The Gift (Week 5)

The Gift (Week 5) Pastor Lila Clay MAIN IDEA: As Christians we can get a fresh start. We are not defined by our past, we are defined by who we are in Jesus. SCRIPTURE: Luke 5:27-32; Mark 10:17-27 INTRODUCTION I hate it when I make mistakes in the bulletin. I have a love hate relationship with autocorrect. I love it when it catches my typos and mistakes and fixes them. I am not so thrilled when it changes things that are correct to what is wrong. My favorite computer feature however is undo. When I accidently mess things up I can just hit undo and boom its fixed. Now if only life worked that way. Saying the wrong thing at the wrong time just hit undo. Forgot to recognize somebody you should have then you just hit undo. Laughed inappropriately - undo. Then you just do it over and make everything right. Sigh, how many times in my life have I wished I could just have a do over? You know how sometimes you feel like you've blown it, and you wish you could go back and just start over. Perhaps you feel like you've wasted too much time on unimportant things, and you wish you could just go back in time and reset your priorities. May be you feel like you are still holding on to what we you should have released a long time ago and now you think too much time has passed to anything about it. Maybe you feel like you can't get free from old labels that have attached themselves too securely to who you are even today. If only I had done things different. Said things different. Not said anything at all. If I could just go back and do it all over again only different this time. How many of you wish you could have a do over? Now I am going to tell you something that you may or may not already know. And that is that God is the God of do overs. In fact that is one of the many gifts he offers us. The gift of new beginnings. READ: 2 Corinthians 5:17 - Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. QUESTION: How does He do that? How does Jesus make us new? FOR THE ANSWER READ THE FOLLOWING SCRIPTURES:  "In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace" Ephesians 1:7 NIV "Repent therefore, and turn again, that your sins may be blotted out" Acts 3:19 ESV  "For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him." John 3:17 ESV "The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. He will not always chide, nor will he keep his anger forever. He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us." Psalm 103:8-12 ESV "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." 1 John 1:9, NIV We see clearly from these passages that Jesus can remove our sins and make us a new creation. Here is how we receive a new life in Christ? This scripture tells us how to hit the undo button just look at Acts 3:19-20. "Repent therefore, and turn again, that your sins may be blotted out, that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send the Christ appointed for you, Jesus" You can hit the undo button. You can repent, confess your sins, Jesus will hear your prayer and in his faithfulness offer you forgiveness and another chance at life. The Lord told the Prophet in Isaiah 43:18-19a - “Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? These words came true in the life of two men. These two men are only 2 examples of the many men and women in the Bible who got a do over, a second chance at life and experienced a new beginning. THE FIRST ONE IS LEVI (Also known as Matthew) He was a Tax collector, which was considered a Roman collaborator, and therefore by definition, a traitor to the Jewish people. Tax collectors were known to be corrupt because they would take from tax payers more than what was owed. The extra funds lined the tax collectors pocket with a little extra personal profit. It was a lucrative occupation so he did well financially. His life was changed, forgiven, set free, and he became a great giver. God gave him a new purpose. THE SECOND ONE WAS PAUL (Also known as Saul) The apostle Paul was once called Saul, and he was a persecutor of Christians. Then one day he met Jesus on the road to Damascus. He was blinded by the encounter, but God did not leave him blind. God healed his blindness. After this event Paul saw things differently, he had been given a second chance by God and a new purpose in life. God used this one man to lead countless others into new life through Christ, opening the eyes of the blind himself. God is a life-changer, He not only can give us a fresh new start, He can give us purpose. Each of these men got a New Beginning, a do over as it were. They were both granted a second chance at life and they did something with it. Today each of you are also given that opportunity. CONCLUSION Let it be known to you therefore, brothers, that through this man forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Acts 2:38 Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is already condemned, because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son (Jesus). John 3:18 We have been sprinkled [with his blood] to free us from a guilty conscience, and our bodies have been washed with clean water. So we must continue to come [to him] with a sincere heart and strong faith. (See Hebrews 10:22, GW) It's a new year, but your new beginning won't be found at midnight. Your new beginning is found only in Jesus. Jesus can give you a new life, a start over, a new hope, he is the only resolution you need. Seek Him for salvation. Seek Him when you mess up. Seek Him when you need a do over. Seek Him when you need a second chance. Seek Him when you are afraid. Seek Him to help you. That's your resolution and it is one you can keep, because every time you turn to Jesus and seek Him you will naturally keep it. And maybe just maybe as you are seeking after Jesus, wanting to follow Him, the other things in your life that you want to improve, change or fix will get better. From this sermon I want you to remember only one thing, and it is the words of Jesus himself "...Behold, I am making all things new..." Rev. 21:5