01-05-03 pm It's a Great Year to Be a Christian!
IT’S A GREAT YEAR TO BE A CHRISTIAN! Jan 5, 2003 pm
Let me ask you a question: Has it really sunk in that this is the year 2003? Hard to believe: It’s really 2003 already! We’re in the 3rd millennia. We’re now just a few days into the New Year. It’s hard to believe that a three years ago the world was caught up in Y2K hype. I think some people were almost disappointed when 12:00am on Dec 31, 1999 rolled around and not much happened. I wonder how many survivalists are still living off the C-Rations they stored in their basement for Y2k!
As I thought about tonight, I thought of all the things that I could speak on. I thought of challenging you - get into shape, start a Bible reading regimen, and so on. This is the time of the year that the most people join gyms and exercise classes and weight-loss programs. Just try going into Weight Watchers in the next few days - you’ll probably have to take a number. The problem is that most of our New Years resolutions get dropped. I could challenge you tonight to start a new regimen, but most of us have given up on New Year’s resolutions. So that simple fact is that we need more than a New Year’s challenge to make things right in our lives.
So, what I want to do instead is to relieve you of a burden. This week you officially enter a new year. And one of the biggest problems that many of us have is that we’re carrying too much junk around inside of us! We need to let some of that junk go.
Listen to Hebrews 12:1: “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily hinders our progress. And let us run with endurance the race that God has set before us.”
If you want to get free of some of the junk you are carrying around, this is a very liberating word from God. As we enter into a new year, we can’t afford to be carrying along a lot of extra weight - especially the weight of sin and the memories of sin. We’ve got to leave some of that junk behind. We’ve got to make a fresh start.
I’ve never watched a footrace where a runner carried a garbage bag down the track. But I’ve seen a lot of people carry along guilt, sin, and other junk throughout life. They’ve never let it go. I’d like nothing better than to see you prepare for this New Year by making a clean start.
Who do I want to talk to tonight? I want to talk to people who have messed up this last year. I want to talk to people who’ve failed, and you’ve come here tonight expecting a spiritual beating. I talk to people who all the time come to church looking for a good beating so they can feel better about themselves. “Okay, I got what I deserved – now I can go in.” I want to talk to people who are feeling lousy about themselves. Maybe they’ve really messed things up this last year. Maybe they’re feeling low about where they are in life. And my message for people like this is from Psalm 103:8-13
The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. 9 He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever; 10 he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. 11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; 12 as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us. 13 As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him.
How can I get ready for a new year? The message is real simple - just four actions:
I. RECOGNIZE THAT FAILURE IS UNIVERSAL
If you’ve failed – recently or a long time ago, you’re not alone! What an insight that is! So the first action I want you to take tonight is to recognize that failure is universal.
Ill. - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle once decided to play a practical joke on twelve of his friends. He sent each of them a telegram that said, “Flee at once . . . all is discovered.” Within twenty-four hours, all twelve men had left the country. Why? Because ALL of us have failed at something! All of us have done things we regret! All of us have things in our lies we wish we could hide! Broken lives are universal. The first action that you need to take in 2003 is to recognize that failure is universal.
Martha Stewart has taken a real beating recently over that insider trading stock scandal. But if you go to Martha Stewart’s web site, you’d learn how to make a dip with Rosie O’Donnell, how to plan the perfect New Year’s Eve party, how to surprise guests with unique party favors, and how to plan a party that is so good, your guests will be talking about it until the next one. I always I feel guilty when I compare myself to Martha Stewart. I’m not very good at Martha Stewart sorts of things. I don’t live in a Martha Stewart sort of home. I am not Martha Stewart.
I have a letter here that Martha Stewart sent to Erma Bombeck . . .
Hi Erma,
This perfectly delightful note is being sent on paper I made myself to tell you what I have been up to. Since it snowed last night, I got up early and made a sled with old barn wood and a glue gun. I hand painted it in gold leaf, got out my loom, and made a blanket in peaches and mauves. Then to make the sled complete, I made a white horse to pull it, from DNA molecules that I had just sitting around in my craft room.
