New Year Resolutions

OUR NEW YEARS RESOLUTIONS

I welcome all of you to our first Sunday of 2013 as we prepare for the New Year. For many, the New Year is a time of reflection on the past year and a time to make resolutions for the coming year. It’s a time to look back at things that worked in your life or perhaps did not work so well and would like to make it better in 2013.

Last week we looked at the importance of having a Christ like vision for the coming year. Of all the goals that you can set forth and of all the ideas that you can dream about, there is nothing greater than having a vision of Christ and His eternal glory.

And last week we looked at the visions God desires for us to have in our lives; visions that have the power to impact our lives and eternity.

Today, I want to move onto the next step. Visions are great to have, and having a vision of the glory of Christ can inspire us and motivate us, but as great as visions are, visions by themselves will not fulfill the purpose and plan of God in your life. Your vision of God’s greatness and glory means nothing, if you do not put it to use for the King, and His kingdom. So in addition to the inspiring visions of God’s love and presence, there must also be commitment and resolutions to live out those visions. For these visions of Christ’s glory to impact your life and eternity it is very important that we take the next step and add to our visions, resolutions. From visions to resolutions…

So today, since this is the first Sunday of the New Year, I want us to focus our attention to the idea of New Year’s resolutions.

How many of you made some sort of resolution for the coming year? We can all come up with numerous ideas for a personal New Year’s Resolution. But today, I want to take this moment for us to focus on resolutions that I believe will first, impact our lives and our families, and second will impact eternity. These are the kind of resolutions that I believe are worth making and keeping.

It is my hope that after hearing this message that you will choose to make resolutions in your life that will have a lifelong impact your life and your future, because I believe the resolutions that I am about to lay out before you will add God’s purpose and favor into your life.

Luke 4:16 He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. And he stood up to read. 17 The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written: 18 "The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, 19 to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor." 20 Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him, 21 and he began by saying to them, "Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing." (NIV)

THE POWER OF RESOLUTIONS

Look back at verse 19, which says, “to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor."

Wouldn’t it be awesome if this could be the year of the Lord’s favor for our lives?

The word favor comes from the Greek word “charitoo” (khar-ee-to-o) which means to be surrounded by God’s favor or grace and to honor with blessings. The point is that when you are resolved in your heart to let nothing stand in the way of your obedience and trust in the Lord, He promises to bless us with the favor of His presence and to never forsake us.

The first thing we need to realize is the power of a making a resolution. By definition, a resolution is the firm determination to accomplish a purpose by taking a course of action. It is the resolve to never give up, to never quit, and the determination to stop at nothing to fulfill your God given purpose in life.

There are many kinds of resolutions we could make, but what I want to do this morning is give you some Biblical resolutions that would greatly impact your life for eternity.

FIRST, TRUST GOD

The first resolution that is so important for this coming year is found in Proverbs 3:5.

Proverbs 3:5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; 6 in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. 7 Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD and shun evil. 8 This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones. (NIV)