Out With the Old and In With the New
Sunday, January 1, 2012
By Rev. James May
Is there anyone here who has made a New Year’s Resolution to do anything that you haven’t done before or to change some things that should be better in your life? I made only one Resolution – “To not make any Resolutions”. The way I look at it is this: The Holy Spirit is always dealing with us concerning the things that we need to give some attention to in our lives, and then God gave each of us enough of the ability to think and reason for ourselves and to figure out that some things are good for us and some are not. That resolution to change whatever the Lord is dealing with us about should be made at the moment that He speaks, and not just at the beginning of a New Year.
If there was to be a resolution for this day, it should be to take on the heart of Jabez and ask God to increase our borders so that our church and our lives individually could influence more people to accept Jesus. If there was a resolution for one change in our lives, that change could be wrapped up in one single thing; that we may know and draw closer to the very heart of God.
One thing is for certain! The coming year of 2012 is going to be an exciting time to be alive. Not only do we get to see whether the Mayan Calendar had the end of time all figured out; but we also get to see what God is going to do through his church as we draw ever closer to his second coming.
With there be wars and rumors of wars? Of course there will, for we can already see the saber rattling going on between Iran and the rest of the Middle East and the Western nations. They’ve threatened to close off the flow of oil to the world and everybody else is daring them to try. If I know the American public, $5.00 for a gallon of gasoline will make them mad enough to want to teach Iran a lesson they’ll never forget. I hope it doesn’t come to that. We don’t need another Middle Eastern war, but we may as well prepare ourselves for such an event because that area of the world is going to be hotly contested until the very end of time and we will always be right in the thick of the battle. My main hope in it all is that our government continues to support Israel!
I’m ready for the start of this New Year. The old one has been absolutely worn out. I’m looking forward to what God is going to do. I’m praying that this is the year of revival in our community; that this is the year that we will see more of the miracle working power of God in our midst than ever before; that this is the year that God fills our church with new babes in Christ; and that many of our children will be born again and begin to serve the Lord.
Isaiah 66:8, "Who hath heard such a thing? who hath seen such things? Shall the earth be made to bring forth in one day? or shall a nation be born at once? for as soon as Zion travailed, she brought forth her children."
The fulfillment of our prayer is already promised, but there must be some travailing going on first. No child is born into this world without pain and suffering to some degree. If we really want to see a great revival, and see our loved ones, friends and neighbors come to Jesus, it’s going to take more than wishing; it’s going to take some travailing before God in intercessory prayer on their behalf. When God’s people get serious enough to cry out to God on a consistent basis, then we will see the mighty move of God that we all want.
1 Peter 5:6-7, "Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.
At the beginning of the New Year we often look back and reflect upon the things that transpired during the past year. There were good times, and there were some not so good times. The cares of life that result from events of past year are weighing heavily upon some of us right now. But as the Word says, we can either continue to bear that heavy load, or we cast it upon the shoulders of Jesus and let him bear it for us. The price of victory over those troubles has already been paid. We cannot go back and change the past, but we have the power through Christ to change the future by learning to fully rely upon God.
Sometimes the things that have befallen us are almost too hard to bear, but thank God, Jesus is there to lift us up, carry us for as long as it takes, and make us an over comer.
No man, except Jesus, in the Bible matches the grief and pain that Job had to face in his life. Job had it all; a happy family, a loving wife and a life filled with wealth and influence. But he lost it all in a moment of time. His friend. Aliphaz, had tried to encourage him with words that came from the wisdom of man, but did not come from the heart. Aliphaz’ words did little to console the grief that seemed to swallow Job.
Job answered him in Job 16:5, "But I would strengthen you with my mouth, and the moving of my lips should asswage your grief."
In other words, Job says, I wish that only words could help, but words can’t heal the pain in my heart. I get little strength from words spoken that are not of the heart. There has to be something deeper, something that reaches right into my very heart and removes the grief. That “something” can only come from God who can touch the heart and make it anew.
