Pursuing the Kingdom ofGod in 2022

OPEN: Welcome the the first Sunday of 2022! Ready or not, we are in a new calendar year. This past year has been challenging, but it has been, for most of us anyway, better than 2020.

Better in some ways maybe, but we still have to deal with moral and social issues: the homicide rates in some of our major cities are at record levels, we still have a border crisis, abortion is still a reality, and many in this nation are confused over gender issues.

We can look at these issues and reach the conclusion that Christianity isn’t making a positive difference. We may have our own little area of godliness in the Church, but we aren’t making an impact on those around us. We can look around and think it would be best to just hold on to what we have and focus on making it through another year as best we can.

TRANSITION: I want to remind you that with God, all things are possible, and that we have been granted the privilege of starting another year of Kingdom Living.

Yes, there is truth in that the first day of January is nothing more than a turn of the calendar. There is nothing magical or mystical about starting a new calendar year.

While that is true, there is also something real in seizing the opportunity a New Year brings. There is a natural excitement and anticipation of what might be. Yes, the past year had it challenges, but this New Year is fresh and wide-open for possibilities. I believe as followers of Christ we should be excited and energized about the future - after all, we are one year closer to being in Glory with the One who made it all possible!

So, how do we make the most of the gift of a new year? How do we enter this time in a way that honors the LORD we serve? Today we are going to look at several passages of Scripture that will empower us to be prosperous Kingdom Christians

Persevere even when you want to quit (Judges 8:4)

Explanation: After his sidetrack conversation with the easily-offended Ephraimites, Gideon and company keep on keeping after the fleeing Midianites. Although 90% of the force has been shattered, Gideon and the 300 are still hot on their heels. Remember, this was a night attack, and the 300 had probably not gotten much (if any rest the previous day before the attack - they were probably thinking they were getting ready to be killed )

The text doesn’t indicate the passage of time when his men crossed the Jordan, but at that point they were tired. The text describes them as “faint, yet pursuing.” (v.4) They may have felt like stopping, but they kept on going. And because they went on, God allowed them to achieve another victory over a still-superior force in terms of numbers (Judges 8:10-12)

Application: Life in a fallen world gets difficult. Our plans don’t work the way we want them to, sickness invades our lives, outside forces of evil gain more ground, and we sometimes simply want to quit. Keep going - you CAN keep moving forward because God is empowering you to live for Him

Remain grounded in the Word (2 Timothy 4:1-7)

Explanation: Paul is giving a final charge to his protege Timothy. This is Paul’s final letter, and this is the conclusion of the final letter. Paul gives Timothy the charge to stand on the Word. Paul reminds Timothy that the Word is powerful and it is to be used for correcting and instructing others.

Paul is very much aware of the human heart and how it rebels from being accountable to God. Therefore, he reminds Timothy to unashamedly use the Word of God in the doing of Kingdom work. He also informs Timothy, and not for the first time, that doing Kingdom work will bring suffering. Paul simply tells Timothy to “endure afflictions” and to “make full proof of thy ministry” (v.5). In other words, Timothy is to fulfill his ministry - to complete the assignment that God gave him.

Argument: To be able to stand on the Word requires that one knows the Word. This basic charge for ALL CHRISTIANS is sadly, the one that is most ignored in our day. We have allowed biblical illiteracy rather than biblical faithfulness to become our calling card, and this has weakened the church tremendously.

Believers who are not aware of the principles for Kingdom living as set forth in the Word are not going to engage in them. Without a healthy Bible intake we will continue to miss out on what God has for us.

Application: Paul was able to say to Timothy, “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith” (2 Tim 4:7). You CAN finish your course, you CAN maintain the faith once delivered. It is up to you, however, to immerse yourself in the Word. Get a bible reading plan and then follow it!

Accept the suffering while striving to point others to Jesus (2 Corinthians 4:7-12)

Explanation: Paul is being honest with the Corinthians. Life in a fallen world is difficult anyway, but living for Jesus is going to bring additional suffering through persecution. Paul is sharing some of his own experiences - he knows what it is like to be attacked for standing for the truth; he knows what it is like to be beaten and left for dead for sharing the Gospel; he knows what it is like to be misunderstood and lied about.

Argument: Christianity is not an idealized fantasy concept in which a believer attains an advanced state of harmony with the Universe where all things are at peace. Rather, Christianity is the real deal - the believer can and does undergo hardship and suffering at times. God does not supernaturally shield His children from Heart Attacks, Cancer, Dementia, fatal car wrecks , etc. He does, however, empower us through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit so that we can respond to life’s tragedies without total devastation and loss of hope.

It is important to note that Paul’s sufferings were not the general result of life in a fallen world. In context, Paul’s sufferings were the direct result of living for Jesus in the face of hostile audiences. Paul was dealing with persecution.

No one knows what this new year has in store for believers in the arena of religious freedom. This year could see the reversal of Roe vs. Wade as the sanctity of life is before the SCOTUS - we can expect a ruling in June. That would be great news indeed!

We may, however, face increasing hostility from the secular state as it continues in its attempt to silence the voice of Christianity from the public square. If so, it will become more costly to stand for Jesus. This past year saw the imprisonment of Canadian pastors who refused to suspend in-person church services.

Application: The time to decide on a course of action is NOW - before the storm hits. You CAN determine NOW to live unashamedly for Christ, regardless of what come. When your house it built on the Rock, it doesn’t really matter WHEN the storm comes, only that you are ready because it WILL COME.

It will be of great encouragement to remember the purpose of the trials - suffering for a believer is not random or accidental; rather, suffering provides an opportunity to witness for Christ. Knowing that others are watching how we handle the trials CAN motivate us

Conclusion: The year in front of us is a blank page that is waiting for words and deeds to be written. Most of us already have a few events scheduled for this month or next: a doctor’s appointment, a baby shower, the day school starts back, taking the car for a brake job, etc. But the life events that shape us - those are unscheduled and unknown. God may be preparing to raise up a Gideon or a Daniel, and He may very well use on of us. May God find us ready to serve Him in this new year!

en so, Lord, come quickly!”

We cry “Marantha! Even so, Lord, come quickly!”

Quitting the race is not an option available to the believer. There are indeed times when we require healing and we need to step back or slow down, but we are never told in Scripture that we can simply quit. As tough as life gets we can remember that His grace is sufficient (2 Cor 12:9) and that we, like Gideon and his 300, can be “faint, yet pursuing.”