Time For Change
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· 113 viewsThe things we choose to do for ourselves have no value compared to the things we choose to do for God and His kingdom.
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What profit hath he that worketh in that wherein he laboureth?
Ecclesiastes 3:9
For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come.
Honor
Thank you pastor for allowing me to be a part of this special service.
Book
What profit hath he that worketh in that wherein he laboureth?
Ecclesiat
Hook
As the New Year approaches, people tend to make New Years Resolutions, but what does it mean to have a resolution? It’s “the act of resolving or determining upon an action, course of action, method, procedure, etc.” People will identify all sorts of changes they want to make throughout the upcoming year. Here are the top ten common resolutions people will make in 2018:
Improve Fitness
Eat Better (cut out carbs or junk food)
Quit Smoking
Quit Drinking
Learn Something New (language or a skill)
Travel More
Volunteer
Meet Someone (tired of being lonely)
Sleep More
Get out of Debt
History of New Year’s Resolutions
The ancient Babylonians are said to have been the first people to make New Year’s resolutions, some 4,000 years ago. They were also the first to hold recorded celebrations in honor of the new year—though for them the year began not in January but in mid-March, when the crops were planted. During a massive 12-day religious festival known as Akitu, the Babylonians crowned a new king or reaffirmed their loyalty to the reigning king. They also made promises to the gods to pay their debts and return any objects they had borrowed. These promises could be considered the forerunners of our New Year’s resolutions. If the Babylonians kept to their word, their (pagan) gods would bestow favor on them for the coming year. If not, they would fall out of the gods’ favor—a place no one wanted to be.
A similar practice occurred in ancient Rome, after the reform-minded emperor Julius Caesar tinkered with the calendar and established January 1 as the beginning of the new year circa 46 B.C. Named for Janus, the two-faced god whose spirit inhabited doorways and arches, January had special significance for the Romans. Believing that Janus symbolically looked backwards into the previous year and ahead into the future, the Romans offered sacrifices to the deity and made promises of good conduct for the coming year.
For early Christians, the first day of the new year became the traditional occasion for thinking about one’s past mistakes and resolving to do and be better in the future. In 1740, the English clergyman John Wesley, founder of Methodism, created the Covenant Renewal Service, most commonly held on New Year’s Eve or New Year’s Day. Also known as known as watch night services, they included readings from Scriptures and hymn singing, and served as a spiritual alternative to the raucous celebrations normally held to celebrate the coming of the new year. Now popular within evangelical Protestant churches, especially African-American denominations and congregations, watch night services held on New Year’s Eve are often spent praying and making resolutions for the coming year.
For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come.
Look - Applicability
Understand the value of what we choose to invest. Investing in temporary moments in our lives will only yield temporary satisfaction. Things we choose to occupy our time with in service to ourselves is not time spent in service to God. What is the benefit in these resolutions? Is there any added value to the kingdom of God, an eternal establishment nestled in the heavens?
Tonights service isn’t special because it’s the last Sunday service of 2017, but rather an appointed time in which we choose to honor God through communion and footwashing. This humble act of humility is an integral part of a Christian’s walk with God because we are remembering that His body was broken and His blood was shed for our sins. I consider this a covenant with God in which we are held accountable, so it’s imperative how we live our lives; our words and our actions do matter because its a direct reflection of the Christ living inside of us.
For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?
In the Bible speaks about a season and a time for everything. Birth and death, love and hate, war and peace, etc. as the list goes on. , as I’ve already read states, “What profit hath he that worketh in that wherein he laboureth?” or What benefit does the worker have in his toil? What is the point of it all? This is a service for a time of reflection, and the decisions (or resolutions) we make going forward. While it’s all well and good to want to make positive changes in our lives, its crucial in understanding the value we place in these resolutions - What is the point of it all?
This is a service for a time of reflection, and the decisions (or resolutions) we make going forward.
Perhaps a better question to ask, is “How does our resolution benefit the Kingdom of God?” asks it in this manner “For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Your resolution may be to be the biggest guy in the gym and have all the muscles! says “For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come.” It might impress man that you can stack every plate in the gym and get a couple of pumps in, but that’s not going to impress God (I don’t care how many phone books you can rip in half in high school gymnasiums #powerhour).
Scripture about profit to gain and lose soul… No man knows the hour of the Lords return and when it comes time to stand in judgment, how will our resolutions measure up? Pastor has asked the church to do Bible reading in a year, chronologically.
The Bible repeatedly states through scripture and parables about the hour of the Lords return - “But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, (they were living life) until the day that Noe entered into the ark, And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.” God could return at any moment - He could return tomorrow on January 1, 2018 and when it comes time to stand in judgment, how will our resolutions measure up then? Are we making change for ourselves or for God and service to His kingdom?
Took - Take Away
The Bible repeatedly states through scripture and parables about the hour of the Lords return - “But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, (they were living life) until the day that Noe entered into the ark, And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.” God could return at any moment - He could return tomorrow on January 1, 2018 and when it comes time to stand in judgment, how will our resolutions measure up then? Are we making change for ourselves or for God and service to His kingdom?
We must understand the value of what we choose to invest. Investing in temporary moments in our lives will only yield temporary satisfaction. Things we choose to occupy our time with in service to ourselves is not time spent in service to God. What is the benefit in these New Year’s Resolutions? Is there any added value to the kingdom of God, an eternal establishment nestled in the heavens?
I encourage
Pastor has asked the church to do Bible reading in a year, chronologically.
For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?
Closing
But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
During our time of reflection and the remainder of the service, I encourage all of us to consider what really needs to be focused on in this upcoming year. Perhaps its been hard to let go of our past, but use this service on New Year’s Eve as a catalyst in propelling ourselves forward. Maybe you want to give more Bible studies, or spend more time in prayer so you can be disciplined for growth. Maybe you’ve never finished reading the Bible in its entirety, but this 2018 is going to be the year - that’s a plug for for Pastors Bible in a Year Plan Challenge (Chronologically). This is a great opportunity to make a commitment to God under the covenant of communion and footwashing - where we’re held accountable. And that is where we will gather our drive and determination for our resolutions. Amen.
For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come.