Resolution

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Alright… tonight we are talking about the age old tradition of… you guessed it… New Years Resolutions!

How many in the room have ever made a resolution before? Now here’s the big kicker… how many completed that resolution that you made?

I’m not going to ask you to share your personal resolutions that you have made in the past, but tonight, I want to talk to you about your goals, your ambitions, your hopes regarding what will happen this year.

We are a whopping 4 days into 2023! That means we have 361 days remaining this year. A LOT can take place in 361 days!

We can leave what will happen to chance… just go with the flow, do our thing, and hoe everything works out.

OR… we can set goals. We can aim to accomplish something… something important. Something that will impact our lives in great ways.

That’s where resolutions come in.

Now, nowhere in the Bible does it say we should make a New Years resolution.

It is not one of the ten commandments, it is not in the law of Moses, it is not in Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. So why talk about this cultural trend?

Because the idea behind it is sound… and encouraged in Scripture. Let me explain what I am talking about.

What is a New Years resolution?

It is a stated goal or desire regarding something you want to change or work on throughout the next year.

Often these resolutions revolve things like doing better for self.

Losing weight. Changing your diet. Less time on your phone, more time in books. Less pop more water. These kinds of things.

The sad reality is… most of the time these resolutions don’t see the end of the first month of the year. We let them go. We slip back into old habits. We lose sight of our motive behind the resolution we made.

The word resolution is a strong word. Anyone know what it means?

Resolution Defined: a firm decision to do or not to do something

This decision is so firm that we will not sway from it. This means we will not compromise, we will not give in, we will not think about going against it. it has been settled in our minds and hearts… we are resolved… committed in our decision.

This is NOT a decision anyone can make for you… it is a decision or conclusion you must make on your own. If it’s not yours from the beginning, it will not last.

This year is going to bring on a lot of experiences.

Some will be expected, others may not be expected. A person can choose to go through the next 361 days as they would any other day. OR… we can choose to… grow. We can choose to be intentional. We can choose to be resolved regarding some things in our lives.

Tonight… I want you challenge you to consider some resolutions regarding your faith. There is nothing more important in our lives than our walk with Jesus… nothing.

There are many “good” things out there competing for your attention and direction… but if these “good” things come in between you and the Lord… they are not so good anymore.

We are going to look at one passage of Scripture tonight that presents a strong resolution. It presents a strong commitment. It demonstrates a declaration of no compromise and no turning back.

I want to talk to you about a guy named Joshua. Who here knows who this guy is in the Bible?

Joshua was the leader of the people of Israel after Moses. He had really big shoes to fill and a big mission at hand. The people of Israel had been wondering in the desert for 40 years… and now it was time to enter the land God had promised them.

Joshua would lead the people into the new promises ahead - and He trusted God the entire way through.

They fought impossible battles. They took down fortified cities. They witnessed God do some incredible things!

In their journey, they were exposed to the different ways of different cultures. And when it came time to settle and to dwell in the new land… Joshua did something super important - they renewed their commitment to God.

Joshua 24:14–15 NIV

14 “Now fear the Lord and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your ancestors worshiped beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. 15 But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”

There they were… the people of God now standing in the realized promise that God had for them.

They were in a new land, experiencing a new season of promise. God had brought them here and God had more in store… but the ONLY way the people would experience what God had for them was through new commitment… a resolve in their hearts and minds that they would serve Him.

Think about it… it is a new year… a new season. We have no idea what my be coming in the days ahead, but we do know this: If we want what God wants for us, we must be resolved to follow and serve Him. This resolve is twofold.

One: We must leave the things of the past behind us.

Look at the words we see in Scripture again. The people are instructed to throw away the gods of their ancestors and serve the Lord.

The point here is simple: no one can serve two masters. Jesus made this teaching clear in His ministry while here on earth. One will always override the other.

As the people of God renewed their commitment to God, they had to throw out anything that might get in the way of their renewed commitment.

