all you have to do is pray this prayer.
“God, I know that I am a sinner. I know that I deserve the consequences of my sin. However, I am trusting in Jesus Christ as my Savior. I believe that His death and resurrection provided for my forgiveness. I trust in Jesus and Jesus alone as my personal Lord and Savior. Thank you Lord, for saving me and forgiving me! Amen!”
If you prayed that prayer today I would love to know about it. You can come and speak to me this morning or you can email me at pastormorri@crossroadsturlock.com
This morning we will sing Jesus is Alive, He Lives and Christ Arose. These are songs of praise to our risen Lord and Savior that all speak of the resurrection of the Lamb of God. Then we will sing “God of Wonders“. This is a song that helps us realize that everything we see and touch is part of the wonderful creation of God.
Hallelujah! Jesus is alive!
“He came into the very world he created, but the world didn’t recognize him. 11 He came to his own people, and even they rejected him. But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. They are reborn—not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God. So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son.” John 1:12-14 NLT