Happy New Year!! We are now in a new year and new decade with new opportunities. This morning I ask myself, as well as you the reader, what is your focus for this new year and new decade?

This time of year people are making new year resolutions, and sadly, many of those are thrown in the trash within the month. We can all take a personal inventory of our lives and see changes that we need to make. And I believe the reason many new year resolutions end up one more personal failure is that we try to bite off more than we can chew. I believe change is more in the details of life than the big decisions. We can choose to lose weight for instance, but losing weight doesn’t happen in one big swath, although we all wish it did. As a trainer once said, “It is not what you do in the gym for that hour a day, although important, that will turn your life around, it is as important or more important what you do the other 23 hours of the day such as eat right, get plenty of rest, etc.” We tend to focus on the wrong things and wonder why we don’t get right results. Just like a person whose prime focus is in being in the gym everyday but not getting plenty of sleep and eating junk food all the time. They won’t get the results they desire, and if they do it will be at a much slower pace.

So as we begin this new year let’s make our focus Jesus, and put Him in the details of our lives so that we obtain the results we want beginning spiritual and letting that permeate into the rest of our lives.

Ephesians 5:15-16 NIV

Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.

This week let us read Scripture of the prediction and the promise fulfilled that a Savior was born.

Isaiah 9:6-7 HCSB

For a child will be born for us, a son will be given to us,

and the government will be on His shoulders. He will be named Wonderful Counselor,

Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.

The dominion will be vast, and its prosperity will never end.

He will reign on the throne of David and over his kingdom,

to establish and sustain it with justice and righteousness from now on and forever.^[1]

Matthew 1:18-25 HCSB

The birth of Jesus Christ came about this way: After His mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, it was discovered before they came together that she was pregnant by the Holy Spirit. So her husband Joseph, being a righteous man, and not wanting to disgrace her publicly, decided to divorce her secretly.

But after he had considered these things, an angel of the Lord suddenly appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, don’t be afraid to take Mary as your wife, because what has been conceived in her is by the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to name Him Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins.”

Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet:

See, the virgin will become pregnant

and give birth to a son,

and they will name Him Immanuel,

which is translated “God is with us.”

When Joseph got up from sleeping, he did as the Lord’s angel had commanded him. He married her but did not know her intimately until she gave birth to a son. And he named Him Jesus. ^[2]

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^[1] The Holy Bible: Holman Christian standard version. (2009). (Is 9:6–7). Nashville: Holman Bible Publishers.

^[2] The Holy Bible: Holman Christian standard version. (2009). (Mt 1:18–25). Nashville: Holman Bible Publishers.

Psalm 119:105 – Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.

In a world and society that seems so misguided and confused, this verse has a lot to say. Who would have ever thought that we would see a time when so much confusion ruled the day such as gender identity, to the debate about when life begins, to the question of marriage, etc.? I know these are hotly contested subjects, but they don’t have to be if we looked to the Author of Life for His answer to these questions. The problem lies in that mankind believes that we are the final authority omitting the real Authority on the matter, but this is not new because humans have been trying to play ‘god’ since the beginning.

What does this verse mean to us today? First of all, God’s Word invites us down a path where truth illuminates the way just like headlights on a vehicle. God’s Word gives us a sense of real direction when the cultural climate seems so tossed about like a ship on a tumultuous sea. It also gives us a declaration in which to follow. God’s Word does not question truth, but rather reveals and declares it. To add further, God’s Word makes certain demands on our life that many refuse to recognize, but logically makes sense. If there is a God who created the world, then He and only He, understands the innerworkings of it which we as humans often question. Humans can never see life until we surrender to the Authority of the Author of life. (See how the word ‘Author’ is inside the word ‘Authority’) God does not do this out of ego, but rather out of compassion. In the same way we are only guessing at the meaning of an artist’s work without the artist, and in the same way we are only guessing and making false claims to life without the Author or Artist of life. Without God we can’t understand the true meaning of life and His creation so we often find ourselves living in wrong opinions rather than in God’s truth that gives freedom.

