Resolutions

Intro:

Eat more tacos.

Stay in the bathroom while I brush my teeth.

Stop drinking orange juice after I’ve brushed my teeth.

Use more chapstick.

Go viral on TikTok.

Stop blaming the dog for odd smells

Start washing my hands after I use the restroom.

Lose weight by hiding it somewhere you'll never find it.

Top 10 Real Resolutions

Exercise more.

Lose weight.

Get organized.

Learn a new skill or hobby.

Live life to the fullest.

Save more money / spend less money.

Quit smoking.

Spend more time with family and friends.

travel more

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Resolution = a firm decision to do or not do something

Now in our world and especially in the youth culture, resolutions can be very self focused - they revolve around your happiness, your health, your wealth. And maybe they can be helpful but often they aren’t and on average studies show that AT LEAST 91% of people FAIL to keep them. 75% failing in the first two weeks.

NEED:

Students IF THERE IS ANY TIME FOR RESOLUTIONS in your life IT IS NOW

J.C. ryle says Habits, like trees, are strengthened by age. A boy may bend an oak when it is a sapling--a hundred men cannot root it up, when it is a full grown tree.

Life is not one of habits or no habits but one of Good Habits or Bad Habits

I’m pleading with you, let tonight be the night that you begin killing bad habits and replacing them with good ones

Some of you struggled spiritually in 2021, there was and maybe still is sin you are living in, you rarely opened your bible, barley went to prayer. I’d urge you to determine in your heart between you and the lord to change that today and this year and for the rest of your life.

So, to help guide you in that process I have provided you with 6 resolutions to make that all come from God’s Word.

If you want to Give God Glory and Grow in 2022 than make these resolutions tonight:

RESOLVE TO.... #1

1. Be in the WORD

Explain:

The MOST COMMON Christian resolution is this one. And it may be the most necessary one. The Word of God is our sustenance. It is our nourishment. It is the light to our path, showing us which way to go (Psalm 119). It is the way we keep ourselves pure. It is our wisdom. Even when you go to older people for wisdom or advice, you’re really just asking someone to practically help you apply scripture - they just help because they have had more time to do it, to study it and to see it.

More importantly, the Word of God is the primary way in which God has revealed himself to us. Thats why it is so important. Before I go to the Bible for an answer, before I go to the Bible for application, before I go to the Bible to prepare a sermon, I go to the BIBLE to MEET GOD. When I was little I laid in bed and said God if you are real give me a sign and I would just sit and listen to silence. PEOPLE today still are waiting for God to audibly speak to them. My younger self, popular evangelicalism and MAYBE YOU have ignored the reality that God has spoken to you in HIS WRITTEN WORD. You just need to open it.

Substantiate:

And when you do - everything changes because Hebrews 4:12 “For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”

This Book is alive and thats how and why when we study it with intent to obey it we change. John 17.17 “Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth.”

What does “sanctify” mean? To be set apart, to be cleaned, to be changed. If you are being sanctified than you are GROWING. God uses his living word, as the primary means for sanctification, for growth, cleansing and nourishment. Christians need that, don’t they?

Illustrate:

When I played soccer in HS the day before the game we were told to CARB UP because on average in a 90 min soccer game players run between 7 & 10 miles. You're burning a ton of calories and your in the heat - so you need a hefty meal in you before. EACH day you have a game, a competition between you and your flesh - all day you are to be running from temptation, being a light to the lost, loving people, working hard unto the Lord AND YOU WILL FAIL if the Word of god is not the source for all of it.

Apply:

So how do you do this? You know you need the Word BUT you have made this resolution before an often fail.

Get on a reading plan -

a specific one - that tells you exactly what you are reading/ how much each day.

A measurable one - where you can look back after a week and see if you are completed it

A achievable one - Not everyone can complete an hour of reading everyday. Pick a plan that is realistic.

And get accountability - someone older, godlier and habitually in scripture themselves to regularly ask you how it is going.

Resolve to be in the word and #2 RESOLVE TO BE...

2. Be out of the WORLD

Now i don’t mean go to outer space, I don’t even mean to be like a monk in a monastery. The reality is you can never be COMPLETELY out of this world while live .

1 John 2:15-20 “Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever.

The world is the system controlled by the Devil that is opposed to God. The world says to do whatever brings you pleasure, look at whatever you want, love yourself before anything else because thats what is important. BUT John draws a line in the sand and says if you love the world than you don’t love God

James 4.4 do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.”

Listen students, THERE IS NOTHING NEW under the sun. You will continue to be surrounded by friends and family who get drunk, get high, live in laziness, brag about sexual impurity - they indulge in the lust of the flesh.

You will inevitably be enticed by the lust of your eyes - Especially on social media you will see what others have or are doing and compare them to yourself and become envious or covetous. You will see a provocative picture or outfit and have the opportunity to indulge in the lust of your eyes.

You will be tempted to think “I deserve this” , be tempted to think “I am better” and engage in the boastful pride of life

BUT YOU MUST RESOLVE TO NOT LOVE THIS WORLD.

Some of you are like African Monkeys.

Hunters place vases w/ bananas and other snacks in the trees.

Monkeys find it, place their hand in it BUT when they make a fist they cannot get out of the trap

And as time goes on they continue to try to get out with the food BUT can’t

Then in the morning hunter come back to the traps with a club and the monkey has a decision to make let go of the food and save their life OR hold onto it and die

The hunters climb the tree the MONKEYS LOVE the food to much to let go an they hit them in the head with club and boom its over

You must not enter this year with one hand in the world and the other on God. You literally can’t it is impossible. Christianity is ALL or Nothing. Will you hold onto this world and die with it OR STOP loving the world and Love God.

