It's good to see everybody. Today, I want to Echo what Alan
said, you guys sound great singing.
It's always a lot of fun together together on a Sunday
and worship together. Here you guys singing.
And when we do a, we have a band like today, where there's just a
couple of people in it. You know, I love to have a full
band. I love to be up here play and I
think it's a lot of fun. But sometimes when it's a little
bit more stripped-down and it's just the bare bones, you can
hear people singing better and it just it's a really sweet
thing. So not that I Don't miss the
people that aren't here but you guys sounded good.
It all sounded good singing. So thank you.
Hope you guys had a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year
so far. Today is the first day of 2023.
So thank you for being here. Thank you for coming to worship.
It's good to see everybody again.
Welcome to any guests. If you are visiting, you don't
know me. My name is Jasper.
Jack, I am the associate pastor. Here at New, Life Community
Church Kyle, and his wife Patricia and their family or
traveling. They've been doing Christmas.
Family. They're headed back today.
So y'all keep them in your prayers for safe travels, but
it's good to be here and it's good to be preaching today.
So thanks for having me. Thank you for being here.
Kind of a funny story about Christmas.
I know everybody has gathered with family.
We've all got fun stories to tell and things that we've done
over the last week or so that have been a lot of fun.
I was trying to think of some really crazy things, you know,
gathering with my family can be pretty eventful over the
holidays. I'll spare you, some of those
Tails, but a lot of you guys know, we have a dog named Ace
and we got a see, a really cool Old Man sweater to wear and I
just knew that when we got him this sweater Like we put this on
him, he is going to chew this thing to Pieces.
There's no way he's going to keep the sweater on, but
surprisingly over Christmas. It was pretty cold and he liked
it. He didn't didn't seem to bother
him. He wore it with pride, and so I
came home the other day and he's sitting in his leather chair,
reading the paper with his readers on smoking a pipe, and
he's like an old man now so. But anyway, I'm I'm kidding
about that, obviously, but we had a good Christmas.
I hope you did too. That's good to see you guys
before we start. Let's pray, one more time and
just ask To be with us that he would speak through his words
speak through me. This would not be me you here
today but that he would be with us.
All right, so let's go to the Lord in prayer gracious.
Good loving Heavenly Father. God, we thank you for the
opportunity to be here today in your house to worship you to
sing together as Brothers and Sisters in Christ.
And to humbly come before you and bow down and reverence.
And in all God, we pray that you were magnified in this place
today. And pray that you were honored
that you are glorified in this place through our worship, we
hope it is pleasing to you. And we ask now that you be with
us as we continue to worship. And we look at your word.
We ask that you speak to us through it, God, that you speak
through me. Just use me and, however,
whatever way you would see fit. And that we come away from this
place today, full of the Holy Spirit Lord, we pray that not
only here, but all across Columbia County today.
We love you in Jesus name. Amen.
Hey And well 2022 is coming to an end.
We have officially begun the new year and as Alan is talked about
today. What I'm going to talk to you a
little bit about is not New Year's resolutions, but habits
and the difference in that. But this time of year when you
go from one year and to a new and it's a natural time to be
thinking about these things to be thinking about New Year's
resolutions, and you kind of look back at the past year, you
think about everything that happened?
You look forward to a new New Year and what all could happen
in the new year. And you start to think about
goals and things, you really want to see change or things you
want to do. Can be really natural to think
about man this year, I want to set some goals for myself.
Maybe some things you want to accomplish, maybe a new job that
you're hoping to get, or raise or promotion, or maybe, you
know, like most people, the number one goal is to lose
weight and get healthy, right? That's what most people set
goals to do and so it can just be a natural time when we want
to reflect back. And then think of Things that we
want to accomplish. Now, all of this, all of these
resolutions are geared, to work toward a common goal, and that's
usually to make life better, right?
Like, not that life was horrible, but we're always
looking for ways to improve, like, how can, how can things
get better at work, or at home, or with family, or with kids.
