001 New Years meassage

Robert Rasmussen

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001 New Years Message

Time Spent In 70-Year Life

If one lives to be 70 years of age and is the average person, he spends:

—20 years sleeping

—20 years working

—6 years eating

—7 years playing

—5 years dressing

—1 year on the telephone

—2½ years smoking

—2½ years in bed

—3 years waiting for somebody

—5 months tying shoes

—2½ years for other things

(incl. 1½ year in church)

“It might be wise for us to take a little inventory of our resources as to time and review our habits of using it. There are 168 hours in each week. Fifty-six of these we spend in sleep. Of the remaining 112 hours, we devote 48 to labor. This leaves sixty-four hours, of which let us assign twelve hours for our daily meals. (This allows thirty minutes for each meal, and one-and-one-half hours extra to promote good digestion.) We have left fifty-two hours, net, of conscious active life to devote to any purpose to which we are inclined.

Is it too much to say that God requires a tithe of this free time? One tenth of fifty-two hours is 5.2 hours. How much of this tithe of time do we devote to strictly religious uses? If we attend church twice on Sunday, that will take an hour. If we attend prayer meeting, another hour. We have two-tenths of an hour left, our little margin—shall we not stay for the Morning Watch? But when we review our lives, how few of us attend religious worship thus regularly!”

At first, the Romans celebrated the beginning of the new year on March 1, not January 1. Julius Caesar instituted New Year’s Day on January 1 to honor Janus, the two-faced god who looks backwards into the old year and forwards into the new. The custom of "New Years resolutions" began in this earliest period, as the Romans made resolutions with a moral flavor: mostly to be good to others.

New Year, a chance to make a new me, to better myself. Needs to start with God.

When Rome took on Christianity as its official faith, the Christians kept New Years Day. Only, they traded the vaguely moral emphasis for a practice of fasting and prayer aimed at living the New Year in the New Life of Christ. Soon, however, the new year celebration reverted to March 1, and this early emphasis on spiritual things dissolved.

Or rather, it shifted to a new celebration on January 1. Beginning in the middle of the sixth century, parts of the church began to set aside January 1 as the Feast of the Circumcision, commemorating Jesus’ circumcision. As with other Jewish boy babies, Jesus was circumcised eight days after his birth (, "when eight days were accomplished").

But the pagans had apparently spoiled January 1 for many Christians: the Roman church did not accept this feast day until the 11th century.

New Beginnings

It was finally in 1752, when Britain and its possessions adopted the Gregorian calendar, that January 1 again came to be recognized and celebrated as the first day of the year.

Some Christians, however, still hesitated to celebrate the day. The Puritans, for example, were leery of the associations of January 1 with the pagan god Janus—they preferred not even to say the name of the month, referring to it rather as "First Month." And of course they stood against the dissipations usually indulged during the celebration.

Instead, the Puritans urged their young people, especially, to skip the revelry and meditate on the year past and the year to come. Always ready to introspect—in famously excruciating detail—they adopted again the old custom of making resolutions. They vowed to take more care against their besetting sins, make better use of their talents and other divine gifts, and treat others with Christian charity.

Romans 13:11-14

Today, some Christians may be inclined to follow the Puritans’ lead, at least absenting themselves from the festivities: January 1st has clearly continued to be a day dedicated more to godless indulgence than to meditative fasting. But many have also seen, as the Puritans did, a divine opportunity in the longstanding practice of making resolutions.

In fact, this practice even harmonizes with the Feast Day: circumcision is a symbol of sanctification—that is, the "setting aside" of persons and things for God’s purposes.

With or without such historical understandings, many of us may have taken New Years Eve and New Years Day as God-given opportunities. We have taken at least a few minutes to reflect, pray, and dedicate ourselves anew to our Lord—whether at a "Watch Night Service" or in private.

INTRO.-

1) You believe in Santa Claus.

2) You don’t believe in Santa Claus.