Resolve to not love the World

3. Be in PRAYER

1 Thess 5.17 “pray without ceasing;”

Col 4.2 “Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving;”

Prayer is the breath of Christianity. It is a convicting and accurate measure of our relationship with God. It is in my opinion the most important resolution that we all must make tonight. Show me someone stuck in sin and I will show you someone who doesn’t pray. Prayer kills sin or sin kills. I am confident that any resolution you make will quickly fail if it is not accompanies by prayer. I would even add that any resolution you make MUST START in prayer, between you and the Lord.

this is why Col 4.2 “Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving;” & 1 Thess 5.17 “pray without ceasing;”

Mark 1:35 “In the early morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house, and went away to a secluded place, and was praying there.”

Mark 6.46 “After bidding them farewell, He left for the mountain to pray.”

Luke 6.12 “It was at this time that He went off to the mountain to pray, and He spent the whole night in prayer to God.”

Luke 5:16 “But Jesus Himself would often slip away to the wilderness and pray.”

Why do we do so many other things, like read, go to church, invite friends, serve BUT NOT PRAY.

Apply:

Create a goal to pray - you decide how much, when and all that BUT you must pray

Create a prayer journal - where you can log when and what you prayed about

Ask for accountability - someone who can daily ask you how your prayer life was today

Wake Up earlier and don’t get under the covers until you have prayed, every time you see your lock screen PRAY. Set reminders on your phone. DO WHAT you need to do to PRAY. RESOLVE to pray daily and make a habit of it.

4. Be in DISCIPLESHIP

I mean this in two ways because discipleship goes two ways.

Matt 28:19-20 ““Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.””

Discipleship is simply a relationship with goal of growth in Christ. Thats why when jesus explains how to make disciples he doesn’t stop with baptizing BUT TEACHING them to observe all the commandments. You need older people in your life who will teach you - and this is done most effectively in the way Jesus discipled. He lived with his disciples 24/7 for 3 years and allowed them to observe his life and ask him questions. Girls go spend time with older women, who you want to model yourself after. You don’t need to sit down at a coffee shop with them - go have dinner at their house, go grocery shopping with them do regular tasks.

Same with boys - go be involved in older godlier mens life. Go watch how they interact with their family, ask them questions.

BUT ALSO YOU ARE COMMANDED TO MAKE DISCIPLES which means evangelize and we will talk about that next but it also means you have an intentional relationship with someone for the purpose of growth. You don’t need the title of D-Group Leader to disciple others. Upper classmen should be pouring into lower classmen, lower classmen into JH. Older siblings into younger siblings. Life on Life disicpleships

Resolve to be disciple and to disciple. Easy application is to be present in small group DON’t just show up BUT particiapate. BUT also choose someone who you will be intentionally pursuing to help them grow.

5. Be EVANGELIZING

Piggybacking off of the last resolution - part of making disicples IS EVANGELIZING. You are in one of the most unique positions in your life. You have school friends, class mates, team mates, co workers, siblings etc. WHO DO NOT KNOW JESUS CHRIST. They need you to introduce them.

The main imperatival phrase in Matt 28 is not GO but it is MAKE DISCIPLES you don’t necessarily need to go anywhere because they are all around you. Now there are 7.7 billion people on earth who need Jesus & 40% of them live in a place where the gospel has not been proclaimed to them, so some of you seriously should consider giving your life to the cause of Christ internationally.

What is the topic of convo in heaven?

Your gpa

Your athletic record

Your fav NFL team

Your boy or girl

Obviously not - so why do we spend our time thinking on, worrying about those things more than the eternity of our family, friends and human race.

But as of right now your mission field is determined - it is here. Resolve to share Christ

Decide once a month who you will share christ with and DO IT. get accountability in this area. Create specific ways in which you will evangelize.

Resolve to evangelize

6. Be SERVING

1 peter 4.10 “As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.”

If you are a true believer. You have genuinely repented of your sins and placed your faith in Jesus Christ THEN at the moment of salvation you are given a SPIRITUAL GIFT. Now this gift isn’t like a Christmas gift that is used for your own pleasure - but it is given to you by God so that you can use it to serve others.

Imagine you get a movie gift card at Xmas for 300 dollars. you can theoretically bring all of your friends, get them snacks amke it super fun BUT instead you decide “I kind of just want a row to myself” so you rent a row, go by yourself and lay acrss all the seat. It may sound fun and it would definetly be easy and comfortable BUT IT IS SELFISH

God has given you unique spiritual gifts not for your own pleasure but to serve others IMAGINE what he thinks of those who don’t use them for his purposes.

Read the list of gifts in Romans 12- serve in a bunch of different ways and ask others around you how they think you are gifted and SERVE THE CHURCH, the one anothers refered to in 1 Peter 4.

Closing thought:

Sad reality in HS MIN is that we pour so much into certain students but unless you are asking them about scripture, they aren’t reading it. Or unless you are asking them about prayer, they aren’t doing it. And so when students leave this ministry where they are spoon fed - they have no habit, no desire in themselves to do the things they must for spiritual survival in the world.

Now is the time in your youth to create habits that will set you up for growth and ultimately set you up to glorify God with your life. These are resolutions that all Christians need to make and so I’d plead with you tonight to take this list to the Lord and make real commitments to Him.

Habits, like trees, are strengthened by age. A boy may bend an oak when it is a sapling--a hundred men cannot root it up, when it is a full grown tree.

Lets Pray