And so, I set these goals to be a better version of me, or to go
forward in a better way. I want this year to be better
than last year, especially, depending on the kind of year
you had. And so, We set these lofty goals
for ourself these pretty pretty lofty goals.
And then usually by February, we start to experience some
failure. We start to see we lose some
momentum there, especially when it comes to Bible reading and
stuff like that, you start to get into numbers and all that
and it just it just goes downhill from there.
Right? So we set these goals in these
habits and then as we start to fail, to do what we set out to
do, we start to experience some discouragement it kind of
leaves. Feeling a bit defeated, right?
It never setting these resolutions hardly ever leads to
any kind of real Joy or real peace or happiness.
Now, occasionally occasionally, we'll see that black sheep that
sets that goal to like, lose weight and actually does it.
And we're all like look at them losing all that weight but it
does happen occasionally. But it hardly ever leads to any
kind of real lasting true Joy. So I want to ask you this this
morning as we get ready to talk about this a little bit.
What is the, what is the point of it all?
What's the point of it all? when you really think about it,
when you start to set these, these goals, and these
resolutions, why When you go through a year like some of us
have just had and we have as a church especially the last four
months, it makes you. It has a way of making you step
back and look at the bigger picture.
And really a lot of those smaller things.
Just kind of seemed to fade into the background and you start
asking bigger questions like what am I doing here?
What's my purpose on this Earth? You know, how am I doing as a
husband, or a father or what have you but you start to ask
bigger questions. It has a way of giving you some
perspective on what really matters.
And so you ask what was I created to do?
What roles has God given me? And how am I doing in those
roles? Who cares about, you know, I
mean, I need to focus on my health absolutely.
But why? So let me explain where I'm
going with this. I think you guys are following
it with me of a little bit, but these little habits and hobbies
or whatever, all of that, those resolutions need to be lending
themselves toward your ultimate purpose or your ultimate goals
in life. Like you need to have that
clearly defined. And then you need to build these
habits or whatever around that to help you accomplish what it
is, your put on this Earth to do a great example.
We live in the south, we live in Southwest Arkansas, and so most
people around here are pretty familiar with chainsaws, right?
There's probably a few you that have one in your truck right
now. So when it comes to cutting wood
nowadays you have a chainsaw and usually a log splitter and some
things like that. Back in the day, it would have
been an Axe and a mall in a wedge and some stuff like that,
right? So every one of those tools has
an individual job a function, right?
So the chainsaw you're going to cut the tree down.
You're going to probably do in the tree, you're going to cut it
into smaller chunks. And then once you've got your
smaller chunks, you're going to roll them over to the splitter,
right? You're going to start splitting
it or if you are poor boy, like me, you loaded up on the trailer
and go get them all in the wedge and you go to work and you start
breaking a sweat and so. But each one of those tools has
a different job, right? A different function, but the
main point of it, all is firewood, right?
Or really even bigger? That's warmth.
I want to stay warm this winter. What do I do?
I need firewood. How do I get firewood?
I go you go do whatever. Or so, you get what I'm saying?
The overall point is firewood, but all those things have
individual jobs, they do to lead to the firewood, right?
So, for New, Year's resolutions or goals or habits that you want
to develop, you need to be asking, what is my purpose in
life? What have I been put on this
Earth to do? What is it that God is expecting
of me? And I need to build those things
around that. I need to ask questions, like,
why do I want to be healthy? Why do I want to lose weight?
Usually, it's because I'm overweight.
But why do I want to be healthy? Is it?
Because I want to be a better. Husband, a better, father, a
better employee. I want to be able to serve the
Lord better, or is it just because, that's what I'm
supposed to do. That's what my friends do.
It sort of the world tells me I'm supposed to do.
We have to ask and answer these questions?
What's my motivation behind it? What's the motivation behind?
Hind going into a new year and wanting some things to change,
is it just for the sake of those things?
Or is there something higher going on here, a bigger purpose?
