New Year

A New Year’s Resolution

Hebrews 8:6-13, 2 Corinthians 5:17, Revelation 21: 1-5, Romans 8:18-25

Ice Breaker

Good morning church. I hope everyone had a nice Christmas. I wanted to thank everyone for the candlelight Christmas Eve service. What a great time of celebration.
Starting this Wednesday night and for the next 4 Wed nights in January we will be going through the January Bible Study “Amazing Grace” and it is based on the book of Romans. Let me invite everyone to come to the study starting at 7pm each Wednesday.
Let’s open with a word of prayer.

Introduction

Usually at this time of the year we have all eaten too much and spent too much money and we start thinking about our New Year’s Resolutions. We usually want to get on a budget, get on a diet, and spend more time with God and with our friends and family. I hope you can accomplish those things in 2008.
Have you ever wonder why we do this ritual called New Year’s Resolutions? One of the reasons is that we all have a need in our life to start over on some things. Most of us are not satisfied with our lives the way they are and that are not necessarily a bad thing. Most of us could use some improvements.
Unfortunately, what most of us have found out through many years of experiments is that in just a few months our budgets get broken, diets are all but forgotten, that exercise program was just too hard, and regarding our daily Bible reading well we did ok in January but then February came and we got bogged down in so-in-so begot so-in-so and to be honest we just quit.
A Resolution simple means an act of determination and this morning I want us to look at 3 things God has resolved or determined that He wants to do for us.
The good thing is that God does not quit, get too tired, or just get lazy. What God sets out to do – He actually does. That is great news for you and me because God is the one responsible for making you and me in the likeness of Christ. You can’t do one thing to make yourself more holy, but God can dramatically change your life.
I am sure of this, that He who started a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. (Phil 1:6)

Point 1 “New Covenant”

God has resolved Himself to make a new covenant with man. The original “Covenant with Moses” or the “Covenant of the Laws” was not satisfactory with God – it had a flaw and that was that man did not keep up his end of the covenant.
The old covenant required a sinful priest to offer sacrifices for himself and then he went into the tabernacle / temple to offer a sin sacrifice for the entire nation. Because the priest was a sinful man then this had to be done every year. The payment for sin could not be fully met.
(Hebrews 8:6-13) But Jesus has now obtained a superior ministry, and to that degree He is the mediator of a better covenant, which has been legally enacted on better promises. 7 For if that first ⌊covenant⌋ had been faultless, no opportunity would have been sought for a second one. 8 But finding fault with His people, He says:

“Look, the days are coming,” says the Lord,

“when I will make a new covenant

with the house of Israel

and with the house of Judah—

9 not like the covenant

that I made with their fathers

on the day I took them by their hand

to lead them out of the land of Egypt.

Because they did not continue in My covenant, (here is the flaw)

I disregarded them,” says the Lord.

10 “But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel

after those days,” says the Lord:

“I will put My laws into their minds,

and I will write them on their hearts,

and I will be their God,

and they will be My people.

11 And each person will not teach his fellow citizen,

and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’

because they will all know Me,

from the least to the greatest of them.

12 For I will be merciful to their wrongdoing,

and I will never again remember their sins.”

13 By saying, a new ⌊covenant⌋, He has declared that the first is old. And what is old and aging is about to disappear.

Therefore He is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called might receive the promise of the eternal inheritance, because a death has taken place for redemption from the transgressions ⌊committed⌋ under the first covenant. (Heb 9:15)
Just like the old covenant – the new covenant only works for those that are willing to abide by the covenant. It is a legal contract.
In the same way He also took the cup after supper and said, “This cup is the new covenant ⌊established by⌋ My blood; it is shed for you. (Luke 22:20)

Point 2 “New Creation” or “Newness of Life”

God has resolved Himself to make you a new creation. When you come to Christ and surrender your life to Him then you are no longer in control. It is now God’s responsibility to make you holy. Now this process goes a lot easier if you are a willing participant but only God can make you holy – you can’t make yourself holy. Just like our children do not know how to be adults – it is our job to teach them.
For both circumcision and uncircumcision mean nothing; ⌊what matters⌋ instead is a new creation. (Galatians 6:15)
For us to have a relationship with God means that we have become a new creation. We are not just reconditioned or had a new coat of paint put on but we have actually become a new being. That is what Jesus talked to Nicodemus about when He said you must be born again.
How can you be a new creation? The Bible says we must:

First be called by the Spirit of God. It is God that leads us to salvation. No man has ever decided to get saved on his own. It is God’s Spirit that draws us, convicts us, and makes us recognize that we need salvation.
Second we must confess our sins to God. Did you know that you are a dirty rotten sinner? Well, if not let me be the bearer of good news. You have fallen short of God’s glory. You have missed the mark. The Bible says that you are as filthy rags. The good news is that God wants to take all that away from you.
How can I get rid of my sin, well you must confess it (agree with God) and then believe on the name of Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. Only Jesus can pay for your sin debt, only Jesus can wash away your sin, only Jesus can make you into a new creation.
To complete this transaction, to go from an enemy of God to a friend of God, to go from outcast to heir, you must confess Jesus as Lord & Savior of your life. How do I do that? Well, you ask Jesus into your heart/life and then tell someone else about it. That is exactly what we saw with Abbey Joiner & Jennifer Long. They were drawn by God’s Spirit, admitted they were sinners, believed that Jesus was the only way, and then confessed Jesus before us.

