S.T.A.R.T. with Christ

Sermon Title: “S.T.A.R.T. With Christ”

Good News Statement: Christ gives us newness, new beginnings, and renewal

Preached: Sunday, January 01, 2022 at Dogwood Prairie UMC & Seed Chapel UMC

Pastor Daniel G. Skelton, M.Div.

 

Scripture (NKJV): Revelation 21:1-5 Today’s scripture reading comes from the words of John as he describes what he sees at the end of the Book of Revelation in chapter twenty-one verses one thru five.

 

All Things Made New

21 Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. ² Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. ³ And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. ⁴ And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.”

⁵ Then He who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” And He said to me, “Write, for these words are true and faithful.”

This is the Word of God for the People of God; And all God’s people said, “Thanks be to God.”

Introduction:

How many of you here this morning, would like to have a fresh start in life? ” Many of us here this morning have made many mistakes in our lives. We have experienced many setbacks and failures throughout our lives. Sometimes we allow these mistakes, these setbacks and failures, to enslave us to the point that we never enjoy the full Christian life that God has given us to enjoy. All of us here need a Fresh Start, a New Beginning with God.

At the start of every new year, people like to set New Year’s Resolutions: exercise more, read more, pray more, create more family time, work less, eat healthier, you name it and it could become a New Year’s Resolution. Every year, I strive to be more organized and a head of the game…notice that I said “every year,” implying that I usually don’t keep up with my New Year’s Resolutions very well, and I am not alone. According to recent research published by insideoutmastery.com, 59% of young adults—ages 18-34—have New Year’s Resolutions, 48% want to exercise more, 23% quit their resolution in the first week—only 36% make it past the first month—and only 9% successfully keep their New Year’s Resolutions. Needless to say whether you keep your resolution or not, almost every resolution that we set for ourselves seeks us to move away from the past and strive to live in the newness of today and tomorrow. Almost every resolution is a call for a fresh start. So, I ask again, “How many of you could use a FESH START for 2023?”

In the second to last chapter of the last book of the Bible, John, while sitting on the island of Patmos, after being frightened, terrified, transported, bombarded by angles, hearing devastating news, witnessing death, destruction, and the devil, reading letters to churches, hearing trumpets, and after seeing the victory of Christ as he rode on a horse, finally hears uplifting news: “Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband” (Revelation 21:1-2). John saw what we all long to see: the New Jerusalem, a New Start with God. Today, we are invited to enter 2023 with a vision of the New Jerusalem—a life filled with the love of Christ and a church called to be a lighthouse to many. But we must S.T.A.R.T. now if we want to experience a new heaven and new earth.

Body:

New Heaven and New Earth: a place where the streets are paved with gold, the river of life flows down the middle, the tree of life straddles the river, and God is seen sitting on his throne. This place is a place of new beginnings, fresh starts. There is newness to this place; a heavenly newness waits for us all if we are willing to seek newness in Jesus Christ. In this place, “God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away” (Revelation 21:4). For the former things have passed away. God has made “everything new” (Revelation 21:5).

What John sees is what we all long for in life: we all long for the day that we are made new in Christ Jesus. And believe it or not, we get this opportunity every day to live in the newness of Christ, but we especially have this desire every year when we flip the calendar over to January. January is our newness, an opportunity for a fresh start: to remove the former things of life. Come January, we seek newness through idea of fresh starts and New Year’s resolutions.

Today, I want to share with you all a formula for seeking newness in Christ, and this formula is simply this: S.T.A.R.T. This formula will help us all realize that no matter our past, no matter our failures or faults, no matter if we said or did the wrong thing, no matter if we have done something that we wish nobody finds out about, we can all S.T.A.R.T. over and be granted an abundant life with God in 2023. And from our abundant life, we have the opportunity to experience a “new heaven and new earth.”

S – Stop making excuses.

If I want a fresh start in life, I have to stop making excuses for my failures. I’ve got to stop blaming other people. I’ve got to stop seeing myself as the victim of my circumstances.  The Bible says that the starting point is to just be honest and accept responsibility for my part in the problem. Proverbs 28:13 says, “A man who refuses to admit his mistakes can never be successful. But if he confesses and forsakes them he gets another chance.” He gets a fresh start. He says the starting point to starting over is to be honest and face up to the problems, that most of the problems in my life, most of the failures, are my fault. But it’s hard to admit to a failure. It is hard to get people to admit when they are wrong. People do not like to admit, “I made a mistake, and I blew it.” God says, “That if we admit the mistake, if we admit our failures, and if we admit our sin, then we get another chance in life. If we take more time finding a solution than coming up with excuses, just imagine what life would be like. A life where honesty paved the sidewalks, trust was written on every mailbox, and encouragement was on every street corner. If you want to experience the new heaven and new earth of God, then you must stop making excuses, admit your faults, and listen to what God is telling you.