So all of those things, as I mentioned need to be lending
themselves toward helping you accomplish your purpose.
So, we need to go into 2023 with a renewed sense of purpose.
Then we can start to build those habits and those, those things
around that, that help lend themselves toward that.
So, last week, Kyle did a fantastic job of laying a
foundation for what I want to talk to you about today at one
point. He said this, he said the family
that Christ came from showed the family that he came for.
Okay. The type of people that Christ
came from showed us, the type of people that he came for his.
If you look back through his genealogy and his family tree,
it was full of sinful people, right?
We know that people like David were not sinless men, they
weren't perfect. And this show that Jesus came
from this lineage of sinful broken people because that's the
people that he came to save. So a love when he said that.
But he also pointed out and he said this, we can't leave Jesus
in the manger, right? He didn't just stay a baby.
He is now king of kings and Lord of lords, and we must submit Our
Lives to him as such. So, again, he laid out
beautifully in his sermon, how we can be saved through
repentance and faith in Christ. And once we are, we are a new
creation and we were to go forward living a new life
walking in newness of life. And so today, I don't want to
talk to you about how you can be saved.
I want to talk to you about. Why you have been saved?
Okay, don't don't miss that. We are going to talk a little
bit about Out how you can be saved, how you can be a new
creation, but I want to talk to you about.
Why, why have you been created into a new a new person?
Did you know that Jesus saved you for a reason for a purpose?
It's not salvations. Not just the end of the journey
for a Christian. It's not that I was a sinner and
I was lost and I put my faith in Christ and I was saved the end
just live life now know, he saves you for something and into
something you've been given a new Mission.
Once you were reborn and we're going to talk about that today.
So turn with me to Ephesians chapter 2 That's where we're
going to read from. Now, we're going to we're going
to read a couple of different passages today.
I'm not going to make you stand every time we do this.
But for this first one we will. So if you would stand with me,
we're going to read from Ephesians chapter 2, verses, 1
through 10. And after I read this, I'm going
to say this is the word of the Lord and you are going to say.
Thanks be to God. Okay, so read with me.
Ephesians 2, verses 1 through 10 says this.
And you were dead in your trespasses and sins in which you
formerly walked, according to the course of this world,
according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit,
that is now working in the sons of Disobedience among them, we
too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging,
the desires of the Flesh and of the mind and we're by Nature
children of Wrath, even as the rest.
But God being rich in Mercy because Because of his great
love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our
transgressions, made us alive together.
With Christ by Grace, you have been saved and raised us up with
him and seated us with him in the Heavenly places in Christ
Jesus. So that in the ages to come he
might show The surpassing Riches of his grace in kindness toward
us in Jesus Christ. For by Grace, you have been
saved through faith and not of yourselves.
It is the gift of God. God, not a result of works so
that no one may boast for we are his workmanship created in
Christ for good works, which God prepared beforehand.
So that we would walk in them. This is the word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God. You may be seated.
So here in Ephesians we see just a small little snapshot of what
Kyle talked about last week, okay, we see that according to
verse 1, we were dead in our sins and trespasses but God not
us, made us alive. We didn't save ourselves.
God saved us and he made us alive together with Christ.
So that He did it for a reason so that he might show The Riches
of his grace and kindness toward us there for we are his
workmanship first 10 created for good works which God prepared
beforehand. So we see two purposes at play
here in this text. We are created for good works.
We see that in verse 10. That's why God saved us were
created for good works. He prepared them of had a ahead
of time, but even in that even In in doing the good works, we
were made for were serving a higher purpose which is to
glorify and honor the Lord. We see this in the previous
verse 4, it says that he made us so that he could show The Riches
of his Mercy. It brings him glory that he
redeemed, a people that didn't deserve to be redeemed That
Glory brings glory and honour to the Lord.
So all of it, the ultimate goal of it is to glorify God.
That's the whole point of us doing the good works.
It's not just to do good works, it's to bring God glory.
