A New Year Resolution for New Hope West Oahu

A New Year Resolution for New Hope West Oahu

January 8, 2012 / 8:30am

It's that time of year again.

We're going to lose weight, exercise more, get out of debt, stick to a budget, stop smoking, save for the future and spend more time with family.

We make resolutions because we want to bring change to bear on our circumstances.  We want to improve ourselves and our quality of life. And the top resolutions, for most people, tend to revolve around the same three items: money, health and family.

But what would a set of New Year's resolutions look like for you and this church, your role as a leader, or simply as someone who wants to live a life of strategic Kingdom investment?

Though many more could be added, here are 15 to consider:

1. Pray more.

So he said to me, "This is the word of the LORD … ‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,' says the LORD Almighty (Zechariah 4:6, NIV).

2. Invest in my spiritual gift(s). 

Do not neglect your gift, which was given you through a prophetic message when the body of elders laid their hands on you. Be diligent in these matters; give yourself wholly to them, so that everyone may see your progress (I Timothy 4:14-15, NIV).

3. Get more intentional about evangelism.

I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some (I Corinthians 9:22, NIV).

4. Care for myself spiritually.

Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me (Philippians 3:12, NIV).

5. Make the tough decisions I know are best.

And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there. I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me. However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me — the task of testifying to the gospel of God's grace (Acts 20:22-24, NIV).

6.  Confront debilitating patterns of sin.

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us (Hebrews 12:1, NIV).

7.  Do the hard work needed to build community.

If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over (Matthew 18:15, NIV).

8. Keep in touch with contemporary culture.

From the tribe of Issachar, there were 200 leaders. … All these men understood the signs of the times and knew the best course for Israel to take (I Chronicles 12:32, NLT).

9. Quit comparing myself to other Christians, other leaders and other churches.

Turning his head, Peter noticed the disciple Jesus loved following right behind.  When Peter noticed him, he asked Jesus, "Master, what's going to happen to him?"

Jesus said, "If I want him to live until I come again, what's that to you? You — follow me." That is how the rumor got out among the brothers that this disciple wouldn't die. But that is not what Jesus said. He simply said, "If I want him to live until I come again, what's that to you?" (John 21:20-23, Msg)

10. Read more.

Timothy, please come as soon as you can. … When you come, be sure to … bring my books … (II Timothy 4:9,13 NLT)

11.  Prioritize my family.

A leader must be well-thought-of, committed to his wife, … attentive to his own children and having their respect. For if someone is unable to handle his own affairs, how can he take care of God's church? (I Timothy 3:2-5, Msg)

12. Refuse to use ministry to satisfy my personal ambition.

Should you then seek great things for yourself? Seek them not (Jeremiah 45:5, NIV).

13. Love people, not just crowds.

If I speak with human eloquence and angelic ecstasy but don't love, I'm nothing but the creaking of a rusty gate. If I speak God's Word with power, revealing all his mysteries and making everything plain as day, and if I have faith that says to a mountain, "Jump," and it jumps, but I don't love, I'm nothing. If I give everything I own to the poor and even go to the stake to be burned as a martyr, but I don't love, I've gotten nowhere. So, no matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I'm bankrupt without love (I Corinthians 13:1-3, Msg).

14. Be more open to change.

See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? (Isaiah 43:19, NIV)

15. Stay focused on the vision.

They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common.  Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved (Acts 2:42-47, NIV).

Vision: “NHWO Exists to proclaim that God can be trusted and people matter.”  -- Matt. 28:18-20 – Edification, Equipping, Evangelism, and Extension

Message on January 8, 2012

A New Year Without Fear

Hebrews 13:5-6

January 8, 2012 / 10:30

The dictionary defines “fear,” as being: a distressing emotion 

aroused by impending danger, evil, pain, etc., whether the threat is real or imagined. 

  

In Hebrews Chapter 13:5-6, the author writes, 5 Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” 6 So we can confidently say, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?”

Outline: In these two verses, there are four incredibly wonderful thoughts we can apply to our lives as we face the new year together.  And I would like for you to face this new year by squaring back your shoulders, putting a smile on your face, and saying "The Lord is my helper, I will not fear." 

1.  We Have the Contentment of His Provision - v. 5: Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have

Folks, discontentment is a disease, and it takes away your joy and it takes away your peace.  And what is contentment?  

Contentment is not getting what you want, but it is wanting what you already have.  

You see, contentment will make a poor man rich.  And discontentment makes a poor man even more poorer.  

1 Tim. 6: 6 But godliness with contentment is great gain, 7 for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. 8 But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. 9 But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs. 

        

If you've got something on your back, and something to eat, and you have Jesus Christ in your heart, you're blessed. You see, material things can never bring contentment, and the reason they cannot bring contentment is that material things can never satisfy the deepest need of your heart.  

Ecc. 5:10 - He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves wealth with his income; this also is vanity.

Either you can't get enough of it, or when you get it, you find out it doesn't meet your need. You see, this round world, will never fit in your three-cornered heart.  It cannot satisfy the deepest longings of your soul.  

Now why can't material things bring contentment?

Well Jesus explained it in Luke 12:15 - “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” 16 And he told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man produced plentifully, 17 and he thought to himself, ‘What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?’ 18 And he said, ‘I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. 19 And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.”’ 20 But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ 21 So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.”

