January 5 2020

Well, good morning. Everyone of first off. I cannot tell you exactly how excited I am to be back in the pulpit and preaching. I've actually went through public withdrawal I believe so, thank you so much for being here this morning for those of you. Are there here in for everyone on Facebook watching. Thank you so much for being here. There's a dozen other things you could be doing but you decided to be here with us this morning a couple of things.

This is a brand new year and an recap of last year. We've started Freedom. It was better myself started at September 1st. I believe was our first service and it was right here where we we still are is at the casa building in Jeffersonville, Indiana.

Contact Community Action building has been so supportive of us. And so welcoming of us. We cannot thank you enough. We really cannot thank you enough. We've had a benefactor step up and actually help us pay rent this year. So that's been in this past year. So that's been a huge blessing for us. We also have a lot of things that are coming up in 2020 for us. So some of the things I will be coming up for Freedom will be we have a VR experience that will be coming up in 2020 with the church that is not something that any other Church in the area is doing so we are going to be doing I get IV our experience here Freedom. We're going to also be reaching out to the community and other ways we're going to have We acquired a canine her name is Tegan. She came from the Bartholomew Oldham County prison system Dave the dog man is going to be helping us train her. She will eventually become part of our ministerial staff here Freedom. She'll be helping with pastoral counseling should be working with Ben and myself in that aspect. But she's also going to be able to do a lot of community outreach. So we don't have her here with us this morning. I need to get her a bed since we're in the gym to the floors are really really cold especially right now. So I need to get her a portable bed for her to come with us, but you'll start seeing more about Tegan and Sara through the through the Sundays as the years progressed. The other thing that we're going to be doing with Teagan is are going there's going to be a program called walking your dog Through the Bible. This is something that we really hope that gets the community involved. There's not going to be a cost for this program. If you have a dog, that's wonderful. You are more than welcome to bring your dog. If you do not have a dog we're taking cans in so it'll be a lot of fun for people of all ages people that don't have people that have their fur babies can bring and it'll be very entertaining for you and it's also going to be beneficial for your relationship with your dog. So that's a couple of things to look out for in 2020 for us.

The new year is always. It's either a time that you get excited. Or I can be a time of regret for you.

Tell me personally always getting extremely excited at the new year because to me it's all about the possibilities of the new year, which is exactly what a new life and Christ is all about it's about the possibilities of the new year now have I made New Year's resolutions in the past yet have I failed at New Year's resolutions and pass just like Dan. Yes, I mean, so as I was going through this and preparing for the sermon today. I really got to thinking about and praying about New Years in New Year's resolutions and that kind of thing and you'll hear people saying why don't make New Year's resolutions because I found them didn't even said that. I've gotten to the point that I don't make them anymore.

And then it dawned on me. Maybe it's because

we we don't make them now because we're worried about failing them, right? Maybe it's not the New Year's resolutions making that a bad thing. Maybe we're making the wrong kinds of resolutions. Maybe we're not involving someone that we should when we make New Year's resolutions.

So this year one of the things I wanted want you to think about as you reflect on 2008 to 2019, then I'm going way back 2019.

Mistakes are just that their mistakes.

The key to a mistake is learning from it and that's all failure or mistakes are the key to those learning from them. So in the past when I lie New Year's resolutions, but what was it about that that made me fail? Why did I feel that news New Year's resolution again? I've come to the conclusion that it wasn't because it wasn't it wasn't cuz my heart wasn't in it or it's not because I really didn't want it. The money I was making the wrong New Year's resolutions. Maybe I was in involving the one person. In it that needed to be in it. Everybody says one will get healthier for the new year who's made that New Year's resolution. I think everybody has go get Healthcare this year. I'm going to you know obtain this this year and I'm going to get that promotion or I'm going to do this or I'm going to do. If I'm going to do this and it's always something self-serving. So what if we changed your mindset a little bit this year and what if you made your New Year's resolution?

You know what? I'm going to invest stead of your health instead of your finances instead of whatever. I'm going to invest in my relationship with Jesus Christ.

Does it cost you anything?

It doesn't require membership anywhere that you have to pay dues for. It doesn't require you getting up any earlier. It doesn't require, you know, any kind of membership that comes out of your debit card once a month. It doesn't require anything. except you actually making an effort to talk to God. really all that requires

and maybe if you start doing things such as trying to take better care of yourself for doing this or doing that and you involve Christ in that process how the feeling and I was like, I'm doing this. It's clear something tells me that

is that

Hear me. There you go.

