New Year, Same God

Introduction

2018 was a crazy year for me. But lets be honest, doesnt everyone always say that. there may be some that say this but I rarely here someone look back at a year and say wow that was an incredible year. Absolutely perfect. As I scrolled through twitter and other social media on New Years eve. I saw so many people with the same cry.

“I am so happy that 2018 is over. New Year New Me. Over and over again I saw this. And I thought back and I remember some people saying this year after year. Maybe thats you in here this morning. Maybe you have looked at every year as the same way and said the same things. Maybe you said it 4 days ago. NEW YEAR NEW ME!

Here is my reply........................... STOP IT! Stop with act and the charade. Stop convincing yourself that things will change because you all of a sudden have a different mindset.

Proverbs 3:5–6 NIV

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.

So many of these “christian self help books” and I wont even call them preachers because they dont preach the word of God, we will call them television motivational speakers. They constantly fill your head with what you need to do how you can do it instead of who you need to know and how you can know him.

So what do you need for renewal? What do you need for a fresh start? How can not just 2019 be different but the rest of your life?

The only difference in December 31 2018 and January 1 2019 is 24 hours.

But what you need to remember this year is not New Year New me. Its New Year Same God.

So first lets look and some new life stories in scripture.

God Can Sustain You this year.

When Abraham first comes on the scene. We just see his calling from God. God calls Abram to go out and to leave everything even his family. He is living in a pagan land and is raised in Pagan heritage yet God calls him.

How many of you feel unqualified. God cant call me to do anything this year. God wont sustain me. Im a nobody. Im not churchy. I dont say the right things. My parents are nobodies. I dont have money or house or posessions. But guess what that didnt matter for Abraham and that doesnt matter for you. God can and will call you to things that you arent necessarily qualified for. God doesnt need your success or money. he just wants you to say yes to Him. He wants you to acknowlege Him and to lean into him. Thats who God can use.

Dont use your circumstances in life to define where and what God will call you to and what you can do for the kingdom. This doesnt mean he is calling you to more money or a big house. he may be calling you to saty put and spread the gospel or he may be calling you out. I dont know, but whatever he calls you to it is better that you do it. As dangerous and uncomfortable as it was for Abraham it was so much better that he went out from Ur and headed to egypt.

Then look at this

Genesis 12:1–5 NIV

The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you. “I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” So Abram went, as the Lord had told him; and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he set out from Harran. He took his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, all the possessions they had accumulated and the people they had acquired in Harran, and they set out for the land of Canaan, and they arrived there.

So at first we see the command from God to leave everything and everyone. It seems to be that it should only be Him and his wife Sarah. But what does he do. H etakes Lot with him. he probably feels bad for the fatherless lot and brings him but God told him to leave his fathers reltives. We know this was wrong because look at all the grief that was caused by him bringing Lot.

He was one paragraph from being sent out and his faith is already given way to fear. Doesnt take long. So was God done with him? Was God finished with the covenant? No

We play that game though dont we. I have messed up. i have disobeyed God. He must be done with me. The instant we mess up satan is there to remind us that God will abandon us. But its not true. God doesnt anialate our relatonship when we sin. As Paul tells us in the NT where sin Abounds, His grace abounds all the more. Now that is if you have come to know Him and have been saved by His grace.

and if that doesnt drive the point home that God will sustain you then look at 12:10

Genesis 12:10–13 NIV

Now there was a famine in the land, and Abram went down to Egypt to live there for a while because the famine was severe. As he was about to enter Egypt, he said to his wife Sarai, “I know what a beautiful woman you are. When the Egyptians see you, they will say, ‘This is his wife.’ Then they will kill me but will let you live. Say you are my sister, so that I will be treated well for your sake and my life will be spared because of you.”

He immedieatly lies to pharoh and says the sarah is his sister. Here it is again. Lean not on your own understanding Abraham......He doesnt want to be killed so that they take her. Because of his disobedience. People die and become sick.

God still wasnt done with him and still sustained him. Wow.