Several years ago while I was in High School, I made the decision to give up some things that were influencing me in wrong ways. This was long before the internet and smart phones. I had a collection of music albums, video games, and even a few comic books that I knew were not good influences on my heart and mind.

I made a decision, I wasn’t going to sell them… I wasn’t going to give them away. I wasn’t going to keep them either because so long as they were in my possession, I might be tempted to go back to those things. I was so resolved in my decision that I decided to… burn the items. One of those items was a copy of the comic book that contained the story of Superman coming back to life. It was… at that time… a highly valued and sought after comic book. problem was, it contained themes that were far from Christ-like.

I wanted to God to be the number one influence in my life so… I did as the Israelites were instructed - I threw out anything that might get in the way of that commitment.

I don’t know where all of you have been… but I know where God wants to lead you to go. God has great things in store for those who follow and serve Him.

But we cannot move forward while holding on to the past. We must let go… throw away anything that would distract us, and serve the Lord.

How bad do you want what God has for you?

God has many incredible things for all of us but the most remarkable is something we cannot even begin to fathom - the gift of eternal life.

That gift was made possible because of the sacrifice Jesus made for us.

God has gone great lengths for us giving the very best He had to give.

How bad do you want what God has for you? What are you willing to give… or give up… in order to receive from Him?

God will not force His way into your life… you must be willing to make the choice to follow Him. And in making that choice, throw away ANYTHING that might keep you from fully committing your life to the Lord.

This goes FAR beyond physical things.

This includes bad attitudes, lustful tendencies, behaviors that do not honor God, etc.

Our choice to be wholly surrendered to God will impact what we say and do with our lives.

Two: We must make a clear and definitive choice to follow and serve the Lord.

Joshua didn’t make the choice for the people… he made the choice for himself and his household. His choice was clear. He was resolved. He was going to serve the Lord.

And I love how he prefaced this… he basically told the people to stop playing games.

“If you don’t want to serve God… fine. That’s your choice. You can choose to serve whatever you like.” The reason I like this is because he is calling out their indecisiveness.

The choice to serve is not a choice to serve God today and then a choice to serve something else tomorrow. The choice to serve is not a matter of serving when it is convenient or comfortable. The choice to serve is not a resolution that dissolves less than a month within the year. The choice to serve is a life-long commitment to loving and honoring our King.

AND… in that choice comes a multitude of blessing! I cannot promise that life will be butterflies and daisies, but I can promise that God will be with you and He will guide and provide for you the entire way!

Do you want a good marriage? Do you want a good job? Do you want a good family? Do you want good relationships? Do you want a good young adulthood?

God is the answer for all of the good you are looking for! His ways are the best ways! His truth leads to life and spiritual freedom!

And it all starts… with a choice. It all starts with a resolved decision to serve the Lord.

There are a lot of things we can decide to do this year. There are a lot of changes we can aim to accomplish… but the best commitment we could possible make is to serve and follow Jesus.

What direction will you go?

No one can make this choice for you… it’s a choice only you can make.

Will you strive to serve the Lord in ALL things this next year? Will you follow His Word and way? Will you TRUST Him with the direction of your life?

We cannot control all that will happen in the next 361 days… kind of like the kid that couldn't control the creeper kid in the video from observing his sleeping patterns. Fweaky.

But we can control our level of commitment to God. We can control what we say yes to… and what we say no to. We can control how we prioritize our schedules. We can control what or who we will serve.

I for one… am committed to serving the Lord this year. I am willing to let go of anything that would distract me from doing so. Is there anyone who would be willing to join me in this resolution?

Then here are some prayer points I want you to consider.

God, reveal in me the things that need to go. Show me, by Your Spirit, what needs thrown out so I can draw closer to You.

God, help me to make an unwavering commitment to You tonight.

God, help me to let go of ___________________________. I know this is getting in the way of what you have for me.