4 Scriptural Goals For Your New Year

 4 Scriptural Goals For Your New Year

Opening Illustration: Focus On The Cards

I had some friends with a three-year-old son. For family fun, they liked to play the game Memory. It consisted of a bunch of cards arranged on the floor face down. Those playing took turns, trying to turn over matching pairs of cards. If you got a match, you kept them and went again. The person with the most matches was the winner. As the family played, the dad remarked, "My strategy is that I focus on two or three specific pairs that I’m trying to get, and after I get them, I pick out two or three more." 

The mother said, "My strategy is that I start on the cards in the corners, and each turn I work my way towards the center, trying to focus and remember all the cards." 

Their three-year-old son replied, "My strategy is that when y’all aren’t looking I peak under the cards."

Oh friends, what you focus on is really important. If you focus on the wrong thing, you can really miss out on life. Your present focus and influence the potential of your future. 

Illustration:

I think that we are all glad to see 2020 in the rear view mirror. 2020 was filled with uncertainty. We battled pandemics. We saw closures of schools, businesses, restaurants, and even churches. We all know people who sadly contracted the Coronavirus and some who even perished from the disease. We also know men and women who lost their jobs due to the government shutdown. Who can forget the racial unrest following the death of George Floyd. Across the country there were protests and rioting. Misinformation and misunderstandings. There was fake news and partial takeovers of large American cities. We all participated in another round of U.S. elections. We read about all the disputes, the court proceedings, and heard the media buzz. Some were disappointed while others took to the streets to celebrate. We saw tempers boil over on social media. Popular celebrities died leaving mourners in disbelief. Did I mention natural disasters? California burned while the southeast endured a seemingly endless wave of hurricanes. 2020 was a year for the ages. Clearly this is a year that would be impossible to repeat and we all pray for better days in the future. 

2020 was not all bad. I witnessed the resilience of God’s people. When there was great uncertainty about COVID-19, Eastern Shore Baptist Church and other churches in our area made the tough decision to partially close and broadcast services online. Week after week, the church gathered online to worship together while being separated. Friends from as far away as Spain, France, and Alaska tuned in to worship with us each Sunday. Our church leaned hard into prayer. During the dark days of the disease, when we were all staying home from work, our church flexed healthy prayer muscles. God’s Church at Eastern Shore Baptist continued to give. The United States government offered small business loans which churches across the land participated. Not Eastern Shore Baptist Church. Through Godly leadership, our church choose to depend on God to meet our needs and did God ever show up in a massive way. Our God provide for each need, each ministry, each challenge was met by a faithful and gracious God. Our church saw new members. We saw people living in our community give their lives to Christ. We saw baptisms. It really was amazing given that there were times when we were not meeting as we had for so long. Volunteers mobilized during times crisis and catastrophic circumstances. Hurricane Sally brought obstacle after obstacle and ESBC members met the challenges with positive and Christ-like attitudes. Speaking as the pastor, I am most proud of our church staff. It was not always sunshine and roses. There were times of deep frustration, even times where there were tense exchanges. However, I am proud of the behavior of our ministers and support staff. They remained loving, compassionate, forgiving, and most importantly, we remained together. 

So here we are at the beginning of another new year. Last year’s New Year’s sermon was “Seeing 20/20 in 2020. Well no one was able to see what was coming in 2020 and we honestly have no idea what we will see in 2021. We may not know what we will see but we should be able to choose our focus in 2021. If your sole focus in 2021 is your work, you’ll be left wanting. If you focus on politics, you’ll be left wondering what was the point. If you focus completely on an earthly relationship, you might be left in ruins. Friends, let me help you make the important resolution to focus on your faith. If you focus on your faith, your future will be bright, no matter what this world brings. 

Brothers and sisters, fill in the thesis statement of today’s message, 2021: a year to focus on your faith. 