T – Take An Inventory Of My Life

I need to take an inventory of my life. That means I need to evaluate all my experiences. I need to look at what I have left after the failure. I need to take an inventory of my life’s experiences and learn from them. Galatians 3:4 states, “You have experienced many things. Were all those experiences wasted? I hope not.”

The Living Bible says, “You have suffered so much for the gospel. Now are you going to throw it all over board?” Learn from your mistakes. Grow from your failures. Turn your trials into triumphs.

When we take inventory of our life, we find that God shapes our lives based upon four different experiences. God uses personal experiences; God uses vocational and educational experiences; God uses spiritual experiences, like coming to church, going on a retreat or reading your Bible, having a quiet time; and God uses painful experiences to shape you. As you take inventory of your life in starting over, you need to take special note of how God is working in your life based upon one or all of these experiences and ask yourself three questions: What have I learned?, What are my assets?, and Who can help me? The Lord Jesus will be there, He will help you to pull your life back together and make sure that you get started on the right foot; but you must be willing to spend the time in taking an inventory of your life before you can fully experience the new heaven and new earth of God: set aside the old and put on the new.

A – Act in Faith

This is the third step in getting a fresh start. Act in faith. You have to launch out into new territory. The Bible says that the key to changing anything is faith. If you want to change your circumstance, it takes faith. If you want to change your personality, it takes faith. If you want to change anything in your life, you have to have some faith. Jesus says this in Matthew 9, “According to your faith it will be done to you. ” That is a very simple statement but it’s very powerful. “According to your faith it will be done to you.” That means we tend to get out of life what we expect. “According to your faith it will be done to you.”

Luke demonstrates Matthew’s logic in Acts 3:1-5: “One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the hour of prayer, at three o’clock in the afternoon. And a man lame from birth was being carried in. People would lay him daily at the gate of the temple called the Beautiful Gate so that he could ask for alms from those entering the temple. When he saw Peter and John about to go into the temple, he asked them for alms. Peter looked intently at him, as did John, and said, ‘Look at us.’ And he fixed his attention on them, expecting to receive something from them.” This man asked for something and expected to get it, but in reality he got more than he expected. The point that I want to make is this lame man acted in faith and was greatly rewarded.

Whatever you focus on you tend to reproduce in your life. “According to your faith it will be done unto you.” In order to have a fresh start this year, focus on faith, put your faith into action. Don’t focus on your failures or mistakes. Instead focus on the reality that God is with you and God is going to do everything in His power to turn every mess into a message, every trial into a triumph, every victim into a victor, and every test into a testimony. You have to have faith if you want to experience the new heaven and new earth of God.

R – Refocus

I need to refocus my thoughts if I want to change my life. If I want to get going again, if I want a fresh start, I need to rethink the way that I think. I need to change my mind about a number of issues. Proverbs 4:23 states, “Be careful how you think. Your life is shaped by your thoughts.” The way you think, determines the way you feel. And the way you feel determines the way you act.

Paul writes in Romans 12:2, “Be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” If I have to refocus my thoughts to start over to get a fresh start, that means I have to stop thinking some old patterns. Which memories are you still rehearsing that keep you from having a fresh start in life? The Bible says let go. Let go of those things. The more you hold on to that memory, the more you rehearse it, it continues to hurt you today. It cannot hurt you without your permission. You have to change your mind and let go and get rid of those painful, hurtful memories of shame and guilt and other things. If you are seeking a fresh start in 2023, then spend some time refocusing your mind on God through prayer, reading scripture more, doing what Jesus would do. Allow your mind to be transformed and renewed by the presence of God in your life. “Happy are those who are always meditating on God’s word…They succeed in everything they do” (Psalm 1:1).

T – Trust

Trust God to help us succeed. Depend on Him. We don’t need to depend on ourselves. We’ve already proven that we can’t do it on our own. Zechariah 4:6 says, “You will not succeed by your own strength or power but by My Spirit, says the Lord.” When someone becomes a Christian, they become a brand new person inside. They are not the same anymore. A new life has begun! God specializes in new beginnings. Jesus Christ has the power to do that. It’s called being born again, the chance to start over. We can have a fresh start with a new life as we begin this New Year. God says, “I don’t want you to turn over a new leaf. I’m going to give you a whole new life.” If you want to start over in 2023, and receive a new life in God, then you must be willing to trust Him more every day. You must be willing to give God control of your life. The new heaven and new earth is about starting with trust.

