A New Day With the Same God

Spend Every Day Thanking God for What has Happened and What is to Come. Psalm 118:19-26

Introduction There were two men who chartered a small airplane each year to fly into their favorite place to hunt moose.  It was a place they had discovered that few others knew about.  The plane equipped to land on water landed near the island's edge in a large lake in the great north woods.  The plane taxied up to the beach of the island.  The pilot waited as they unloaded their gear.  He assured them that he would return in three days to pick them up at this same place.  He taxied out into the lake, and they watched as the plane gained altitude over the forest on the mainland and disappeared. Three days later, the plane landed on the lake and taxied up to the beach just as the pilot had promised.  The men asked for the pilot's help to load two huge moose that they had shot and prepared for transporting home.  The pilot told them that he couldn't take both moose.  The weight would be too much for the small plane.  It would not be able to take off.  They protested to the pilot, saying that they didn't understand.  They paid him to bring them and expected him to take their moose back home.  They told him that the pilot that they chartered last year allowed them to take two moose back with them, and the plane was identical to this one.  The pilot relented and helped them load the moose.

The plane took off with difficulty.  It scraped the tops of the trees on the mainland and finally crashed on the side of the mountain.  As the three men pulled themselves out of the wreckage, the pilot asked one of the hunters, "How will we ever find our way out of here?"  The other hunter looked out over the forest below and said, "We won't have any trouble.  I know where we are.  We're about 500 yards from where we crashed last year."

So often in life, a new day begins, but life stays the same. A new year arrives, but we treat it like any other. It’s not a new day or a new year; it's just another one. Resolutions die, and old habits reappear. Very rarely does one day look any different. As a church, you've seen that as well. People, pastors, and leaders have come and gone over the years here at Mount Gilead. Some of that has been good, and some of that has been bad. So why really should anyone, including us as a church, be excited for 2024?

One message that prevails throughout the Bible is the theme of “A New Day.” A day when something appears on the horizon. Since the fall of man, God has promised a new day for his prized creation, us. God has not only kept that promise, but He keeps making it anew. He makes that promise daily. The hope of 2024 is found in the same place it is found every January. It is found in the same place every day. Psalm 118:19-26

Psalm 118:19–26 ESV

Open to me the gates of righteousness, that I may enter through them and give thanks to the Lord. This is the gate of the Lord; the righteous shall enter through it. I thank you that you have answered me and have become my salvation. The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. This is the Lord’s doing; it is marvelous in our eyes. This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. Save us, we pray, O Lord! O Lord, we pray, give us success! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! We bless you from the house of the Lord.

Scriptural Analysis Psalm 118 invites the reader to an act of praise and the heart of thanksgiving. At times, thanksgiving has been reduced simply to the act of saying “thank you.” However, the psalmist adds a deeper understanding of thanksgiving through reflection and celebration.

Verses19-22 In this entire chapter of Psalm, the psalmist alludes to God’s deliverance of Israel from Egypt. There is a section of the Torah called Song of the Sea in Exodus 15. It is a poetic remembrance of the deliverance from Egypt, and so is Psalm 118. The opening and closing lines of Psalm 118 refer to the steadfast love of God. In Exodus 15, Israel will be guided into God’s presence because of God's steadfast love, and here, the psalmist is brought into God’s presence in Psalm 118:19–21. Both the Song of the Sea and Psalm 118 acknowledge the power of the hostile nations, but both songs assuredly assert that even such nations can be overcome through the power of Israel’s God.

The psalmist then writes about a rejected stone that becomes the capstone. The capstone, also known as a cornerstone, is a large, smooth stone and a natural place for inscribing religious slogans, the name of the architect or king responsible, and the date of construction. The psalmist explained that the Lord had taken the stone that the builders rejected and had marvelously made it the capstone of the nation. The meaning is clear: someone who was once considered marginalized and of little value has now been placed back into the “structure,” the community of the righteous, by the Builder. Therefore, the people should rejoice. This reference has two meanings.

First, in those days, great empires easily discounted Israel as a nation because they had been enslaved for centuries. They were a pitiful people to many. Yet the Lord took that “stone” and made it “the capstone” of His rule on earth. So, it is referring to the deliverance of the nation of Israel by God.