Through the good works. That is exactly what we see in
Matthew chapter 5 verse 16. It says this in the same way let
your light shine before others so that they may see your good
works and give glory to your father who is in heaven.
You catch that let your light shine before others so that they
will see it and give glory to God.
That's the point, the glory glorify and honor the Lord to
give you another illustration. Illustration of this.
I use the chainsaw earlier. If you think about a tire on a
car, what is the, what's the purpose of a tire?
Okay, a tire is round because it's made to do what role rights
not triangles, not Square drown because it's meant to roll and
it's got Rubber and are in it because that helps absorb
impact. It makes it rich.
Not a rough ride. It's a smooth ride.
So the whole point of the tire is role and help get you down
the road comfortably. Now, there are tons of other
parts of a car. I'm not going to pretend to know
them but As use the windshield wipers, their purpose is not to
roll. It's they serve a different
function but it all works together to do.
What get you from point, A to point B as comfortably and quick
as possible. Right?
That's the whole point of a car. These things are serving
individual purposes, but the overall point is to help get you
down the road. So just like this good works and
things like that are all meant to glorify.
God, that's the point. Yes, there are good words.
There are individual things that we do that are very different,
but it all serves that ultimate higher purpose of glorifying
God. Now, one of the best ways that
this has ever been put into words and the human language is
through. What is called Keisha's
catechism, or the Baptist. Catechism, a catechism is a
simple set of questions and answers.
They've been used throughout church history to teach children
and to teach churches, basic theology.
So, some of you have heard us talk about the new city.
Catechism, it's a fairly A newer one, you can get Illustrated
books, I highly recommend them for your kids.
It's a simple set of questions and answers, you ask things like
who is God? Why is God, why did God send
Jesus things like that. And question and answer that
kids can learn and memorize. They even have songs and little
Jingles to go with it. So, in this catechism question
number two is, what is the chief end of man?
In other words, what is man's purpose?
Why did God create us? What are we put on this Earth
for? The answer is man's Chief in, is
to glorify God and enjoy him forever.
Another way of saying this is that God created us to bring him
glory and enjoy him forever. That is today's big idea.
It's not original. I'm stealing it from the
catechism. My big thought for you today is
it man's purpose is to glorify God and enjoy him forever.
That is what we are put on this Earth to do, that's why God made
us. That's how he designed us.
Is to do that, right? And so when you when you take
something like a tool and you use it for something, it was not
meant to do, that's called abuse.
If I try to take a chainsaw and make a hammer out of it, that's
not going to work out well. But when I'm using it for what
it's created to do, then it works wonderfully.
We are created for a purpose and it is to glorify God and enjoy
him forever. That's the whole point.
We are made to do this and we do it through these.
Good works that God has prepared for us ahead of time.
So, it sounds simple right do. Good works.
Glorify God, the end but you and I know that this is not always
easy. Doing good works, right?
Because we still live in a sinful Fallen World, right?
We are still Sinners ourselves. I don't always want to do the
right thing. Sometimes I'm I mean I'm sinful.
And so This is, this is complicated and it can be
tricky. So, how do we do this?
How do we do these? Good works that God prepared for
us ahead of time. If you start to look at the
world around you and consider the sinfulness of it, it can be
overwhelming at times. Like man, there is no good in
the world. I look at humanity and I think
it's a losing battle. We have to understand that we
can't do this on our own turn with me now to John chapter 15,
John chapter 15. I'm not going to make you stand
for this one, but this is going to be Paramount to the
discussion of doing good works and fulfilling our purpose to
glorify God. Okay, John chapter 15 verses 1
through 12 say this. I am the True Vine and my father
is the vinedresser every branch in me that does not bear fruit.
He takes away and every branch that bears fruit, he prunes it.
So that it may bear more fruit. You are already clean because of
the word, which I have spoken to you abide in me and I in you as
the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the
vine. So, neither can you unless you
abide in me? I am the vine.
You are the branches, he who abides in me.