This past weekend I addressed the letter to the Laodicean church from the book of Revelation in which Jesus confronts their apathy and being lukewarm. The text says:

 “¹⁴ “And to the angel of the church in Laodicea write: ‘The words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God’s creation. ¹⁵ “‘I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! ¹⁶ So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I  will spit you out of my mouth.^[1]”

If you consider the gravity of this statement it can be a little scary to think that some of Christ’s followers at this church had taken up apathy and riding the fence regarding their faithfulness. Christ, without much help from Hallmark, straightforwardly states their kind of Christianity makes Him sick to His stomach. Not to gross us out, but this type of non-committal that Western Christianity has fallen into reminds me a lot of what makes the Lord want to vomit.

I’ve heard preachers in the past preach on this text and soften the blow of what Jesus is saying, but I think this is wrong to do. A ‘one foot in, one foot out’ type of Christian faith makes Christ sick to His stomach because His love for us made Him fully committed to doing for us what we couldn’t do on the cross. Kay Arthur says it best, “If you do not plan to live the Christian life totally committed to knowing your God and to walking in obedience to Him, then don’t begin, for this is what Christianity is all about. It is a change of citizenship, a change of governments, and a change of allegiance. If you have no intention of letting Christ rule your life, then forget Christianity; it is not for you.”

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^[1] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (Re 3:14–16). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.

These past couple of weeks it has been pretty to see the leaves change. To see the leaves change colors and later fall from the tree is a sign of change. Change to colder weather and that Mr. Winter is on the way. Everything has its time and place, but not forever because everything changes. The only thing that doesn’t change is everything changes.

With this in mind we are the same way in our lives. We have a time and place in God’s history, but not forever on our timeline. There have been millions before us and could, if the Lord doesn’t return, be millions more after us. We are here for a season, and then the season will pass. We often make plans as if what we have will be forever, but it simply will not. The property you own has been owned before by someone not in your family, and most likely will not always be owned by your family in the future. Also, our influence fades that we may have gained over time. To think about who was the most influential in the 13^th century A.D. we may have to stop and look it up as will be the case for those regarding our century in the year 2600 A.D.

The point I would make is that we are often invested in the things that are temporary and not eternal. Eternity is a lot bigger thought for us because our minds cannot grasp its entirety. God is inviting us on to His timeline that never fades or runs out, and the leaves there never fall because nothing ever dies there. May we consider our investments into things that will last forever through Him.

I want to begin with one of my favorite passages of Scripture:

Philippians 4:4-7 Holman

Rejoice! Let your graciousness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses every thought, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

This verse to me summarizes the Thanksgiving spirit, and even mentions the attitude of Thanksgiving within its instruction. As believers we should come to God rejoicing because His presence is near us, even when we don’t “feel” Him. We can present our requests to Him with gratitude. Our thankfulness to Him should swallow up our worry because we have so much to be thankful for in this life. Yes, there are hardships and mountains to climb, but thank God we are not alone, and we are promised that God’s peace will guard our hearts and minds in Jesus.

I also want to leave a quote by our first president, George Washington, so that we consider how far we have drifted from the first Thanksgiving in our country.

(Opening quote from the Thanksgiving Proclamation signed by George Washington, President of the United States of America, October 3, 1789)

Whereas it is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits, and humbly to implore his protection and favor– and whereas both Houses of Congress have by their joint Committee requested me to recommend to the People of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many signal favors of Almighty God especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness. 

Sometimes it is hard to find ourselves in such a busy schedule. Busy in part because we often neglect what we should hold as priority which is our fault, and partly because that is the world we live within today. Busy! Busy! Busy! Go! Go! Go! It is hard to come up for air and set boundaries that are necessary for sanity because we are trying so hard to keep up with the pace of life. Especially with the holidays before us we can see the insanity of our culture beginning to grow already only a few days past Halloween as it always does this time of year (and earlier and earlier it seems), and all for the cause of having ‘special family time.’ But is this the way life is supposed to be lived?

What happens to ‘family special time’ the rest of the year? How many families end up with hard feelings after the holidays because somebody’s traditions got stepped on or flat out forgotten? Or somebody didn’t make the usual dish that was considered a favorite to someone or one part of the family got invited that other parts of the family wished were left out. On the surface the holidays seem a happy time of year, and for many they are, but for many it is a pure headache desperately wishing the holiday season passes quickly.