Secondly, this is applied to Jesus in Luke 20, Acts 4, 1 Peter 2, Ephesians 2, Matthew 21, and Mark 12. The stone which was rejected clearly refers to a stone that was considered to be worthless. Jesus himself said this was referring to Him. In Jesus’ Parable of the Landowner and the Tenants, He applied the psalm in that way. Jesus is the Stone, and the Jewish leaders, the builders, had rejected Him. But God made Him the Capstone. God had delivered Israel, and God had delivered humanity.

Verses 23-24 The psalmist attributed the deliverance to God and none other. In verse 23, the community confesses, “The Lord has done this,” which is a reference to God’s faithful act of deliverance and restoration. In addition to attributing these acts to God, the psalmist places this deliverance in the broader context of God’s salvific acts in history, culminating in Jesus on the cross.

Verse 24 is frequently quoted verse, usually used to encourage rejoicing on any given day. Originally, however, it referred to a specific day: the day of deliverance and victory. The community is not celebrating that day's creation but instead celebrating the miraculous work that God “has done” on that day. In other words, it was a reflection back on the day the Israelites were delivered from slavery while also gratefully anticipating the day of the Messiah's arrival. This day, the psalmist declares, was the day God provided His people victory.

Verses 25-26 Rendered literally, the verse reads, “Please, O Lord, save us, we beg! Please, O Lord, make us prosper, we beg!” The verse's structure signals the community's desperation for God to act on their behalf. This request suggests that the community remains in need of deliverance from some kind of crisis, but even more, it signals their firm conviction that God remains the sole source of hope.

It should be noticed that part of verse 25 and verse 26 seem to be alluded to in Matthew 21, Mark 11, Luke 19, and John 12, on the occasion when Jesus entered Jerusalem. The Hebrew phrase in verse 25, “Save us, we pray,” is transliterated in the New Testament Greek text as “Hosanna.”

Hosanna is an exclamation of praise that literally means “save us.” When the crowd said, “Hosanna, Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord," they were quoting this Messianic Psalm. That day they saw Jesus as the savior. This was a fitting exclamation of praise as Jesus entered Jerusalem en route to the cross for them and all humanity.

TODAY'S KEY TRUTH Spend Every Day Thanking God for What has Happened and What is to Come. Application Each day is a true gift of God. Each day represents a new beginning in each of our lives. Each New day has something special. But of course, today is a special New Day. It is the beginning of a new year for us as a church.  The theme “A New Day” signifies certain facts and poses a question.

First, A New Day signifies a past. It is a New day because another day has passed. I'll never forget the day in August when I left home to attend college. My parents loaded up the truck and made the trip with me. We toured the campus together. We drove around the town, checking out grocery stores, restaurants, etc. After several trips up and down the stairs of my dorm, they helped me settle into my third-floor room. I remember the room because it was a special room! It was my first "home" besides the home I had shared with my mom, dad, and brother. When it was time for mom and dad to return home, they pulled me aside and spent about 30 minutes reminding me of certain things they had already told me many times in life but things they wanted to make sure I knew. You can probably imagine what this entailed: "Get enough sleep at night, son! Be sure to eat good food! Study hard! Keep your room clean! Be careful about the kind of people you choose as friends! Lock your door at night! Get involved in a Campus Bible Study! Call us if you ever need us!" In other words, before I moved into a new chapter of my life, my parents took the time to remind me of the principles they had taught me all my life. They were reminding me of the past as I prepared for the future. Mount Gilead has a past. Some of it is great, and some of it is disappointing and hurtful. There's no denying either the good or the bad. But today is a new day. Today is a day to let go of past issues, and it's a day to release the thought of past glory days. It's a new day. We won't forget our past, but we can no longer live in it. Past victories, problems, methods, and ideas will need to be left exactly there in the past. We acknowledge the past, but today, we must move from it.

A New Day signifies a past. A New Day signifies the right perspective. I am a person of natural optimism. If I am negative about something, it’s the last resort. But as Christians, when it comes to viewing life, we should always be positive. We should always be excited about the new day.

Artist Tom Lea created a painting called "Live on the east side of the mountain.” It is the sunrise side, not the sunset side. It is the side to see the day that is coming, not the side to see the day that is gone." We are to live on the sunrise side of the mountain. We should be naturally excited about what God is going to do through us each day. And we should always be ready for the day to come. Being ready means being open to God’s will, being excited about His purposes, and being willing to go wherever he leads. God has not planned for us a boring, tiresome, draining trip. I believe God’s plans for us as individuals and as a church are the great adventure of life. The opportunities, the blessings, the rewards He has planned for us if we follow and embrace His will are even greater than we could ever imagine. How can we not be excited when we follow God’s will? God created each individual and this church for a purpose, and when we follow His purposes, the sense of excitement, peace, and fulfillment our lives and our church will experience will be overwhelming.

