Jan 2, 2022 Sunday Worship Service

Hey, Brother.

Well, it's good to be with you on the first. First day of the week of 2022. And so that's a, a joy that we can share together in this new year. And certainly it's good to be with each other as we worship Our God together. It's good to be on the earth at this time. That's good to be alive and in the care of God at this time, and it's great to be alive. It really is great to be alive at this time, and we're so blessed by God for all the things that he's brought us through, not just last year, but Years Gone by and we look forward to this year into the future, and we look forward to what he's going to do for us now, and we look forward to that. And so just want to talk a little bit tonight about Our new year and as we think about a new year, can't help. But think what Paul said in Philippians chapter 3 beginning of verse 13, He said this. But what did this one thing? I do forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those which are ahead. And then he says, I press onward. I press onward. I press onward to the goal, the call of the upward prize of Christ Jesus in God. And so we look at that we think about What Paul had in mind? Well, the fact that he had a horrible life in the past. Now, we think that because he worked for God, that he was a from The Tribe of Benjamin. He, he worked his way up to the high ranks of his profession and he became a Pharisee of Pharisees. And so he was well, study well-groomed. He was highly educated and and yet he had a horrible past into that. He actually worked to oppress Christians and oppress Christ and worked against God. And so he reminds us all that. He was the most vile. That he blasphemed God. And yet he obtained Mercy from God. And so Paul look forward to the future. And when he said this one thing I do forgetting those things which are behind, he's not saying literally forget the things of the past. He can't those things are forever etched in our minds, but we don't live by them. We don't have them make us to be identified by them that everything was in Christ and for Christ and by Christ. And that's what his life was at. So he becomes an example for all of us. As we look at being committed, committed to Jesus and I think if there's one thing that we can do this year and in our minds begin today, that is to commit ourselves to Jesus Christ. To commit ourselves to the work of the church. There's things that we have left undone in 2021 and now it's time to correct those things and he's giving us this opportunity together. And so when we think about the blessings that we enjoy, we can't help but be thankful for everything that he's provide us with. Now that reminds me of the story of the ten lepers, you remember that story from Luke chapter 17. It's a parable. That's only Luke records. And so he put together this Parable that Jesus spoke of and in the parable or ten lepers who were calling out when Jesus was approaching and they were making a Ruckus and finally got Jesus's attention and they wanted to be restored, they were lepers. And so their skin was falling apart and they were banished from the people and Jesus heard them and he said, I want you to go to church. It's what I want you to go. See the priest in the temple.

And I want you to tell him what happened. It so well. Luke record to see. He says well, on their way. They were healed. The leprosy was gone by the time, they got to the priest to show them what was going on in their lives at. So they have to go to church. One of the things that Jesus was reminding people about was that their love for God and their Reliance upon. God also means relying upon worship. Do those things that God has desired for his people to do. But unfortunately, when you think about the pain that had gone and were healed, only one came back, only one came back because he felt so thankful. And it's hard for what Jesus had done for him. And he came back and he fell at the feet of Jesus, and he just offered him worship. That's all he could do that. So, Jesus reminds us about the other night. In fact, he tells that one man that came back. You said, weren't there 10. Where are the other night? Only one is thankful. And so, when we think about what we owe Jesus and really what we all want, another are Thanksgiving on two beef. Because of what Jesus has done, that oughta be the motivating factor for our commitment to Christ in our commitment to one another in 2022. And so, as we consider the idea of commitment, I came across this. Quote.