By then, it was time to start making the place mats and napkins for my 20 breakfast guests. I'm serving the old standard Stewart twelve-course breakfast, but I'll let you in on a little secret: I didn't have time to make the tables and chairs this morning, so I used the ones I had on hand.
Before I moved the table into the dining room, I decided to add just a touch of the holidays. So I repainted the room in pinks and stenciled gold stars on the ceiling. Then, while the homemade bread was rising, I took antique candle molds and made the dishes (exactly the same shade of pink) to use for breakfast. These were made from Hungarian clay, which you can get at almost any Hungarian craft store.
Well, I must run. I need to finish the buttonholes on the dress I'm wearing for breakfast. I'll get out the sled and drive this note to the post office as soon as the glue dries on the envelope I'll be making. Hope my breakfast guests don't stay too long, I have 40,000 cranberries to string with bay leaves before my speaking engagement at noon. Love, Martha Stewart
P.S. When I made the ribbon for this typewriter, I used 1/8-inch gold gauze. I soaked the gauze in a mixture of white grapes and blackberries which I grew, picked, and crushed last week just for fun.
Response from Erma Bombeck: Dear Martha, I'm writing this on the back of an old shopping list, pay no attention to the coffee and jelly stains. I'm 20 minutes late getting my daughter up for school, packing a lunch with one hand, and holding the phone with the other. I’m on hold with the dog pound, seems old Ruff needs bailing out again. Burnt my arm on the curling iron when I was trying to make those cute curly fries, how DO they do that? Still can't find the scissors to cut out some snowflakes, tried using an old disposable razor...trashed the tablecloth. Tried that cranberry thing, frozen cranberries mushed up after I defrosted them in the microwave. Oh, and don't use Fruity Pebbles as a substitute in that Rice Krispie snowball recipe, unless you happen to like a disgusting shade that resembles puke! Well, the smoke alarm is going off, talk to ya later. Love, Erma
I love that! But the application isn’t so light-hearted: See, a lot of us come to church on a Sunday morning expecting to find Martha Stewart Christians everywhere. They read their Bible seven days in a row last week. They prayed an hour every day. They didn’t blow up at their kids even once last week. Their priorities are in order and their lives were practically perfect!
And the reality is that none of us here tonight are Martha Stewart Christians! All of us mess up. The Apostle Paul was probably one of the greatest Christians who ever lived. But he writes:
It seems to be a fact of life that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. I love God’s law with all my heart. But there is another law at work within me that is at war with my mind. This law wins the fight and makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin? (Rom 7:21-24)
There’s a lot of debate about whether Paul is writing that as a believer or an unbeliever. We don’t really know – but IO think he is writing about his very real experiences as a Christian! Because of this one tying: failure is universal. All of us fail. And nobody here today is free from struggle or sin.
Now, is that supposed to be encouraging? In a weird way, yes it is! Because it means that ALL of us are equal in the eyes of God, and ALL of us are equally in need of Jesus. All of us need help.
The Bible is chock-full of people whose lives were devastated and broken from their sinfulness. We think it’s unusual when a life self-destructs from sin. But in the Bible, it’s the rule, not the exception. I’m not talking about little sins - I’m talking about the big ones. Abraham and his sons who were all liars. Moses with an anger problem, who murdered an Egyptian in a fit of rage. David who blew it by committing both adultery and murder. Jonah who cared so little about lost people that he ran from God. Of course, there’s Peter who denied Jesus three times on the night Jesus was arrested. And I could add my own name to this list. All of us are broken people.
Truth be told: some of you are carrying around guilt because you think that you’re worse than everyone else. The Bible says, “For all have sinned; all fall short of God’s glorious standard” (Roms 3:23). SO TONIGHT, LET’S PROMISE TO NEVER PRETEND WE’RE MARTHA STEWART CHRISTIANS.
Ill. - Do you remember the pop-psychology book from the mid-1970’s, “I’m Okay, You’re Okay?” I think I should rewrite it to say “I’m Not Okay, You’re Not Lookin’ Too Great, Either.” Why? Because everyone has failed.
