Making The Right Turn Sermon Notes

I. Turn to God

Lamentations 5:1 (NKJV):
“Remember, O LORD, what has come upon us; Look, and behold our reproach!”

• Context:
  • Judah was conquered.
  • The Temple was destroyed.
  • The people were displaced.
• Spiritual Insight:
  • These events were both a result of God’s permissible will (allowing consequences) and His perfect will(bringing judgment).
  • Our natural tendency is to turn away from God in trouble—but Jeremiah shows we must turn to God.
• Reflection Example:
  • A child tries to leave home after discipline but realizes everything he owns came from his mother.
  • Likewise, we own nothing apart from God. He is our source, supply, protector, and keeper.
• Reflection Questions:
  1. When things fall apart, where do I turn first—toward God or away?
  2. In what ways have I tried to operate independently of God’s provision?
  3. What burdens do I need to bring to God in prayer today?

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II. Turn Back to God’s Standard

Lamentations 5:21 (NKJV):
“Turn us back to You, O LORD, and we will be restored; Renew our days as of old.”

• Context:
  • Judah’s downfall was a result of turning away from God’s standards—not merely an enemy attack.
  • The people lowered their spiritual and moral compass.
• Modern Application:
  • Like Judah, many cities today suffer not from external threats but from internal decay due to ungodliness.
  • Example: Behavior in city council meetings revealed not just dysfunction, but a lack of God’s influence.
• Personal Illustration:
  • As a child, the pastor had a cast on his foot to correct an inward turn. Similarly, God uses correction to align us with His standard.
• Reflection Questions:
  1. What spiritual standards have I compromised?
  2. Where in my life do I need God to “reset” or “recast” me?
  3. How can returning to God’s Word help bring restoration to my family or community?

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III. Turn to God in Faith

Lamentations 5:21–22 (NKJV):
“Turn us back to You, O LORD, and we will be restored; Renew our days as of old,
Unless You have utterly rejected us, And are very angry with us!”

• Key Word – Renew:
  • Means to polish or sharpen like a sword.
• Spiritual Insight:
  • Renewal is a process involving both grinding (difficulty) and polishing (reflection).
  • A sword may look beautiful but be dull—it must be sharpened to be useful.
• Illustration:
  • The preacher owns a polished silver sword that can’t cut butter. It’s unfinished—like many believers who look right but lack spiritual effectiveness.
• Biblical Tie-in:
  • Proverbs 11:10–11 (NKJV):
    “When it goes well with the righteous, the city rejoices; And when the wicked perish, there is jubilation.
    By the blessing of the upright the city is exalted, But it is overthrown by the mouth of the wicked.”
• We are called “righteous” not because we are perfect, but because we have faith in Jesus:
  Philippians 3:9 (NKJV):
  “…and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith.”
• Reflection Questions:
  1. Have I allowed God to finish the sharpening process in my life?
  2. Do I value the polishing more than the grinding? Am I willing to be both beautiful and useful?
  3. How can my righteousness (through Christ) be a blessing to my city?

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