A New Year: What Will it bring into our lives?
Good morning to all. I would like to think about the New Year with you.
The month January is named after the pagan god Janus. This pagan god had 2 faces. One old representing the past year and one young, representing the new year.
Around the world New Years Eve and New Years Day reflect the old year passing and the new year coming in.
God made our calendar to include a new year to accommodate our need for a fresh start. The old year is marred in the sense that the mistakes we made cannot be undone and time has passed with no way to get it back. January 1 is a fresh beginning to a new year that is not yet marred by our mistakes and is full of promise and hope.
Old things pass and all things are made new
2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
Paul reminds us that when we are born again the old ways of our life pass away and we are granted a brand new beginning. Jesus said we must be born again. Are you born again? If not, perhaps this new year will be a time for you to think about what it would be like to die without Christ. It means when you die, it will be too late to repent and turn to Christ. Today is the acceptable time to respond to the gospel. (2 Corinthians 6:2)
Our loving Father made it possible that you and I can have a relationship with Him through His Son, Jesus Christ. "Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
Walk in newness of life
Romans 6:3-4 Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? 4 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
This text dovetails with the previous text. We can walk in newness of life when we are born again. God's Spirit indwells or lives in us (1 Corinthians 6:19-20) and He will open our hearts and minds to the truth of God's word. He will pour out the love of God into our hearts (Romans 5:5).
Are you sick and tired of living like the world lives? Are you exhausted trying out all the things that the culture says will satisfy your longings only to find that they do not? Do you feel empty and purposeless? This is why Jesus said we must be born again.
The new birth brings a new relationship with God through Christ. This new relationship allows us to walk in newness of life. Life in Christ has meaning, purpose, satisfaction and joy.
Walk in newness of Spirit
Romans 7:6 But now we are delivered from the law, that being dead wherein we were held; that we should serve in newness of spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter.
When we are born again we have the opportunity to yield ourselves to the Spirit of God so that we can be empowered to serve the All Glorious God of heaven and earth.
A New Heaven and New Earth await the faithful believer in Christ
2 Peter 3:10-13 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.11 Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, 12 Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat? 13 Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.
Peter speaks about the glorious coming of Jehovah to render a final and complete judgment on all the world for sin. All those not "in Christ" will be judged and eternally condemned.
The believers hope is a new heaven and the new earth that God will create. The new heaven and earth will be filled with His righteousness. There will be no sin and no sinners in His kingdom.
Revelation 21:1-5 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. 2 And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. 4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. 5 And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.
John describes some of the splendor of the new heaven and the new earth and the certainty that all of the old will pass away.
What are you laboring for today? Do the things of this life soak up most of your time and resources and energy? Seek those things that are above not things on earth.
The Kingdom of God will be an indescribably glorious place where Christ shall sit on the throne of David. God saved us in order to change us into the image of His Son. This means that we should be passionate about the very things that Christ was passionate about. He left us here to make disciples for our Lord one at a time. We need to be fishers of men like Peter (Matthew 4:19). We need to do our part to lead people to Christ like Paul did.
1 Corinthians 9:19-22 For though I be free from all men, yet have I made myself servant unto all, that I might gain the more. 20 And unto the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews; to them that are under the law, as under the law, that I might gain them that are under the law; 21 To them that are without law, as without law, (being not without law to God, but under the law to Christ,) that I might gain them that are without law. 22 To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak: I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some.
Points to Ponder.....
The month January is named after the pagan god Janus. This pagan god had 2 faces. One old representing the past year and one young, representing the new year.
Around the world New Years Eve and New Years Day reflect the old year passing and the new year coming in.
God made our calendar to include a new year to accommodate our need for a fresh start. The old year is marred in the sense that the mistakes we made cannot be undone and time has passed with no way to get it back. January 1 is a fresh beginning to a new year that is not yet marred by our mistakes and is full of promise and hope.
Old things pass and all things are made new
2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
Paul reminds us that when we are born again the old ways of our life pass away and we are granted a brand new beginning. Jesus said we must be born again. Are you born again? If not, perhaps this new year will be a time for you to think about what it would be like to die without Christ. It means when you die, it will be too late to repent and turn to Christ. Today is the acceptable time to respond to the gospel. (2 Corinthians 6:2)
Our loving Father made it possible that you and I can have a relationship with Him through His Son, Jesus Christ. "Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
Walk in newness of life
Romans 6:3-4 Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? 4 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
This text dovetails with the previous text. We can walk in newness of life when we are born again. God's Spirit indwells or lives in us (1 Corinthians 6:19-20) and He will open our hearts and minds to the truth of God's word. He will pour out the love of God into our hearts (Romans 5:5).
Are you sick and tired of living like the world lives? Are you exhausted trying out all the things that the culture says will satisfy your longings only to find that they do not? Do you feel empty and purposeless? This is why Jesus said we must be born again.
The new birth brings a new relationship with God through Christ. This new relationship allows us to walk in newness of life. Life in Christ has meaning, purpose, satisfaction and joy.
Walk in newness of Spirit
Romans 7:6 But now we are delivered from the law, that being dead wherein we were held; that we should serve in newness of spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter.
When we are born again we have the opportunity to yield ourselves to the Spirit of God so that we can be empowered to serve the All Glorious God of heaven and earth.
A New Heaven and New Earth await the faithful believer in Christ
2 Peter 3:10-13 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.11 Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, 12 Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat? 13 Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.
Peter speaks about the glorious coming of Jehovah to render a final and complete judgment on all the world for sin. All those not "in Christ" will be judged and eternally condemned.
The believers hope is a new heaven and the new earth that God will create. The new heaven and earth will be filled with His righteousness. There will be no sin and no sinners in His kingdom.
Revelation 21:1-5 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. 2 And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. 4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. 5 And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.
John describes some of the splendor of the new heaven and the new earth and the certainty that all of the old will pass away.
What are you laboring for today? Do the things of this life soak up most of your time and resources and energy? Seek those things that are above not things on earth.
The Kingdom of God will be an indescribably glorious place where Christ shall sit on the throne of David. God saved us in order to change us into the image of His Son. This means that we should be passionate about the very things that Christ was passionate about. He left us here to make disciples for our Lord one at a time. We need to be fishers of men like Peter (Matthew 4:19). We need to do our part to lead people to Christ like Paul did.
1 Corinthians 9:19-22 For though I be free from all men, yet have I made myself servant unto all, that I might gain the more. 20 And unto the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews; to them that are under the law, as under the law, that I might gain them that are under the law; 21 To them that are without law, as without law, (being not without law to God, but under the law to Christ,) that I might gain them that are without law. 22 To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak: I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some.
Points to Ponder.....
- If we are mired in the muck of sin we can receive a fresh cleansing and a fresh start with God. (1 John 1:5-10)
- If we have grown cold or apathetic to Christ, we can receive a fresh filling of God's Spirit when we confess and forsake our sins, and seek our God's help. (Ephesians 5:18)
- If we have left our first love and sought carnal things, we need to remember what God has done for us at salvation. We need to repent of our sins and recommit to live by the will of God so we can be revived and receive fresh zeal from the Lord. (Psalm 138:7 & Isaiah 57:15)
May our New Year's resolution reflect a brand new commitment to follow hard after Christ in the coming new year. May we seek the cleansing and refreshing from our God that we need. May we seek to honor Him with our lives.
Bob
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