So, Action One: Recognize that Failure is Universal. Action two you need to take:
II. REALIZE THAT GOD DOESN’T WRITE US OFF WHEN WE FAIL HIM
See, God never writes us off. I don’t know if you’ve heard in the news the story of the man who stole a diamond ring and then swallowed it. They arrested the man, did an x-ray, and sure enough, the ring was stuck in his digestive tract – in his colon. They kept on waiting for it to come out so that they could retrieve it, but it’s still stuck in there. Legal experts say that there’s nothing the police can do but wait. If the ring comes out after he’s released, he’s free to keep it.
The funniest part of the story is the jeweler from whom the ring was stolen. He’s not so sure he wants it back. Given the ring’s history, he thinks it’s lost some of its value. Who wants to buy a ring that’s been where that ring has been?
LISTEN: A lot of you are like that diamond ring stuck in a thief’s colon. You’ve been in pretty dirty places. You may think that God looks at your life and says, “I’m not so sure I want you back, you’ve lost some of your value because of where you’ve been.” But listen: you’ve never lost your value to God. You’re incredibly valuable to Him. God will never write you off.
There’s a verse in the Bible that I love. Romans 5:20 says, “But where sin increased, grace increased all the more.” See, we got dirtier and dirtier, and God just kept getting’ more and more gracious!
Now listen: you can never out-sin God’s grace. God’s grace is always more than the dirt you’ve gotten in to. In fact, Jesus taught that the more sins you’ve committed, the more God’s grace is lavished on you, because more grace is needed. God matches your sins with grace, and the grace he gives is always greater than your sin.
*** I have in my hand a $1 bill. How many people want it? I want a volunteer to come up and get it. But before I give it away, I want to do something to it. I want to scrunch it up and trample on it and get it a little dirty. How many people still want it? No matter how dirty that bill gets, it still retains its value.
There are a lot of religions that teach you that if you’re going to be valued by God, you’ve got to clean up all the dirt and junk in your life and get your life in order, and then God will take you - MAYBE. But the Bible teaches something completely different. The Bible says to come – exactly - as - you - are. Realize that God never stopped loving you. Don’t get your life all cleaned up and in order. Just come as you are. God will put things right.
You remember, back when Jesus was here, He spent a lot of time with sinners. The group that He had no time for were the self-righteous Pharisees who saw thought they deserved a special a relationship with Jesus. One day Jesus went to a Pharisee’s house. At the house, an immoral woman came up, brought a beautiful jar of expensive perfume, she knelt behind him, crying, and wiped Jesus’ feet with her hair. She kept kissing his feet and putting perfume on them.
The Pharisee said to himself, “If God had really sent him, he would know what kind of woman is touching him. She’s a sinner!” (Luke 7:39)
But Jesus said: “I tell you, her sins-and they are many-have been forgiven, so she has shown me much love. But a person who is forgiven little shows only little love.” Then Jesus said to the woman, “Your sins are forgiven.” (Luke 7:47-48)
It wasn’t the stingy religious leader who was forgiven by Jesus - it was the grateful sinner. You’re not forgiven because of how good you are. You’re forgiven because you come to Jesus just as you are.
Paul writes: Ephesians 2:8-10 - For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
Listen to me: If you are in Christ, you’re God’s masterpiece. You haven’t lost your value. Jesus offers you full and complete forgiveness - just as you are.
So recognize that failure is universal. Realize that God doesn’t write you off. The third action that you need to take:
III. REFUSE TO PRETEND ABOUT YOUR CONDITION
Never pretend about who you are. Don’t pass yourself off as better than you really are. Let’s make a promise this year: ALL OF US, we’re going to admit that we have a lot more in common with Erma Bombeck than with Martha Stewart.
Now, I think that if we’re going to do this, we need to be honest about three things.
A. First, We Need to Be Honest about our PAST. Paul wrote to the Corinthians:
1 Cor 6:9-11 - Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders 10 nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And that is what some of you were.
Some of us need to be more honest than we are about our past. We don’t need to tell everyone all the gory details. But it’s amazing how quickly we forget what we really were. Some people tend to airbrush the past. Don’t pretend you were better than you were. Be honest about who you are.
