A New Year's Need

You're not too long ago. I was cleaning out my closet and cleaning out my closets, you know, there's some things that she I mean if your closets like mine didn't collect a lot more things other than just clothes and shoes nurses all kinds of stuff in there. So I was amazed Palace jump was actually in there and as I pulled it out there were certain things that I came across and I thought I need to make sure that I I don't lose that I keep that I need that or whatever it is. I send over here in a certain place at a certain file to make sure they just get confused and things are going out is the same time. I look at stuff that has no business in here needs to be removed and there were things that were didn't belong in there and I had to remove At the same time in the top of my class there certain boxes that are boxes of memorabilia and things that you know, that's different things that I have for the past because I pulled out some of those me to remember that we're great memories. I think we need to have some things as we look into our life and look at what's going on. Their life is important at the same time. There's some things that we say this is got to go. This is not necessary. It's not it's in the way it's causing problems in this needs to be removed at the same time in our life are certainly some things that we need to remember some things that perhaps have been there that we want to make sure that we we keep their now as we looked at our texts the Apostle Paul. Eddie's riding Church of Colossus in Rome and 58 to 62 somewhere in that time. Remember I get this who Jesus Christ really is. And who we should be as a result of who he is talking about Jesus and we're all things for you in heaven that are in Earth visible and invisible whether they be Thrones or dominions are principalities or Powers all things were created by Him and for him listen to Jesus. Creator of the creators also the same and we need to remember who he is and if we be in Christ, we ought to live life. Listen, here's what he say. If you're saved like you say if you're safe live like you're saved and I think it's a time that we need to come to where we need to make some adjustments. First thing. I have you seen this message this morning is there are some things that we must keep some things that must be retained. You know, when we're cleaning out that closet, you know, there are certain things that were a little bit afraid or going to get the wrong. All right, we put them over here and we start to label it keep this over here to the spot where make sure that they don't get mixed up with the wrong thing. He cast out. Listen as you start to make adjustments if you start to set your resolutions, you start to organize things for your for your spiritual life of the new year.

The one is we need to keep a christ-centered. A christ-centered is listen in our in our personal life and his church Jesus Christ needs to be at the very center of everything. We are and everything that we do I make it very clear every time. We have a big son to hear when we have a friend Day art appreciation day of some sort out very clear. If you don't remember anything else about Jesus Christ. It's about Jesus Christ who got to keep Christ at the center.

I've used the telestration before but I like it. So I want to use it again. You said all Wagon Wheel right? You watch The Westerns and they got the old wagon wheels. Nose wagon wheels on that that way I guess it's going down the trail that wagon wheel Tavares sensor is one and then outside those folks just look at the rim and then that's what helps you to get down the road right now, and he's a Western, South, Washington.

And I'll still be able to get on down the road. But if I lose that Hub, it all falls apart doesn't I want to tell you that Jesus Christ is the Hub. everything that we do everything that we see to be everything we seek to accomplish in our personal life are are in this church or whatever it maybe I would pray in this nation, then it would come out of Jesus Christ and maybe some things that we're doing some

Will be able to make it. We lose price of the century when everything's lost a basic fundamental Christians are losing this phone. How can we serve God and not have Christ at the center of everything that we're doing? It must be a christ-centered us everything that we do everything that we planned everything that we seek to accomplish. the Bible tells us in Philippians chapter 1 verse 20 Does Christ shall be magnified in my body weather in BMI if I live for by death, but Christ liveth in me in the Life, which I now live in the flesh. I live by the Son of God Who Loved Me? Artex says if you be rinsing with Christ, if you be risen with Christ what this was his talking about risen with Christ. Jesus died on the cross for our sins. He conquered death and he rose again the third day we are alive with

We must keep a christ-centered. We must keep or retain at Eternal Focus. is eternal Focus look at our texts against those things which are above Where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God set your affection on things above? Seek those things with your Eternal Focus. What does it mean to have an eternal Focus?

You guys like to go camping. I like to go camping there talking to us till yesterday about making another trip to Colorado and going camping out there. I like to go Cuban when we go camping. You know, it's it's it's fun to sit around and relax and enjoy the time we were camping out too long ago during deer season took any of them and we're sitting around the campfire and dad is it weird that I love to just sit at the fire? I said know if it is we're all weird because you just said that. And you relax and you enjoy it you spend time there with you know, your friends or your family you make some great memories light and you go to the lake and you weren't there still a camping spot inside and you go there and do you spend all your time sitting there going, you know. I wonder how you know, I can maybe put a little bit of cover. You know, you don't you just said I'm just going to enjoy this time.