And I in him, he Bears much fruit for apart from me, you can
can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in me,
he is thrown away as a branch and dries up and they gather
them and they cast them into the fire and they are burned.
If you abide in me and my words abide in you, ask whatever you
wish and it will be done for you.
My father is glorified by this that you bear much fruit and so
prove to be my disciples, just as the father has loved me.
I have also loved you abide in my love, if you keep My
Commandments, you will abide in my love.
Just as I have kept my father's Commandments and abide in his
love. These things I have spoken to
you. So that my joy may be in you and
that your joy may be made full. There's a lot to unpack.
Here we saw the word Abide, a whole lot in this.
But what we see here is that we can only do good works.
We can only bear good fruit. If we abide in Christ we cannot
do it on our own. This will not be easy.
We are told in verse two that he will prune us so that we can
bear more fruit and who knows that pruning is not fun.
That is not a fun process but it is necessary for growth.
It is a grace of God in our lives that he prunes us.
So, Jesus tells us here in verse 4, we cannot bear good fruit,
unless we abide in him. In fact, we can do nothing apart
from him according to verse 5, but if we remain in him, we will
produce good fruit. We will produce good works and
in doing so, God is glorified in verse 8.
So this is how we do this, we abide in Christ and if we will
do this it's inevitable that the results will be good works and
good fruit, which glorifies God? So that's the key we have to
abide in Christ. So, how do we do that?
How do I buy? What does that mean?
What does the word abide? Even mean?
The word abide means to stay in to dwell in to remain in to
inhabit? So to abide in Christ means that
I'm staying in Christ. That's where I live.
I'm camping out. That's my comforter comfortable
place. That's my happy place.
I'm staying in Christ, always it.
Also this word abide has this connotation of endurance.
It's not an in-and-out thing. It's a steadfastness so I'm in
Christ and I'm staying in Christ.
I'm not in Christ one day and then out the other day and then
I feel like going to church today and I don't want to go to
the next day. And again I don't want to get
real. Akan.
This we're going to talk about some application here in a
minute, but the idea is that we're staying in Christ.
Always, it's not an in-and-out thing.
So how do we do this? How can we stay in Christ?
How can we abide in Christ? Now that we know what that
means. Well, the first way that we've
talked about already is to be in his word.
He says that if my word abides in you than I will be with you.
So, John 8:31 says this Jesus said to the Jews who had
believed in him if you abide In my word, you are truly my
disciples and we just read here in verse 10.
If you keep my Commandments, you will abide in my love.
Just as I have kept my father's Commandments and abide in his
love. So we got to keep these
Commandments. Well, how do we know what his
Commandments are do? We get to just make those up
whatever we think is right? No, we're told what his
Commandments are here in the Bible, so we have to be in it.
If I'm going to follow God's Commandments, I need to know
what they are and I can't know what they are.
Unless I pick this book up and Open it and read it.
Then I know what gods commanded. Then I can live it out.
This is how we know we have his word.
We abide in it. We study it, we immerse
ourselves in it, we feed on it and then we take what?
We learn and we go put it into action and we live it out.
Second Timothy. 3:16 through 17 says, all scripture is breathed
out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for
correction, for training in righteousness.
That the man of God, may be complete equipped for every good
work. So, we see that abiding in
Christ abiding in God's word. Makes us complete.
It helps us know how to do these good works.
It makes us whole as a Christian God's word.
Does this Colossians 3:16 Says, let the word of Christ?
Dwell in you or abide in you richly teaching and admonishing
one. Another in all wisdom, singing,
Psalms, and hymns, and spiritual songs with thankfulness to God
in your heart, we are commanded to let God's word abide in US
richly. Now, when you talk about letting
something abide in you or abiding in something richly,
that doesn't mean that you're just sprinkled a little bit with
it, that's the idea if you're going to marinate a steak.
Take and you're going to put it in something and soak it like
you're going to cover it with some kind of marinade and let it
soak for hours or days even to where it is just saturated with
that marinade that's what we're talking about here.
