A NEW BEGINNING WITH GOD

Text: Lamentations 3:22-23

Welcome

Announcements:

(Focus on Sunday School… Encouragement Conference… Invest, Stay Focused on the things you do -

5 things that will bring great benefits to your life in 2025…

5 Christian Attitudes to Practice in the New Year

1. Seek God more in Prayer and the Word

Make God the daily priority, dedicating time to prayer, Bible reading, and communion with the Lord.

“But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness…” (Matthew 6:33)

(My Bible reading plan has already started… Complete New Testament by 3/31)

2. Live by faith, not by fear

Trust that God is in control, even in the face of uncertainties and challenges of the new year.

“The righteous will live by faith.” (Romans 1:17)

3. Practice Love and Forgiveness

Love as Christ loved, forgiving and restoring relationships.

“Above all, clothe yourselves with love.” (Colossians 3:14)

4. Serve with humility and willingness

Put gifts and talents to the service of the Kingdom, the church, and others.

“Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others.” (1 Peter 4:10)

5. Live in holiness and obedience

Choose daily to please God with attitudes, words, and thoughts.

“Be holy, because I am holy.” (1 Peter 1:16)

Now let me tell you about 5 things that will bring great harm to your life in 2026…

5 Attitudes We Should Leave Behind

1. Resentment and lack of forgiveness

Forgiveness frees the heart and brings spiritual healing!

Forgiveness is Medicine! Forgiveness is Health!

“Forgive, and you will be forgiven.” (Luke 6:37)

2. Grumbling and ingratitude

Complaining weakens faith; gratitude It strengthens the spirit.

“In everything give thanks.” (1 Thessalonians 5:18)

3. Self-sufficiency and pride

Recognize that we are completely dependent on God's grace.

“God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.” (James 4:6)

4. Living trapped in the past

Leave mistakes, pain, and failures in God's hands and move forward.

“Forgetting what is behind…” (Philippians 3:13)

5. Neglecting spiritual life

Do not allow the hustle and bustle of everyday life to distance us from God.

“Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you.” (James 4:8)

May the next 12 months be a time of spiritual growth, maturity in faith, and commitment to Christ.

May everything that is behind us be transformed into learning, and may we move forward firmly, confident in the Lord.

Whoever understands says Amen!

Now, let's begin the message… :)

A New Beginning With God - Starting Again With God

Lamentations 3:22-23

Introduction

We are starting a new year. For many, this brings hope.

For others, it brings fear, difficult memories, frustrations, and even spiritual weariness.

Some come to this service full of plans; others come simply surviving.

The Word of God teaches us that true new beginnings do not come from a change of the calendar, but from the renewal that comes from the Lord.

The text we have for today was written during one of the darkest moments in Israel's history—and yet, it is one of the most hopeful texts in the Bible.

Reading of the Text

Lamentations 3:22–23 NKJV

22 Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, Because His compassions fail not. 23 They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness.

//

Observe the beauty and transparency of God's Word… the first truth this text shows us is that…

I. The Reality of Pain Does Not Nullify God's Faithfulness

The book of Lamentations was written amidst the destruction of Jerusalem.

The city was in ruins. The people had lost their homes, temple, security, and hope.

Jeremiah does not write denying the pain, but acknowledging it before God.

This teaches us an important truth:

👉 Being a Christian does not mean living without pain, but never living without hope.

Perhaps the past year has been difficult:

losses

illnesses

family crises

spiritual disappointments

God doesn't ask us to pretend it didn't hurt. (The Lord has compassion on us because He experienced suffering in His own flesh)

He invites us to remember that, even in pain, He remains faithful.

The second truth that the text points to is that…

II. We Are Sustained by God's Mercy

Lamentations 3:22 NKJV

22 Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, Because His compassions fail not.

“The mercies of the Lord are the reason we are not consumed…”

Jeremiah (is alive…) does not say that the people were strong, wise, or deserving.

He says that it was the mercy of the Lord that sustained them.

Mercy is God not treating us as we deserve.

If we are here today, breathing, worshipping, with another year ahead of us, it is not by merit, but by grace.

👉 It wasn't your strength that brought you this far.

👉 It wasn't your righteousness.

👉 It was the mercy of the Lord.

The third truth that the text points to is that…

III. God Gives Us New Mercy Every Day

“…they are new every morning.”

Lamentations 3:22–23 NKJV

… Because His compassions fail not. 23 They are new every morning…

This means that God doesn't give us expired mercy, nor refurbished grace.

He doesn't say, "I've already helped you enough last year, get lost."

Every morning, there is fresh grace.

Illustration

Imagine a father who A mother prepares breakfast for her child every day. She doesn't say:

“I already fed you yesterday, that has to last the whole week.”

Similarly, God knows that we need Him every day. Therefore, He renews His mercy every morning.

👉 Yesterday's forgiveness doesn't replace today's need for it.

👉 Past experience doesn't sustain present faith.

The fourth truth that the text points out is that…

IV. Our Hope Lies in God's Faithfulness

“Great is your faithfulness.”

Jeremiah doesn't base his hope on changing circumstances, but on the character of God.

People fail

Plans change

Emotions fluctuate

Governments/Power change

But God remains faithful.

A new year is not a promise of ease, but a certainty of God's presence.

To conclude…

Practical Applications

1. Surrender this new year to the Lord

Don't try to walk alone. Dedicate your plans, dreams, and concerns to God.

-Proverbs 3:5–6

Proverbs 3:5–6 NKJV

5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; 6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.

2. Leave the past in the past

Failures don't define your future when God is in control.

Philippians 3:13–14 NKJV

13 Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, 14 I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

3. Seek God daily

If mercies are renewed every morning, our seeking should also be daily — prayer, the Word, fellowship.

Matthew 6:33 NKJV

33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.

4. Start the year/day with gratitude

If you've made it this far, it's living proof of God's faithfulness.

Philippians 4:13 NKJV

13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

Conclusion

The year is new, but God is the same.

The struggles may continue, but so does the mercy.

Uncertainties exist, but the Lord's faithfulness is greater.

May this year not be just another year,

but a year lived in dependence on God.

“Great is your faithfulness.”

Prayer

Lord our God and Father,

We praise and thank You for this very special service.

Thank You for Your presence among us, for Your Word that edified us, and for Your Holy Spirit who guided us throughout this time. As we conclude this service, we ask that everything that has been ministered finds a place in our hearts and produces fruit for Your glory.

Help us to live, from this day forward, according to the purposes You have for each of us.

Go with us as we leave this place. Guard us on our journey, protect our families, and grant us a new year full of Your peace, Your guidance, and Your love.

May we be a light wherever we are, living witnesses of Your grace, and instruments in Your hands.

Receive, Lord, all honor, all glory, and all praise, today and forever.

We entrust our lives into Your hands, trusting fully in You.

We pray with gratitude,

in the name of Jesus. Amen.