WHAT IS WRITTEN, IS WRITTEN
BUT GOD GIVES SECOND CHANCES
Psalm 65:11
You crown the year with your bounty, and your carts overflow with abundance.
John 19:15-30
But they shouted, "Take him away! Take him away! Crucify him!" "Shall I crucify your king?" Pilate asked. "We have no king but Caesar," the chief priests answered. [16] Finally Pilate handed him over to them to be crucified. So the soldiers took charge of Jesus. [17] Carrying his own cross, he went out to the place of the Skull (which in Aramaic is called Golgotha). [18] Here they crucified him, and with him two others--one on each side and Jesus in the middle.
[19] Pilate had a notice prepared and fastened to the cross. It read: jesus of Nazareth, the king of the Jews. [20] Many of the Jews read this sign, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and the sign was written in Aramaic, Latin and Greek. [21] The chief priests of the Jews protested to Pilate, "Do not write 'The King of the Jews,' but that this man claimed to be king of the Jews." [22] Pilate answered, "What I have written, I have written."
Rev. 21:27
Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life.
Introduction:
➢ Many of us have created in our minds an image of God being non-forgiving…never forgiving our mistakes and blunders.
➢ With a concept like this, we cannot forgive ourselves and we continually remind ourselves of our failures.
Perhaps our prayer is like the Poem of Louise Tarkington:
"I wish that there were some wonderful place In the Land of Beginning Again.
Where all our mistakes and all our heartaches
And all of our poor selfish grief
Could be dropped like a shabby old coat at the door and never put on again.
I wish we could come on it all unaware, Like the hunter who finds a lost trail;
And I wish that the one whom our blindness had done
The greatest injustice of all Could be there at the gates like an old friend that waits
For the comrade he's gladdest to hail. We would find all the things we intended to do
But forgot, and remembered too late,
Little praises unspoken, little promises broken,
And all the thousand and one
Little duties neglected that might have perfected
The day for one less fortunate.
It wouldn't be possible not to be kind
In the Land of Beginning Again, And the ones we misjudged and the ones whom we grudged their moments of victory here,
Would find in the grasp of our loving hand-clasp
More than penitent lips could explain...
So I wish that there were some wonderful place
Called the Land of Beginning Again,
Where all our mistakes and all our heartaches, And all of our poor selfish grief
Could be dropped like a shabby old coat at the door And never put on again."
1. IT’S TOO LATE TO CHANGE SOME THINGS…”What is written, is written”
a. The report Card of life cannot be changed…
i. Your earnings of the past year are fixed
ii. Your investments and losses have already been determined
iii. If we had only known about the economy we could have re-invested our funds
iv. There’s the job that you could have had, but turned down
v. There’s the job you didn’t have and could not find
b. Your blunders, mistakes, sins, and wrong judgments all cannot be changed.
i. In fact, people won’t let you forget you made mistakes
ii. You’ll never forget some of the things you have said to hurt someone. It plays over and over in your mind.
iii. There will always be the wrong decisions you have made that haunt you.
iv. There are always those who started out in the year _________ with great zeal and enthusiasm. But, before the year could end…the resolutions fizzled out.
1. Some of us showed promise in the work of the church as the last year started, but today we are found not helping in any area of the church. Perhaps, we were guilty of saying, “Let the pastor do it, or someone else is more qualified”
2. Some of us have lost our zeal for the things of God
3. We have not won anyone for Christ
4. We have not started a family altar.
c. At this moment, your record does not look too good and I’m sorry to say that the record cannot change. The past year has already been written.
Illust:
Several years ago, a group of people came together for a New Year’s Eve Party. They talked about making New Year’s resolution, but someone said let’s make New Year’s expectations.
They were to meet at the same place next year to open the sealed envelopes to see if those expectations came true.
They met the next year and opened the envelopes and one man had written, “In the next year, all that I can expect is the same old thing” That’s exactly what had happened that year for him.
A women had listed ten worthy goals she expected to receive. Nine of the ten had been achieved.
Another man based his expectations on the sign of his birth, Capricorn, predicted, “I look for difficulty and frustrations” He got them too.
One woman, whose birth sign was the same, not knowing she should expect difficulties, and not having predicted them, enjoyed a rewarding year.