Until one is committed. There is hesitancy the chance to draw back. Now, you remember the Hebrews Rider and Hebrews chapter 10 talks about drawing back to Perdition, and he was talking about Christians who started out strong and tries. They were going to bible class. They were going to church, they were hanging out with the Christians and they were growing and something happened. They just stopped. Are they stopped going to church? And they stopped at taking the Lord's? Supper? They started hanging out with other people who weren't Christians and they abandoned their own brethren. And the Hebrews Rider says they have gone back. They have drawn back to Perdition. Isn't that a description of Judas who betrayed Jesus that he was the son of perdition? But then he offers hope to the people to whom he's riding and he says, but we are not there who draw back and we're not brother. And so he says, when one is not committed in this quote, there is hesitancy, we pause. And then there's that chance to draw back concerning all acts of initiative and creation. There is one Elementary truth, the ignorance of which killed countless ideas and Splendid plans that the moment one definitely commits oneself. Then Providence moves, too. In part, what he saying is, when we move God moves, when we move, God wants to move with us, and he is with us. But until we move God's not moving. No one's moving because God is relying upon you and he's relying upon me to do the work that were called to do. So, he says, all sorts of things are trying to help one, that would never otherwise have occurred a whole stream of events issues from the decision. Raising in one's favor. All manner of unforeseen incidents in meetings and material assistance. When we move and we actually in our mind say, I'm doing it. I'm going forward with it. And then we commit ourselves and we actually do it. We actually follow through on the plan. God is with us and he sang here. There's so many things that can happen because of that one decision. Any sane, a multitude of blessings, can come your way because you have made that commitment. And that's exactly how God moves. God, doesn't blast. With abundance. If we don't move God will not bless us with abundance. If we are idle. And so that's why you says concerning those and one of the churches in the Book of Revelation. He says, I wish you were hot. And really, I wish you were cold, but you're neither your lukewarm. There's indifference about you. There is laziness about you. There is complacency about you and because of that he says, I will spit you out of my mouth. And so he says this material assistance, which no man could have dreamed would have come his way, whatever you can do or dream, you can do begin. It boldness has genius power and magic in it. Begin it. Now, when it's in your mind to it. Nothing will ever get accomplished if you don't proceed. And so this comes from a man by the William H Murray. I don't know who he is. But I love that quote. It is a great quote because it has a lot of meaning and a man that quoted. I had a lot of time to think about those words and those words are actually scriptural words with scriptural Concepts. And so, we are, we have to decide make that decision to commit. And we think about that one, man, that returned to Jesus that one leper, who was healed. You think he was committed now to Jesus?

Thank you, Jesus. Now, let me do for you. That's what we are to do in our own lives and our own spiritual Walk With Jesus Christ. And a reason we are to be committed is this.

And do this knowing the time that now, it is high time to awake out of sleep. For now, our Salvation is nearer than when we first believed, you know, all of us have gone from infancy to toddlerhood to Childhood to teenage years, to young adult 30-somethings to middle-aged folks. Two older folks, and to really old folks.

None of us have reached the really older folks level yet. All right, but we're probably all in that middle-aged area, but we've been through all of those things before we been through all those stages and we think about now that there's a new year, a new opportunity. Paul saying, listen also, keep in mind. You're still one. Now, one step closer to your ultimate goal. Every day. We get closer and closer. And here it is. The time is upon us. And now, it's 2022. I can't believe it's 2022. And yet we're now closer to Heaven than ever before since we first believed that. So there is this urgency that Paul's kind of putting in our minds about the time that we have left. As we think about getting older, we think about having wisdom. Bible talks a lot about old age and it talks a lot about wisdom. In fact, often. The Bible combines the two, you can't really have wisdom until you have reached a certain part of life where you have been through the experiences of life. And now you can go out and help to others to Mentor others. And the Bible tells us about the older women teaching the younger women.

