Stand Up For Jesus

First Church of God in Harvey

New Year’s Sunday - January 4th, 2009

Let’s just shake hands with each one, wishing that person a happy New Year....

This is the day, the first Sunday of the New Year 2009, which the Lord hath made, we will rejoice and be glad in it. This is a year we have never seen before, but on this day we can rejoice and be glad in it. Many of us have gone through our dangers, our toils and our

snares, but on this day we can rejoice and be glad in it Many of us did not know we would make it through 2008, but here we are on this day, the first Sunday of 2009, and so we can rejoice and be glad in it. . For some of us, the doctors might have shaken their heads, not sure if we were going to make it, but here we are on the first Sunday of 2009

and so we can rejoice and be glad in it. I call upon every child of God here today to magnify the Lord with me, praise the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together......take time to praise the Lord.

On New Year’s Eve on my way to our Watch Night Service we were listening to the Moody Station, and the pastor talked about justice, grace and mercy. He made it clear that justice is when we get what we deserve; grace is when we get what we did not deserve, and mercy is when we did not get what we deserve. We all should be thankful today, for

God’s justice; God’s grace and God’s mercy. Mercy....when we did not get what we desrve, was gerat; and grace..when we get what we did not deserve, that grace was free; Pardon, we were wretched and blind, there was multiplied to me; There my burdened soul, my sin sick soul found liberty,,,,where? at Calvary.

On this first Sunday of the New Year 2009, let’s just stand and take the time to talk together....let’s all pray....

Last Sunday we talked about letting go. We said the apostle Paul was dis-satisfued with the present; he was forgetting the past, and he was stretching forth to the mark. We were told to forget our past failures. We were told if God in his grace and mercy has forgiven us of all our past sins, then we too should forget it, and just thank God for his forgiveness, and move forward.

Today, this first Sunday of the year 2009, we will be using as our topic, Stand up for Jesus. Please turn with me in your Bibles, in the King James Version, to Matthew 28 verses 19 and 20, and let us all stand and read together. Please ask someone this question,

Are you going to stand up for Jesus?

We had a beautiful service here last Wedbesday night at our Watch Night service, and I want to thank all those who were able to attend. Many of you were not able to attend, but we had a glorious time here as we worshipped the Lord.

Last year our theme was, Say it in love, and we will be using the same theme again this

year, Say it in love. Once again I am going to ask every member of this church, of God’s

church, to start or continue saying everything in love. I am asking everyone to strart

treating their brother and sister in a loving way. I am asking everyone to start caring about

the needs of others, and helping as much as you can. Our theme verse is Ephesiams 4 verse 29, Let no co-rupt communication proceed out of your mouth; or let no unwholesome words ever pass your lips; or never let any foul word pass your lips,

but that which is good to the use of edifying or building up, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. Before we say anything abiut anyone, let’s make sre we think

about what we are going to say, and say it in love.

Each year, christians and non-christians make resolutions as to what they intend to

achieve that year. Some might say, I will start coming to Sunday School, and I will be

there on time; or I will start coming to prayer meeting and Bible Class on a more

consistent basis. or I will start reading through the bible, or I will be more loving to my

husband, my wife, my children and my friends. Here at the church, starting today, Sunday

School will be starting promptly each Sunday at 9:30 am, and morning sercvice at 11:00

am, and we are asking everyone to be here on time. A recent article listed the "five most

popular resolutions made most every year. The 5th was to take up a new hobby, the 4th