We must dwell richly in God's word, this isn't a light
sprinkling or dusting occasionally.
That's going to make no difference.
We have to be in God's word, constantly dwelling in it again.
That's my happy place, that's where I want to stay.
Another way that we abide in Christ is through prayer.
First Thessalonians 5:17 says, pray without ceasing.
Who knows what without ceasing means, always right?
You don't stop. You're in a constant state of
prayer. Philippians 4:6 says, do not be
anxious about anything but in everything by prayer and
supplication with Thanksgiving, let your requests be made known
to God. And then Ephesians 6 tells us
take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the spirit, which
is the word of God, praying at all times in the spirit with all
prayer, and all supplication to that end, keep alert with all
perseverance, making supplication for the Saints.
So, over and over and over again.
We see these commands to be in prayer.
Constantly to don't be anxious about anything but with
everything present your requests to the Lord through
supplication. Pray for your brothers and
sisters. Pray for the fellow Saints.
And we're commanded to do this and speaking of brothers and
sisters and the fellow Saints. There's another way that we can
abide in Christ, is to abide with one another to gather
regularly as the family of God and worship together.
Hebrews 10:24 through 25 says, let us consider how to stir one
another up to love and good works.
Not neglecting to meet together as is the habit of some but
encouraging one, another and all the more as you see the day
Drawing Near Notice that we're not too, we're not to neglect
meeting together as some people do, we're to gather together
weekly for what? Stir one, another up for love
and good works. Remember that's that's what
we're created for. That's what we've been born into
the family of God for is to do. Good works.
There are times that I don't feel like doing good works and I
need you guys to come alongside me and encouraged me and stir me
up. And I know, Over the last few
months, it has been tough, but I think we've all walked away from
this more encouraged to do. Good works to to gather together
to worship together. There's no way we can do this
alone. We have to do it together.
So through these things through staying in God's word and
through prayer and through gathering together at home,
groups, and Sunday mornings, all of this.
This is how we can abide. Died in Christ and be equipped
for good works. This is how we do it now.
In the in the years past I have preached at New Year's a couple
of different times. And I've talked with you, I'm
sure you guys don't remember this.
I don't expect you to but preparing for this sermon.
I look back over some of my past sermons that I've preached on
this. And we've talked about spiritual
disciplines were habits versus resolutions.
We've talked about the difference and habits versus
resolutions. We've talked about how these are
called disciplines, Because they require discipline and hard
work. We've done that.
I did not want to come in here today and talk to you and set
this up that way. I didn't want to say look today,
we're going to talk about spiritual disciplines because I
don't want you to hear me talking about legalism here.
I don't want you to think that I'm here saying, indeed be
reading your Bible and praying and coming to church.
That's what you need to start this year out here, and it's not
about that. It's not about that at all.
I want to talk to you. What I wanted you to hear today
is our motivation behind those things.
Why do we do those things? It's not about legalism, it's
not about checking boxes. It's about loving the god that
saved you, and being in communion with him daily, in his
word and praying and being in communion with the other people
that he's saved around you, with your brothers and sisters in
Christ, it is about finding true and Lasting joy.
In Christ. We've seen this in these verses,
this Is this is how we can be joyful.
He says, in this John 15 text in verse 11, these things I have
spoken to you. So that my joy may be in you and
that your joy may be made full. I don't know about you guys but
I want to go into 2023 joyful. I want to be more joyful, I need
to do that as a person, I'm naturally, pretty pessimistic.
And so this isn't about checking boxes, it's not about legalism,
it is about finding life and finding it to the fullest
finding true joy in Christ. That's why we do these things.
That's our motivation. This is where we find our
ultimate. Joy are true peace in our true
happiness is in following God's word, being in God's word and
following his commands loving and serving our creator.
That is what we are designed to do.
Because God is so awesome and so omniscient.
And his ways are higher than ours.
