“New Year – New Commitment”
January 27, 2013
The first month of the year is almost over. 2013 is one twelfth gone. Let me ask you a question. How are those New Year’s resolutions going for ya? A lot of people have given up already.
I heard about a high school principal who decided to post his teachers’ New Year’s resolutions on the bulletin board. As the teachers gathered around the bulletin board, a big commotion started. One of the teachers was complaining. "Why weren’t my resolutions posted?" She was throwing such a temper tantrum that the principal hurried to his office to see if he had overlooked her resolutions. Sure enough, he had mislaid them on his desk. As he read her resolutions he was astounded. This teacher’s first resolution was not to let little things upset her in the New Year.
Some of you guys are like the couple a son called to wish them a happy new year and when his Dad answered the phone, He asked his dad,” well Dad, what’s your new year’s resolution? His dad replied, "To make your mother as happy as I can all year," When his mom got on the phone he asked her the same question. His mom replied my resolution is "To see that your dad keeps his New Year’s resolution."
Some have a plan and they are sticking to it. Maybe you are like the guy who asks his friend for a cigarette. The friend replied “I thought you made a New Year’s resolution to quit smoking,” The young man answered ’I’m in the process of quitting. Right now, I am in the middle of phase one.” “What’s phase one?” his friend asked. The young man says, “I’ve quit buying.”
A boy asks his father, "Dad, if three frogs were sitting on a limb that hung over a pool, and one frog decided to jump off into the pool, how many frogs would be left on the limb?"
The dad replied, "Two."
"No, that incorrect," the son says. "Let me say it again. There are three frogs and one decides to jump, how many are left?"
The dad said, "Oh, I get it, if one decides to jump, the others would too. So there are none left."
The boy said, "No dad, the answer is three. The frog only DECIDED to jump."
Does that kind of sound like your New Year’s resolution? Good intentions – but that’s about all they were -just ‘intentions’! Many people never even tried. A few are doggedly persisting with their commitments. But why do we even make them? Why do we even try? That’s a good question. Why try? Isaiah knew. God says,
“...Well do I know how treacherous you are; you were called a rebel from birth.” Isaiah 48:8b
“The Lord saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time.” Genesis 6:5
Jesus said, “For out of the heart come evil thoughts—murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander.” Matthew 15:19
We have a problem – a BIG problem. We don’t naturally do what we ought to do. We are born in rebellion. We are in rebellion with God. We are in rebellion with anyone who would go against our wills. We are even in rebellion within ourselves. The Bible says,
“For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want.” Galatians 5:17
“For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it. So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me.” Romans 7:19-21
Can you relate? We have a battle going on within us. The battle is good vs. evil. When I worked as a correctional officer I met some of those guys who gave in to evil and didn’t fight it. They didn’t resist it. They embraced it. They were evil. They would rob you, rape you, or kill you if they thought they could get away with it. It seems like there and more people like that – judging by the school and workplace killings. Don’t be in denial that there are those kinds of people out there.
As a pastor I have met many people who have totally surrendered to the good side. They are fully committed to doing the right thing; doing the good thing; they are fully committed to doing God’s will. I’m speaking to some of them right now. You are good people- why? Because God is good and He is working within you to accomplish good as you submit to the Spirit’s leading.
Most people are somewhere in between. They struggle to do the right thing. They succeed most of the time. Sometimes they don’t. The New Year is a good time to work on some of those issues we have. It is a good time to renew the struggle with some things in our lives that hold us down.
We are kind of like the guy who goes up in a hot air balloon. Now days our technology is such that we no longer have to use sand bags, but there was a time if a person wanted to rise up - he has to let go of one or more of those sand bags. The more sand bags he let go of – the higher and faster he ascended.
There are sand bags in your life holding you down, isn’t there? It may be habits; it may be attitudes; it may be ignorance; it may be your past; it may be a lack of self-discipline or something else. There are a lot of things that hold us down and keep us from new heights spiritually. Can you pin point a few things in your life? If you can’t – it may help you to get into God’s Word. It is the “Maker’s Manufactures Manual”. It reveals God’s will. It shows us what is right and what is wrong. It gives us the goal we are to strive for. It tells us what we are to become. Listen.
“And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.” 1 Corinthians 3:18
We are being transformed into Jesus’ image – not ‘one and done’ – but in ever-increase glory. More and more, in other words. The Bible says,
“For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son...” Romans 8:29
Do you realize that God plans for you to ‘become’ – to be ‘transformed’ into the image of Jesus? I think we subconsciously realize that. That is why we make those resolutions. We know we need to grow and improve and mature.
