Sermon Tone Analysis

“Remember…Rejoice…Renew”

INTRODUCTION

Good morning!

Merry Christmas (on the church calendar Christmas is a season that actually ends on January 6th) and Happy New Year!

I trust you had a wonderful time with your family and friends.

I’m so grateful for our celebration of Jesus’ birth as a church family.

What a blessing to have such a great turnout last Sunday night for the candlelight service.

I’d like to add my greeting to guests worshiping for the first time – we’re so glad you’re here!

I’m excited about our time together this morning as 2018 comes to an end and 2019 begins.

Let’s pray!

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Two days and counting until the calendar moves from 2018-2019.

We celebrate the arrival of a New Year by staying up until midnight in order to do the countdown with a “ball drop” in New York City, followed by noisemakers, hats, confetti, a kiss, and singing “Old Ayne Syne” even though we haven’t really learned the words!

Unless, you’re taking a “low key” approach to New Year’s and will be in bed by 10 p.m. Anyone?

We should learn from this wisdom!

If you’re preparing to celebrate New Year’ s at a party – not every party is created equal – some parties can be sketchy so I found this helpful list to help you determine if you’re at the wrong New Year’s Party.

You’re at the wrong New Year’s party if…

· Wrong New Year’s Party

Preview

Stay clear – I’m you’re pastor and I’m here to help!

I’m excited about beginning a new year together as a church family.

Today is going to be a little different from our “usual” Sunday.

Normally we’re preach through a passage or book of the Bible from start to finish but I’m not going to do that today.

Today is more of a talk than a typical sermon.

We’ll begin a new series next week!

Today we’re going to celebrate God’s goodness and faithfulness in our lives over the last year by taking a LOOK BACK and what’ve we’ve learned in His Word and the ways we’ve seen Him work in our lives before LOOKING FORWARD to renewing our commitment to Him in 2019.

Let’s begin by LOOKING BACK.

LOOKING BACK…

Let’s begin by “LOOKING BACK” – We’re going to LOOK BACK at what God has done in and through us in 2018.

If someone was writing the “memoirs” of MBC, 2018 would be a very important chapter in the life of this church family.

In 2018 this church has been faced with a pastoral transition (thanks for your love and encouragement) – it’s been a year filled with challenges & change, losses, longsuffering, & laughter, hurt, healing, & hope, new faces and new beginnings – we’ve lost people we love and made new friends.

In the midst of it all God has been so good, faithful, and gracious to us.

We know there will be more highs & lows, joys and sorrows, births & deaths, laughter & tears, new beginnings & endings, and future changes and undying commitments.

We can trust that God will continue to be good, faithful, and gracious to us in the days to come.

Today I want us to “LOOK BACK” over 2018.

We never want to “live in the past” but we consider and celebrate what God has done in our lives and how we’ve grown closer to Him in 2018.

Therefore we’re going to LOOK BACK at 2018 in two specific ways.

A) Remember God’s Word ()

Let’s “Reflect” on God’s Word – Let’s take a few minutes to reflect on some of the life-changing truths we’ve learned from God’s word in 2018.

Now you might ask “Why do we need to reflect on something we’ve already learned this year?”

Great Question!

Take your Bible and turn to . .

In the opening chapter of 2 Peter – Peter wrote to a group of suffering Christians about their glorious salvation in Jesus and God’s work in their lives (1:3-11).

After teaching them these vital truths about salvation and the work of God we find this great declaration in —"So I will always remind you of these things, even though you know them and are firmly established in the truth you now have”—Peter was determined to constantly remind the believers of things even though they “knew” them and were “well established in the truth” they possessed.

Apparently,it’s vital for Christians who “know” God truth and are “firm” in their understanding, attitude, and beliefs to be reminded of them.

Christians who are weak and strong need to be “reminded” of God’s truth so they will think about God’s truth again and again.

Over the years to come you will learn new things as you sit under the preaching and teaching of God’s word at MBC – and yet many days will simply be me “reminding” you of God’s truth you already know – much of my work as your pastor will be causing you to remember and think about God’s truth again.

So in that mindset, let’s LOOK BACK and remember what we’ve learned from God’s Word in 2018.

We can focus in one specific truth/application from several of the series.