He designed it this way. He made us this way to do this,
this is our purpose. This is our function in our
design. We often think of these things,
as burdensome God better read my Bible every day.
It's so boring and I don't want to do it.
I've got to get up and go to church on Sunday, and got to put
up with these people that I've but God made us in a way that if
we will do what he's commanding us to.
We will find true, joy, and peace.
That is the most loving thing ever that our father, that our
creator, the one that made us and made us for a purpose.
Would tell us look, I made you a certain way.
Now go do these things. If you'll do it sort of created
you for you'll be happy. You'll find Joy, you'll find
peace. It would be the ultimate wrong
to not tell us to do these things to not command us to be
in his word. So we have to understand that
this is the most loving and kind act of Grace that God could ever
do for us is to give us his word and tell us hey be in this read
this you will find a life here you'll find Joy here He's giving
us the very thing that we need. The very thing we were created
to do. Not only did he send his son to
die for our sins but then he gave us the tools.
We need to be joyful and to persevere in this sinful world
that we still live in because he loves us and because he loves us
so much. We should be motivated to love
him and to be in his word and to gather together, that's the
motivation behind it all And you will find joy in this.
This is how we abide in Christ. This is how we have our joy
filled to the full, and this is our chief end.
Our ultimate purpose is to glorify God and enjoy him
forever. It's what we were made to do.
This is how we do it, we abide in Christ.
So, again, These things Bible study prayer Fellowship.
This isn't just legalism. This isn't just.
Hey, here's how you can be an A+ student in the school of
Christianity. This is how you will find.
True, joy, and happiness, in a sinful world around you.
This is how you make it. Through The Dark Night of your
soul. This is how you persevere
through Seasons. Like the one we've just come
through being in God's word, trusting in his promises
clinging to it daily encouraging one, another lifting, one
another up in prayer. This is how you find true joy in
the midst of all, that when it makes no sense to have joy.
So, I encourage you go into the new year doing these things.
Let's talk about some practical application.
If you're a Christian in this place, Your believer.
Yes, I am recommending. I'm strongly urging you to read
your Bible to pray to gather together with the Saints on the
Lord's day every week, as much as you can.
When it comes to reading the Bible, look pick a gap, pick a
Bible reading plan, our church puts ones out every year, it's
on the website, you can follow that one if you want, but
they've been making these, these things called a One Year Bible
for a really long time. You can pick one of those up.
You can get them in chronological order and you just
open to Day's date, and it tells you exactly what to read, you
just read a page or two and you're done.
You can get on a website called Bible reading, plan
generator.com, and you can tell it what you want to read this
year. If you don't want to set too,
high of a goal. You just say, look, I just want
to read the New Testament this year.
If I can do that, I'll be doing great.
Get on there and put the New Testament, it'll divide it up
and days for you and every day you can get on your calendar, on
your phone. It will tell you exactly what to
read, take it with you. Everywhere you go.
It's in your pocket. You guys know Their audience
Audio Bibles out there, you can listen to it on your commute to
work every day. I mean, I get it.
It's tough time is at a premium but you can make it work.
So I encourage you to do that. There's no shortage of tools out
there for you. So I encourage you to pick a
Bible reading plan and stick to it.
Carve out time every day. The, you know, you can get
somewhere and get quiet and read for 15, 20 minutes, 30 minutes,
whatever just make it happen. Be disciplined in it.
When it comes to prayer, there are a lot of tools for that to
their apps out there. The one that we've recommended
to you in the past called prayer mate.
You can have different categories, you can put lists in
there, you can build it and get as complicated as you want with
it. But you can have people in there
and you just get on there and just swipe, and pray through
those things. Same thing that tons of tools
out there, use a good old pen and paper, and keep a list, take
it with you, or you go. Keep a notepad in your pocket.
I don't care. Just pray, pray, pray, pray.
Ray. I don't know what that was.
Let's pray. It wasn't a bomb.
Let's keep going. Okay.
