Sermon Central
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Christian New Year's Resolutions
Contributed by Rick Pendleton on Nov 9, 2009 (message contributor)
Summary: Everyone makes them though few keep them. Here are some we need to keep.
Christian New Year’s Resolutions
By show of hands, how many of you made at least one New Year’s resolution?
How many of you made no resolutions because you still have not kept last year’s... or the year before.... or before... or before.
It reminds me of the man who, when asked what he got his wife for Christmas replied,
"Nothing. She still has not used what I got her last year." Well, what did you get here last
year? "A cemetery plot!"
Well, I certainly hope that none of us has need of one of those this year. However, I do think that we need resolutions.
In fact, Today, I want to share with you some resolutions that I hope you will make... AND KEEP!!!
These are not mine, not from me they are from some people that you might want to
listen to.
Without further delay.... let’s get started.
1. LIKE PAUL in Phil. 3:13.... Resolve to forget those things which are behind and press forward.
*** In the lower part of South Carolina is a very poisonous snake called the coral snake. It’s venom is very potent and very deadly. However, those people who live in that area rarely die from the bite because they know a secret.... "shake it off’. You see, while the venom is very deadly, the coral snake has no fangs with which to inject it like a rattler. Instead, it has to bite it’s victim and hang on while working it’s jaws back and forth like a scissor in order to penetrate the skin. If the would-be victim is knowledgeable, they will simply shake the snake off before he can inject the poison. So.... the greatest danger is not being bitten.... but allowing the snake to hang on.
That is how it is with sin.... often the greatest danger of sin is not the immediate consequences.... but the long term effects of allowing the sin to "hang on."
We all sin from time to time. We all make mistakes some times
I do not wish to diminish the severity of sin. But I do want to let you know that the greatest damage caused by sin is done by unconfessed, unrepented and guilt causing sin.
Guilt is like shackles that keep you in prison, that keep you from experiencing joy, happiness, peace, LIFE ABUNDANT!!!
*** A mailman got a new route. On the first porch he came to he was confronted by a ferocious-looking German Shepherd poised to jump. The mailman approached the mail
box and the dog sprang straight up, 5 feet, and landed in the same place, the mailman
was relieved to see the dog keep his distance. He asked the owner, who came to the door, "Why did he jump straight up like that?" The reply was, "Oh, we took his chain off yesterday, but he has not realized it yet.(3)
It was good for the mailman.... but bad for us.... our chains still hold us captive.
1. Agree with God IT IS SIN.... IT IS SERIOUS.... CONFESS IT.... REPENT OF IT...
AND MOVE ON!!!!!
2. LIKE DAVID in Psalm 121:1.... lift up our eyes to the hills from which cometh our help.
The greatest sin that we often commit against our selves, our families, and our God is to look in the wrong direction.
How many of you know what prestidigitation is? Some of you are probably thinking "I don’t know what it is but it sounds like something you would not do in public."
It means "slight of hand"... or in French, "Legerdemain." (2)
All of what we call "magic" performed by David Copperfield and others, is really slight of hand or.... the art of misdirection.... getting you to look in one direction so that you don’t see what is happening somewhere else.
Satan is the greatest of all magicians, prestidigitators, misdirectors.
He loves to get us to look in the wrong direction... especially when we are in need or in trouble.
Satan wants us to look .... TO STUFF.... money, power, friends, savings, alliance, knowledge, science, self, cunning, etc.
Because he knows that those things are not the real source of help. He knows those things will all fail us.
And he knows that if we were to look in the right direction,.. TO GOD... we would find true help and would be victorious over him and his snares.
The truth is that most of the times when we failed and stumbled last year... we were looking in the wrong direction
we looked in the wrong direction and got in trouble
we looked in the wrong direction and stayed in trouble
Let’s resolve that this year, when I am in need.... I WILL LOOK UNTO GOD FROM WHENCE MY HELP COMETH.
3. LIKE ENOCH in Genesis 5:24.... Walk in daily fellowship with our heavenly father