Because without your relationship with Christ everything else falls apart. But yeah, when we do New Year's resolutions, we failed to do that. We failed to involve Christ in our New Year's resolutions. I've never never put Christ in my New Year's resolutions.

Maybe that's why I feel that it. But anytime I put Christ into something I've always been able and it's not me because my strength comes from him and always excels it always goes above and beyond what I even thought was possible. So it dawned on me this maybe this is the missing link maybe this maybe this is just what were we need to we need to do we're focusing on the wrong things for New Year's and we're not involving who we need to involve this morning. I'm speaking out of Ephesians 4

You were taught with regard to your former way of life to put off your old self. Which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires Fusions for 22. Deceitful desires me all about me.

Your former way of life. What was it last year that you need to learn from? What is it about yourself last year that did not serve the kingdom of God did not further the kingdom of God. What is it last year that you need to get rid of?

This was Paul writing to the church in Ephesus of what is expected of the church. What is the church is supposed to do one of my New Year's resolutions. I would like to make to you and challenge you to do this year is you've heard people say when you read the Bible use the word love. In exchange for God or an exchange of word for God use the word love in Spain in it because they're interchangeable this year. I want to challenge you that when you read scripture this year. I want you to challenge yourself to change the word church to you. Army so it's personal because there are many different. Church buildings out there where in a gymnasium There's megachurches. They're small churches. There's home churches. the church is not the building the church. is you So whenever you read scripture this year, that's one of the first things I wanted to say. If you if you don't do any other New Year's resolution try that for me try that for me because when Jesus talks about the church and Paul talks about the charge of the Bible itself talks about the church. They're actually talking about you. So what Paul was saying here is that you need to put off everything the church you need to put off everything. That was not serving the kingdom of God anymore. Take it off because when you grow in Christ when Jesus as your kids grow, I know. At one point in time and I mean that kid every time I turned around so I can remember was buying boy shoes. He was growing out of clothes left and right especially his shoes. I could never keep shoes on the kid. Corsi's now 6-3 so that kind of explains that but I could never get keep shoes on the boy. It did me no good to hold on to those shoes. I had to get rid of those shoes because he outgrew those shoes. He outgrew them. You cannot grow in Christ. If you keep on the same spiritual clothes that you always have if you keep on the same spiritual close, there is no way that you're going to be able to grow in Christ. Have you seen kids walk around with high waters on any kind of laughs at him and they feel inadequate if you're growing in Christ, and you're not not putting on new spiritual clothes. You're going to feel a little funny.

You're going to feel a little off you're going to feel like everybody's looking at you. You're not going to feel comfortable cuz I don't know about you and this is just me. But you know when I got my makeup on I got my hair on I got close. I think you'll fit me. Okay, it makes me feel better about myself, you know, if I go in someplace and then the clothes are too big or too certain my thought is it God forbid if they're too small. Yeah. That's the last thing I want is to small of clothes. That does not make me feel confident at all. That does not make me feel my best at all. What is going to be the same thing with your own spiritual clothing? So when the clothing no longer serves you be at clothing that's you close yourself with mistakes. or poor decisions or whatever it may be getting rid of it. Get rid of it. It doesn't serve you anymore. The old you does not exist any longer.

Now here's the beautiful thing of this. When you get baptized and you accept Jesus Christ as your lord and savior. It is a one-time thing.

Yes. Here's the caveat to that.

You're going to continue to keep growing or hopefully you do.

And you're going to make mistakes.

And you're going to end up either outgrowing your clothes. Or you going to put on something that doesn't really fit? The way you want to live.

So I guess it is a one-time thing.

The glory and the beauty of Jesus Christ is that you were renewed not just when you're baptized but every morning that you wake up.

Every think of that every single morning that you wake up you are a new person in Christ. You are now closed.

The way Christ wants you closed your now clothes in the word of God and in his love for you.

To me that is so amazing because when you are spiritually clothed with the love of Christ.

I mean if a good outfit makes you feel all that and a bag of chips. Try putting on being clothed in Love Of Christ, man. You want to talk about walking into a room and feeling like you got it going on that will do it.

even when you don't because you know who's behind you, you know that you are loved even when you screw up.

Even when you make a mistake.

Even when you make the choice that you look back and go where was my head? What was I thinking?

You know that your clothing Love Of Christ every single morning that is beautiful to me. Absolutely beautiful. So this year in 2020 and I dis dis is going to be

I want you to think about what you want your year to look like in 2020.

Okay. But when you do that, I want you to look at what you want your urine 20/20 to look like in service of God. What is going to further the kingdom of God in your life in 2020? What is it that you can do?

To further the kingdom of God in 2020. And I guarantee you I guarantee you. I promise you I promise you this.