Your deepest needs will never be met by material things. Nothing wrong with material things, they just simply cannot satisfy the deepest longing of your heart.  This is why if you are going to invest, invest in eternity.

Remember the passage in Psalm 37:4  "Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desire of your heart."  Now that doesn't mean that you'll have every desire met. It means that when you delight yourself in Him – when you yearn for the things that are on the heart of God, He will then give to you His desires and you will experience contentment. How so? Because you will find it in the Lord and not in anyone or in anything else.  You see, only in Jesus can your desires be met – the deepest desires of your heart.

Heb. 10:34 – For you had compassion on those in prison, and you joyfully accepted the plundering of your property, since you knew that you yourselves had a better possession and an abiding one. 35 Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. 36 For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised.  

Do you know the word content literally means self-contained?  

It’s the same idea used in Philip. 4:11 -  10 I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at length you have revived your concern for me. You were indeed concerned for me, but you had no opportunity. 11 Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. 12 I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. 13 I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

Now when Paul wrote this he was in prison.   And what he literally means is this, I can do all things through Christ who is pouring His life into me.  Be content with Christ’s provision.

Now personally, contentment does not mean I'm satisfied with myself.  That doesn't mean that I don't have any ambition.  It means that I don’t long or lust for things to bring me happiness. And so if you want to face this New Year without fear, learn to be content with Christ’s provisions.

2. Know the Companionship of His Presence – v. 5: Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” 

You see, I don't know what I'm going to face this year.  But there's one thing I do know, I know He will never leave me.  This is so encouraging. You see, we fear because we're afraid we're going to have to face something we don't understand, and we're going to have to face it alone. 

I’ve came across people who are alone on Christmas. Dr. Abraham Maslow, famed research analyst said, "The truth is that the average American does not have a real friend in the world."    And psychiatrist Alfred Adler said, "All human failures spring from a lack of love," -- and then he named some of them: alcoholism, workaholics, depression, suicide.  He said all of this springs from a lack of love.  People need someone to love, and they need to be loved, and without it, their lives are filled with fear, and frustration.   And they turn to lesser things in order to get a temporary fix.

Now look at that verse.  He says, I will never leave you.  Do you see it?  Never.

Now in the Greek, this phrase actually has five negatives in it.  Now we say a double negative is bad English, but evidently it wasn't bad Greek.  And here's what it literally says, "I will never, no not ever, no never leave nor forsake you." Let me give that to you again.  "I will never, no not ever, no never leave you nor forsake you."

We can face the New Year without fear because there is the companionship of His presence.  Not only will Jesus not leave you, but it also says that He will not “forsake” you as well. The word “forsake” literally means, “to abandoned” or “to give up on.” The idea is that Jesus will not leave you as an orphan.

I am speaking to women whose husbands have left them; to those whose fathers have walked out on them; husbands whose wives have left them, employees who have been suddenly dismissed for whatever reason.  Although all may happen, Jesus will never leave nor forsake you.

And so what does that mean to me as I face a new year?  When I'm discouraged, I know that He sees me through, because He's there. Also, I know even though I can be bad at times and make some pretty awful choices. God will not abandoned me as others would.

Loneliness is one of the chief maladies of our age, but Jesus said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you."  What I am saying is this: When I am discouraged, His presence sees me through.  When I am lonely, His presence cheers me up.  And when I worry, His presence calms me down.

Do you know what worry is?  Worry is a mild form of atheism.  It's acting like God doesn't exist.  

You see, we need to practice the presence of the Lord this coming year.  You're going to be tempted to close doors that should remain open. You will be tempted to open doors that should remain close. Listen: When the devil comes and knocks at your heart's door, and tells you to open a door that should stay close, or to close a door that should remain open, you can simply say, "Jesus, please go answer the door."  

3.  I Have the Confidence of His Promise – v. 5: Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” 

A promise is no better than the one who makes it.  Again in the Greek language, this is an intention.  And what it literally says is, "He, himself, has said."  

Who is making this promise? It is the omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent, God.  This is the confidence of His promise.  So in His omnipotence, God promises me strength when I am weak; in His omniscience, God knows all about me and promises to love me with all my faults; in His omnipresence, God promises to never leave or forsake me.  What have I to fear? When God makes a promise, He is more than able to deliver on it.

4. I Can Know the Comfort of His Protection.  v. 6: So we can confidently say, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?”

Now look carefully again at the text: Verse 5 says, “For He has said. . .” Verse 6 says, “So we may boldly say. . .”  What gives to me the boldness to make this declaration? God has said. 

So here, how do you face this new year without fear?  You find your contentment in Christ.  You find your companionship in Christ.  You find your confidence in Christ.  And then you'll find your comfort in Christ, so that we may boldly say, "The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me."  

Now, I don't know what you're going to have to go through this coming year.  I don't know what sickness, I don't know what heartache, I don't know what trouble, but this much I do know: I can boldly say, “The Lord is my helper, I will not fear what man shall do to me." 

When you face this New Year, I want you to find your contentment in Jesus.  I want you to find your companionship in Jesus.  I want you to find confidence in Jesus.  Then you'll find your comfort and your courage in Jesus.