1) OUR IDENTITY & MINISTRY AS A CHURCH

We began back in March “Remembering “Who We Are” as a church (a body, a temple, a family, and a bride), What we’re called to do as a church (make disciples of all nations), and the four commitments of our disciple-making mission (Worship, grow, love, and share) selected NT passages.

, and .

Everything we do is motivated by the call to fulfill our disciple-making mission—every decision made and dollar spent is determined by this mission—and we will come back and talk more about being a “mission-minded” church as we “LOOK AHEAD” to 2019.

2) THE SWEETNESS OF EASTER – Jesus’ Resurrection

· In Jesus our sins are forgiven ()

· In Jesus we have fellowship with God ()

· In Jesus we have a glorious future ()

3) Essential BUILDING BLOCKS of an EFFECTIVE CHURCH (Titus)

· “Gospel-Centered Ministry” ()

· “Godly Leadership” ()

· “Sound Doctrine” ()

· “Godly Living” ()

· “Grace” ()

· “Godly Citizenship” ()

· “Good Works” ()

· “Godly Relationships” ()

In our Titus series I want to “remind” you what we learned about God’s grace (the fifth essential building block of an effective church).

Take your Bible and turn to -16.

Read -16.

1) We are saved by the grace of God (2:11)

First, We are saved by the grace of God.

We are saved by the grace of God.

We see the connection between God’s grace and God’s salvation in – “For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men” (2:11).

We must begin with a simple definition of God’s grace.

God’s grace refers to His “unmerited favor” – undeserved “kindness” show to us – grace is “God’s gratuitous favor.”

Grace in its expressing is the giving of a gift that is undeserved and unearned – we don’t deserve God’s favor and kindness and we can’t ever earn God’s favor and kindness, and it’s the grace of God that is the ultimate ground for our salvation.

God’s grace (favor and expression of kindness) is behind His offer of salvation to sinners through Jesus.

Titus highlights the “appearing” of God’s grace that brings salvation to all men – the term “appeared” is the Greek word “EPIPHANO” – this highlights the “epiphany” of God’s grace in the course of history.

The literal “epiphany” (appearance) of God’s grace refers to Jesus’ first advent (arrival).

The grace of God appeared like the rising of the sun when Jesus came to earth—for He is “full of grace and truth—and “His first coming was an epiphany of saving grace” (John Stott)

· John Stott—“His coming was an epiphany of saving grace.”

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“The grace of God has appeared (like sunrise at dawn) in the first coming of Jesus “bringing salvation to all people” (NET).

Out of the depths of His grace, the Father sent the Son to bring salvation to sinful humanity.

God’s grace “appearing” the arrival of Jesus who would bring salvation—deliverance from the penalty and power of sin & death—the gracious divine rescue that is good news for everyone!

God’s gracious salvation in Jesus’ is good news for every man, women, and child in every nation.

God’s unmerited favor brings the gift of salvation for all sinners—deliverance from the power & penalty of sin and death available through Jesus—for everyone and anyone can be saved by faith (trusting in Jesus).

By God’s grace we are set free from sin’s bondage (redemption) and cleansed from sin (purification).

God’s saving grace results in us becoming God’s treasured possession

Please note the two results of Jesus’ redemption & purification.

First, Jesus cleanses people of their sin so they can become His treasured possession.

Wow! Jesus frees us and purifies us so we can be truly His – we belong to Jesus – for God’s gracious salvation in Jesus marks us as His.

Secondly, we have been freed from the bondage of wickedness and purified of sin to be His people who are “eager to do what is good.”

Christ’s own – those who have been redeemed and purified by His death – are characterized by people who are “eager to do what is good.”

We’re not called to be “political zealots” but we are called to be “zealots for good deeds” (George Knight).

APPLICATION

God’s saving grace changes our live.

By His grace we are saved from the power & penalty of sin—completely set free and cleansed by Jesus’ sacrificial death—and by accepting this gracious gift we become His treasured people zealous for doing good in this world.

God’s grace motivates us to live a life of good works.

Believers in Jesus Christ are not called to merely be good but more importantly are transformed to be filled with the burning desire to do good!

Paul envisioned the purpose of God’s gracious salvation in Jesus Christ as His work of transforming sinners into His special people who are consumed with a passion to do good (good works).