I want to encourage us this year to focus not so much on the silly traditions of the holidays, but the reason we even have these holidays of Thanksgiving and Christmas to begin with. Let our gratitude show in the way we treat others, not just family members, but those in check-out lines, customer service, convenient stores, etc. Also, remember that the greatest thing we have to be thankful for is a Savior born to us. So this Thanksgiving and Christmas, even though we are still a few weeks away, let our hearts be filled with love and kindness first towards our Creator and then to those created in His-Image.

Matthew 7:12

So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.

This past Sunday at church we began discussing putting on the Armor of God. Nobody in their right mind would say it is very smart to go into battle unprepared or without essentials needed to go to war. Yet, everyday Christians are going into the battlefield (school, work, home, and church, yes, even church!) unprepared and without putting on their armor. The first piece of armor the Apostle Paul tells us to put on is the Belt of Truth. The Belt held everything together for the Roman Soldier, and truth likewise holds everything together for the believer. Notice the more a society drifts from the idea of Truth being absolute the more that culture or society begins to fall apart at every level.  We are seeing this before our very eyes today. The second is the breastplate of righteousness, and this word righteousness is related to justice. We are to cover or guard our vital organs with justice. If we hold to truth then there can be justice, but if truth is done away with then justice is no more because justice would simply be an opinion of perspective. The third piece of armor is having your feet shod with the Gospel of Peace. I saw a meme on Facebook that said, “I’ve often wondered what I would do if I found out I only had one day to live. Would I eat junk or go crazy, etc.? Jesus knew, and on his last day to live He washed feet.” Why did Jesus wash His disciple’s feet? He knew that it was these feet that He would be sending out into the world to carry His good news of repentance and redemption. We must as believers be willing to go into the dark places of the world because we are carrying the message of light. Don’t forget to put on your armor of God for protection and peace in a world where the enemy is waiting to attack. We will discuss the rest of the Armor of God next week. Until then be the light of the world!

Ephesians 6:14-15

Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.^[1]

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^[1] The Holy Bible: New International Version. (1984). (Ephesians 6:14–15). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.

In light of the events over this past weekend at the Party Venue outside of Greenville where a senseless act of violence took place, a mass shooting, we ask ourselves ‘What is wrong with this world?’ Truthfully the world often acts the way the world would be expected to act without Christ as the center point of life. The more we move into a post-Christian society in America the more we see Christian values, whether we are Christian or not, that we have enjoyed and taken for granted for so long go to the wayside. We are moving into a society that has lost its consciousness and moral anchor point.

The question we need to be asking ourselves in light of the many mass shootings is, “What happened to human dignity and the value of human life?” The question I often ponder to myself is where or when did we get to a point when killing each other was not the last choice but the first. The problem is we no longer see the value in each other all we see are our differences. The art of debate has become as much ancient history as the Roman Empire. We no longer have conversations, but simply actions without prior thought. We see skin color, political perspectives, cultural differences, but we have lost the ability to see each other as human beings created in God’s Image. The fact that each one of us are created in His Image should give each human value even among our differences.

Genesis 1:26

Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness. They will rule the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, the livestock, all the earth, and the creatures that crawl on the earth.”

C. S Lewis once said, “No man knows how bad he is till he has tried very hard to be good. A silly idea is current that good people do not know what temptation means. This is an obvious lie. Only those who try to resist temptation know how strong it is. After all, you find out the strength of the German army by fighting against it, not by giving in. You find out the strength of a wind by trying to walk against it, not by lying down. A man who gives in to temptation after five minutes simply does not know what it would have been like an hour later. That is why bad people, in one sense, know very little about badness — they have lived a sheltered life by always giving in. We never find out the strength of the evil impulse inside us until we try to fight it: and Christ, because He was the only man who never yielded to temptation, is also the only man who knows to the full what temptation means — the only complete realist.”

 When you read this it makes so much sense. As a pastor I have been asked many times that if Jesus never sinned, how could he be truly human. My response is that because Jesus never sinned, He is the only One who has truly been human. The rest of us fall short of our created intentions because our sins rob us of our created purpose.

We as believers must learn to push back against the temptations that befall us. We must truly learn the discipline of being or becoming a disciple of Christ. We must let love for Jesus be the motivation to not yield to temptation and not simply a religious moralistic framework of what we’re supposed to do so we can look like the “Good Christian.” If religion alone is our motivation to do right then we will live as failures of the cross of grace.