2021: A Year To Focus On Our Faith

Background and Context:

Paul the Apostle, along with his friend Timothy wrote the book of Colossians from a prison cell in Rome. Colossae was a small town in Asia Minor, modern day Turkey. He wrote the letter because there were several false teachings and heresies that were weaving their way through the church. Scholars today call these teachings “The Colossian Hersey”. He heard this news from his friend and missionary Epaphras who likely founded the church. It was not all doom and gloom for the church as Paul commends the church for their faith, hope and love. Paul wanted the church to realize that salvation could be found in no one and nothing else other than Jesus Christ. I have always loved the book of Colossians and been challenged by Paul’s words and instructions. Colossians 3 has always been one of the more instructive and encouraging pieces of Scriptures. The reason that I have always loved it is because it is about ripping off the rear view mirror and looking towards the future. It is not about past mistakes but about future potential. It is not about the guilt of the past but mercy found in the present. Paul instructs his readers to let go of the old man and put on the new man. Verses 1-5 of Colossians 3 are encouraging, inspirational, and challenging. When you think of a message to preach for a new year, it is easy to think of Colossians 3. I hope that you will be inspired by Paul’s words this morning. Let’s take a moment and read together from Colossians 3:1-5. I am reading this morning from the New Living Translation. 

Scripture:

Colossians 3:1-11 NLT

Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand. 2 Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth. 3 For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 And when Christ, who is your life, is revealed to the whole world, you will share in all his glory.

5 So put to death the sinful, earthly things lurking within you. Have nothing to do with sexual immorality, impurity, lust, and evil desires. Don’t be greedy, for a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world. 6 Because of these sins, the anger of God is coming. 7 You used to do these things when your life was still part of this world. 8 But now is the time to get rid of anger, rage, malicious behavior, slander, and dirty language. 9 Don’t lie to each other, for you have stripped off your old sinful nature and all its wicked deeds. 10 Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like him. 11 In this new life, it doesn’t matter if you are a Jew or a Gentile, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbaric, uncivilized, slave, or free. Christ is all that matters, and he lives in all of us.

How Can Your Faith Flourish in 2021?

I. Engage Your Eyes vs. 1-3

Colossians 3:1-3 NLT

Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand. 2 Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth. 3 For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God. 

Illustration: Baseball In Heaven

Bob and Stan were good buddies and baseball friends. One day at a ballgame, they made a vow to each other that, whichever friend died first, that friend would send a message back to earth to let the other friend know if there was baseball in Heaven.

Sure enough, one day Bob died. After a while, he sent a message back to earth to Stan: "Hey, Stan, this is your old baseball buddy, Bob. I have good news and I have bad news for you from Heaven."

Stan thought about it and said, "Let’s hear the good news!" Bob said, "Well, the good news is there is a lot of baseball going on in Heaven! Mickey Mantle is hitting home runs a mile long and you should see Babe Ruth hit a baseball up here, too! It really is baseball Heaven!"

Stan smiled and said, "Hey, Bob. What about that bad news?"

There was a long pause. Finally, Bob spoke from Heaven and said, "The bad news is........YOU ARE SCHEDULED TO PITCH UP HERE TOMORROW NIGHT!"

Point:

Heaven is a place that as Christians we all want to go to one day. We spend a lot of time preaching about heaven. We even love to sing songs about heaven like Midnight Cry and Beulah Land. Those songs are real crowd pleasers. We love to read books about heaven. Christians don’t have to go very far in their faith to hear about heaven. As much as we preach, read, sing, and are taught about heaven, we don’t really think that much about the place. It you are like me, you spend a lot of time worrying about the here and now. We are perplexed about politics, discouraged by the disease, frustrated about our future, worried about work, and maligned about money. There are so many things that distract us from what Paul says in verses 1-3. 

Paul tells the readers in Colossians to “set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand. Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth. 3 For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God.” How is this possible? Paul had the same distractions if not more than we do today. How did he do it? How was he able to shut out the noise of this world and stay focused on the high spiritual realm? After all, heaven seems so far away, so invisible, and the earth is right here and right now. 