3) You are Santa Claus.

4) You look like Santa Claus.

How do you like growing older? If you’re young (a teen perhaps), you probably like the idea of getting older. If you are already older, you may not like the idea of getting any older. Why? Because most people fear what is ahead.

She asked me how tall I was. I said, "5 feet, 6 inches." She measured me and I was only 5 feet, 3 inches.

So she took my blood pressure and told me it was high. "Of course it’s high," I said. "When I came in here I was tall and slender. Now I’m short and fat!"

We may not like the idea of a new year because a new year means we’re getting older and we may experience more health problems. It’s true, isn’t it? We never know what the new year will hold for us.

Some of us think, “Ugh!” And some think, “Oh boy!”

ILL.- I saw a picture of a T-shirt that read, “I love new stuff.” Well, who doesn’t? New is nice. And often better but not always, however. Did you ever get something new that didn’t turn out to be not so nice?

ILL.- Here is what one man said after buying a new car: “The transmission makes a loud grinding noise while braking. The power windows sometimes stick and won’t go up. At least this keeps me from going to the carwash. The alternator gave out at 950 miles. The seams on the seats are already pulling apart after 2,000 miles. CD player ate my favorite CD and won’t eject it. And it guzzles gas!!!”

That man is not a happy camper with his new car! New is not always nice.

At least, we’re starting a new year and maybe, just maybe some things will be better or get better. It depends on our attitude and our altitude, that is, our spiritual altitude.

The important thing about a new year is to think about what we’re going to do that will make us better people in the eyes of God. It’s only in our relationship to God that anything can be better or get better.

When things go wrong He’s the only one who can make things right or better.

PROP.- Going into the new year, what should we do to have a better life?

2- CLEAN UP

3- DRESS UP

I. HEADING INTO THE NEW YEAR - if your not awake spiritual then you need to WAKE UP

If it has been a long time since you read your Bible then it is time to Wake and start doing it.

If it has been a long time since you prayed or had any type devotional life then you need to wake up.

If been a long time since God has spoked to your heart, the question is why? are you asleep?

ILL.- A Sunday school teacher asked the children just before she dismissed them to go to church, "And why is it necessary to be quiet in church?"Little Johnny replied, "Because people are sleeping."

ILL.- A lady who was known as Winston Churchill’s main rival in parliament was giving a speech. Churchill, with his usual enthusiasm for his rival, dozed off while the lady was speaking. She stopped her speech and woke Sir Winston by yelling, "Mr. Churchill, must you sleep while I talk?" Churchill sleepily replied, "No, ma’am. I do so purely by choice."

* Most people who are spiritually asleep do so by choice. Many people deliberately ignore God, Christ and the Bible and go their merry miserable way!

Spiritual apathy abounds in our day and time. Many people are spiritually asleep and don’t care to be woke up.

They have the attitude of “I don’t know and I don’t care.” Or else “I don’t believe it and I won’t do it.”

ILL.- A teacher gave a subject for composition class. The subject given was “WHAT?” and for an hour, the whole class expounded and defined this word and related concepts on paper. One smart alec boy submitted his paper in 1 minute and left the class. On his sheet, he had written: “SO WHAT?”

That’s the kind of attitude that many people have today toward God,

Could our lack of enthusiasm for the things of God be an indication of something wrong with us? IT COULD BE.

ILL.- Recently, my preacher friend, Truman Brady, complained to me or perhaps confided that none of his people ever say “Amen” to anything that is preached. That goes for his sermons and any revival sermons that are preached in his church.

I wanted to say, “join the crowd.” Our lack of enthusiasm for the Word of God or the things of God could be an indication that we are somewhat sleepy and need to be woke up!

There are other things, however. Truman also told me that’s he had a hard time getting people in his church to volunteer to serve in various ways: nursery, calling, teaching classes, etc. JOIN THE CROWD, BROTHER!

