A New Year with an Old Recipe
Joshua 3:3-5 (Read V1-6)
INTRO:
Another year is passed and we embark into a new one
***Don’t know what it will bring or hold in store for us
***Say as Joshua in V4 “We have not passed this way heretofore”
Not knowing we can be sure of some things
***God wants His people to be happy and successful
***God wants His church to grow
***God wants souls to be saved
There is a secret to that success
***V5 says to “santify yourselves: for tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among you
Some may say “but we are a N.T. church
***N.T. says in Matt 6:33 “seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you”
***Not just on Sunday but 365 days a year
***In our homes, at work, at play, at school, wherever life takes you
***Needs to become a way of life – full time
Everyone likes to win; losing is hard for us and on us
***Players will be seen crying on the sidelines after a loss
***Participants will hang there heads in defeat
***Fans run in embarrassment during losing seasons (e.g. Columbus High)
***Tickets go up the year after a super bowl season
***Players and fans cheer and scream when they score and win
***We like to be winners!
Our church hasn’t grown as we would like during the past year
***We get frustrated and down hearted
***Satan plays havoc with our minds telling us we are losers
***But God is the winner and has a different plan for our church and lives
Our relationship may have not grown as we would like
***That’s our fault – take responsibility
***What will you do differently this year for God?
***What will you change as you start you new journey into a New Year?
***Satan CAN NOT win with the Jesus Christ on our side
***Satan CAN NOT win with the power of the Holy Ghost in our lives
Remember to thank God for all of the victories He has provided in your life
***Thank Him IN ADVANCE for the victories He will provide this year
***We will close this service today siniging the song “victory in Jesus”
***I am claiming victory for this church and all of our lives in 2004
Jesus Christ promised victory SO TAKE IT!
***He promised happiness in Him and in our salvation
***Whatever happens in this life we still have an ETERNAL HOME
Some of us may have lost some battles or feel defeated in life
***Thank God you are still standing and able to fight
***Get dressed, stand up, and prepare for the victory
When we do experience the victory remember to give God the glory
***Not by my strength but by His
***2 Cor 12:9-10 And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.
***When we fell weak Christ is our strength
***When we feel strong, Christ is still our strength – GIVE HIM PRAISE!
God will do His part – BUT we must do ours
***God has given the right ingredients for success
***We must use them and mix them to make a perfect life
***Leave out any part and it will not turn out right
***These will provide happiness and success
TRANS: Lets look at some key ingredients
1. THE BIBLE MUST HAVE A PLACE IN YOUR HEART
A. It is not just a book that sits on the shelf and collects dust
***Read it and see how to overcome trials and tribulations
***Read it and see how to become holy, righteous, and acceptable to Him
***Only 2% of Christians have read the Bible through front to back
***Some only read it when scripture is read for the Sermon
***The Bible is still on the “Best Seller” list of books sold
***Many homes have multiple copies, but never read
*****IF you’re not reading it give it to someone who will!
***It still stands even though some may boycott it or try to blot it out
B. It will straighten out our lives
***ILL If a builder puts a level on a piece of wood and sees it is not straight, he does not throw away the level, he straightens the board or gets a new one
***When we see our lives are not straight don’t throw away the Bible – get right
C. The Bible is like a camera
***It shows a true picture of us
***We always tell a photographer to get our best side
***Likewise we may not like the picture of our real nature
***Creams and makeup cover up blemishes but he Bible shows us inward
***The 2 edged sword splits us open and we see ourselves as we really are
***Are we willing to really look at ourselves and then let God clean it up?
2. PRAYER IS SOMETHING ELSE YOU WILL NEED
A. Prayer is communicating with God, our father
***We breath air to live, prayer is our spiritual breath, we must pray to live for God
***We will never have a strong spiritual life without spending time alone with God
***Daniel – prayed 3 times a day and saved him in the lions den
*****Some say the lions weren’t hungry but they ate his accusers
***David – Secret to his success was his prayer life
*****No matter his highs and lows he still prayed
*****The Psalms shows us every emotion, trials, and victories in his life
***Jesus – He continually talked with His father
*****In the crowds, Gethsemane, and the cross.
***If Jesus prayed (who created the world) how much more do we need it
***Pray daily as the bible says “without ceasing”
This is a command for us to live a Christian life
3. THERE MUST BE SANTIFIED CHRISTIAN LIVING
A. The first 2 points mean nothing if we don’t live a Christian life
***A real Christian life – uncompromising
***To many Christians want to compromise the Word for the World
***They justify there lives and actions or maybe even doctrine or truth
***The world is watching our lives more than our talk
***ILL They may not read the 4 Gospels but they do read your life and actions
*****You may say you love them but do you visit them and invite them?
*****You may even have some apologizing to some who have not seen Christ
*****You catch fish where the fish are, you go to them
***People must see Christ in us – in all of us
B. Walking with God means being faithful to your church
***We are talking about tithes and labor
***I didn’t invent it, God ordained it and that is good enough
***People shouldn’t admire the building – but the lives inside
***The church should be a place of salvation, worship, and Holy Ghost filling
***The church should build disciples, send missionaries
***Preach an un-watered Word to a dying world
C. Walking with God includes faithful service
***We give 100% of good duty to our jobs
***We stick and stay there for years and work faithfully
***People don’t give the same faithful work to the church
*****It becomes only a Sunday thing to do – and yet so much to be done
***Your job can count on you but God can’t!
***This year recommit to Putting God and His Work First!
*****Do away with half-heartedness and give Him your all
***You were put on this earth for no other reason
4. WE MUST BE WITNESSING FOR CHRIST
A. Look over the past year
***How many have you witnessed to and pointed to Christ
***Some Christians have never led a soul to Christ or even witnessed to them
***Lets make a difference this year to be committed to witnessing and sharing
We are starting new programs and avenues to share Christ
***What will you do to help out in the work?
***You have great ideas to help us start even more programs or enhance these
If we are not winning souls to Christ then what is our purpose
***Winning souls is our primary purpose as a church
***Building souls is another primary purpose
Let’s seek out the souls that need Christ and get them into church
***This New Year lets start changing our priorities and line them up with the Bible
CLOSING
We are headed into a new year
Headed into the unknown
Put the proper ingredients into the recipe for happiness and success
V6 “tomorrow God will do amazing things”
ARE YOU WILLIG TO START CHANGING TODAY?
ALTER CALL!