B. You’ve also got to be honest about your PRESENT.
Paul continues in 1 Corinthians 6:11 - And that is what some of you were. BUT you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.
That’s the present, that’s the reality! I’m not PERFECT, just FORGIVEN! I’m not GOOD, but I have been WASHED and REDEEMED by the blood of the lamb! Because of Jesus, I’ve been judged NOT GUILTY by the judge of the universe!
Tonight, some of you are struggling with guilt. You’re feeling guilty before God about things that you’ve done, but you’ve got no reason to. If yo’ve brought it tp God forgiveness, then you ARE forgiven! Your sins have been washed away; you’ve been made right because of what God has done. You’ve got no business feeling guilty about your sins if you’re a Disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ –
AMEN? Let me hear a big AMEN! Because this is what being a Christian is all about!
How long should a follower of Jesus Christ feel guilty about a sin they’ve committed? About ten seconds! Because that’s how long it takes to confess that sin to God and receive the gift of forgiveness. Satan’s called the accuser. It’s a trick that he uses to make people feel guilty for sins that Jesus has already forgiven. Don’t let him do that.
Redeemed, how I love to proclaim it!
Redeemed by the blood of the Lamb!
Redeemed thro' His infinite mercy,
His child, and forever, I am.
If we’re in Christ, we are redeemed from our sins and on our way to heaven, but we’re not perfect. So let’s not act like we have our act all together! C.S. Lewis said, “Think of me as a fellow-patient in the same hospital who, having been admitted a little earlier, could give some advice.” We’re all sinners. The only difference between us is that some of us have been forgiven and some of us are still looking for the way to be forgiven. And those who have been forgiven can’t take the credit for it. It’s all Jesus. He’s the one who has put us right.
Be honest about your past and your present.
C. You’ve Also Got To Be Honest About Your Future
My motto used to be, “It couldn’t happen to me!” But the Bible says, “If you think you are standing strong, be careful, for you, too, may fall into the same sin” (1 Cor 10:12). Never say the words, “It could never happen to me.” Be honest about your future. You don’t have the power to live life on your own. You need God’s help if you’re going to stay strong.
Authenticity means that I am who I appear to be. There’s no pretending. I never want to pretend about who I am. Am I struggling? Sure – all the time. Do I fail? Absolutely. Am I vulnerable? Sometimes! Do I have weaknesses that Satan could exploit in the future? No doubt about it. But, am I forgiven? Yes, because of what Jesus did. I refuse to pretend about my condition. It’s a great, liberating step to take.
One more action you need to take to prepare for the New Year:
IV. RECEIVE THE GIFT OF GOD’S GRACE
Ill. - There is an old legend about three men and their sacks. Each man had two sacks, one tied in front of his neck and the other tied on his back. When the first man was asked what was in his sacks, he said, "In the sack on my back are all the good things friends and family have done. That way they're hidden from view. In the front sack are all the bad things that have happened to me. Every now and then I stop, open the front sack, take the things out, examine them, and think about them." Because he stopped so much to concentrate on all the bad stuff, he really didn't make much progress in life.
The second man was asked about his sacks. He replied, "In the front sack are all the good things I've done. I like to see them, so quite often I take them out to show them off to people. The sack in the back? I keep all my mistakes in there and carry them all the time. Sure they're heavy. They slow me down, but you know, for some reason I can't put them down."
When the third man was asked about his sacks, he answered, "The sack in front is great. There I keep all the positive thoughts I have about people, all the blessings I've experienced, all the great things other people have done for me. The weight isn't a problem. The sack is like sails of a ship. It keeps me going forward.
"The sack on my back is empty. There's nothing in it. You see, I cut a big hole in its bottom. In there I put all the bad things that I can think about myself or hear about others. So, they go in one end and out the other, so I'm not carrying around any extra weight at all."
So, what are you carrying in your sacks? Citation: H. Norman Wright, The Perfect Catch (Bethany House, 2000)
The reason that many of you are carrying burdens is because you haven’t taken this step. You haven’t received the gift of God’s gracen that cuts a big hole in yuour sack of guilt! Everything in our society says that we have to do it ourselves. But that’s not the way it works with God. Do you want a clean slate? Then receive the gift of God’s grace.
