New Man in the New Year

Thank You

Thank you for joining us today. We closed church due to the extreme cold.

We are having a short service today from home.

There are a few things I want everyone to pray for:

Lizzie’s friend

A former pastor of Cristy lost a son - he was really young and he leaves behind some young kids

Remember the family of my friend Billy

There are many others to pray for

Sing

New Year

A couple of days ago, we rang in the new year.

Cristy and I stayed up for it. That’s way past our bedtime.

When 2021 started we had hope that things would be better than 2021, but I’m not sure it was.

It wasn’t good for me.

On Friday I was wearing flip flops, shorts, and a T-shirt outside.

Not Today.

We’ve had good weather and bad weather.

Corona is getting worse again.

At least they are getting better at treating it.

So why do we celebrate the new year?

That’s about when the days start getting longer.

We need the sun for life to continue.

So it’s a time of hope that the sun will return.

We use it as a time to make resolutions to do this or that better.

Maybe to be a better dad or mom or employee.

To lose weight - That would be a good thing for me.

So my question is what should we as Christians do?

Well for me, as the new year rings in, I resolve to be a new man

Ephesians 4:17–24 NKJV

17 This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind, 18 having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart; 19 who, being past feeling, have given themselves over to lewdness, to work all uncleanness with greediness. 20 But you have not so learned Christ, 21 if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: 22 that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, 23 and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, 24 and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.

There’s a lot that could be said about this passage, but let’s just review some things.

We should be Different

When I became a Christian, a lot of things changed about my behavior.

Not that I’m perfect, Cristy can testify to the fact that I’m not perfect.

I was saved 22 years ago and so much has changed about me.

The change was immediate and drastic.

The point here is that our behavior should be different than the world.

Sometimes we start sliding the wrong way.

When I was about 20, I had a 1982 Z-28 Camaro.

I fell asleep and ran off the road. It was a deep ditch and I couldn’t stop.

I sled util I hit a tree and my car went up it.

Sometimes in this life, we start to slide the wrong way.

And it could be bad, but God can put things in our way to stop us.

That could be the new year.

We need to put on a new Man in this new year.

We should be a New Man

When we are saved, we are changed into a new man.

That’s what Jesus was saying when he was talking to Nicodemus in John 3.

In verse 3 he said:

John 3:3 NKJV

3 Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

Jesus likened being saved to being born again.

To someone who’s gone through it, believe me it is transformational.

It changes your mind on everything.

The biggest thing is it changes your idea about love.

That’s because we know that Jesus died for because he loved us.

Let me tell you, I couldn’t have been a Dad to my children or a husband to my wife without the love of God.

I needed his love.

So this new year, let’s strive to allow the new man to be in the lead.

Let’s have the sacrificial love that Jesus did.

Let’s behave in a way that will show the love of God.

We need to be in the world, but we do not have to be of the world.

We need to walk a line.

Some Christians withdraw from the world and you can’t tell some of them apart from the world.

We need to remember the words of Jude 22-23

Jude 22–23 NKJV

22 And on some have compassion, making a distinction; 23 but others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire, hating even the garment defiled by the flesh.

In order to do that, we need to be in the world

But remember that new man and keep turning to God.

Be a new man in the new year.