Point:

I think the answer is found in the words “Set” and “think”. Set your sights on the realities of heaven and think about the things of heaven. The Greek word for “seek” is za-te’-o. It means to seek by thinking about it, meditating on it, or enquiring about something. This past week I was able to spend some time with my family. I have not ever talked about my brother much behind the pulpit but I love spending time with him. We have a lot in common. When we get together we like to talk about sports, specifically whatever sport our kids are playing at the time. Over the holidays we talked a lot about football. While we were together we thought about football. We thought about potential outcomes of specific games and tried to guess their scores. We thought about football. We thought about recruiting and coaching changes. We watched videos about football on YouTube and ESPN. I would ask him questions about football and he would do the same with me. While we were talking I realized that we both share a passion for football. 

What is your passion friend? No doubt it is different than mine. Your passion is whatever you seek. Your passion is whatever you think about, meditate on, or talk about with others. Ponder that for a second. What do you think about most in life? What do you dwell on or daydream about at any given time? What do you enjoy talking about with others?

Paul here is saying that if we want to grow our faith, if we want our faith to flourish, then we need to change our passion to heaven. Heaven is not something that we just sing about or preach about on occasion. Heaven is something that we should think about, ponder over, and talk about with others. The more we think about heaven, seek it, think about it, the more heaven minded we will become. 

Paul also says that we are to fro-ne'-o or “think about the things of heaven”. What exactly does that mean? Some of your translations will say that we need to set our minds on the things of heaven. fro-ne'-o means to think but it also has another curious meaning. It means to “set one’s feet solidly in place”. This word brings to mind the mental image of a brave soldier standing guard at the White House. He is fixed. He is focused. He is immovable. There is nothing that can distract him from his mission. There is nothing that is more important. Friend, Paul is saying that heaven is so much more valuable than anything here on earth. All the troubles of the world pale in comparison to the glory found in heaven. There is no death, no disease, no destruction in heaven. While this world is filled with trouble, heaven is filled with triumph. 

Point:

Have you ever heard the statement that someone is so heavenly minded that he is no earthly good? I have. I understand the sentiment but friend, if you are focused on heaven, you are absolutely earthly good. If you are heavenly minded then you are committed to expanding it, growing it, and seeing God glorified in it. 

Point:

So, in 2021 you can allow your faith to flourish engaging your eyes. Turn your gaze from things of this earth to things of heaven. Seek and think! Think about heaven. Meditate on heaven. Talk about heaven. Develop a passion for heaven. Set your feet firmly in heaven so that you will make a difference here on earth for Christ. 

Matthew 6:33 ESV

But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

How Can Your Faith Flourish in 2021?

I. Engage Your Eyes vs. 1-3

II. Survey Your Soul vs. 5-8

Colossians 3:5-8 ESV

5 So put to death the sinful, earthly things lurking within you. Have nothing to do with sexual immorality, impurity, lust, and evil desires. Don’t be greedy, for a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world. 6 Because of these sins, the anger of God is coming. 7 You used to do these things when your life was still part of this world. 8 But now is the time to get rid of anger, rage, malicious behavior, slander, and dirty language.

Point:

Paul tells us that for our faith to flourish, we must put to death the things in our lives that are sinful, those things that are earthly. Then Paul gives us a laundry list of things to watch out for. These sins are snares to our lives that can destroy us, dismantle our potential, discourage us, and damage our relationships. Greed. Idolatry. Lust. Impurity. Sexual impurity. 

Point:

Brothers and sisters, when is the last time you looked deep within your spiritual house to discover the cracks in the foundation, the walls that need paint, the cobwebs in the corners, and the leaky pipes? Let’s be honest, if our souls are like a house, everyone’s soul needs renovation at different times. Do you know what I think our problem is today? By our I mean modern day Christians, western Christianity. I think the issue that plagues most if not all of our spiritual homes is apathy. We have grown tired, lazy and familiar. Most of us are generational Christians. Meaning that most of us have grown up in the church. Our mom’s and dad’s were believers and so were our grandparents. We have heard all the stories, know all the parables, and attended every VBS. Many of us accepted Christ when we were mere children and attended church all of our lives. We have sung the hymns. Attended all the fellowships. We’ve been there and done it all two or three times. We simply have grown lazy, tired, and bored with it all. Friend, it is not just I who believe this but others believe it too. 

