Guess what Brothers and Sisters, you’ve done it! You have made it through another year. The New Year is here. January 2017. It’s a brand new year.
• A year full of possibilities.
• A year full of opportunities.
• 12 months. 52 weeks. 365 days.
• 8,760 hours. 525,600 minutes and 31,536,000 seconds.
What in the world will you do with all this time?
Many of us are determined to do things differently. We have very good intentions to work hard at change.
• To lose weight,
• To exercise more.
• To be a better person.
• To stop drinking
• To stop smoking
• To stop hating our brothers and sisters
• To stop those bad habits that bring us down
• To start good habits that bring us around
• To stop avoiding God’s word.
I’m sure you’ve noticed that every year almost all of the major newspapers, magazines and internet post predict what they expect to see happening in the New Year. Some even go so far as to make predictions about this year and others to come. In the past, a few of these predictions have proven amazingly accurate, while others couldn’t have been more wrong. The bottom line is “We are not in control”. AMEN
Back in the late 60’s, a time when some of you weren’t even born, the so called experts predicted that by the turn of the century technology would’ve taken over so much of our work that the average person would only work 22 hours in one week. Not 40 hours, just 22 hours.
They also predicted that we would work only 27 of the 52 weeks in a year. Isn’t that something!
This should have happened in the 70’s. But it didn’t happen because it wasn’t time. God is still in control. A M E N
Well, I don’t know about you, but that prediction certainly missed the mark. We had to get up and go to work every day! We may have complained, but we were blessed to have a job.
In fact, now a days, most of us are very busy. We’re always in a hurry.
• We walk fast,
• We talk fast,
• We txt and tweet fast,
• We drink fast,
• We eat fast.
• And after we eat, we stand up and say, "Excuse me. I’ve gotta run."
That’s us Lord, a society in a hurry. We haven’t fully realized yet, that God is in control! AMEN
So, here we are, on the first Sunday of 2017. I wonder what we’ll do this new year.
• Will we be as busy?
• Will we make any better use of our time?
In 365 days, when the 2017 year is over:
• Will we be looking back at it with joy,
• Will we be looking back at it with regret?
• Will we be looking at the future with anticipation,
• Will we be looking at the future with dread?
• Will we have done anything different?
• Will we have gotten to know GOD!
Ephesians 5:15-17, says “See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.
My message today is “A New Year, A New Beginning, and A Renewed Resolution” A M E N
Now, we may not want to admit it but, our time on this earth is limited, so
• We should make the most of every opportunity, and understand what the lord’s will is.
• We should develop a positive outlook toward life, and understand what the lord’s will is.
• We should have a positive attitude toward others, and understand what the lord’s will is.
• We should develop a positive attitude toward the church, and understand what the lord’s will is.
• We should study the Lord’s word in order to understand what the lord’s will is.
Think about how we live, Think very careful. Don’t leave anything out, because our time on this earth is limited. We all go through life and every day someone loses a loved one. More and more we realize just how short life is, and just how special time with loved ones are.
Psalm 39:4 says LORD, make me to know mine end, and the measure of my days, what it is; that I may know how frail I am.
We go to bed every night believing we will wake up in the morning. We almost believe we’ll live forever. We’re in essence sleeping with blinders on. But we don’t make that choice! Our life is in God’s hand.
Psalm 90:10 says "The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away.
To put that verse in perspective, each score is 20 years.
Now, I realize that for some of you here today, 70 or 80 years sounds like a long, long time. In fact, I can remember when I thought anyone over 40 was ancient. But not now! A M E N
The Psalmist also tells us to number our days so that we will develop a heart of wisdom. When I first heard about the “ticking” clock, I figured out that if I lived to be 75 years old, that I had just about 2,345 days left to live. That’s all, just 2,345 days left to live. Hearing it that way doesn’t sound like a lot. But….. “I had to develop a heart of wisdom”! AMEN
I’ve learned that neither you nor I have a guarantee of even one more day to live. In fact the Bible tells us not to count on tomorrow because tomorrow may not come for you or for me. All we have is right now! So our time on this earth is valuable because it’s very limited.
Brothers and sisters life is short, so let’s make this year count. Last Sunday we talked about prospering in the word. That’s the start we may have neglected. We have to put God first in our resolution for life.
