Sermon Tone Analysis

Prayer

Intro

Neal —> Jess —> Mary Logan & Ellie —> Mom & Dad & Christy

First Sunday @ Mansfield as Senior Pastor Student Pastor at ELFBC for 9 1/2 years Mention UGA v. OSU

What a unique day for us today.

It is a new year, the year 2023, you have a new pastor…me and we are going to begin on a new journey together.

Is anyone like me?

I go all in on the new year…my diet is changing today, I’m going to exercise, I’m going to read, write, learn etc.

It is also crazy to me when I think about all that changes in a year.

Think back over your year and think about all that has changed for you.

Some of you may have had a child in the last year, you may have started a new job, you may have retired, or lost a loved one.

Some of you this time last year you were at a different church or maybe you weren’t in church at all.

The new year typically causes us to reflect on the previous year, to think about the gains, the losses and to then think about the next year.

Things we want to do differently, things we want to do the same.

My life has drastically changed in a year.

This time last year I was living with my family in my parents basement working at Eagle’s Landing FBC in student ministry.

Fast forward a year, I bought a house and now I’m looking to build a new house in Mansfield because I’m at a new job in a new ministry area.

Life has changed a lot.

I think this is true too when we think about the last five years or ten years of our lives too.

Think back if you can to five years ago, January 1, 2018.

How much in your life has changed since then.

How much have you changed since then?

I wasn’t a father and I had just started seminary.

Fatherhood and school changed me so much.

Think back 10 years ago…how much has changed since then?

How much have you changed since then?

I was an intern at ELFBC, I was dating Jess, not even engaged.

How much has my life changed since then?

How much have I changed since then?

Being a husband and being a father changed me.

Working at a church and becoming a pastor changed me.

Our lives certainly, change and we certainly change but along this path we have to realize how we are changing spiritually as well.

Thinking back over the last year, seeing what the lord has done, how he has moved and worked.

Over the last ten years I’ve had so many different ways the Lord has worked in me and refined me.

I thought about the uniqueness of today…I thought about the uniqueness of the season I am in and the church is in and I was excited.

You have a natural time of introspection both personally and corporately and the response for most people is to think forward to what could be.

What could I do, where could I go.

We have a unique opportunity this morning, the LORD has been moving and working and we get to be a part of it.

The LORD has a plan for me, for you, for His church and we get to be a part of it.

HOW CAN WE BEST POSITION OURSELVES FOR THE LORD TO USE US OVER THE NEXT YEAR, FIVE YEARS, TEN YEARS?

As I thought about this question I was drawn to a passage of scripture.

I kept reciting 1 Peter 1:20-21

He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was revealed in these last times for you.

21 Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.

-- 1 Peter 1:20-21 (CSB)

- I was reminded that though my seasons may change, though my circumstances may change, thought I may grow and be sanctified that Jesus is exactly who he was before the foundation of the earth.

I began to read that text and as I did I knew it was where we needed to spend our time this morning.

If we want to BEST POSITION OURSELVES FOR THE LORD TO USE US OVER THE NEXT YEAR, FIVE YEARS, TEN YEARS what do we need to do?

1 Peter 1:13-21

13 Therefore, with your minds ready for action, be sober-minded and set your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

14 As obedient children, do not be conformed to the desires of your former ignorance.

15 But as the one who called you is holy, you also are to be holy in all your conduct; 16 for it is written, Be holy, because I am holy.

17 If you appeal to the Father who judges impartially according to each one’s work, you are to conduct yourselves in reverence during your time living as strangers.

18 For you know that you were redeemed from your empty way of life inherited from your ancestors, not with perishable things like silver or gold, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of an unblemished and spotless lamb.

20 He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was revealed in these last times for you.

21 Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.

The main idea of this passage and the main idea of this message is this: That believers would set our hope completely and fully in Christ leading to holy living.

Hope in the RIGHT thing, changes everything.

What we know is that in our lives we often get distracted by the things around us.

We take inventory over our last year, five years, ten years and we gauge what our next year is going to be like through that lens.

Peter is directing our attention off of ourselves in this text, he’s taking our focus off of who we are and what we do and shifting the focus to who Jesus is, what Jesus has done and how our hope in him changes how we live.

Regardless of how messed up we might be.

Regardless of how sinful we might be.

Regardless of how wealthy we might be.

Regardless of how righteous we might be.

And regardless of how obedient we might be Peter takes our focus off of self and places it on Christ.

So no matter how you come into the room today.

You may have come hopeful for a new year.

You may have come dreading a new year.

You may have come as a skeptic or you may have come as a devout follower of Jesus.

Today I want to invite you to allow the text of scripture to focus your eyes on Jesus.

Allow the text of scripture to guide you to place your hope fully and completely in Jesus Christ leading to holy living.

Pray

Hope set fully and completely in Christ leads believers to action.

Peter is calling us to action.

Peter is calling us to set our hope completely on Christ.

Preparation & setting of the mind

Prepare and set my mind towards proper beliefs

MY MIND MUST BE SET ON THE HOPE OF GRACE IN CHRIST JESUS ALONE AVOID the temptation to put our hope in anything else…what does your mind turn to when things get tough or when things are going great?

Peter clues us into something that will keep us from action and will keep us from setting our hope completely on Christ…THE MIND.

- The mind is apparently a big deal.

Peter’s instruction is for us to have our minds ready.

In order to have our minds ready we need to take stock in what we are allowing into our minds.

What voices have a seat at your table?

Whose words carry the most weight with you?

Hope set fully and completely in Christ draws us to obedience and confirms us to Christ.

Christians are called to holiness True salvation always results in obedience and obedience leads to holiness.

You will be conformed to something…we need to be conformed to His holiness.

Holiness is an essential part of God’s nature.

What obedience is the Lord calling you toward?

Baptism?

Live in the grace Jesus offers As we conform don’t lose sight of grace as the means of your conformity

Hope set fully and completely in Christ turns our eyes to eternity.

2 Corinthains 4:17-18 The way we live is going to be contrary to the world.

But…our eyes are set on eternity.

Heaven is our home.

This perspective, this hope set fully and completely in christ helps me hold tighter to my savior, the promise of salvation and the promise of eternity with him.

Hope set fully and completely in Christ is rooted in His blood.

Christ humanity

Jesus was real.