Out With The Old, In With The New

-We are entering into a period of newness in our lives

-New Year

-As we are making our resolutions, let’s seek to include some spiritual ones this year

-It’s time that we resolve to do some spiritual cleaning in our lives

-ILL: Closet Cleaning

-It’s time we throw out some of the old and put on some new

-Luke 5:36-39

-You see, the new cannot co-exist with the old

-The old will destroy it

I. New Desire For The Things Of The Lord

-It’s easy for our desire for God and His things to grow faint

A. The Word

1. Reading it

2. Memorizing it

3. Studying it

-Thomas Jefferson once said,"I have always said, and always will say, that the studious perusal of the sacred volume will make better citizens, better fathers, and better husbands."

-Many miss the goodies they have to dig deep for

-Sunday School and Bible study

-Privately

-Quality is better than quantity

B. The worship

-Many believers do not care much to worship

-Oh they like to go to worship

-Sing the songs

-Listen to the sermon

-Pray the prayer

-But few actually worship while there

-1/3rd of American Christians say they have never experienced God in worship

-These are professing Christians!!!

-It’s time we renew our desire to worship the living God

1. Corporately

-Coming together with fellow believers

-Brothers and sisters in Christ

2. Privately

C. The working

-Q: Do you remember what it was like when you got saved?

-Your realization of your need

-Your submission to God’s will

-Your sense of new found freedom and acceptance

-When you toss out the old, you find that there is more old to toss out

-We must come back to that same point as we did when we first came to Christ

-And go through the same process again

1. Realizing we have a need

2. Submitting to God’s will

-Repenting of our wold ways

3. Allowing God to work in us

II. New Faithfulness To God

A. In obedience

-This is always the best choice

-It avoids punishment

-More importantly, it keeps us in the center of God’s will

B. In service

-He deserves it

-We work for many things

-Jobs, family, friends

-Yet, God is the one who most often gets gypped

III. New Sense Of Spiritual Urgency

A. For others to come to know the Lord

B. For others to live for the Lord

IV. New Life In Christ

-II Corinthians 5:17

-This is the first step to all of the others

-None of the others can be achieved without this one first

-Many try to take the shortcut approach

-But it can never work

-They will find themselves on the outside looking in on the final day, if not before

CONCLUSION

-This morning, it’s time for us to throw out the old and to make way gypped the new

-Some here this morning need a new desire for the things of the Lord

-His Word, worship of Him and His working in their lives

-Some here today need to exhibit new faithfulness to the Lord

-In obedience to Him or service for Him

-Still, some need a renewed sense of urgency concerning spiritual matters in the lives of those around them

-For them to come to know the Lord or to live more fully for Him

-Yet, there may be some who need new life in Christ

-They’ve never come to know the life-changing power of God in their lives