Dr. Roger W. Thomas, Preaching Minister
First Christian Church, Vandalia, MO
Life Is Like A Date Book
Matthew 3:13-4:11, 17
Introduction: Life is like a date book. I have in my hands two different date books. This one is old and used. Its pages are marked. The corners are bent. More than a few pages have coffee stains. The cover is cracked and worn. This 2006 Day-Timer shows the wear and tear of lots of hard use. This one, on the other hand, is fresh and new. Only a page or two has been touched. It holds no coffee stains—yet. The cover is still stiff and clean. This 2007 Day-Timer remains unused. It won’t remain that way for long.
These books are more than date books. They are an illustration of life. An old year has passed. We have filled with all kinds of activities and events. Some were important. Others just happened. The old year contains memories of good times and bad. It is marked with scars and stains of life. A new year lies before us as fresh and clean as this unused date book. It waits to record the events of life. Someday it too will be stained and bent. For now, it is new, unmarked, and overflowing with potential.
There’s something special about a new calendar or date book, just like there is something special about a new year. In a sense, the New Year is artificial. It is just like any other day. The sun will rise and set. The weather will change. It is just another day. But emotionally, a new year is different. It is not just another day. It is a new day, a new beginning.
An unknown poet catches the spirit of this time of the year in the poem--New Leaf
He came to my desk, with a quivering lip
The lesson was done
Have you a new leaf for me, teacher.
I have spoiled this one
I took his leaf, all soiled and blotted
And gave him a new one, all unspotted.
Then into his stirred heart I smiled
“Do better now my child.”
I went to the throne with a trembling heart
The year was done.
Have you a new year for me, Father
I have spoiled this one.
He took my year, all soiled and blotted
And gave me a new one, all unspotted
And into my tired heart He smiled,
“Do better now, my child.”
That’s why we make New Year’s resolutions. We want our new year to be more than just another day. We want it to be a new beginning. Most of us start the New Year with great expectations and new intentions. Many of us will plan to lose weight, get more exercise, or many get control of our finances.
A woman walked into her bathroom at home. As she did, she saw her husband weighing himself on the bathroom scales, sucking in his stomach. The woman thought to herself, "He thinks that he will weigh less by sucking in his stomach." The woman sarcastically said to her husband, "That’s not going to help." Her husband said, "Sure it will. It’s the only way I can see the numbers."
I hope that some of us will make some new spiritual commitments that change our inner as well as our outer life. That’s why a lot of you have committed to our reading through the New Testament effort this year. Others have made commitments to pray more and seek daily opportunities to speak a good word for the Lord. Those are the efforts that can make this a new year!
Those who began the One Year Bible effort read the opening chapters of Matthew this week. We read of the beginning of Jesus’ life and ministry. Each of the four gospels presents a slightly different portrait of Jesus, yet they all contain the same story. Matthew emphasizes Jesus’ the Jewish Messiah and fulfiller of the Old Testament promises. Mark, writing to Roman readers, tells of the might and power of Jesus. Luke presents an historical review of Jesus’ life. He also highlights his encounters with the poor, the outcasts, and overlooked. For Luke, Jesus was first of all the “savior of the world.” John was the last apostle standing. He fills in some of the blanks left by the other three. He also clarifies the identity of Jesus and endeavors to counter some of the confusion and false notions about Jesus that were circulating toward the end of the first century. All four of the gospels begin at the same place with the same events.
How Jesus began his ministry provides valuable lessons on how we begin new lives/futures. These lessons offer more than how to begin a new year. They show us the path to a new you!
A New Year and a new you begin with a decision. Nothing will change in the New Year until we want it to change. The same commitments will result in the same you that has always been.
Jesus began his ministry with baptism. John has been preaching and teaching a message of repentance. He called the crowds to turn to God, leave their sins in the past, and to mark that change through baptism. Baptism has always been about making a statement about who we are, where we stand, and the direction we intend to walk. Peter calls baptism the “answer of a good conscience” or a clear statement of faith (1 Pt 3:21) Baptism is always the outward evidence of an inward conviction. It is the public presentation of a personal faith.
Jesus’ baptism and our own are not the same. He was without sin. We are not. Yet both mark a new beginning, a new stage of faith and obedience. Jesus said he needed to be baptized “to fulfill all righteousness.” Clearly, he intended that we do the same.