• We think that we’ll live forever, so we step on toes everywhere
• We spend time and money as though we’ll always be here.
• We buy shiny things as though they matter
• We go in debt and basically ask for the stress that comes with it.
• We put off the so-called “trip of a lifetime” for another year, because we all assume we have another year.
• We don’t tell the ones we love, how much we love them often enough, because we assume there’s always tomorrow.
• We stick it out in miserable jobs and situations because we’re afraid of the risk of stepping out.
• We’re afraid to let love in, because we’ve been hurt so much,
• We avoid bible study and church because we believe we can’t go until we fix our sins.
• We try to hide from the Lord, for no good reason, because we’ve forgotten that God loves us all.
• We don’t reach high enough or far enough because we’re worried we’ll fail, forgetting – or never realizing – that it’s better to fail spectacularly while reaching for the stars than it is to succeed at something we never really wanted in the first place. AMEN
Now, Paul also tells us that we must make "the most of every opportunity." And he gives a reason, "because the days are evil." Jesus said that Satan is a robber and a thief, and one of the things he tries to rob from us, is our time, because time is a very precious possession, and Satan knows it.
Ephesians 5:16 states “Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.
• Think about the time wasted in sinning.
• Think about the time wasted in bars.
• Think about the time wasted in gambling casinos.
• Think about the time wasted in meaningless relationships.
• Think about the time wasted gossiping or spreading rumors.
• Think about the time wasted on sad and hurtful tweets.
• Think about the time wasted on all those Facebook comments.
• Think about all the time wasted worrying about the consequences of the sins we have committed.
Satan is truly a thief and a robber! We let him take our time for these many wasted acts.
But it’s not just sin that makes demands on our time. Sometime it’s just our inability to say no. We can’t seem to finish those things we wanted to do, because we are constantly doing things to satisfy others!
• We try to watch our favorite TV shows.
• We fight a seemingly never ending battle with our weight.
• We pick up the guitar once in a while.
• We tapped on the piano keys in passing.
• We promise to finish the Spanish language courses we wanted to do.
• We promise to complete that study program we know we need.
The list of things we could have or should have done keeps growing. And we never do them, because we’re overloaded with commitments. Each year we make promises, and each year they seem to fail. Why?
Because we’ve committed ourselves to go here and there, to take part in this activity and that social function. We’ve committed to do this and that. As a result we soon begin meeting ourselves coming and going because we’ve overloaded ourselves with too many commitments, and we don’t have time for ourselves.
We don’t even have time to get to know God’s word! AMEN
We’re also overloaded with possessions. Our closets are full, and our garages are overflowing. We’ve gone into debt to pay for all of these things that we "simply must have", and never seem to get around to the things we really need.
We also have an overload in the area of work. We get up early, fight traffic, and experience intolerable working conditions because we have to, if we’re going to pay for all those possessions that we’ve accumulated.
I could go on and on, but you should get the picture. There are so many demands on our time, and so many things that need to be done. But there are just 8,760 hours in this year. So we should commit to making the most of every opportunity. And that first commitment should be to God! A M E N
I believe each of us can make a change for the better by developing a positive outlook toward life. Ask yourself “What would have to happen to make me feel really positive about my life”?
• If you won the lottery, would that do it?
• If your marriage was suddenly perfect, would that do it?
• If your kids began to make you proud, would that do it?
• If you got a promotion, would that do it?
What would it take for you to really feel positive about your life?
Brothers and Sisters, life should be lived with all your “strength” and “passion”. Don’t keep it in reserve against a day you might not have. While the coal is still lit, fan it to flame. Be bold about life, even if your circumstances mean all you have is to love honestly and laugh boldly. Because now is all we have, and your dreams won’t “chase” themselves. AMEN
Philippians 3:12 states” Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.
The point is! If our goal is heaven, if our goal is eternal life with Jesus Christ, then all these little setbacks in life are only stepping stones getting us closer to the time when we’ll be with Jesus?
We all may make resolutions, but understand there’ll be disappointments in life, and you’ll be let down, and your best friend may not be in your corner.
But you keep striving, and know that every day that passes is one day closer to the time when we will be with Jesus. If that is, our ultimate goal, if that is our final quest, God will guide our steps. God will carry us through.