Then after all this we have the story at Sodom and Abraham begins to doubt that God will come through. That God will provide a family for him. God reitertes his covenant and he does so in a way that should teach us about Him sustaining you and me. He tells abraham to go get 5 specific animals and to cut them in half. Lay them in two with an aisle between the two pieces. This is weird but this was a common thing in thise days and a way to make a covenant. You would walk between these animals and say that if i break this promise, may what happened to these animals happen to me. but hwat happened next is pivotal for us. He puts abraham into a deep sleep and then does this.

Genesis 15:17–19 NIV

When the sun had set and darkness had fallen, a smoking firepot with a blazing torch appeared and passed between the pieces. On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram and said, “To your descendants I give this land, from the Wadi of Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates—the land of the Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites,

HE WALKED THROUGH ALONE. It was if to say, I know you cant keep the promise Abraham. So I will walk through alone because I alone will sustain you. not you and your own understanding.

ishmael???

Guys, rest in that. KNow that this year God will sustain you and more importantly not because something you have done, but only because of what He has done and His faithfulness.

Next promise to remember this year and forever is.

This year, remember God’s plan is good for you.

Some of you may hear this and think I have lost my mind. Tj you dont know what my life is like. You dont know how bad my situation is and how bad it sucks.

Just a few lines down from Abraham was his grandson Jacob. Isaac has two sons. He has the firstborn named Esau and then a younger son named Jacob. Jacob was a mommas boy and was clearly her favorite and Esau was the hairly manly man and Isaac loved that about him.

The first time we see them doubting God’s plan is Esau. Esau had a birthright because he was the firstborn. Everything was rightfully his. BUt he was starving from hunting one day he was so hungry that he sold his birthright to his brother. this is what it says in

Genesis 25:30–34 NIV

He said to Jacob, “Quick, let me have some of that red stew! I’m famished!” (That is why he was also called Edom.) Jacob replied, “First sell me your birthright.” “Look, I am about to die,” Esau said. “What good is the birthright to me?” But Jacob said, “Swear to me first.” So he swore an oath to him, selling his birthright to Jacob. Then Jacob gave Esau some bread and some lentil stew. He ate and drank, and then got up and left. So Esau despised his birthright.

Esau didnt know what he had. This is true of you and me too. How many times do we forske our blessings from God. Even when we look at the years prior. We are so quickly able to dwell on the bad and never mention the blessings have given us. Thats what makes the prosperity gospel such a joke. So many people want fame, money, and cars and they do it at the expence of their birthright in Christ just as Esau did. They dont belive that Gods plan could be as good as what they want in their shortsited future. Gods blessings and birthright is better than any possesion you could have on this earth.

Dont forsake your blessings this year.

Then involving another bowl of stew, Issac tells Esaua to go hunt some animals and bring him stew so that he can give him his blessing, but Rebekah and Jacob create a plan to still his blessing. To save time I will paraphrase the story.

While Esau is out hunting Rebekah tells Jacob to go get some sheep and she will make some stew. We will put harir on your arms so Isaaac thinks its Esaua and change your scent. Jacob does this and Isaac blesses Him instead of Esau. Needless to say the family table is never the same at Christmas and thanksgiving after this.

ALL BECAUSE ESAU DIDNT SEE THE PLAN GOD HAD for him. Now God did not forsake Esau and there is eventually restoration between Jacob and Esau.

Then theres the beautiful story of Jacob and Rachel. Jacob fled from His home and went to live with his Uncle Laban. Jacob falls in love with Labans youngest daughter, Rachel, The older daughter was leah and she had “weak eyes” nobody wanted that..... So Jacob says he will work for Laban for Seven years in exchange for Rachel and Laban agrees.

Genesis 29:19–21 NIV

Laban said, “It’s better that I give her to you than to some other man. Stay here with me.” So Jacob served seven years to get Rachel, but they seemed like only a few days to him because of his love for her. Then Jacob said to Laban, “Give me my wife. My time is completed, and I want to make love to her.”

NOw seven years is forever right. i love my rachel more than you guys know, but I asked her to marry me after 6 months and that was really 5 months and 29 days too long.

