Christians are compelled to be joyful when entering a New Year, simply because of the word ‘NEW’ in the title New Year!
Sermon Transcript
According to an article I read on Go Skills, by Brad Zomick, the top 10 most common New Year resolutions are: – (and you may identify with some of these, or I might even be giving you some good ideas for resolutions in 2024)
1. Exercise more
2. Lose weight
3. Get organized
4. Learn a new skill or hobby
5. Live life to the fullest
6. Save more money / spend less money
7. Quit smoking
8. Spend more time with family and
friends
9. Travel more
10. Read more
However, despite the best of intentions, once the glow of a fresh new year wears off, many people struggle to make good on their plans. According to a study published in the Journal of Clinical Psychology, only 46% of people who made New Year’s resolutions were successful. That means over half of the people who set a goal for the new year will fail!
The pattern of failure goes something like this: –
We begin the New Year by saying, ”I’m going to lose weight,” yet March rolls around and the diet books are sitting on the shelf unread, and we are ten kilos heavier.
We then say, ”I’m going to start exercising” and by May, the stair stepper and Nordi-Trac are stacked in the closet gathering dust.”
We then say we are going to reduce debt, but by June we are worried about how we are going to pay for the diet books and exercise machines we bought on our credit cards earlier that year…etc.
There is nothing wrong with New Year resolutions. I think they’re a great idea. Particularly for Christians, for our aim should always be to become better people for Jesus. After all the true Christian is continually prompted by the Holy Spirit to make Godly changes and improvements. We are called in 1 Corinthians 11 to regularly check ourselves, to judge ourselves, when we partake of communion, this is all part of our Christian walk.
And when we judge ourselves, and find an error, then we ask for forgiveness and make the necessary changes to prevent ourselves from doing wrong again. That’s how it goes, that’s the Christian walk. It is not hard to understand.
I am not the same person that I was 10 years ago (and I’m not just talking about having more wrinkles & greyer hair), I’m not the same person because of the prompting of the Holy Spirit, telling me that I need to line-up with God’s will for me. He does it all our life. To be a better person for Jesus!
Therefore, us Christians should be making resolutions all year round. So, go for it you guys, get those New Years resolutions happening and stick to them.
Let us pray,
Father, once again I give this time to You and ask that You speak to us all through Your precious word. And may Your word and precious Holy Spirit encourage us all to live better lives in the New Year. Help everyone, no matter how young or old, in this service, to be doers of Your word. Amen
Well, tomorrow is the beginning of a new year, 2024. I can’t believe we’re almost a quarter of the way through this century already! Time is certainly whizzing by! Today, for my final sermon of 2023, I want to focus on the NEW in Happy New Year.
Now a couple of weeks ago when I was delivering a Christmas sermon I happened to mention, a few of times, that Christians should never be grumpy people at Christmas time. Rather we should be the most joyful people at the party because we know the Christ in Christmas and that Christ has poured His JOY in our hearts.
So, no Bah Humbugs at Christmas in Cityview Church. Remember?
But now I’ve moved on from Christmas, because Christmas has come and gone, and here we are facing the New Year.
Congratulations everyone you’ve almost made it to 2024 a NEW year.
And once again, I must tell you that we, as Christians, must be the most joyful people on earth as we enter a NEW year.
But why, you might ask, why on earth must we be the most joyful people as we cross over to 2024? The condition of the world is not at all very pleasant right now.
There is so much uncertainty. So much sadness.
But this little revelation hit me just a week ago, when I was contemplating this sermon so listen up.
We are compelled to be joyful when entering a New Year, simply because of the word ‘NEW’ in the name New Year.
I’m going to say it again,
We are compelled to be joyful when entering a New Year simply because of the word ‘NEW’ in the name New Year.
NEW is one of THE showcase words of our Christianity.
New is one of THE most important words when explaining what Jesus has done for you.
Now I know you’re probably all tired and have, more than likely, eaten way too much food this week (me included). So, for this reason I’m not going to speak for very long. But what I am going to do is to joyfully punch you (metaphorically speaking) with some amazing Scriptures for you (as a Christian) to consider and enter the New Year with. And if these Scriptures don’t make you joyful, I don’t know what will. I honestly don’t because they are incredible words from God Almighty for you to begin the year with.
This sermon is titled, The New in HAPPY NEW YEAR – What it means to a Christian.
It is more than obvious, throughout the Old Testament of the Bible, that God was planning something NEW for His favourite creation MANKIND.
Mankind had messed things up badly, at the beginning, in the Garden of Eden (and by the way, that’s an understatement). Man had allowed Satan entry into his heart, into his life which resulted in sin and inevitable death. He’d sold his soul to the evil one and he needed some serious spiritual intervention from His Creator who he had stupidly moved far away from. The world is in a terrible mess today not because of God but because of the evil of mankind under Satan’s dreadful influence.
And so, we read some outstanding scriptures throughout the Old Testament which are promises from God of a NEW beginning. Let us begin with
Lamentations 3:22-23
“The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; His mercies never come to an end; they are NEW every morning; great is Your faithfulness.”
I’m going to read it again, but I would like you to read it with me for the NEW YEAR. Are you ready?
“The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; His mercies never come to an end; they are NEW every morning; great is Your faithfulness.”
So, according to God, what is NEW in this Scripture?
His mercies of course, not only are they new every morning but they never come to an end! He doesn’t say, “Well you’ve had 10 chances of new mercies, you’re not having any more than that. You’re finished!” No, His mercies for you never come to an end! How wonderful is that!? We’re not just talking about new every new year but new every morning! Hallelujah.