One man in the group died during the year. When his envelope was opened his “expectation” read. “As none of the men in my family have survived beyond the age of 60, therefore I expect to dies this year.” “And he did…one month before his 60th birthday.”
d. Can you imagine the opportunities that you have had this past year!
i. You could have been responsible for winning someone to Christ if you tried to witness…but you did not expect to.
ii. You could have known more about the bible if you had studied more…but you didn’t expect to do any more reading than you had the year before.
iii. You could have been more spiritual if you had come to church more faithfully…but you didn’t see the purpose in it.
iv. You need to admit that you are defeated! You messed up big time!!!
v. Perhaps you feel discontent and unhappy because of your failures.
vi. You have lost the joy of the Lord in your heart
vii. You don’t enjoy pray, bible study, the church or fellowship with other Christians.
1. And you wish you could do something about it!!!
2. There is good news for you!
2. CHRIST CAN OFFER A NEW BEGINNING FOR YOU!
a. It’s not too late, you’re still alive!
b. While you have life and breath, it’s not too late to change
2 Cor. 5:17 “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”
c. In fact, the price of salvation has not gone up with the economy…Eternal Life is still a free gift!
d. This new year can be a new beginning!
He came to my desk with quivering lip;
The lesson was done.
“May I have a new sheet, dear teacher?
I’ve spoiled this one.”
So I took his sheet all spoiled and blotted,
And gave him a new one – all unspotted,
Then into his sad eyes smiled,
“Do better now, my child.”
I came to the Throne with quivering heart;
The old year was done.
“May I have a new year, dear Master?
I’ve spoiled this one.”
So He took my year, all spoiled and blotted,
And gave me a new one – all unspotted,’
Then into my sad heart smiled,
“Do better now, my child.”
e. God specializes in New Starts…
f. I hear someone say, “But pastor, won’t God get tired of me coming to Him and asking forgiveness?” or “Perhaps, the people of the church will lose confidence in me if they see me coming to the altar”
g. Some of us, used to be the first ones around the altar…praying with seekers…now something is wrong…you have lost the zeal and the burden for the lost…and your spiritual sensitivity.
h. Maybe some of you have held grudges against the one you thought well of.
i. Jesus said, “Forgive your neighbor, 70 x 70” and that we are to reconcile our differences with others.
3. THE BIBLE IS FULL OF PEOPLE WITH NEW STARTS.
a. Jacob was fleeing from his brother Esau.
i. Jacob met God at Bethel.
ii. He fell asleep with his head on a stone and saw a vision. He saw angels on a ladder, going up and down…coming and going.
iii. He promised God that he would serve Him forever.
iv. Like so many of us…he forgot his covenant with God and forgot God for about 20 years.
v. In Genesis 35:2-3, he realizes his troubles are from disobeying God and goes back to the Altar of God to confess.
b. Jonah fled from God but finally served God in Nineveh
c. Moses, killed the Egyptian, but God gave him a second chance as he stood at the burning bush.
d. Peter, denied our Lord, but was later restored and was called the “rock upon which the church would be built”
4. GOD WANTS TO WIPE OUR SLATES CLEAN
a. You need to say that you will not be defeated by the past
b. You need to say that you will not become a slave in your mind or body to the memory of all the wrongs and mistakes you made.
c. Why not make some resolutions?
i. I shall guard my life by selecting good and godly friends.
1. I will not let other influence my life with philosophy that is ungodly
2. I will not those in the church that talk about the pastor/DS to influence my life.
ii. I shall endeavor to be more spiritual
1. The church will be my chief entertainment
2. The bible will be my meat
3. I will read the Word more, study more, and become more involved.
iii. I shall live everyday as though it would be the day of our Lord’s return.
1. If I have a habit that is not Christlike, I shall break it
2. I will search my spirit and see if it is Christlike
3. I will start a family altar
4. I will attend all services of the church.
Illust:
I do not know, I cannot see, What God’s kind hand prepares for me,
Nor can my glance pierce through the haze
Which covers all my future ways; But yet I know that o’er it all
Rules he who notes the sparrow’s fall.
Farewell, Old Year, with goodness crowned
A Divine Hand hath set thee bound.
Welcome the New Year, which shall bring
Fresh blessings from my God and Kind, The Old we leave without a fear.
The New we hail without a fear.
CONCLUSION:
1. What is written, is written….but praise God…he gives second chances!!!
2. Will you give God a second chance this year…he is willing to give you a second chance!
WHAT IS WRITTEN.doc