There are many things that we do or perhaps fail to do that indicate we may be somewhat asleep spiritually. And how do we wake up sleeping people? Well, we could have one of those rattlesnake handling services! I bet that would wake up some people! Otherwise, we just keep on serving, loving, preaching, teaching, and praying. And hopefully, someone will catch on fire!

II. v. 12-13 HEADING INTO THE NEW YEAR - CLEAN UP

12The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. 13Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy.Who likes to stay dirty? Some people in our world do! HAVEN’T YOU NOTICED?

This world is immorally corupt, it cannot be anything else because of it’s sinful nature. Left alone, it won’t become any better but will continue to become worst, to point where every imagination and thought of man is evil before God.

Adam Lambert doesn’t apologize for much of anything, BUT HE SHOULD! Adam Lambert admits he got carried away with his sexually charged American Music Awards performance, but he’s offering no apology. WOW! DID HE EVER! ABC canceled him.

The rocker from "American Idol" said on "The Early Show" that his performance would not have caused as much controversy if he weren’t openly gay. He also said there were other "adult" moments on the show that caused no outrage.

- decribes this world....

"I admit I did get carried away, but I don’t see anything wrong with it," he said. "I do see how people got offended and that was not my intention. My intention was to interpret the lyrics of my song and have a good time with it."

ANd you can’t get away from it. TV,Movies, Magizines, Internet. Ungodly lifestyles have become potlicaly correct.

Brothers and sisters, I’m not against Adam Lambert but I’m against his actions and what he stands for! And personally, I think he’s wrong and needs to clean up his act. But he probably won’t because he’s been deceived and duped by the world, the flesh and the devil! He’s like so many in our world.

But God doesn’t want His people to be politically correct but Biblically correct.

Adam Lambert needs to clean up his life, but that won’t happen unless he comes to believe in the Lord Jesus and surrenders to His Lordship.

Most of us are probably not as bad as Paul talked about in this text, but we all struggle with our own sins of the flesh or sins of the disposition. And it’s time to clean up!

ILL.- INDIANAPOLIS — A man was arrested after police say he left his 5-year-old son in a tractor-trailer while he ducked into an Indianapolis strip club to drink. The 39-year-old was arrested at 1:15 a.m. on child neglect and public intoxication charges after calling police to report his truck stolen and his child missing. Police say the man was too drunk to remember where he had parked.

They found the boy inside watching cartoons on a television inside the cab. The keys were in the ignition, and the doors were unlocked. Police say the suspect put his son in jeopardy by leaving him exposed in a high crime area. The man was taken to the Marion County jail, where his wife picked up him and the child.

DUMB MAN/FATHER. HE NEEDS TO GET HIS ACT TOGETHER. HE NEEDS TO REPENT. He needs to clean up his life!

Most of us are probably not as bad as Paul talked about in this text, but we all struggle with our own sins of the flesh or sins of the disposition. And it’s time to clean up! How do we do it?

We take whatever sin that is dragging us down to the Lord and ask for mercy and grace. We ask for mercy for our sins and ask for His grace to get over them!

God created us and He can recreate us if we’ll let Him by walking with Him daily. It’s when the Lord gets out of sight that He is also out of mind and that’s when we get into trouble. WE NEED TO KEEP HIM IN SIGHT AND IN MIND EVERY HOUR OF THE DAY! III. HEADING INTO THE NEW YEAR -

III. v. 14 DRESS UP

Dressing up for Church is something people like to do.

John likes to wear ties and look nice on Sunday

In Suriname people dress up to go into town

Dressing up,

We went to a Church outing to a minor leage baseball game, older man wore a suit and a tie.

Casual dressing is the in thing now, unless you go to Walmart then you are allowed to wear your pajamas

But dressing up the outer appearance is not what I am talking about.

We need to wake up, clean up and dress up! But how are we going to dress up?

I am talking about dressing up the inside, putting on Christ.