Just remember that one for the new year won’t you!! When you wake up tomorrow morning, you can remember His mercies towards you are NEW and they will continue all through the year.
Now let’s read the next promise of the Old Testament.,
Ezekiel 36:26-27
26 I will give you a NEW heart and put a NEW spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. 27 And I will put My Spirit in you and move you to follow My decrees and be careful to keep My laws.
How about we read this one together too?
Ezekiel 36:26-27
26 I will give you a NEW heart and put a NEW spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. 27 And I will put My Spirit in you and move you to follow My decrees and be careful to keep My laws.
Okay, so what promise of newness is in this one people?
With the coming of His Son Jesus, God is going to give us a NEW heart and a NEW spirit. In other words, we will be born again when we believe that Jesus has died and rose again for us. We will be like NEW born babes again. And this prophecy has well and truly come to pass.
Here’s another one.
Isaiah 43
18 “Forget the former things;
do not dwell on the past.
19 See, I am doing a NEW thing!
Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?
I am making a way in the wilderness
and streams in the wasteland.
20 The wild animals honor Me,
the jackals and the owls,
because I provide water in the wilderness
and streams in the wasteland,
to give drink to My people, My chosen,
21 the people I formed for Myself
that they may proclaim My praise.
This Old Testament prophecy, by the way, has also been fulfilled!
God says to you for 2024.
See, I am doing a NEW thing!
He has done it and He’s continuing to do it as you stay supple to Him. That’s got to make you joyful, that’s got to bring you hope. God, the Creator of the universe, is doing a NEW thing for you. Happy New Year to that, that’s what I say.
And because He is in the process of doing a NEW thing you can actually do what Psalm 149:1 says,
Praise the Lord!
Sing to the Lord a NEW song,
And His praise in the congregation of the godly ones.
Let’s read this one together shall we?
Praise the Lord!
Sing to the Lord a NEW song,
And His praise in the congregation of the godly ones.
Hallelujah!
Okay, so that’s a few of the Old Testament Scriptures which wonderfully gift us with the word NEW.
But now we’re going to look at some beautiful ones from the New Testament of the Bible.
Just before Jesus died, before all the prophetic Scriptures we’ve just read became a reality. This is what Jesus said as He broke bread with His disciples.
1 Cor 11
23 …The Lord Jesus, on the night He was betrayed, took bread, 24 and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “This is My body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” 25 In the same way, after supper He took the cup, saying, “This cup is the NEW covenant in My blood; do this, whenever You drink it, in remembrance of Me.” 26 For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes.
So, the cup which is symbolic of the blood of Jesus represents a NEW covenant, a NEW agreement that God has made with you. You are no longer doomed to live under the curse of satanic powers which began in the Garden of Eden, but you are free to live as a child of God.
This NEW covenant, this NEW agreement with God brings all the beautiful scriptures we’ve just read right to our doorstep. They literally become ours!
In
2Cor 5:17 So whoever is in Christ is a NEW creation: the old things have passed away; behold, NEW things have come.
Here’s another way of saying it –
2 Cor 5:17 New Living Translation
17 This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a NEW person. The old life is gone; a NEW life has begun!
Galatians 6:15 New Living Translation
15 What counts is whether we have been transformed into a NEW creation.
Romans 7:6 Living Bible
6 …now you can really serve God; not in the old way, mechanically obeying a set of rules, but in the NEW way, with all of your hearts and minds.
Hebrews 10:20
Living Bible
20 This is the fresh, NEW, life-giving way that Christ has opened up for us by tearing the curtain—His human body—to let us into the holy presence of God.
Colossians 3:10
Living Bible
10 You are living a brand-NEW kind of life that is continually learning more and more of what is right, and trying constantly to be more and more like Christ who created this NEW life within you.
2 Peter 3:13
Living Bible
13 But we are looking forward to God’s promise of NEW heavens and a NEW earth afterwards, where there will be only goodness.
Revelation 3:12
Living Bible
12 “As for the one who conquers, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God; …and I will write My God’s Name on him, and he will be a citizen in the city of my God—the NEW Jerusalem, coming down from heaven from my God; and he will have My NEW Name inscribed upon him.
It’s all new people! Life with Jesus is truly a beautiful, joyful new thing!
With a new contract, a new agreement
With new mercies
A new heart
A new spirit
We’re a new creation,
With a new name,
And we can sing a new song,
Because we have a new life,
A new way of living.
And we look forward to experiencing a new heaven and a new earth when Jesus returns. Hallelujah! Newness is in our future forever.
We can truly shout to each other HAPPY NEW YEAR AND KNOW THAT IT IS OUR REALITY.
The newness is present not just in the New Year but every living moment we have.
Maybe we should have t shirts that simply read: –
HAPPY NEW SECOND!
OR SIMPLY Happy New because we don’t have to wait for the new year for something wonderful to happen.
What do you reckon?
We’re going to partake of communion right now. Would the ushers please come forward? And begin to distribute the emblems straight away. It is our custom to hold on to the emblems until everyone has them and then we take them together.
While the emblems are being handed out I am going to read the scripture I read earlier
1 Cor 11
23 …The Lord Jesus, on the night He was betrayed, took bread, 24 and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “This is My body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” 25 In the same way, after supper He took the cup, saying, “This cup is the NEW covenant in My blood; do this, whenever You drink it, in remembrance of Me.” 26 For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes.
27 So then, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. 28 Everyone ought to examine themselves before they eat of the bread and drink from the cup. 29 For those who eat and drink without discerning the body of Christ eat and drink judgment on themselves.
Before we enter the New Year let’s examine our hearts and make sure we put things right with God and those we may have hurt. Let’s check ourselves and get right if need be.