Romans 8:28 states “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”
The world says that the way to feel good about yourself is:
• by climbing the ladder of success,
• by making a lot of money,
• by having influential friends,
• by receiving a lot of awards,
• by having a lot of followers,
• By having lots and lots of Facebook friends,
• and by belonging to the right circles.
Those are the things that make you feel good about yourself, but those things are worldly.
The Bible teaches us that we are to feel good about ourselves because God loves us. You are such a treasured person in God's sight that He gave His only Begotten Son for you. That makes you valuable, and you can feel good about yourself. To keep a positive outlook on life, the first thing we need to understand is what the Lord’s will is. (Please read Ephesians 5:17 with me)
Ephesians 5:17 states “Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.”
Brothers and sisters, I’m assuming that since you’re in church this morning that you believe God should be a part of your life. So when you begin to establish your priorities, you’ve got to decide just where God stands in your life.
So ask yourself, "Who or what is most important in my life?" And I’m hoping that your answer will be, "My relationship with God, through Jesus Christ, is most important to me."
If so, then put that at the top of your list of priorities, and say, "This will affect my decisions, my scheduling, my relationship with others, and my whole outlook on life." "Therefore, when Sunday rolls around neither rain nor shine nor football kickoffs, will interfere with my being in church, because He comes first in my life. I’ll worship the Lord and nothing will interfere with that." AMEN
Now, you also need to schedule some time to pray and to read His Word. Pray for yourself and for your family and for people around you. Pray for the church, and for the outreach ministries. You may never know how much your prayers will mean to others, but you’ll be blessed as you grow in your faith, and further blessed as you trust in the Lord! AMEN
You must also spend time with your family. Every husband here ought to have a date night with his wife. I’m serious. You ought to have a time when just the two of you get away and don’t have anything else to interfere. No email, text, telephones, no interruptions, and you can just talk. Maybe at a nice restaurant or maybe at home. Wherever it is, spend some time together.
Likewise, spend time with your children, too. They grow up ever so fast. These are precious moments. Don’t let them get away. Make sure that you spend quality time with your children. Make sure that your family is very high on your list. They should be right under God! AMEN
Now, most of us have to work. And I think Christians ought to be good workers. When someone hires a Christian they ought to know they’re getting someone who will give them an honest day’s work, and not cheat them. Because we’re Christians, we have a responsibility to honor the Lord, even in the work place.
My wife told me she looks forward to one young boy that at the end of his shift, tells her to have a blessed day as he leaves for the day. He never seems to forget these words, and she truly appreciates them. How many times do we forget to ask for blessings for the people around us?
So, establish your priorities, and then, learn how to live. The two greatest enemies of time are regrets for things we did in the past, and anxiety about what will happen to us in the future. Many of us are living either in the past or in the future.
• We may go to college and tell ourselves, "If I can ever get out of college, get a job, get married and have children, I know I’ll finally be able to enjoy life."
• Then we finally graduate from college, get that job, get married and have children, we discover that children are a lot of work. So we tell ourselves, "If I can just get these kids raised, then I’ll be able to relax and really enjoy life."
• Then we send our kids to college and say to ourselves “If I can just get these kids out of college, and get all of the bills paid, then I can quit work and really enjoy life."
• Then finally, the last child graduates from college, and all the bills are paid, and we finally retire. So we sell our home and buy a little retirement cottage. Then we set back and relax on our swing and look at our family picture album and dream about the “good old days”.
Yes, these are the “GOOD OLD DAYS” We may not realize it now but,….
• there is enough happiness to keep things sweet,
• enough trials to keep us strong,
• enough sorrows to keep us human,
• enough hope to keep us happy.
• There are failures that kept us humble,
• enough successes to keep us excited,
• enough friends to give us comfort,
• and enough wealth to meet our needs.
We are reaching for what we believed is good living; all the while we are living our lives as it should be. And every one of these days are imprints of a wonderful life. Every one of these days is the will of God. A M E N
Romans 13:11-12 says, " And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light”.
Brothers and sisters, once we understand God’s will, we’ll have a positive attitude towards others, and a positive attitude towards life.
I ask each of you to pause for just a moment and think back over some of the things that you’ve said this past year, this past month, maybe even this past week.