In order to clean up then we need to dress up by putting on Christ

But “casual” is not what God wants from us on the inside. We all know that we have an outer person and an inner person. And while the outer person may be clean and dressed up, what about the inner person, which is the real you???

ILL.- Remember the story of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson and first published in the year 1886? It is about a London lawyer who investigates strange occurrences between his old friend, Dr Henry Jekyll, and Mr Hyde.

Meaning, not walking in the flesh, but walking in the Spirit of God

The dual title character is a doctor who has covered up a secret life full of cruel deeds. He feels as if he is constantly battling within himself between what is good and what is evil, and is pushing away people dear to him.

It means crucufing the flesh daily, and living for God

HEY! THIS SOUNDS LIKE SO MANY TODAY! This sounds just like us! We all battle with the darkness that lies within us! WE ALL HAVE A DARK SIDE! In the Bible, it’s called the old man of sin. Sin still lurks within us and raises it’s ugly head occasionally and seems to take control!

It must be a daily decision on your part, it’s not just going to happen.

How you dress up, or how you live should not depend upon how you feel or what kind of day you had.

Your actions should be based how God wants you to act.

Your actions show what your heart looks like.

How you live should not be dependent upon others

you cannot control do or say, but you can control what you do or say

ILL.- Like another famous athlete, British tennis star Andy Murray has been having relationship problems of late. Unlike Tiger Woods, Murray hasn’t been spending too much time with other women, however. He’s been spending too much time on his Playstation.

Murray, the No. 4 ranked player in the world, was dumped by his long-time girlfriend Kim Sears due, in part, to the fact that he spent up to seven hours a day playing video games. AH HA! There it is! Of course, most people wouldn’t consider his Playstation addiction being anything really bad, but it is! Why? Because it’s a waste of time and has taken his attention away from people! In this case, his girlfriend.

What Andy Murray does with Playstation we do with other things and it has become a sin to us. If nothing else, it’s idolatry. It’s idol worship. Instead of focusing on the God who created good things, it’s focusing on the gift. And that’s idolatry or spiritual adultery!

We’re all guilty and we need to clean up our act and dress up! We need to dress up with Christ.

14Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature.

How do we clothe ourselves with the character of Christ? It won’t happen overnight. It takes time, effort, energy, and devotion.

Do you want to be better this year, do you want your relationship with God to be closer?

ILL.- These days, Becky Griggs starts her morning well before the sun comes up, in time to meet her clients at the gym at 5:30. It’s a big change from six years ago, when she weighed 352 pounds and, as she calls it, engaged in a "slow form of suicide."

Take Pauls challenge, wake up, clean up and dress up.

Becky Griggs is a 43 year old wife and mother who decided enough was enough. She knew she was killing herself with her weight and eating habits. She took the bull by the horns and went to work. She eats right (emphasizing protein and what God made) and exercises faithfully, regularly. Now she weighs around 150 lbs. and is healthier than ever. She did it in only two years, which is rather amazing. She changed her lifestyle.

WHAT SHE DID PHYSICALLY IS WHAT WE MUST DO SPIRITUALLY! Many of us have poor spiritual habits: we don’t go to church as much as should. We don’t read God’s Word as much as we should, which is a life-changing thing. We don’t pray as much as we should. We don’t serve as much as we should. We don’t focus on walking with the Lord daily like we should. AND THESE ARE THE TOOLS BY WHICH WE CHANGE AND GET DRESSED WITH THE CHARACTER OF CHRIST!

CONCLUSION--------------------------

New and better. We don’t need new and better material things, but we all need to be a new and better person! And that will only happen in Christ.

Nature forms us. Education informs us. Sin deforms us, but only Christ tansforms us! Choose Christ to become the better you in the new year!

Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations 6695 Divisions of Weekly Time

Divisions of time in our lives have thus been sketched by Dr. C. C. Albertson:

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