Therefore if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation; old things have passed away, and look, new things have come. (2 Cor 5:17)
God has resolved to make you a new creation. He was so resolved that Jesus went to the Cross to give you and me a new beginning. I don’t have to stand before God as a dirty rotten scoundrel – I get to stand in the presence of God as one of His children, waiting for a blessing not a curse. Waiting for a hug not punishment. Waiting for love not for judgment.

Point 3 “New Heaven & New Earth”

God is resolved to bring us a new covenant, God is resolved to bring us into a new life, but God is also resolved to bring us into a new heaven and a new earth.
Did you know that sin forever changed / ruined God’s initial creation of life? We see the story in Genesis where God had created the perfect environment, designed it with man in mind. Placed His perfect children (Adam/Eve) into this perfect garden and still Adam and Eve sinned against God. They broke God’s laws –by the way that is why the laws (or old covenant) are flawed because we don’t keep them.
For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is going to be revealed to us. 19 For the creation eagerly waits with anticipation for God’s sons to be revealed. 20 For the creation was subjected to futility—not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it—in the hope 21 that the creation itself will also be set free from the bondage of corruption into the glorious freedom of God’s children. 22 For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together with labor pains until now. 23 And not only that, but we ourselves who have the Spirit as the firstfruits—we also groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for adoption, the redemption of our bodies. 24 Now in this hope we were saved, yet hope that is seen is not hope, because who hopes for what he sees? 25 But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with patience. (Romans 8:18-25)
Even though Adam and Eve messed up and we continue today to break God’s laws and sin against Him. He is resolved to bring us back – back to the beginning. Back to the way life was supposed to be.
Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea existed no longer. 2 I also saw the Holy City, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared like a bride adorned for her husband.3 Then I heard a loud voice from the throne: Look! God’s dwelling is with men, and He will live with them. They will be His people, and God Himself will be with them and be their God.4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. Death will exist no longer; grief, crying, and pain will exist no longer, because the previous things have passed away.5 Then the One seated on the throne said, “Look! I am making everything new.” He also said, “Write, because these words are faithful and true.” (Revelation 21:1-5)
How was life in the beginning? Well, God came down and walked with man in the garden. What did sin do? It separated God and man because God could not be in the presence of sin.
Why did God create man? Because He wanted a fellowship, a friendship, a relationship. Not because He was lonely, not because He was incomplete, not because He needs us but because He wanted to love us.
As a matter of fact He loves us so much that He has resolved Himself to do whatever it took to get us back. Back to that perfect relationship but it cost Him everything – even His Son was not spared.
So there is coming a new heaven and a new earth. Are you ready? The only way to be ready is to become a “New Creation” in Jesus which is the “New Covenant”. Only those that are new creations will be ready for the new heaven and new earth.

Conclusion “Are You Ready for God in 2008?”

What are your resolutions for 2008? I hope you can loose so weight, get more healthy, and balance your budget, but more importantly I hope you are prepared to serve God. That you are part of the new covenant, a new creation, waiting for the new heaven and new earth. Listen to this author:

“Dear Master for this coming year

Just one request I bring:

I do not pray for happiness,

Or any earthly thing—

I do not ask to understand

The way Thou leadest me,

But this I ask: Teach me to do

The thing that pleaseth Thee.

I want to know Thy guiding voice,

To walk with Thee each day.

Dear Master make me swift to hear

And ready to obey.

And thus the year I now begin

A happy year will be—

If I am seeking just to do

The thing that pleaseth Thee.”

Please God this year and surrender to His will for you.
As we start our time of invitation this morning I want to make sure that 2008 will be great for you. Do you know about God’s new covenant? Have you become a new creation in Him? Are you ready for the new heaven / new earth? I hope so.
The Great Hymn I Am Resolved says “I am resolved no longer to linger, charmed by the world’s delights. Things that are nobler, things that are higher, these have allured my sight. I will hasten to Him, hasten so glad and free, Jesus – Greatest, Highest, I will come to thee.”
I will be here along with Mike Corbin - you come and talk with either of us. The alter is open for anyone that just needs to spend some time with God.