• Have you hurt someone by what you said, or how you said it?
• Were you insensitive?
• Were you judgmental?
• Or were you even aware of how you make people feel.
Sometimes, instead of saying what you might be thinking ("That's a stupid idea!"), try: "I don't agree, and here's why."
In Ephesians 4:15 Paul says but speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:
This is a hard world, a world that doesn't always exercise courtesy. Sometimes it's a dog eat dog world. People are jockeying for positions on the interstate, and pushing for positions in their companies. People are filled with all kinds of stress and anxiety. But just think how many people we could influence for Christ if we would just treat people nicely. You see, if we treat each other with love then wonderful things will happen for the kingdom of God.
So this new year let's make sure that we display a positive attitude toward others. People need people. But more than that, people need positive people, and a constant positive influence in life.
Now, to help us have a positive attitude toward others, we first need to have a positive attitude toward the church. In 2017, as God's people, right here in His church, let's make these resolutions together.
• “We're goanna make a change for the better”.
• “We’re goanna have a positive attitude toward the church”.
• “We’re goanna lift up Jesus.”
• “We’re goanna reach out to the lost and dying world and “teach” with the message of salvation”. AMEN
In the book of Matthew there’s an interesting account of something that happened as Jesus ate with His disciples. If you remember, a woman brought a jar filled with expensive perfume and broke it and anointed his head with the perfume.
Matthew 26:7 states: “There came unto him a woman having an alabaster box of very precious ointment, and poured it on his head, as he sat at meat.
Immediately some of the disciples criticized the waste, saying that the perfume should have been sold and the money given to the poor. But Jesus defended her.
Matthew 26:8-12 states “But when his disciples saw it, they had indignation, saying, To what purpose is this waste? For this ointment might have been sold for much, and given to the poor. When Jesus understood it, he said unto them, Why trouble ye the woman? for she hath wrought a good work upon me. For ye have the poor always with you; but me ye have not always. For in that she hath poured this ointment on my body, she did it for my burial.
You see, we have a different value system than the mislead world. The mislead world would consider something waste that we consider valuable. The mislead world thinks you're wasting your time going to church. You wanted to hear about God and Jesus Christ, and the mislead world thinks that's a waste.
Matthew 26: 13 Verily I say unto you, Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached in the whole world, there shall also this, that this woman hath done, be told for a memorial of her.
Now, we also need to understand that when we risk something for God we could lose. But consider first, we’ve already won the big battle because Jesus went to the cross and died for us.
We might lose some scuffles along the way because Satan is still the prince of this world and there are a lot of things going on that are not God's will. But wouldn’t you rather be trying something great for God and fail, than be playing it safe and succeed at the devil’s will. A M E N A M E N
And in closing……
With all our well thought-out resolutions on what we intend to do, we must implement a plan. To do this we have to “Strain toward what is ahead” and concentrate on a solid plan that will help to make our resolutions more of a reality. God has to be at the top of that plan!
Philippians 3:13 states: “Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before.
• We should improve our spiritual wellbeing,
• We must develop our prayer life,
• We should care how physically fit we are,
• We should pay attention to our emotional health,
• We should be willing to grow mentally in wisdom and knowledge.
• Our goals and activities should include our families.
• We must include the Church so that we won’t get out of balance.
• Sign up for that class and make time in your schedule.
• Plan for an hour of practice or musical lessons every other day.
• Start changing those bad eating habits one meal at a time.
• Work on loving, laughing and living.
• And “press on toward the goal.”
Philippians 3:13 states: “I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”
If you break a resolution, don’t give up! Remember, Paul said “forgetting what is behind.” God is continually making us new. If you have a relapse, talk to God about it, and then get back in gear. It’s not the end of the world. God forgives. Thank God!
Someone said, "Life is what happens to you while you’re making plans to do something else."
If there is one of you that would like to become a member of God’s Church. There are five things you must do:
Hearing God’s word (Romans 10:17)
Believing it (Hebrews 11:6),
Repenting of sin (Acts 17:30),
Confessing Jesus as Christ (Matthew 10:32)
Be baptized for the remission of sins (Acts 2:38, Acts 22:16)
References: The Holy Bible KJV
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