Words of consolation from the lips of other people are good, but they carry very little ability to comfort in times of great pain, anguish and grief. Yet that’s all that man can do.
So this morning I give you Jesus. He alone can reach into your very heart and soul and give you peace and consolation. I may be able to hold your hand, but Jesus can hold your heart, and he will never let go but will continue to bring the strength we need for as long as it takes.
The beginning of a New Year is always a good time to let so much of what has happened in the past, to stay in the past. If we allow the past to control us, then we will never see the fullness of the future that God has in store. That’s why we must cast our care upon Jesus and let him bear it for us. If we try to carry that load alone it will simply crush us into the dirt and derail our faith, and sap every bit of victory from our lives. Doubts, fears, frustrations and even anger will overwhelm us, and all of these things will cause a root of bitterness to grow within the heart.
No, we cannot completely forget what has passed, and sometimes we do need to remember. But let us not live there. Let us cast that upon the Lord and then walk on with Him into a brighter tomorrow! There is victory, power, healing and deliverance in Christ; just there for the asking and receiving. God will lift us up and never let us fall.
Even as it was with Job, he never regained that which was lost, for it was gone forever. He could not go back and get his children that were lost. The things that were stolen from him through the attacks of the devil that were meant to destroy his faith in God completely could never be regained. They were forever gone!
But Job never lost faith in God! In time the grief eased, the pain subsided and the healing power of God began to do a work in Job. How long he grieved we do not know, but we do know it was not forever.
God began to bless Job’s life. The attacks of Satan that had taken so much from him were ceased as God said, “That’s enough, Satan you’ve reached your limit. Now let Job alone that I may bless him.” You see, God had Job’s back. The things that befell Job were allowed only to prove his faithfulness to God and were never meant to destroy.
So this morning, as you reflect upon what has come against you, remember this, “God has your
Isaiah 52:12, "For ye shall not go out with haste, nor go by flight: for the LORD will go before you; and the God of Israel will be your rereward."
God will not allow you to be destroyed. Victory is on the way, and God’s blessings are just waiting to be poured out upon you, and in fact, they have already begun. You can already sense the hand of God moving heaven and earth to bring his blessings upon you.” Hold on to your faith in God! Your answer is on the way!
And so, in our heart we should say before God, “Out with the old, with all of its pain and grief; and bring on the new, with its joy, peace and victory in Jesus!”
Just as God blessed Job so are your blessings about to overtake you. Only God knows the things that he has in store for you, but we can only look to what God did for Job and know that what he will bring will be as great, or perhaps even greater, than what we have lost!
I know that my God reigns, not only in Heaven, but upon the earth and in the hearts of men. There is nothing impossible for God! And I can do all things through Christ who gives me the power to do it.
May we cast our sorrows and cares upon Jesus; and bring in a renewed hope and joy in the Holy Ghost.
May we cast out those heavy burdens that we have taken upon ourselves; and take up the cross of Christ, for it is an easy burden to carry and light upon our shoulders; for it is all in Jesus!
May we throw out the faults and failures of the past and take hold upon the hope of a perfect life in Jesus.
May we cast out the remembrances of that which we have lost; and embrace that which will be coming from the very Throne of God to provide all that we need.
A New Year has begun, and with it there will come a new set of troubles, trials, tests and a new set of blessings from the Lord. Let us look forward to what God will do, remembering that He is the Lord of our lives. God is with us and we cannot fail!
It’s time to cast out the old, the things of the past; and take in the new; those things that God has in store for us! Let this day be a day of new beginnings for us all; a new beginning where we will walk in the presence of God and be led by the Holy Spirit every step of the way.
Prepare for the blessings of God to overtake you! God has great things in store for all of his people. His promises cannot fail. Just as he placed a rainbow in the sky to remind us of his unfailing promise; he wants us to know that for all those who truly love him – there is always a brighter tomorrow and greater blessings to come.
