In a few days around 60 hours to be more exact that ball at times square is going to drop and millions of people all over the country will usher in the start of a brand new year. My friends 2014 is upon us a new year a chance to start fresh and set some goals and make some resolutions that hopefully will improve our lives over the next twelve months. Millions of people will make a New Year's resolution, that promise that you make to yourself to start doing something good or maybe stop doing something bad on the first day of the year and about 80% of them will fail.
Hopefully today we can get our minds thinking about making some resolutions that count and we can figure out a way to make them stick.
Now the practice of making new year’s resolutions has been around a long time. The ancient Babylonians made promises to their gods at the start of each year that they would return borrowed objects and pay their debts.
The Romans began each year by making promises to the god Janus, for whom the month of January is named.
In Medieval times, the knights took the "peacock vow" at the end of the Christmas season each year to re-affirm their commitment to chivalry.
At watch night services, many Christians prepare for the year ahead by praying and making resolutions.
Now these are some common New Year’s Resolutions that we have all heard
• Become more physically fit
• Improve financial condition
• Improve health
• Lose weight
• Improve family relationships
• Do more volunteer work
• Change overall attitude
Now you may think these are pretty good resolutions , and they are , nothing wrong with improving on our physical and mental health, nothing wrong with improving our relationships, nothing wrong with volunteering more, all of these are good things to strive to improve. But do they really matter in the end.
As I was preparing this message it brought to mind some wisdom that was passed on to me by Dot Conner and it was passed on to her by a doctor that was a friend of hers. Now I know she has probably shared this wisdom with some of you here and I’m sure she won’t mind if I share it today.
Basically it goes like this “Don’t put anything in your boat that won’t get you to the other side.”
And that’s where we all are today we are all on the stormy banks of Jordan trying to get to the other side. We are all in this boat together trying to make it to the Promised Land!!! And we need to make some resolutions that count and stick with them.
As we look at our Scripture today it is evident that the Apostle Paul knew what was important.
Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
(Phil.3:12-14)
My friends we need to set our eyes upon the prize and make some resolutions that are gonna get us where we need to be. Because in the grand scheme of this thing called life the thing that matters the most is your relationship with Jesus Christ.
Not how much you weigh, how good you look or how much you travel but are you right with God, that’s what’s important.
Growing up in Jonesville Louisiana had its advantages. Living in a place where the Ouachita , Tensas, Black and Little rivers came together , and several cypress breaks and slews were around I learned a little bit about boats and Pirogues.
The first thing I learned was you needed a power source, whether it be a paddle, a pole , or a motor. And you needed more than one in case the first one you were using played out or you lost it. I found that lesson out the hard way. My Uncle Johnny and I used to fish in a place we called diversion canal it was a canal used to divert water off Catahoula lake as they worked their wildlife management magic with the water levels to help enhance duck hunting and stuff like that in the management area. Well anyway we are putting along in our little 14 foot johnboat and hit a log or something and guess what? They motor wasn’t tightened down good and bloop off into the depths it went. Well that set us drifting with the current and I started looking in the floor of the boat for a paddle. Well after searching through, under and around all of the nets and webbing you guessed it no paddle. We had to get out of the boat hang on to the side and kick our feet to get the boat back to the bank then pull it upstream by a rope back to the campsite. That my friend is when I discovered in a boat you need a power source other than yourself. If we had been in one of the rivers or if they had been getting the lake levels low for Duck season we would have been at the mercy of the wind and the current and who knows where we would have ended up.
St. Mark tells a story of a ship being tossed at Sea. He tells of a furious squall coming up and tossing their boat to and fro, and the waves breaking over the boat. They are all afraid and Jesus is asleep in the stern not worried about a thing so they wake Him up and ask Him “Teacher don’t you care if we drown?” And Jesus gets up and says “Quite, Be still” and complete calm comes across the sea. And Jesus asked His disciples “Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?”
These disciples probably had sails and paddles but when the storm came they needed the true power Source they needed Jesus and so do we.
I promise you that you’ll have some storms arise that you can’t do anything but be blown along by the wind and only He will be able to calm the storm.. The most important resolution you can make is to put Jesus in your boat.
And when you get Jesus in your boat quit looking back. I hear people all the time say “Jesus doesn’t want anybody like me, you don’t know my past, I have done so many things that Jesus want accept me till I get straightened out” Bologna!!! In our text this morning the apostle Paul said forgetting what is behind and straining forward.
Friends we have got to quit worrying about what is in the past and let it stay there its history we don’t need it in our boat it will just weigh us down and cause us to sink.
The amazing thing is this Jesus will help us get rid of all those things that weigh us down; He will help us get cleaned up. Look He knows your past, He knows what you’ve done, and he doesn’t care the bible say that while we were yet sinners Jesus died for us. The price has already been paid.
When water rescue techniques go into flooded towns to search for survivors they have a team that consist of the navigator, the rescue crew and the tiller man as they navigate through these towns and flooded areas the navigator gets all the way in the front of the boat and holds his hand high and gives directions to the Tiller man ( demonstrate) The tiller man must change directions and maneuver the boat smoothly and quickly by following these signals due to the debris and other hazards in the water , he can’t look back because if he missis just one signal it could be detrimental for the team He must keep his hand on the rudder and his eyes forward at all times in order to safely complete the mission.
So to get our boat to where we need to be we must quit looking back on our past and focus on the here and now with our eyes on the prize that is set before us.
So let’s make another resolution that counts.
Eyes forward let go of the past.
You may ask me how do we keep these resolutions when the statistics say that the majority of people fail to keep theirs.
Well for that we need to make one last resolution Resolve to Grow in your faith and build on your relationship with Christ.
Hebrews 6:1 tells us that:
We need to move beyond the elementary teachings about Christ and be taken forward to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God.
Simply put we must move from that I’ve repented and God has forgiven me stage and go deeper in our faith. Being a Christian is much more than saying the Lord’s prayer and God is great God is Good let us thank him for our food by his hands we are fed thank you Lord for our daily bread mentality. All of that is good when we are children. The I’m saved and Jesus loves me stage is great for a brand new Christian but at some point we have to grow and mature in our faith, we need to start producing good fruit we must learn how to be the hands and feet of Christ. We must let Jesus be our power source and keep our eyes focused on Him.
And here’s something that will help you keep those resolutions.
Get an accountability partner, and if you aren’t doing what you need to do to get your boat across don’t get mad when they call you out, attend worship regularly, read your Bible and Pray Daily.
If you’re Gonna make New Year’s resolutions make some that count resolve to:
Make Jesus your Power Source
Quit living in the past
Grow in your relationship with Christ.
If it doesn’t get you to the other side you don’t need it in your boat.
I guarantee if you put Jesus in your Boat you’ll get there.