The story of Jesus’ baptism answers some frequently asked questions about this Christian practice. It sheds light on how baptism was practiced. John baptized in a river. Jesus went down into the water and came up out of the water. None of these factors would have needed to be the case if baptism simply involved pouring or sprinkling a small amount of water.
John was also baptizing adults not children. He called each person to repentance. He challenged each to turn to God and begin a new way of life. Nothing in the preaching of John or the response he called for from those accepted his message had any relevance for infants.
Jesus was baptized at about the age of 30. Nothing about that fact necessarily means that we should wait that long to submit to baptism. But it does say that it is an act of personal commitment and faith not a decision made by others for us before were able to make personal commitments of our own. In fact, Jesus was dedicated as an infant according to the Jewish custom. That act of parental intent was not a substitute for personal obedience in baptism. Nor is believer’s baptism unimportant for those of us who may have been christened or dedicated as a child. Baptism as a believer is the logical follow through of such an act of infant dedication.
To those of you who have been baptized as believers: the New Year provides a good time to remember and renew that commitment. To those of you who never have taken this step, a New Year is a good time to finally put down your stake, raise your flag, and declare this is where I stand and this is what I stand for. That’s what baptism is about.
Jesus’ new stage of ministry began with his baptism (his personal decision to follow the plan of heaven.) Note what followed. No sooner was Jesus baptized than he battled temptation. A decision for God is always followed by a test of determination. It never fails.
A new you in the New Year will not come easy. If thinking about it and deciding to do something were all that is involved we would all be skinny, healthy, debt-free spiritual dynamos. But good decisions require serious determination.
In some ways, the real battle only begins after baptism, after we have made a decision to walk with God. Prior to that, Satan can ignore us. He has us where he wants us. He need not bother much with us. But once we take a stand for Christ, everything changes. Immediately we face temptations like never before. Don’t be surprised when it happens. The Enemy will test your determination. He always does. You won’t be an exception.
Temptation is a part of the spiritual life. Note how the text tells us Jesus was led of the Spirit into the temptations. Was he being tempted to do evil by the Father? Not at all. Nor does the Father ever tempt us. But he does want us to face temptation and learn from it. His purpose is to strengthen, teach, and prepare us for what’s ahead. Satan’s goal is our destruction. Our purpose ought to be to find God’s path through the temptation so that we can come out on the other side closer to the center of his will.
God will never fail us in temptation. The promise is for sure: “If you think you are standing strong, be careful not to fall. 13The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.” (1 Corinthians 10:12 – 13, NLT)
Jesus’ example tells us something about what it takes to overcome temptation. He used the same resources to defeat Satan we have at our disposal. His ways can be ours. Compromise never works. We can’t negotiation with Satan. The more we know and stand on God’s Word the more empowered we will be against the wiles of the Devil. The less we know of the Word, the more vulnerable we are to the Enemy’s schemes.
Jesus’ new stage of ministry began with baptism. Every believer’s walk with the Lord starts here. Jesus was tested in the wilderness of temptation. We will be, too. If you truly want a New Year and a new you, another step must follow. For Jesus the decision and the determination were quickly followed by a dedication to ministry. His was a life of purpose. He came to serve not be served. For Jesus, his baptism was a beginning not an end. That’s as it should be for every disciple.
Our baptism is our ordination into ministry. Every follower is a servant and minister. We may not all serve alike, but serve we must. It may be in the shadows rather than center stage. Every ministry matters if done in the name of Jesus and for the glory of the Lord. Nothing will add as much to the new you and your New Year as a dedication to ministry.
Conclusion:
He took my year, all soiled and blotted
And gave me a new one, all unspotted
And into my tired heart He smiled,
“Do better now, my child.”
This is God’s gift to you!
***Dr. Roger W. Thomas is the preaching minister at First Christian Church, 205 W. Park St., Vandalia, MO 63382 and an adjunct professor of Bible and Preaching at Central Christian College of the Bible, 911 E. Urbandale, Moberly, MO. He is a graduate of Lincoln Christian College (BA) and Lincoln Christian Seminary (MA, MDiv), and Northern Baptist Theological Seminary (DMin).