Let us join together on the sunrise side of the mountain. Let us follow God’s will for our lives, and we will have the right perspective for this new day. Lastly, a New Day poses the question, “What is asked of me today?”

Let me share with you a pastoral secret. You are nervous even when you know God has called you to a new ministry. You struggle with self-doubt. You worry if God can use you in this new ministry. I have been around pastors all my life, and I know this. I have seen it in many pastors, and of course, I have felt it myself. I have prayed and sought God’s strength through those self-doubts. God clearly spoke to me about His plan. Let me share that. God confirmed one thing in my heart, and now I fully believe it. As I stand before you today, I know God is calling me here to lead. I know God has led this journey we have been on for a little over a year. I know that I am ready to assume the trust, responsibility, and duty you and God have placed upon me. I am ready to lead, not by an exercise of power, but by example, by patience, and by grace. I believe I am ready to be your pastor. I would never speculate as to how long God has called me to serve as your pastor, but I know that today, that is His calling.

I believe that God has a special duty for a pastor in a church. That duty is vision. Proverbs 29 says, "Where there is NO vision, the people perish." People want to be a part of a church that has a clear purpose. People are eager to get on board when a church communicates its destination. Vision is essential for survival. It is spawned by faith, sustained by hope, sparked by imagination, and strengthened by enthusiasm. It is greater than sight, deeper than a dream, broader than an idea. The vision encompasses the vast views outside the realm of the predictable, the safe, the expected. No wonder we perish without it!

Many things will be taking place here. And I believe that we can have many great new days if we hold fast to God's vision and mandate. Many can be saved. Much rejoicing can take place. We can see many come to be a part of this family of God as we share the love of Christ with the world around us.

So you ask yourself the question, what is God asking of me? Remember that God created you for a purpose; you have a mission in life, and God has placed a call upon you. God has some great plans for you and this church. A new day has so much potential and so much opportunity.

Spend Every Day Thanking God for What has Happened and What is to Come. Conclusion So, discovering the vision of God for our church will be a process by which we look at many different things. We will start by resetting and replanting our foundation. This will be a full-on restart. Being a new day means we will have to make some changes. Some changes you'll love and enjoy, and some you might not. There's no way to make everyone happy. However, we have to be driven by purpose and not personal preferences. So with the new day, changes will come.

Two initial changes are our logo and mission statement. (Logo change) The mission statement changed from "Loving God, Serving Others" to "Loving God, Loving Each Other, Loving Fayetteville."

These two changes are meant to help refocus on who we are and what we are called to do. Loving God, Loving Each Other, Loving Fayetteville. It will help us project our values to our community. And it will help us be accountable in every endeavor we undertake. If it doesn't fit our Loving God, Loving Each Other, or Loving Fayetteville mission, then it's not what we are to be involved with. We'll keep our work, our ministries, and our focus simple: Loving God, Loving Each Other, Loving Fayetteville.

Later this year, we will walk through a series entitled "We are the Church," where we will break down this mission statement in depth. It's a new day, but we are serving the same God.

Spend Every Day Thanking God for What has Happened and What is to Come.

The key to new days is Trust. And we can trust God. He is the same God of creation. He is the same God who led the Israelites out of centuries of brutal slavery. He is the same God who sent Christ. He is the same God who raised Christ. He is the same God that was here when MGBC was started. He is the same God today as we begin this journey. And he is the same God with you as you begin this new year.

Maybe 2023 was great for you. Maybe it was a meh year. Maybe 2023 was terrible. You might be filled with hope for 2024, or maybe you are filled with dread for this upcoming year. I'm not one to make empty, shallow, possibly false promises of how 2024 is going to be your best, most prosperous year yet because God might have a year of wandering through the desert ahead for you. It could be your best year yet, or it could be a challenging one. There is no way for me or even you to know. What I do know is that no matter how 2024 unfolds, He is the same God who loved you enough to create you and loved you enough to send Christ to save you. He is the same God of this new day. No matter what you have on the horizon for 2024, He is the same God who cares for you, has a plan for you, will provide for you, and has your ultimate good in store. You can trust Him no matter what this new year may bring.

Spend Every Day Thanking God for What has Happened and What is to Come.