Now, If you do understand that God wants you to become more and more like Jesus - then the next question ought to be, ”What is the ‘image’ – what is the ‘nature’ of Jesus.” I’m glad you asked. The Bible tells us the nature of God.
The ‘fruit of the Spirit’ is the nature of God. Listen to it again.
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” Galatians 5:22-23
This is what God IS! He is love. He is joy. He is peace – and so on. We are to become like this. And this is only a partial list. The Bible says,
“As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.” 1 Peter 1:14-15
God wants us to be holy – and really, the only way we can produce the fruit of the Spirit and become Christ-like is if we are holy - or pure of heart. Some people think this is impossible – but is anything impossible for God? Is anything too hard for God? I don’t think so. I think the problem is more a misunderstanding of holiness. Holiness is simply purity. And it has two parts. There is a purity of our deeds and a purity of heart. Purity of our actions or deeds is easily done. The Bible says,
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9
When we come to God there is sin in our heart. When we confess our sin and God forgives us – what is the resulting state of our heart? It is purity – isn’t it? When we are forgiven of our sin – we are pure and holy.
It doesn’t take long to figure out that we have a big problem, tho. We are inclined to sin – continually! Before we know it we have fallen back into our old pattern of sin. We are unholy and un-Christ-like. So we repent and confess our sin again. We do this over and over. And we will continue to do so until we realize the real problem.
It is kind of like the Gun Control issue. Our fearless leaders think if they make more gun laws we will be safer. We won’t! Why? Because guns are NOT the problem. Do you realize that before 1970 D’Angelo or Caleb could go into any store a buy a gun? There were no laws prohibiting them or anyone else from buying a gun anytime they wanted. Do you know how many school shootings we had back then when any kid could get a gun anytime they wanted? None.
I say that to say that guns are not the issue and stricter gun laws won’t keep the crime down. In fact, school shootings will increase. Why? Because of violent video games and violent movies and lack of parental control – and so forth.
What I am trying to say is that we need to get at the real issue if we want to solve a problem. If we want to live a holy life – we need to get at the heart of the issue. Pardon the pun. But it is the heart that needs to be dealt with. Jesus said,
“But the things that come out of a person’s mouth come from the heart, and these defile them. For out of the heart come evil thoughts—murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander.” Matthew 15:18-19
Jeremiah 17:9 says, “The heart is deceitful above all things” Another version says, “The heart is desperately wicked”. It is the heart that is the real problem. Real change will not happen until there is a change in the heart.
And how do we change our hearts? God has given each one of us incredible power. It is unbelievable how much power God has given us. We have the power to create life or to take life. We have the ability to do great good or great evil. The choice is up to us. The power we have is the power to choose. It is our wills wherein this power lies. To change your heart you simply have to come to Christ for a new one. God promises,
“I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh. Then they will follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. They will be my people, and I will be their God.” Ezekiel 11:19-20
The struggle within is between the flesh and the Spirit. The struggle within is between good and evil. The struggle within is for dominance between Satan and God. Uncle Buddy Robinson, and early church evangelist said that Satan votes that he goes to hell. God votes that he goes to heaven. But he casts the deciding vote. It’s the same with us. Paul said,
“Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” Romans 12:1-2
Do you see that, by an act of our will, we need to offer ourselves completely to God. He will renew us. He will transform us. We can make all the New Years resolutions we want to – but little change will come. We can try as hard as we want - but little change will come. We simply do not have the ability to change our hearts. What we have is free wills where we can bring our hearts to God; surrender to Him; put our trust and faith in Him – and HE will transform us.
I want to encourage you to do that this morning. Is there something you are struggling with? Are there spiritual sand bags you need to cut loose in your life? It may be a stinky attitude. It may be a harmful habit. It may a relationship. It may an uncontrollable sin. Cut it loose. Get rid of it!
Is the Spirit urging you to new heights; new habits; new attitudes? Things like daily reading the bible; regularly going to Sunday worship; getting involved in a home Bible Study. You need to cut some things loose – but you also need to add some things to replace that which you rid yourself of. The Bible puts it this way,
“Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.”
Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.”
Colossians 3:5-10; 12-14
“Put to death”; “rid yourself”; “Take off the old self”; “Put on the new self”; “clothe yourself with”; “Bear with”; “Put on love”! Do you see how God is asking us to use our free wills to make good choices?
In this day and age we need to make commitments. We need to take a stand. We need to get off our rears and into the battle. What is it God is asking of you? Whatever it is – do it.
SONG