Romans 6:23 says, “The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Get that? DEATH COMES THROUGH THE LAW, BUT LIFE COMES THROUGH JESUS. This is the ultimate gift that keeps on giving. With God, the best is yet to come. The gift of God is eternal life that begins now and continues throughout eternity.
There’s only one catch to this gift. YOU have to accept it -- and accept it God’s way. Although Jesus makes this gift available to everyone, it’s effective only to those who receive this gift under His terms.
If you’re a follower of Jesus Christ this evening, you can’t take any credit for it. Your salvation is not a result of anything you’ve done to earn it. It’s simply by God’s grace at work because you’ve said “Yes” to God. You won’t get to heaven and hear all the other people outdo each other with stories of how they got to heaven. Nope - it’s all God’s grace. All we can do is be thankful for it.
Isaiah 30:18 says, “The LORD longs to be gracious to you.” That’s His desire. It is His nature to bless undeserving people. He’s waiting for you to accept his grace. He enjoys being gracious. He’s not mad at you. His heart’s broken for you but He wants you to come home.
God’s amazing grace is available right here and right now. Today. That’s why He brought you here. You’re not here by accident. He brought you here. If you have never received that saving grace gift, what are you waiting for?
A newspaper once ran this personal ad: “Son, I know you are in the city. Please call your father collect. I love you son.” God is calling out to you this evening, saying the very same thing. Call me collect. I’ll pay the cost. But come home. I’ve been waiting for you. Come home.
Do you want to be somebody else in 2003? Are you tired of fighting battles with yourself? Then change your mind! Receive God’s gift of grace. You don’t need to pretend any more. You don’t have to make a bunch of New Year’s resolutions. You don’t have to try to be someone else. You just need to take these steps: recognize that failure is universal. Realize that God doesn’t write you off. You’re valuable to him. Refuse to pretend about your condition. Come today just as you are. Receive the gift of God’s grace.
Let’s pray.
“Father God, Together we realize that we can never be perfect enough to earn a place in your perfect home in heaven. We realize that the only way we’ll get in is by Your grace. Forgive us when we dare to think we could ever be good enough. Forgive us for our pride that thinks we can earn our way into heaven. Thank you for your forgiveness and help us trust in it today.
“Jesus Christ, thank you for paying for our salvation on the cross. By faith, help us all accept Your grace today. Help us release our pride and our woundedness and our defeats and our hurts and our disappointments because we want you to guide our lives from this day forward. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.”
! IT’S A GREAT YEAR TO BE A CHRISTIAN!
Can you believe it’s already 2003? Today, I want to help relieve you of a burden. One of the biggest problems that many of us have is that we’re carrying too much junk around inside of us! We need to let it go. Let’s begin with Heb 12:1 and Ps 103. Prepare for this New Year with just four simple actions:
I. ADMIT THAT FAILURE IS ______________________
A. If you’ve failed – you’re not _____________!
B. Some of us come to ______ expecting to find perfect people!
The reality is in Rom 7:21-24.
C. Solution: Don’t pretend (or expect) to be what you aren’t.
II. REALIZE THAT GOD DOESN’T _________________ US
WHEN WE FAIL HIM
A. Have you gotten dirty and think God doesn’t want you back?
B. What is the truth? See Rom 5:20!
C. Only Christ teaches that God accepts us just as we _______.
See Lk 7:36, 47-48; Eph 2:8-10
III. REFUSE TO _____________ ABOUT OUR CONDITION
A. Who are you more like: Martha Stewart or Erma Bombeck?
B. Let’s resolve to be honest about three things this year:
1. Our __________ – 1 Cor 6:9-11
2. Our __________ – 1 Cor 6:11
3. Our __________ – 1 Cor 10:12
IV. RECEIVE THE GIFT OF GOD’S _________________
A. Some of us have way too much stuff in our sacks.
B. This is the truth: Romans 6:23
C. There’s only one catch: You have to ________ it God’s way.
INVITATION: Will you pledge to live in 2003 God’s way?