It doesn't make sense to spend that whole weekend doing something. That's not going to have any real value. You see where I'm going with this listen to We have to do so responsibility, but our focus should be okay.

It was I look around this room today. I look at this building. I look.

Call the stop listening.

It's people.

It's people.

internal Focus

I got kind of a water jump rope here. I brought up here says practicing for music this morning. I got a little nervous. ISRO this would indicate your life. Your life would be like this month. on this Earth Those things that we get so concerned about we get so wrapped up we get so worried about we we get so focused on. Sometimes they're just that little bitty little bitty threatened that rope just a little bitty spot. But here it is where you get so worked up on this so worried like a little bitty thread. We're going to forget. How about all of eternity? This is what God made us for is eternity and all this little short bit of time is beginning of this role for the beginning of this. This line. Is this little short business just preparation for preparation. So am I going to live my life focused on this? I'm going to live my life focused on this.

UC we need to have an internal Focus. This is what we believe right that it's for eternity. That's what we believe 10,000 years and it's just begun. We need to live with an internal Focus.

Matthew 6 1924 yourself Treasures on Earth where moth and rust doth corrupt and where thieves break through and steal but lay up for yourselves Treasures in Heaven where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt and we're see you should not break through nor steal. So there's some things that we need to keep. As we look through this this new year, there's some things we need to keep we need to keep.

It's a set your affection on things on Earth. You can say you're on things above not on things on the earth. Okay, so here's some things that we need to get rid of.

We're going to have an internal Focus. We can't be so caught up and so encumbered by the things of this life that we can live for Christ. Hebrews 12 1 & 2 says let us lay aside every weight. MSN which doth so easily beset us and let us run with patience the race that is set before us looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith. Here's the thing. not everything that's hindering Us in this race for Christ is a bad thing. Sometimes it's just a weight. Sometimes it's just I thinking in this present this place more than ever before. We need to remove some weight. I'm not talking about the picture. Here's that you're running a race and you got that right?

No, he's wanting to get rid of much weight as he possibly can.

And we're way down today folks.

This is where we're at today in our with our first world problems and 20/20 Society. We can hire people to declutter our house. It's kind of a growing thing. I was amazed. I looked it up on Google it.

These folks get paid between 50 and $60 an hour to come and declutter your house. New York to get about $100 an hour to declutter your house Can you imagine I can think about this I got to thinking about? You know trying to tell my grandfather, you know. A few Generations ago. Can you imagine I'm going to pay somebody, you know, this is this large amount of money to come in and declutter my house.

Can you imagine that? This is where we're at today at the same time some of your going. I can get a cheaper. I might need it. Okay.

And so it is with our life as well. We got so much junk. This is where we come to folks. We come to a place, you know, when we started trying to clean out a room we get all this stuff that needs to go but what happened that way I can't get rid of that. I can't get through that in. So therefore Mini Storages outbuildings and everything is right, and we got so much stuff. And so it is with our life we come with say okay. I need to do more for God this year and I need to have a greater focus on this and I know that I've got so much in my life.

Something's got to give us a friend if you're too busy and you're too busy. Something's Gotta Give.

You know when Lieutenant tells the story they're of Mary and Martha and you remember that the scripture talks about how Martha was comfortable out much serving? You know, she was all stressed out. This is the Mary was at the feet of Jesus. You know Mark was all upset and said, you know Lord make Mary get up and help me. Jesus said leave her alone. She's chosen a good thing. I'm a bother. Martha was cumbered, right? Cumbers, that's where we get. Right we have come but we just get way to down we get overwhelmed with all the things that are going on and we get too stressed out. You know it we're going we have that may be great for you to go there. I ain't got time for that.

