NEW YEAR THOUGHTS

 

I want to share with you a message of hope for the New Year.

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This is what God says in  2 Corinthians 5:17. 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!

 

1.      Paul tells us four things in this verse.  When you are in Christ.  You have a new identity, new destination, goal, aim, purpose, family, and friendship with God.  God no longer sees your imperfections He sees Jesus. 

2.      You are a new creation.  The old you have been by crucified.  That past is gone.  Our response is forgetting the past and looking forward to the new future in Christ.  You were condemned but now you are favored.  Grace gave you a new start and beginning. 

3.      The old is gone.  The old you has been cleansed by the shed blood of Jesus Christ.  You are healed by the broken body of Jesus.  The old you were crucified and buried through Jesus Christ.  The truth of God's Word says the OLD is gone and the NEW has come. That means the old stuff that used to define us (sin, brokenness, and failure) is taken away and in its place is the new stuff that NOW defines us (grace, forgiveness, and salvation). 

4.      The new is here.  All the old dreams and ideas and agendas and purposes have ceased to exist and have been replaced by Christ's ideas and agendas and purposes in an entirely new creature called "Christian."  The old stuff that used to define us (sin, brokenness, and failure) is taken away and in its place is the new stuff that NOW defines us (grace, forgiveness, and salvation). The ultimate superhighway home to God's presence, and ultimately, home to Him in heaven eternally.  You are His and He is yours. 

 

11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

 

1.      God speaks through Jeremiah and want us to know five things.  God has a plan for your life. God's ultimate goal for every human being is to become one with Him through Christ Jesus, to reunite with God in Spirit. to restore our broken relationship with Him due to sin. In other words, we were created in the image of God to live in complete harmony with God and God seeks to restore that.   His plans are sure, true, and faithful. This doesn't mean that you will never experience problems or trials in life, but you do have an eternal future in Christ spiritually. God's plan for you is to prosper and grow spiritually in Christ in the very situation you are in right now.  His plan is that you grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ.  

2.      He has plans to prosper you.  It has two meanings.  To flourish physically; grow strong and healthy and the succeed materially.  This is God’s plan for you this year.  3 John 2 puts it into perspective.  You will prosper and be in health even as your soul prospers.  It begins from the inside out.  Ordering your private world.  Spending time in the word, prayer, worship, and time alone with God. 

3.      God is not going to harm you.  God is on your side.  He has given you the Holy Spirit to help you, guide you, empower, enable you.  Give you wisdom, authority, clarity, knowledge, insight, and discernment.  We can't fear what may or may not happen to us, God asks us to trust Him

through all situations and Paul tells us God's grace is sufficient.  Remember God has not given us Spirit of fear, but of love, power, and a sound mind.  We have faith, hope and love.

4.      Plan to give us a hope.  Hope is the believe you have a future.  1 Cor 13:13 says that faith believes and trusts in the foundation of God’s love and with that we have a hope which believes we have a future in God.  A definition of hope is a feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen.  It is a feeling of trust.  You trust the Lord.  God’s plan is to give us hope.  We have an eternal destination.  Christ is coming back soon, and it will happen in the twinkling of an eye. 

5.      To give us a future.  It means a time to come and a believe of something about to happen.  God's people eagerly await Christ's return because it promises the completion of God's work of redemption for them and for the whole creation.  God wants to use us this year to Go into our world and change it.  He wants us to love those who we meet with acceptance and forgiveness.  He wants us to display the fruit of the Spirit more in 2023.

 

Did you know that most New Year’s Resolutions are about self improvement?  (Living healthier 23% of 2%). In addition, people resolve to meet career or job goals (16%) and improve their relationships (11%).

 

Why don’t we make our New Years Resolutions about God Improvement.  Here is an easy list that doesn’t take up much time or effort. 

 

Read Your Bible 20 Minutes a Day, Every Day.  2. Go to Church Every Week Without Fail.  3. Set Aside 15 Minutes Each Day to Pray.  4. Join a Bible Study.  5. Try Fasting.  6. Ask a Friend to Church.  7. Begin Volunteering.  8. Start Tithing.  9. Read a Certain Number of Christian Books Each Month.  10. Memorize Scripture.  11. Forgive Past Grudges.  12. Break an Addiction.  13. Find a Mentor or Accountability Partner.  14. Be a More Loving Person and Friend.  15. Be Content with What You Have.  16. Keep the Lord’s Day.  17. Refuse to Gossip.  18. Listen to Christian Music.  19. Stop Complaining.  20. Do Random Acts of Kindness.