A Fresh Start
A New Years Day Sermon
Chuck Sligh
January 1, 2017
[NOTE: PowerPoint and ProPresenter presentations are available upon request at chucksligh@hotmail.com]
TEXT: Turn to Philippians 3.
INTRODUCTION
Well, we’ve all come to a new year. 2016 is gone and 2017 is here. If you’re like most people, you probably made some new resolutions for 2017, some special changes for the new year—how you’re going to “turn over a new leaf.”
Someone has said, “The trouble with “turning over a new leaf” is that once you’ve done it twice, you’re right back where you started.” In 2017, maybe what we need is not new resolutions or turning over any leaves. Maybe what we need is a “fresh start.”
How many of you here today would like to have a fresh start this year? All of us here this morning have made many mistakes in 2016 and…well, we’d rather not talk about them, right? Some of us have experienced setbacks and failures last year and earlier in our lives. Sometimes we allow these mistakes, these setbacks and failures to enslave us to the point that we never enjoy the full life that God wants us to experience.
But I want you to know that God wants you to have a fresh start this year. Let me share with you four ways you can have a fresh start in your life this morning:
I. FIRST, GET YOUR ETERNAL DESTINY SETTLED – Verse 4-9
At one time Paul was relying on what most people rely on even today, 2,000 years later, to find God and have a relationship with Him—until he discovered the truth. Paul said at one time he thought his salvation all depended on HIM and he was trusting his own self in Philippians 3:4 – “Though I might also have confidence in the flesh [my own efforts]. If any other man thinketh that he hath whereof he might trust in the flesh, I more.”
He elaborates on this false foundation for salvation in verses 5-6:
1) Before he discovered the truth, he relied on his RELIGIOUS HERITAGE – He says in verse 5a – “Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews;…”
Some people think they’re going to heaven because they were born in a Christian family. But your religious heritage won’t save you. Being born in a Christian family will no more make you a child of God than being born in a garage makes you a car.
Some think they have eternal life because their parents were good Christians. The truth of the matter is that you can’t, for each of us must answer to God for ourselves.
2) Paul also relied on his RELIGIOUS AFFILIATION to put him into a right relationship with God – verse 5b – “...as touching the law, a Pharisee...”
He prided himself in being a member of the strictest of the religious denominations of his day, which he was sure secured God’s approval. But he came to understand that his religious affiliation was of no value. You cannot get to heaven by your membership in a certain church. See, being a Baptist or a Lutheran or a Catholic will not make you right with God and wash away sins, for salvation is not about denominational affiliation.
3) Third, Paul trusted in his SINCERITY to gain God’s approval – verse 6a – “...concerning zeal, persecuting the church...”
Paul was so sincere in his religious dogma that he thought he was doing right by persecuting the early church. But he later found out that he was deluded.
Many think that as long as they are sincere, in the end, God will accept them. Have you ever heard someone say, “It doesn’t matter what you believe, so long as you’re sincere”? That’s untrue for you see, it’s possible to be sincere but be sincerely wrong.
Illus. – I remember one time traveling to a pastors’ fellowship, following the host pastor’s directions to the church. At one point we were supposed to turn RIGHT, but misreading the directions, we turned LEFT instead. There were 10 different turns in the instructions we were given. We followed EVERY OTHER instruction exactly right: When it said go STRAIGHT, we went straight; when it said to turn RIGHT, we turned right; when it said to turn LEFT, we turned left. The only thing we did wrong was one wrong turn out of ten, and in 15 minutes we were lost as goony birds. No matter how sincere we were, we were going the wrong way!
A lot of people are like that: They’re very sincere in their religious beliefs. But God says there’s only a certain way to Him and if you go any other way, it doesn’t matter how sincere you are—you’re going the wrong way and you’ll end up at the wrong destination and there’s only one other destination besides heaven and it’s considerably hotter there!
4) Fourth, Paul said he relied on his PERSONAL RIGHTEOUSNESS to get him into heaven – verse 6b – “...the righteousness which is the law, blameless...”
To get to heaven, God is not interested in OUR righteousness.
Isaiah 64:6 says, “all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags.”
Paul says in Titus 3:5 – “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us by the washing of regeneration and the renewing of the Holy Ghost.”
What I’ve just shared with you are four things Paul was trusting in to please God and secure eternal life for himself—four of the same things many today are trusting in.