Remove some weight. Remove some weight. Remove the sin. The verse in Hebrews talks about the things that weigh us down. But it also talks about the sin that so easily besets us. The weirdest aunt is defined as to attack on all signs to a cell to harass. So here's the picture that we have. Here's the pics that we had. I'm going to run for the Lord in 2020. I'm going to live for the Lord in 2020, but it's not try to run. I'm waiting down with all this junk in my life at the same time. I've got that I won't confess to make right with God is so therefore I'm being harassed by rocks and being attacked by the Sea and we wonder why we're not getting very far. Something's got to go. Some things need to go that lists out and losses there in those mechs vs. What some of these scenes might be first 5 says mortify Therefore your members of mortify meets the uncleanness inordinate affection evil concupiscence covetousness is idolatry for which things take the wrath of God. Tell Moses children disobedience in the which he also walk sometime when you lived in them, but now are you also put off the bee stings anger filthy communication out of your mouth lie not one to another scene that you have put off the old man with his he's now for sake of time. I'm not going to

Those are things of The Flash those are lost. Those are things that that are attacking our world today and said we got to put them away. If you trust a Jesus Christ as Savior, you're dead to those think you're dead.

1st John 1:9 says if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

dirtiest Dirtiest I want to run this race for the Lord this year and I do this is not something to say my alarm. This is something it's in my heart. Okay, I want to in 2020 serve the Lord that I ever had. I want that. I want that for me. I want that for this church. I want that and I know that if that's going to be accomplished this gonna have to be some things are going to have to give And so here it is. I'm going to get rid of some of this weight so I can run. That's in that's harassing me. You know, I'm the end. You know what I'm talkin about that Cena harasses you because you know, you need to get it right with God and you haven't been willing to get it right with God if I'll be confessed that fuel twins be of that. The free me from that.

So there are some things we need to get rid of some things that we need to remember. Some things we must remember. First three sis for your dad talking about Dave to see if you're not being there spiritually with your dentist in because Christ died for your seeing your dentist in and your life is hid with Christ and God. I want you to remember you said because here's the thing to like that video when it started going through there and it was going back and cut down the different requirements each time and you know, some of you probably make some resolutions this year that you made last year that you didn't keep for the year before that. You didn't keep in the year before that perhaps you didn't keep I know we we struggle with the same things over and over again. And so sometimes it's easy to get down on ourselves. We find ourselves that we falling into a place of sin. We fall into a place of doing things that that we never thought we would do that whenever that would be a part of such ways that we never thought we would And it's easy to come to a place that you get so down on yourself that you believe. God has no use for you. This is where you need to remember. Very simply you need to remember that God loves you. You got that I want makes you that down. God loves you. Just the way you are. God loves you. You're not love him more or less because of what you do or what you do not do God's love is unconditional.

It's been said before but it Bears repeating this morning. You're never more loved by God, then you are writing. You've never been more loved by God than what you are right now. No. Listen is any good parent? There's blessings and chastisement based upon our obedience or Disobedience? And certainly we see that through the scripture Hebrews 12.

But don't tell me that I don't love my child just because I discipline my child or chastisement y'all will it be wrong? I do that because I love you. It's not a lack of love. It's a it's an indication of what the scripture tells. I'm in the same way God love is unconditional and I don't know maybe that doesn't mean a whole lot to you, but it means quite a bit to me to just sit there and remember and be reminded.

For God so loved the world.

Romans 5:8 says but God commendeth her prove his love towards us that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us.

But it's also remember this morning. Not only that God loves you, but God keeps you the scripture says there for your dad. And your life is hid with Christ in God your life is hid with Christ in God Barnes commentary says It was Christ and goddesses. The language here is taken probably from Treasure, which is he had or concealed in a place of security the idea is that eternal life is a name which is laid up with Christ in heaven where God is best expressed that we placed in him. We are dead to sin, but we are here to secure with him.

John 10 says my sheep hear my voice. Jesus said and I know them and they follow me what block them out of my My Father which gave them is greater than all other. We're helped secure as a treasure to God for help secure and where he'll secure in the hand of Jesus Christ and where he'll sit here in the hand of God the Father. Hope that's pretty secure.

I might pull something out of your hands. You might pull something out of my hands. Absolutely certain that you're not going to pull anything out of hands of God.

And where held secure there and we need to remember that this morning as we set out for the new year and we start thinking about all the things that we need to keep all the things that we need to get rid get rid of we also remember this is who we are because God loves us and God keeps us.

things to be retained things to be removed things to be remembered

Apostle Paul said if your risen Christ see those if you be risen with Christ seek those things which are above

Apostle Paul What's teaching of some things here we need to remember. Some things that I believe resin hate perhaps even more with this present day that even the day when she was at church at colossae.