Now you see the older women are to continue in their work. Not to retire from their work, but to continue in their work so that they too can groom the younger. So that they can groom another generation. And that's how it works. We don't stop working till we're done. Six feet in the ground. That's when I rest is. But until such time, Jesus says, give it all you got, give it all for the master. Give it to him, for, he needs you. Without you, you, you are an essential part of the Church of Jesus Christ. And without your efforts. Well, as they say, an organization is only as strong as its weakest link, right? And so we need to understand just how important each member is each member of the body working together. We all have different talents and we can do something to bring others to Jesus Christ, and to expand the borders of his kingdom. And so, as we think about being part of that scheme of human Redemption, don't you think about that for a second? The Bible talks about this Grand schemes, this plan that God had to redeem Mankind and you're part of it. You're part of that plan by virtue of your own salvation, but also because of your efforts and bringing others to Christ and having those folks be Ravine as part of the Plan of Salvation. And what a joy it is to think about that. We can be part of the Majesty's plan that he has provided for mankind. That's all we participate. And we work along those lines, but we have a fresh start and that's what I want us to consider. Before we go. We have a fresh start. The Slate is clean as they say, and we think about those Fresh Starts and we think about what Paul said in 2nd Corinthians 5:17 talking about that in Christ Jesus. We are a new creation old things have passed behold. All things are created new. So, what's the new year? Gr. Polish saying that our Christian life is like that new year, but that Christian Life is Like That New Year everyday. You've hurt me quote before from Ecclesiastes chapter 2, and which it says. The mercy of Our Lord are renewed every morning and what a grand thought to bring that to our minds to think about that. Everything is new every morning to God. It's so what is with us? We have a new day to begin something. We have a new day to take to take on opportunities that come our way. To take on new opportunities that may come the next day, but we always have to be open and available for those opportunities. We don't know when those opportunities God. Grants them to us. Sometimes we fail and recognize them, recognizing them and sometimes we recognize them when we do nothing with him. But nonetheless, we have this Fresh Start before us just like Moses. You think about when Moses was Leading the People and just before the plagues came or just after the place came in, in Exodus chapter 12. God told Moses. He says, I'm going to give you this month. And it's going to be this month is going to be the beginning of time for the Israelites. And this month is going to be very important. Going to be the first month of the year in your calendar, the Jewish calendar. And so what was he talking about? Well, he was talking about the Passover and how he told Moses to tell the people that they had prepared to land that they were to take the blood of the lamb and put it over the, the doorpost of the house or the angel of death would pass over. So every beginning of the year, the Jewish calendar, the Jews begin their year by thinking about the Deliverance that God provided for them. Coming out of Egypt, call The Exodus, the leaving the departure. I think about that. God has designed the first day of every week of every month of every year that we remember, Jesus Christ. And we assemble on the first day of the week to come together to remember his body, to remember, the blood that was shed and then to be a affirming and affirming say, for one another How beautiful that is. We have a fresh start brother and we can do great things this year in 2022, and I just want to go through some things here before we close. Here's a vision for 2022 that I have. We all need to grow in Christ. No question about it. No one is exempt from that. And so, we need to understand, make a commitment to grow in Christ. Jesus, to grow spiritually to grow spiritually. And make a commitment for your children and your grandchildren that have them grow spiritually, you know. Some of us, we allow our children to do the things that they want to do. We've allowed our grandchildren to do the things that they want to do hasn't helped.

Are they safe In the Arms of Jesus? If not, maybe it's time to begin a little bit more focused and a little bit more assertive with your connection in your relationship with them. It's important. I don't think there's a person in here to desires at their children to be away from them, and Eternity. That's a sad thing. But it's in your power. It's in your grasp to do that. You can influence them because your mom and your dad, your granddad and your grandma, you can do those things. And so Jesus wants us to do that. They let you know, Salvation begins in the home. And then it works its way out, into the community, into the school, into your workplace, into the town. If you're part of the politics in your town committees, all of that works together is spreading the gospel and saving souls. And so we all have routine. It doesn't matter if it's a new year. We're going to make routines and probably some of us are going to continue the same routine that we've had since 1962. Right? And we just brought that one forward every single year. That's fine. Nothing wrong with that. I'm not making fun of routines. We all have them. We all need them, wasn't it? The custom. It says the custom of Jesus, his tradition to go to the garden and pray to his father. That's what he's been doing all his life. He was it was his custom to go to the synagogue to read the scripture. So they're starting spiritual Customs that we take with us. We ought to think about adding to our repertoire of our routines and Soper 2022. Maybe we ought to make room for some more things in our routine. First of all. Be more focus on spiritual matters. Focused not merely involved but really focus driven by Jesus Christ, commit ourselves to Jesus Christ. Remember what Jesus said, if he desire, you got a desire to follow Jesus, right? If you don't have the desire, you're not going to follow him. And if you do, you going to have one foot in the world and one foot in Christ and just like you said to those people, he said you're looking for You know, you got them before and you either all in, if you're all out, there's no gray area with Jesus. You know, Jesus said, you are either with me or what else or you're against me. There's no in-between. So if you're not all in your all at, That's what he say. That's what he says. All those who desire to come after me. Let him deny themselves pick up their cross and follow me. That's what we need to do. And then we have an example. Would that with Paul? This is all, I have been crucified with Christ. It's no longer. I that live but Christ lives in me. that's,