But in verses 7-8, Paul tells how he came to see the worthlessness of these things to gain God’s approval, and he threw them to the four winds so that he could win CHRIST – “But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. 8 Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ.”
Paul discovered the truth of how to get to God and obtain eternal life in heaven:
He realized that the righteousness required to get to heaven is not self-generated; it is bestowed by God. – In verse 9 he says, “And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith.”
The righteousness you must have is not your OWN righteousness that you earn by keeping God’s laws, but righteousness that comes from GOD as a gift. God alone is perfectly holy and entirely righteous. If you have HIS righteousness, you are as sinless as God Himself! Let me repeat that: If you have HIS righteousness, YOU ARE AS SINLESS AS GOD HIMSELF.
That’s the only way anyone can be saved—we must have GOD’S righteousness. Christ died on the cross for your sins, and when He did, He bore your sins on the cross, but what is not often understood is that when you trust in Jesus Christ for salvation, YOU RECEIVE HIS PERFECT RIGHTEOUSNESS. It’s an exchange.
Let me show you a verse that proves that: 2 Corinthians 5:21 – “For he [God] hath made him [Jesus] to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.”
The second truth Paul discovered about how to get to heaven is that this righteousness from God is received by faith in Jesus Christ. – He says in the middle of verse 9 – “...but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith.”
How can you receive God’s righteousness?—Simply believe in Jesus Christ. “Believe” means to “trust in; rely on; put your faith in.” “You mean all I have to do is trust in Jesus?”—Yes, that’s ALL you must do.
To have a fresh start in life this year, first of all get your salvation settled. Believe in Jesus Christ who loves you so much, He died for your sins and do it TODAY!
II. SECOND, GET TO KNOW GOD IN HIS FULLNESS.
What did Paul say was his goal?—Look at verse 10 – “That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death.”
In a nutshell, Paul said he gave up religion and rule keeping and religious affiliation and misplaced zeal in order to know Christ in three ways:
1) First, he wanted to know Christ PERSONALLY – “That I may know Him...”
As I’ve already said, salvation is not about religion; or obeying a list of do’s and don’ts; or simply having a glorified fire escape from hell. It’s about knowing God PERSONALLY, about having a PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP with the living God as real as knowing your own spouse. It’s about KNOWING Christ.
2) Paul also wanted to know Christ POWERFULLY – He said, “That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection...” – He wanted to know the power that raised Christ from the dead!
Paul didn’t want a dead RELIGION based on his own power and strength. He wanted a vibrant RELATIONSHIP with God that transformed his life supernaturally, just as God supernaturally raised Christ from the dead. When you trust in Christ, you receive the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit will change you from the inside out in a way not possible from the outside in.
3) But Paul also wanted to know Christ PAINFULLY – “...and the fellowship of His suffering, being made conformable unto his death...”
Modern Christians want an easy faith that involves no sacrifice or suffering. Not Paul. To REALLY know someone in the most intimate sense is to be there in their pain as well as in the good times.
Paul is saying, “I want to be Christ’s closest companion—to KNOW Him, to experience what He experienced, to walk as He walked. And if that means I experience the pain of RIDICULE as He did by following Christ, so be it. If I suffer the pain of MISUNDERSTANDING as He did, so be it. If I suffer the pain of PHYSICAL AFFLICTION as He did, so be it, for I am not following Him for personal benefit. All I want is to know HIM fully.”
Every truly born-again Christian knows Christ; but most also know that it’s really in the midst of struggle and trial and suffering that we REALLY come to know Christ intimately. It’s usually only then that we call out to God and truly seek Him and so many times it’s then that people look back and say, “That’s when I REALLY came to KNOW Christ.”
III. THIRD, TO HAVE A FRESH START IN YHOUR LIFE, PUT THE PAST BEHIND YOU AND LOOK TO THE FUTURE – Verse 13 – “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.”
Paul had cast off religion and embraced a relationship with Jesus. But he says, “I have not apprehended,” That means, “I have not arrived spiritually.”
If Paul, perhaps the greatest Christian who ever lived, had not “arrived” spiritually, where in the world does that leave you and me? You may or may not have tried to live for the Lord in the last year. Either way, you know you have failed the Lord many times.
In Revelation 12:10, Satan is called “the accuser of the brethren.” Satan wants you to wallow in defeat and to feel intense guilt for your past actions, both before and after you trusted in Christ as Savior. But Paul has a different solution. He says, “Put your past behind you.”