But get this, Laban gives Leah instead of Rachel (I dont know how that happens) I really dont. BUt it did. Laban explains and then gives rachel to him in exchange for ANOTHER 7 YEARS.

14 YEARS FOLKS. Wow that is a special love right. She must have had some really strong eyes.

Now there had to be some point in those 14 years that Jacob had to say is it really worth it?

How many have been there. You may be going through the worst time of your life right now and you are asking the same thing. Is this really worth it God? How can it be? Have you forgotten?

Let me challenge you guys with something, trust his plan this year and every day after it. Its worth it. Its always been worth it and will always be worth it. even in the darkest and hardest of days.

The last person and lesson we will look at for this year is from my favorite character in scripture. Peter.

______________________________________________________________________

Peter, Peter, Peter. Where do we begin with you....

Peter was brought to Jesus by His brother Andrew and Jesus imediately changes his name from Simon to Peter. and calls them to be fishers of men. Peter Leaves everythng he has ever known and immediately pursues Jesus. Here is the lesson we will learn about this year from Peter.

Dont stop pursuing Jesus this year.

Peter gets a lot of criticism in his early walk with Jesus, and probably rightfully so. But I am thankful no one recorded my walk with Jesus for millions to study and read ha.

On one hand we have passages like this where Peter sees Jesus walking on the water and he goes to follow him and to do the same. As he steps out he demonstrates great faith but as soon as it gets rough, he doubts..

Matthew 14:29–31 NIV

“Come,” he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!” Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?”

That is like me. Not just 2018 but every year that I recall. When times are good and nothing is wrong. my bank account is in the positive. my health is good. Then God is great and I will do anything. But when the tides change even in the slightest then God where are you save me. I am dying.

We have to pursue Jesus in the good and the bad. Dont doubt his goodness.

Story of anxiety and depression for 3 minutes

3 minutes

Then we know the story of Peter denying Jesus 3 times. That very night he told Jesus this.

Trust God is there and pusue h

Matthew 26:33–35 NIV

Peter replied, “Even if all fall away on account of you, I never will.” “Truly I tell you,” Jesus answered, “this very night, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times.” But Peter declared, “Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you.” And all the other disciples said the same.

Peter loved Jesus and meant what he said but he was a sinner like you and me. Jesus was right and Peter denied Jesus three times and ran in fear.

Yes he doubted and yes he was weak. I cans ay the same about myself and many of us can. But even when you have done the worst thing you can imagine. Even this year when you are at your lowest. DONT STOP PURSUING JESUS. Keep seeking him.

Heres the thing when the ladies came back from the tomb and told the disciples that Jesus was alive. They didnt believe except Peter!!!! After all he had been through and he dropped the ball big just as we do. He still didnt stop pursuing Jesus. He ran after him and ran to the tomb to see the empty tomb.

Jesus has a final encounter with Peter after his resurrection. read this with me.

John 21:15–19 NIV

When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?” “Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.” Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.” The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my sheep. Very truly I tell you, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.” Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Then he said to him, “Follow me!”

Man this is so good. So much great stuff here. First Jesus asks Peter 3 times the same question with different wording. HE said peter do you love me, Peter do you love me. Peter do you even like me.

Three times just as peter denied him three times. After all that had happened Jesus did not punish Peter or condemn him. He saw Peter’s continually pursuit of Him and He gave him the same oppurutunity that he gave him years ago. FOLLOW ME! He would go to be the leader of the first church. Battle trained and pursuing Jesus all the way to his death.

Keep pursuing Jesus! Keep pursuing Jesus!

Conclussion

This year lets not keep doing the same thing and saying the same thing to only dissapoint ourselves. Do you want to look back at 2019 and be a different person like Abraham, Jacob, and Peter? Then remember that God can sustain you this year, trust God’s plan this year, and pursue Jesus like never before this year.

These truths wil work for you not because I say so but because they come straight from God’s year. You and I need Jesus for this to take place. We need the dwelling of His holy Spirit. It is Christ in us that will make a difference and Paul knew that, but we didnt have time to get to him today.

This year, the date on the calendar has changed, but the God in heaven has not. Trust Him.

New Year, Same God