You will achieve it. It's not going to be something that you're going to give up mid-January like at gym membership.

It's not going to be something that. You pick up once. And then never pick it up the rest of the year. I guarantee you you will be able to achieve it because you got Christ in your corner on it. And if you got the most powerful force in the universe behind you you are an Unstoppable Force. You have unlimited power you have unlimited resources. You have unlimited courage. You'll have unlimited strength. But you got invite him into your New Year inviting into your New Year. There's a lot going on right now. As far as United States is the nation.

I know a lot of us are really worried. There's a lot of us that are angry. There are a lot of us that are. in fear

This is what this is my message that I feel that God wants the United States and Christians to know. in 2020 You heard me say this before but I'll say it again anything that divides God's people is not of God.

And God did not give you a spirit of fear. We need to come together as Christians and pray for our country and pray for each other and even pray for other countries. We need to pray for our world we need to do exactly as Christ would do.

And then say no more.

We want to live and love each other in peace and Harmony and build each other up and bring each other up. That is our goal as a Christian Community in 2020. I don't care what the media says. I don't care what the Facebook post saying. I don't care what other people say. I don't know. I don't care.

Christians have changed the course of history repeatedly there used to be no orphanages. There used to be no public schools that used to be no. No such thing as nursing home that they used to be no place for people to go that day that were homeless. Christian's did that. We did that. We started the hospitals we did that. We have completely changed and altered history for the betterment of the human race across the board. And we can do that again.

We can do that again.

We can do it again. So this year be excited? Be Inspired about what you're capable of doing be excited about what the future holds be excited about what you want be excited and take your victories where you can get it. I don't care how small. And do one thing everyday to reach that goal. That's all you have to do. I don't care how small it is. I don't care if it's smiling it somebody you normally don't smile too. Frankly. You really can't stand it much smile at that person. If it's picking up a phone call calling a friend that you haven't talked to you in forever, sahay. I just wanted to wish you Happy New Year let you know I was thinking of you. Love you.

Something to do isn't even take 15 seconds, but do it do something to further the kingdom of God every single day and if we all do that if we all take one small step in 2020 to further the kingdom of God. It will be absolutely amazing of what we can accomplish this year. Absolutely amazing. Absolutely amazing.

So put on your spiritual new clothes. Get rid of the old ones.

the old you

the old you whatever it is about the old you that wasn't serving God get rid of it.

Put on some new clothes. Christ made you knew and he made you for a very Divine and beautiful purpose.

Divine and beautiful purpose because you're ugly and wonderfully made. We all are on the side of God cuz we're all human. And God made humans and he loves us all each and every one of us.

Cuz we leave here today.

Who buy our heads?

Dear heavenly father is always we come to you in a spirit of thanks. We thank you for all the blessings last year both seen and unseen. Dancing blessings that were Paving the way for 2020 for all of us Lord. We ask that you wrap your loving arms.

Around our military around our leaders. Rather military families because they serve right along with them.

Where do I get them know that you hear their prayers?

Lord let them know that they are loved.

Let them feel that love. Let them know that. Has Freedom Worship Center? We send our prayers up to you for them lifting them up in prayer? wishing our country up in prayer

Hope is the freedom Worship Center this year. Our New Year's resolution Lord is to serve you with every ounce of our being in to continue to listen to the call that you have placed upon FWC that we reach the community are hurting Community Lord, but needs to know. But they are loud, but they are accepted. They are seen and they are valued beyond all imagination Lord.

It is amazing to think that people we have never met people that we may never meet.

Fight so that we don't have to.

Lord It's amazing to think

But these same people. Have the same hopes dreams in need of love as we do.

Lord bless this year 2020 for FWC. Lord bless this 20/20 year for all who were listening and all who are watching on Facebook Lord blessed 20/20 and bring down your glory Lord so that we may see and that everyone may see the light of Jesus Christ. Lord, I can't I know there's so much going on but I cannot express. I am so excited. There is something that's going to happen. I don't know if it's here. WC or if it doesn't Nation as a whole but this year is going to be phenomenal. I just can't get over that feeling Lord, and I know it's coming from you. I'm so excited. Lord I'm just I am I'm just I know you're there I can feel you so strongly Lord, and I know that you're going to be bringing and showing your glory for all the world to see.

Lord protect all of us as we leave here today. And let each person know how much you love them. Let them be excited about your their future because with you Lord.

It's nothing but beautiful possibilities with you.

Or do we pray these things in the name of the love that Christ held within his heart as he hung up on the cross and we pray these things to you in the name of your son and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. almond