When you really realize the fullness of God’s forgiveness, you’re reminded repeatedly of what I said before: If you have GOD’S righteousness, you’re as sinless as God Himself. You may see yourself as a failure and maybe, humanly speaking, you are. But God sees you in Christ—forgiven and perfect in God’s sight!
So Paul says, “Forget the ways you blew it in the past and reach forth to the victory God wants you to have in the future.” Once you have done that, don’t live in guilt and self-loathing; live in God’s forgiveness!
In that same vein, we must put behind us the bitterness toward those who have wronged us. Many of us have faced the awful reality of major offences our loved ones or friends have committed against us. Then we allow anger and hurt and feelings of betrayal to embitter us and harden our hearts against them, even if the offender has repented of what they have done. This is a grave mistake that has caused as much heartache and pain and broken marriages and hurting children as the offenses themselves.
But here’s the thing: Failing to forgive an offender not only affects the person you are angry against, but it affects you, and all those around you.
The writer of Hebrews warns us in Hebrews 12:14-15: “Follow peace with all men, [God wants us to follow the path of reconciliation and peace and forgiveness, not spite and anger and retaliation with EVERYONE…no exceptions!]… 15 Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled.”
If you have been offended, God gives you the grace to forgive that person, and if you do not forgive them, the writer here says you “fail God’s grace.” But here’s the scary part: When we don’t forgive, a root of bitterness springs up in us, and through it MANY ARE DEFILED. Bitter people affect everyone around them…their kids, their family, their friends.
God has a better way – Paul exhorts us in Ephesians 4:31-32, “Let all bitterness, and wrath [loud outbursts of anger], and anger [internal, seething anger], and clamor [quarrelling], and evil speaking [i.e., insulting language], be put away from you, with all malice [spite or ill will]: 32 And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted [i.e., compassionate, understanding, loving-hearted], forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.”
IV. FINALLY, TO MAINTAIN A FRESH START, YOU NEED TO PERSEVERE IN PURSUING CHRIST – Philippians 3:14 – “I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”
Here is the key to finish the course: to “…press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God...”
The word “mark” referred to the white finish line in a Greek Olympic race.
The words, “I PRESS…” are interesting. The word for press here is the same Greek word that is found in verse 12 where it’s translated “follow after” when Paul says, “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.” It’s the Greek word dióko which when used of a race, meant, “to run swiftly in order to catch a person or thing, to run after; to press on: figuratively of one who in a race runs swiftly to reach the goal; to pursue.” It’s the idea of being in a race and seeing the finish line, and running hard and with an unfailing persistence and reaching forth with all your might to reach the finish line. It implies persistence and fortitude to reach the goal and NOT GIVE UP! It implies keeping on keeping on, no matter the cost or the obstacles.
Paul says, “I press on,…I keep on…I won’t quit…I follow after…I pursue…I will have the fortitude to keep on until the race is finished!”
So Paul is saying, “I gave up religion for a relationship with Christ. I’ve put my past sins and failures behind me and I’m looking ahead to serving God with all my heart. Now I’m pressing toward the finish line. I won’t give up till I reach heaven, the finish line. I won’t quit. I won’t stop. And if I fall, I’ll get up and keep in the race and press on.”
CONCLUSION
2017 could be the greatest, happiest year of victory and spiritual advancement in your life.
How can you make that possible?
1) First, get your salvation settled.
Begin this year by bowing your head and telling God you acknowledge that He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to die for your sin. Tell Him you are trusting in HIM to save you, not your own works. Ask Him to become your Savior and the boss of your life from now on. If you do it, God promises to forgive you of all sin and give you eternal life.
2) Second, get to KNOW Christ.
Get to know Him PERSONALLY by trusting in Him. Get to know Him POWERFULLY by listening to Him in His Word, by obeying Him, and by listening to and following the promptings of the Holy Spirit. Know Him INTIMATELY by calling out to Him in the midst of your trial, getting into the Word of God in the midst of your trial and seeking His face and asking God to reveal Himself to you, and trusting Him through the trial.
3) Third, put your failures and your sins behind you by repentance and confession, and put your offenses and hurts behind you with forgiveness and tenderheartedness and look forward to the victory and freedom and joy God has for you.
4) Finally, follow Christ with all your heart unswervingly.
PURSUE the Lord; never stop chasing Him; never give up; persevere to the end. And if you do fail, go back to the point number 3: Put the past behind you, get back in the race, get your eye on the finish line again, and keep on keeping on for God.