What does Christian apathy look like? Christian apathy means that we give God our bare minimum. Christian apathy pertains to those who demand that the church serve them and meet all their needs instead of them serving the church and meeting the needs of the church. Christian apathy fosters a sinful desire to be recognized, thanked, appreciated, and a hunger for the spotlight instead of seeing God receive all the glory and credit. Apathy means that we do not grow deeper, we are less connected, and less concerned with the things of God. Apathetic Christians see areas in the church that need to be filled but they wait for others to fill it. Apathetic Christians are complainers instead of problem solvers. 

In an article entitled Into Thy Word, the author had this to say about current day Christian apathy, “Apathy is "unseen," yet rampant in the church. The problems of backslidden mentality-a lack of concern and involvement-are happening in the church. Giving is dramatically down across the board. It is getting harder and harder to find people to serve in leadership positions and even harder to find qualified leaders. When the right people are found, they give little time to their responsibility as compared to years past. Some are too busy or too over-committed, while others do little to nothing except to watch TV and complain.”

Point:

So how do we defeat the apathy that exists in all of us? How can we survey our soul and defeat this problem?

We need to be on alert for stressful and overwhelming situations, for pride, and for being too comfortable in our situation. When we are not growing and not on guard, we will venture into the land of apathy, and that is one place where no fruit will grow and no glory will be given to the Lord.  So, what can we do? As with all relational and spiritual things, grow in your faith! Spend more time in the Word,  in prayer, and focusing on Christ rather than your situation or experience.

 

The character that Christ gives us to help us in this matter is enthusiasm. Enthusiasm is the key for staying focused on Christ and pursuing His precepts and call (Matt: 5:16; Rom. 12:11; Gal. 6:9; Colossians 3:23; 4:7-8). Enthusiasm is interest and passion working together toward a goal. It will enable us to overcome disappointments and setbacks so we can be positive, optimistic, and keep up our interest, attitude, and zeal, even when things are harsh. Enthusiasm is the fuel that empowers the Christian, his/her testimony, and gives him/her the love for the call that he/she has been given. Enthusiasm is the pipe through which flows the earnest endeavor of our work and service. Along with this passion, we will experience the natural desire to do our best for God's glory.  

 

When someone becomes a Christian or when a church is started and grows, one of the primary growing factors is enthusiasm. Consider who the people are who bring in most of the new people in the church? Usually, it is the new Christians because they are enthusiastic about their new life in Christ. Consider the families that are not dysfunctional; usually, they are made up of parents who are involved with love and care, and who listen and spend time with one another and with the kids. A healthy church has leaders who exhibit enthusiasm in all of their dealings. Their joy is contagious, and it is a synergetic factor of that church's growth as it fuels teaching, discipleship, and personal spiritual development.

Point:

Brothers and sisters, take stock and inventory your spiritual gifts. Spend time in prayer. Begin to memorize Scripture. Commit today, this very morning to be being involved in a small group or Life Group. Give God a chance. Give God one month! Commit to working for the King for one month. Go all in and I promise you that you will receive a blessing so big that you cannot fathom it. 

II Corinthians 13:5 ESV

5 Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test!

How Can Your Faith Flourish in 2021?

I. Engage Your Eyes vs. 1-3

II. Survey Your Soul vs. 5-8

III. Renovate Your Relationships vs. 9-10

Colossians 3:9-10 ESV

9 Don’t lie to each other, for you have stripped off your old sinful nature and all its wicked deeds. 10 Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like him.

Illustration:

In the 60’s Simon and Garfunkel wrote this

I am a rock,

I am an island.

I’ve built walls,

A fortress deep and mighty,

That none may penetrate.

I have no need of friendship;

friendship causes pain.

It’s laughter and it’s loving I disdain.

I am a rock,

I am an island.