Conclusion:

According to Isaiah 43:18 “The Lord says, `Forget about what has happened before. Do not think about the past. Instead, look at the new things I’m going to do.” The Apostle Paul wrote to the people of Ephesus, “Put away your former way of life, your old self, corrupt and deluded… and to clothe yourselves with the new self, created according to the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness” (Ephesians 4:22-24). Be made new in the likeness of Christ. Set aside the old; use the past to encourage you to live like Christ in the future. God has an abundant life for you, but you must be willing to seek a fresh start and a new beginning.

As you find yourself making or setting a New Year’s Resolution, strive to encounter a fresh start—set aside the old, put on the new, and live out the abundant life that God has gifted you. Seek to stop making excuses—do what God is calling you to do—take inventory—allow God to show you what is and is not working—act on faith not by sight—allow faith to guide you to newness in Christ—refocus—renew your mind and be transformed for the sake of doing God’s work here on earth for God’s people—and trust—learn to trust what God is telling you. If you want to experience the new heaven and new earth of God, then you must be willing to see God in the future. You must be willing to do what God needs you to do. God is willing to make “everything new,” but we must be willing to seek a fresh start and strive to see the New Jerusalem in our heart, in our church, and in our community. What new thing is God telling you to do in 2023? Where can you seek a fresh start in 2023? Where is this church going in 2023?

The time has come to allow God to make everything new. The process doesn’t start tomorrow, it starts today. Are you ready for a fresh start?

 

Communion Transition:

            Gathered around the table with imperfect people in a filthy upper room in Jerusalem, Jesus gave his disciples and us the opportunity to be made new, the chance for a fresh start. Jesus gave us the bread of his body so that we may become like him; and he gave us the blood of his body so that in this new covenant we may find eternal forgiveness. May this time around the table provide you with a fresh start as you are reminded of the abundant life that God has given you through His Son, Jesus Christ.

 

Benediction:

May you be reminded every day that you have been chosen by God to share the good news of great joy with all people. God has chosen you to go, tell it on the mountain that Jesus Christ is born. Don’t wait to share this news, but go with haste as you transform the hearts of many. May the birth of Christ bless you with everlasting hope, peace, joy, and love. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit go transforming lives as you live well and wisely in God’s world. And all God’s people said, Amen. Amen. Amen.

 

A Christian Prayer for the New Year

Our Father and our God, as we stand at the beginning of this new year we confess our need of Your presence and Your guidance as we face the future.

We each have our hopes and expectations for the year that is ahead of us-but You alone know what it holds for us, and only You can give us the strength and the wisdom we will need to meet its challenges. So help us to humbly put our hands into Your hand, and to trust You and to seek Your will for our lives during this coming year.

In the midst of life’s uncertainties in the days ahead, assure us of the certainty of Your unchanging love.

In the midst of life’s inevitable disappointments and heartaches, help us to turn to You for the stability and comfort we will need.

In the midst of life’s temptations and the pull of our stubborn self-will, help us not to lose our way but to have the courage to do what is right in Your sight, regardless of the cost.

And in the midst of our daily preoccupations and pursuits, open our eyes to the sorrows and injustices of our hurting world, and help us to respond with compassion and sacrifice to those who are friendless and in need. May our constant prayer be that of the ancient Psalmist: “Teach me, O Lord, to follow your decrees; then I will keep them to the end” (Psalm 119:33).

We pray for our nation and its leaders during these difficult times, and for all those who are seeking to bring peace and justice to our dangerous and troubled world. We pray especially for Your protection on all those who serve in our armed forces, and we thank You for their commitment to defend our freedoms, even at the cost of their own lives. Be with their families also, and assure them of Your love and concern for them.
Bring our divided nation together, and give us a greater vision of what You would have us to be. Your Word reminds us that “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord” (Psalm 33:12).

As we look back over this past year we thank You for Your goodness to us-far beyond what we have deserved. May we never presume on Your past goodness or forget all Your mercies to us, but may they instead lead us to repentance, and to a new commitment to make You the foundation and center of our lives this year.

And so, our Father, we thank You for the promise and hope of this new year, and we look forward to it with expectancy and faith. This I ask in the name of our Lord and Savior, who by His death and resurrection has given us hope both for this world and the world to come.

– Billy Graham