All right, so prayer, Bible study and prayer and now let's
talk about one last gathering with the Saints.
So we know you guys know every Sunday morning, you can come
into this place, we're going to be singing praises to the Lord.
We're going to be reading from his word.
So gather together weekly now I want to also encourage you in
this things like home groups on Wednesday nights biblical
manhood and Womanhood when they meet those things are fantastic.
And this is how you grow as a Christian and okay gathering
together once a week in hearing. Someone preach from God's word,
is absolutely essential, but those other things are almost
considered extracurricular. Now, I highly encourage you in
that. This is how we grow.
This is how we grow in community.
I know if it weren't for home groups, over the years, I
wouldn't know half of you near as well as I do.
This is how you get to know people.
It's how you go through life together, I just can't and I
can't encourage you enough to get plugged into a home group to
a small group of the church to get to know the church better.
It's really hard to do that if you only come on Sundays, but we
are commanded to gather together once a week and Worship the
Lord. So do that commit to that, be
here weekly. We need you here we need to
encourage one another. So again Last week Kyle
actually, I Was preparing for this sermon.
I was talking to him a little bit.
He was encouraging me and in this and trying to just give me
some words of encouragement. He said this encourage our
people to read God's word, pray, God's word, live out, God's word
among the saints and take God's word into the world.
And that's exactly what you will do.
That your purpose is to do, good works and glorify God in doing
those good works and you can't be equipped for good works.
If you don't do these things. So that's our purpose.
And when we live in such a way that we are fulfilling that
purpose that God created us to do.
We bring honor and glory to him and we find our own joy and
happiness. And so that's my my point for
you today. As a Christian is, this is your
Chief end. This is what you were made to
do. Let's go into 2023, setting
goals and developing habits that lend themselves.
Toward that help us glorify God, more and find joy in In him.
Now, if you were in this place and you have never placed your
faith in Christ, If you are not a Believer and I don't, I'm not
talking about church attendance. I'm talking about, if you've
never actually committed your life, to Christ committed to be
a follower of him than that is step.
One, there can be no fullness of joy.
Like we read about here in John 15.
There can be no fullness of joy apart from knowing and abiding
in Jesus Christ. Amen.
You cannot do it. Apart from him, you must give
Give your life to Christ. Kyle said this last week, you
said we don't leave Jesus in a manger, we don't pray to and
sing to and worship little baby Jesus.
Despite what Ricky Bobby says. We pray to, we sing to, And We
Worship the King of Kings and the Lord of lords, the one, who
conquered sin and death and one day, every knee will bow and
every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.
And so I encourage you today. If you have never done that,
don't wait until that day, do it now make Jesus Christ, the lord
of your life, give your life to him.
Uh, it to him submit to his lordship.
Follow him and find newness of life and in doing.
So you will find fullness of joy.
Repent of your sins and turn to Christ today.
If you have never done that, you were made for a purpose.
You were made to bring glory and honor to your Creator.
God Almighty, turn to him and know his Joy today and have your
joy made full. Amen.
Let's pray father. Love you.
God we are so grateful. Again to be in this place, we
are thankful for your son, Jesus, that you sent to die on
that cross for us. God were grateful that you made
a way for us to be redeemed. And to be forgiven, I pray, God
that if there's anyone in this place, it is never committed
their life to you. That isn't a follower of yours
that you would convict them that you would turn their Heart of
Stone and a heart of Flesh that you would draw them to yourself
and that they would repent and submit their life to you and
follow you for the rest of their days.
And God, I pray for those of us in this place that call
ourselves Christians, that claim to be your followers, that we
would live our lives in such a way that prove it, that we would
dwell and abide in your word. That we would be a people known
for prayer and that we would gather together and worship
together and fellowship together as often as possible.
God I pray as we go into a new year that you equip us and
strengthen us and you help us to know your joy help us to know
fullness of joy. God equip us for that.
So that we can do. Good works and bring you honor
and Glory forever. We love you in Jesus name.
Amen.