But that is not how God wants us to be – God has built us for relationships!

Illustration:

A Harvard study of 7,000 people found that the most isolated people were 3 times more likely to die than those with strong relationships. Reporting on the study, John Ortberg writes that “people who had bad health habits (such as smoking, poor eating habits, or alcohol use) but strong social ties lived significantly longer than people who had great health habits but were isolated. In other words, it is better to eat Twinkies with good friends than to eat broccoli alone.” What is true physically is also true spiritually: if we want to maintain a healthy, lifelong walk with Christ, we need community. To stay faithful we must stay connected. That’s why God gave us the church.

Point:

Now Paul reminds us that next to our relationship with God, our second priority should be our relationship with others. If 2020 has been a year of separation, make 2021 a year of genuine togetherness. If you want to truly grow in your faith, pursue Godly relationships that inspire you to know God in a real, deep, devoted sort of way. 

Point:

Maybe there was a relationship that was broken in 2020 that needs to be repaired in 2021. A friendship that has been hurt. Could it be that something has come between you and your spouse? Perhaps there is a classmate or co-worker that you need to make peace with or apologize to but you have been putting it off. Maybe there is a conflict hat needs to be resolved? Let me point you to Matthew 18:15-20. However, I want to read you a Scripture that Jesus Himself spoke in Matthew 5:21-24.

Matthew 5:21-24 ESV

21 “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’ 22 But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire. 23 So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24 leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.

Jesus is telling His listeners that if you harbor resentment, anger, or hate against his brother or sister that we are opening ourselves up to judgement. We are opening ourselves to the fires of hell. Therefore, before we sacrifice or offer a tithe that we should do everything we can to make it right between that brother or sister. If you want to see your faith stifled in 2021, let your broken relationships stay broken. If you want to see your faith increase, make new friends and do everything you can to improve the damaged relationships in your life. 

I Peter 4:8 ESV

Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins.

How Can Your Faith Flourish in 2021?

I. Engage Your Eyes vs. 1-3

II. Survey Your Soul vs. 5-8

III. Renovate Your Relationships vs. 9-10

IV. Concentrate on Christ vs. 11

Point:

In our fast-paced, attention-grabbing world, it is easy to get caught up in the daily grind, get distracted, and lose sight of our true purpose in life—the worship and love of God. Yet we are told to run our race with our eyes focused on Christ: Hebrews 12:1-2 reminds us to “Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith”. How can we resist the allure of the world and keep our focus where it belongs, on Christ?

Commit to reading the Bible daily. It is impossible for a believer to be consistently in the Word without having his attention drawn again and again to Christ: “The Scriptures point to me!” Jesus said in John 5:39. To focus on the Word of God is to have the Son of God brought more into focus.

Develop your prayer life. If you want to know how to pray, read Jesus’ instructions to His disciples in Luke 11:1-13. As you speak to the Lord throughout your day, you will naturally be more focused on Him. Little things, big things—we can come to the Lord with any and all of our cares. The command is to “pray continually” as Paul tells us in I Thessalonians 5:17, to always be in an attitude and atmosphere of instant prayer.

One last way is to recognize your need and the Lord as the source of all good things: “Behold, as the eyes of servants look to the hand of their master, as the eyes of a maidservant to the hand of her mistress, so our eyes look to the LORD our God, till he has mercy upon us” (Psalm 123:2 ESV). The world offers various means of obtaining love, joy, and peace, but they are destined to disappoint. The believer understands that love, joy, and peace (and a myriad other fine gifts) are the direct result of his relationship with Christ.

Point:

Brothers and sisters, there are so many ways to concentrate on Christ. There is no wrong way on keeping your eyes on Him. I think for us, we need to just make the decision today to leave the past in the past and start living today. My friends, my family, I hope that 2021 will be the year that your faith grows and that your relationship with Christ expands far beyond what you thought was possible. Remember Paul’s encouragement in Philippians 3. 

Philippians 3:12-14 ESV

Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

Have A Happy, Hopeful & Holy New Year!