Let me tell you three good reasons this morning. Why you should do this you say because you know, it wasn't so bad this last year. I made it. Alright.

We are three good reasons here as to why we need to do this.

1 There's a joy and fulfilling God's purpose for your life. There is a joy that the count.

At the same time if you're not experienced that Joy, there's some place there that you're falling in the further you get away from that I told you before it's the most miserable individual on this Earth is not philosophers. the most miserable individual this Earth is the same person that is drifted so far away from God. lot The Bible says that he vexed what he vexed his righteous soul.

miserable Listen to Joy. And so when you take those steps closer to God, you take those steps closer to the joy and satisfaction.

That's a good reason. I don't lose the best reason cuz it's a cell Focus trees, but it's a good read. Is there Joy fulfilling God's purpose in your life, but I want to tell you another reason. Secondly, it does make a difference. It makes a difference. There is so much 8 there's so much negativity in this world and I want to tell you love that hate negativity.

Everything that we do everything that we're about is based on love according to God's word. God is love right is on the scripture says God is love. Somebody said to me one time and I thought it was very well said if loves not any God's not in it cuz God is love. There's so much hate negativity in this world today. But when you fulfill God's purpose and you have that joy in your life and it begins to spread to others and it makes a difference. It makes a difference in my daily life.

God has chosen us to be a witness. And if we're way off over here, we're so cluttered with all the junk of the world ends of the world, and we're in a place, but we're not working for a living for God and we don't have that Joy. We're miserable.

It makes a difference.

the third reason Not only for you for the joy that only four others for the third and best reason that we need to make these changes in our life because God deserve better. Doesn't he he deserves better from us? His love is unconditional. He is long-suffering and merciful. He is giving he is giving to the point of giving his son to die at calvary's Cross. He deserves better with our response. I'm worried by so much of Christianity Today be all about what we can get from God. It's it's all about what we can get, you know do this and you'll get this you'll be blessed as many times over it. Listen, God does bless me and every good thing in. My life is come from God and I recognize that he blessed me physically, but mentally bless me.

But my service to him should not be based upon that he would give me more. Because he's already given me so much he deserves better.

If you're saved. If you need any reason and Christ and do those things. If you're not saved want to tell you there's no better way to start off this new year in the trust Jesus Christ as Savior. There's no better decision I've ever made in my life and I want to tell you I have never spoke with anyone that's regretted that decision.

There might be somebody out there. I'm not saying you never had, but I want to tell you of all the people that I have talked to you about their spiritual needs and my years of ministry all the people. I have talked to her. I have never talked to one person. Yes, I trust to try to save your but I regret it. There's no better decision you can make. no better decision you can make I want you to know that that salvation is possible because of Christ. It's a gift. Somebody got some Christmas presents.

You didn't work for him. You have to pay for them. Somebody else paid for them. They wrap them to hand it to you. All you had to do was receive it in the Bible tells us that. AB Salvage that it's a gift the only way that you can receive that salvation is by receiving as a gift.

It's been paid for in full. There's nothing that you can do that you can add to what Jesus Christ done at Calvary cross to pay for your sense. You say here's the truth. We're all Sinners, right the Bible tells us that for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. I listened in that seeing enough coming toward the glory of God. Is that Mark of perfection or none of us that are good enough on our own to be safe. You may be better than me. I like you better than a few of you. But with all still come short of that marker protection we talked about this before if we were to have a long tough contest and we were jumped out there and you were going to jump further than anybody else in this room. Somebody's going to jump shorter than anybody else in this room. But if the Mark is jumping across the Grand Canyon then it really doesn't matter. Or you're the best the worst or somewhere in between we've all come short. You said that that doesn't make sense that's impossible.

You said the Old Testament law was there to show us that we can't live up the gods March. It was a Schoolmaster that price is death for the wages of sin is death. But the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ Our Lord Jesus Christ pay that price when he died, he didn't die for his own sin because he happens. So therefore he died for our sin and you pay for that Salvation Army offers it to us as a gift. And we receive it by repenting of our sins and putting our faith and trust in Christ. Bible says in Romans chapter 10 when we confess with our mouths and believe in our heart. We got a friend that I asked God for those going to ask you but it's got to be real. You put that confidence in him and you can be saved this morning. Never been safe. Today is a great day. What better way to start off with?

If you been saved, if you be risen with Christ, and then do those things I got calling you to do like those decisions.

as we stand