That's extreme, isn't it? It's extreme, but it's certainly needed. It. Certainly what God wants us to do. Then he say to love him with all our heart, with all our mind, with all our strength, with all our soul. That's just everything that you can give him. You give him. And so, commit yourselves to Jesus Christ in 2022. And part of that commitment is to have each one reach, one. All right. Don't worry about trying to bring it as many people as you can. Focus on one person be with that person. Pray for that person. Pray for that person everyday. You know, one of the things that hinders us is our prayer life, you know, there's a lot of things that we could be doing. Perhaps, even great things that were not doing because we're just not active in our prayer life. We don't pray for God to help do these things for the church. Do we pray for the church or do we pray for God? Give me this, God, give me that. God. Keep me to keep me safe. Keep me to all about me. It's good to pray for yourself. Nothing wrong with that. But we need to put others first and we also need to put Christ. First. In fact, Jesus said put the kingdom first. So when our prayers at the Kingdom should come first, the church. Pray that God helps us pray that we have the courage to reach souls to bring one person in 2022 of us. Just one person brings another person. We have multiplied ourselves. And just think of the souls, that could be saved by their influence when they go back home. It's important and it's something that can be done because God desires us to do it. So if it's his desire, we can certainly do it again, talking about prayer. Individually make a pact with yourself and say, I'm going to pray more this year than I've ever prayed before my life. If you read the bulletin, the bulletins are out in the foyer, by the way, we take about taking the table and put the table in the foyer. So if you want to Bolton, that's where the vultures are going to be from now on, right? So that means you have to use that bullet to use that the foyer to get your bulletins and other information. But in that particular, a bulletin The talking about prayer. I noticed something in there. A special prayer. The US Supreme Court is reviewing. The constitutionality of abortion. Their decision will be by the summer of 2022. You can pray for that. There's just simply not enough, Christians praying to protect the life of the innocent. We need to pray for that. We need to pray for all life. We need to pray for fellow human beings. We got to take time in our. Busy schedules to sit down at the pray for others, praying that we bring kindness. Rather than rap to one another. Have more love, devote yourselves to prayer in 2020 to individually and collectively. What I mean by that when we assemble together as a church. I don't think we have enough as a church collectively. I think maybe we ought to devote our more time. More time. That's right. I know we want to get back and watch TV and lay down and all of that stuff that we got to make time and our worship service for prayer. We got to pray for this country who got to pray for the world. We gotta pray for our missionaries. We support our our missionaries, right?

What about that? We gotta pray for them. We got to pray for their efforts and their work, and their safety. Because they're putting it all on the line out there, too. So it's important that we develop a prayer life individually and as a church, God's word. We need to dedicate ourselves to reading God's word. That's exactly what Paul told Timothy. Devote yourself to the reading of the word. It's not just study, but reading. See there's a difference between reading and studying. You can read to get the kind of a general picture of things, but study is that deep digging in trying to get the necessary gold nuggets in mining, those things out of the context that study, but we need to be doing both reading and study reading and study, and I've helped hopefully with this will help you out there in the foyer on the table. Put together. You can read the New Testament in 30 days each month this year 2022. Yeah, you got your newspaper. You got your magazines. You got your Facebook, and you got your internet, and you got this, and you got that. What happens to your routine? Add this to your routine and a, and I'll tell you what, you can read the entire New Testament, a little bit of day each day for 30 days and read the New Testament, 12 times in a year. Once every month. So you can have that schedule, that's out there for you. And then there's this reading plan, that's the Old Testament, chronological order study. You can read the Old Testament chronologically. You can read the New Testament chronologically. Oh, yeah, that's going to help you begin to see things from a different perspective as you begin to unfold in your mind, how things unfolded in Scripture. A lot of weed, the Minor Prophets, all all, all of those events. Take place in the books of 1st, and 2nd, Samuel 1st and 2nd Kings and 1st and 2nd Chronicles. So it's important to read chronologically and you have this as a tool, this is beautiful. You know, how many people would have killed killed for these years gone by now, we have it at our hands at our disposal disposal that we can take advantage of the opportunity. And then I have here, a paper on the average reading time for each book of the Old Testament and the average reading time for each book of the New Testament. So you can actually charge your time. You can make room in your day. For instance, Genesis the Book of Genesis. It will take you approximately three and a half hours to get through that book. So now you got mark off time, right? To get through that book in The Book of Matthew, you will take you two and a half hours, but when you get down to some of the letters, You're going to read Galatians in Ephesians in 20 minutes, flip Ian's Colossians and 12 13 minutes. Salonius, 12 minutes 2nd Thessalonians, 7 minutes and the other book, 16 73 minutes, four and a half minutes, 45 minutes, 60 Minutes, 2 minutes, 2 minutes, 4 minutes, you can take the time and read those books. And then here is a chart that graphs the time. So if you just want to be interested in Mercer self in all of this together, you can check the time frames for yourself. And so that's going to be supplied to use after it for you, but dedicate yourselves to God's word. You draw closer to God by drawing closer to God through his word. That's how it works. And you begin to understand what Jesus meant when he said it is written. It is written, it helps us. And then of course, the lack of Christ that begins next week, brother. Begins next week. We begin this whole new study, a new program. For New Year. We're going to be preaching about Jesus. We're going to be teaching about Jesus. We're going to be reading about Jesus. We're all going to be about Jesus. You know, why? Because we need to be about Jesus. We need to be about who he is become, what he was, because we're part of his body. He's our King. He's our savior. He is our Lord. So we need to be about Jesus because we belong to the church. Oh, Christ. The church that belongs to Christ. And then finally because out by saying one more time. Each one. Reach one. It's part of a command that God has given to each of us.

Go into all the world. Preach the gospel go therefore and Make Disciples of all the nations. That's a command for each of us. All of us. Right. Great disciples. So pray for that person, be in that person's life. Invite them to bible class invite them to private studies. Invite them to game night, invite them to whatever, whatever funchess we have, but be in their lives. Let them know that you care about their. So that's what this is about. It's not about numbers. It's not about filling seats. It's about saving Souls. When you look at a person, you see a person you're looking at the wrong way. You need to look at a person. Say, that's a soul that's going to be some place in eternity. I need to put a little bit more heart into that person. What do you say? Can you do it? We going to be together on this? We're going to work hard going to do it together, right? Jesus says, he's weird all the kids. He that believes believe in Jesus Christ believes his message and the messages of Hope. But he says, you've got to, you've got to give that message of Hope to others. Jim Hogg, that message to ourselves, we've got to dispense that message and give it to others. Now, remember this. Here's where the burden is taking off your shoulders. Jesus never said, you have to save somebody. That's his job. He says you just give them the word. Let me do the rest.

So the ball's in his court when we do, what we're told to do, and that is to offer up Seed where the seller spreading the seed, and let that sea pig growth. Will it let it be the will of God, that that be done? But it's on his shoulders, not yours, not mine. And so that's the good news that he's still going to be working for us, but we also have to move. Right. We also have to move, you know, Vince Lombardi the great Green Bay, Green Bay Packers coach back in the 60s. He said we can sit here gentleman all day long and we can plan and we can plan. Our we can make a place and we can make strategy after strategy. But unless we execute, we will never win a game. Need to execute another words. Faith without works. Is dead. Faith. That is willing and committed will work. What say, you? What say you? Jesus says, he that believes and is baptized shall be saying. We understand that. We believe that that's a fact, that's truth. But he also said that because sometimes we wander away and sometimes our faith gets weak. No question about it. Sometimes we need to lean on each other. Just like, we need to lean on Jesus. I need your help. I need your prayers. I need your support.

And Jesus said, you can do that. All you have to do is repent of your sins. Turn your ways, say rethink things, and come back to him. If you're open to the invitation of Jesus Christ, to see, if you want to come forward as Together, We Stand and say,