CATLETTSBURG SOUTHSIDE CHURCH OF THE NAZARENE
SUNDAY, JANUARY 1, 2012
AM WORSHIP SERVICE
HAPPY NEW YEAR
ORDER OF SERVICE
NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS IN THE EYES OF A CHILD (Movie Clip)
PASTORAL WELCOME
May all your troubles be as short as your New Year’s Resolutions
RESPONSIVE READING
Lam 3:21-26 (NKJV)
21 This I recall to my mind, Therefore I have hope.
22 Through the LORD’S mercies we are not consumed, Because His compassions fail not.
23 They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness.
24 "The LORD is my portion," says my soul, "Therefore I hope in Him!"
25 The LORD is good to those who wait for Him, To the soul who seeks Him.
26 It is good that one should hope and wait quietly For the salvation of the LORD.
PASTORAL PRAYER
CONGREGATIONAL
#44 “Great Is Thy Faithfulness”
PRAISE AND WORSHIP “Open the Eyes of my Heart”
“Better is one day”
“Be the Center”
WORSHIP WITH OUR TITHES AND OFFERINGS
Prayer
Offertory
SPECIAL MUSIC
CONGREGATIONAL SINGING
“I Will Serve Thee”
(Dismiss Junior Church)
“THE NEW HAS COME” (Movie Clip)
MESSAGE
“Things You Can Count On In the New Year”
Selected Passages
AM MESSAGE
“THINGS YOU CAN COUNT ON IN THE NEW YEAR”
INTRODUCTION OPENING COMMENTS
There are things that you can count on this year.
1. The people who got on your nerves in 2011 will probably get on your nerves in 2012.
2. The people who you got on their nerves in 2011 you will probably get on their nerves in 2012
3. Foods that put weight on me in 2011 will probably put weight on me in 2012
4. If I follow the same exercise program in 2012 that I followed in 2011 I more than likely will get the same results
5. If I change in 2012, it will take a greater strength and power than just mine to make it happen
THERE ARE TWO OLD TESTAMENT PASSAGES I WANT TO LOOK AT THIS MORNING.
I am convinced that God wants to do something new in our lives in 2012.
Lam 3:21-26 (NKJV)
21 This I recall to my mind, Therefore I have hope.
22 Through the LORD’S mercies we are not consumed, Because His compassions fail not.
23 They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness.
24 "The LORD is my portion," says my soul, "Therefore I hope in Him!"
25 The LORD is good to those who wait for Him, To the soul who seeks Him.
26 It is good that one should hope and wait quietly For the salvation of the LORD.
There is another passage in the Old Testament I want to look at this morning. It is found in the book of Zephaniah chapter 3. You hear a lot of preaching out of the Book of Zephaniah. It ranks right up there with Leviticus.
Zephaniah wrote to the people of Judah and his theme was doom and the pending judgment because of their rebellion and half-heartedness.
His message would be considered depressing like a constant rain or storm.
However, in the last part of chapter 3 HOPE breaks through.
Look at Zephaniah 3:5 with me.
Zephaniah 3:5
“But the Lord is good and HE is there in that city. HE does no wrong, Every morning HE governs the people fairly; every day HE can be trusted.”
FOUR THINGS YOU CAN COUNT ON IN 2012
I want to share with you 4 things from the passages we have read that you can count on in 2012.
There are thousands of promises in God’s Word.
Some say there are 2,000
Some say there are 3,000
Others say there are as many as 7,000 promises in the Word.
I know this, there are all the promises you and I need to face every problem we will face in 2012.
“For every problem we will face in 2012, God already knows about and God already has the solution.”
I want to share with you the words of Peter, and encourage you to write this verse down somewhere and memorize it for the New Year.
2 Peter 1:3-4 (NCV) 3 Jesus has the power of God, by which he has given us everything we need to live and to serve God. We have these things because we know him. Jesus called us by his glory and goodness. 4 Through these he gave us the very great and precious promises. With these gifts you can share in God’s nature, and the world will not ruin you with its evil desires.
FOUR THINGS YOU CAN COUNT ON IN 2012
Four things you can count on from the preaching text today.
We will call these, our take home applications.
TAKE HOME APPLICATION #1- As you face 2012, it is good to know the Lord has plenty of mercy and is full of compassion.
Mercy covers our past and compassion is God’s empathy for what we are going through right now.
I have actually typed most of this sermon 2 times this week.
ILLUSTRATION
Most of you know I keep most of my office work in the corner of the family room in the parsonage since we moved back. Most of my study I do early before anyone gets up. However, for the past couple of weeks I have been coming over to the church office early of a morning and doing study here, mainly because during the holidays we have had kids home and college friends coming and going. It has been easier to come to the church office. Therefore, I have been working on 2 computers. One morning this week I could not sleep, got up early about 3:30, came over to the church and took the sermon material I had worked on, put it on a jump drive and took it back to the house and worked on my sermon. Got up yesterday to finish and somehow I deleted that sermon and power point off of that jump drive and lost all the work I had done early that morning. I could not find it I could not get it back. I was frustrated.
I t was pretty frustrating, but then when I thought about this point in the sermon, the Lord has plenty of mercy and full of compassion.
I am glad because of God’s mercy I don’t have to take the failures of 2011 into 2012.
When God forgives it is like me looking for the material deleted from the Jump Drive He can’t find it, better still God doesn’t even go looking for it.
The Lord is merciful.
Leave in 2011 your failures, sins and mistakes under the blood.
Leave the things in 2011 you can’t do anything about
Leave the mistakes of others
What is under the blood, don’t go looking for them, because they are not there.
TAKE HOME APPLICATION #2 -God is Faithful
I wish we had the promise in 2012 that we wouldn’t face any problems.
I wish the little saying on the marquee could be true, “May all your problems be as short as your New Year’s Resolutions.”
Truth of the matter is it probably is not going to be that way.
There will be:
Problems
Temptations
Trials
Woes
Battles
Are you encouraged yet?
However, I know this, God is faithful
In 2012, Sin will be present and the Devil will be active but God will still be God.
New Year Same God
I CORINTHIANS 10:13
“There has no temptation taken you but such as is common to man; but God is Faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted above that you are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that you may be able to bear it.”
Because HE is able I will be able to face anything in 2012
Both writers Jeremiah and Zephaniah stress the phrase, “Every morning!”
I don’t have to be stressed because I am blessed!
TAKE HOME APPLICATION #3- Zephaniah says God is Good.
Zephaniah 3:5
“But the Lord is good and HE is there in that city. HE does no wrong, Every morning HE governs the people fairly; every day HE can be trusted.”
God is good…………….all the time……………all the time…………………………God is good!
Zephaniah says, the Lord is good and He is there in that city.
The city of Jerusalem, the area of Judah that Zephaniah has just spent 2 ½ chapters talking about destruction and doom, now he reminds them God is where they live.
We just spent a month looking at the Christmas story. One of the things I know I knew but forgot was this; the shepherds lived in the fields. They didn’t punch in they lived there and God came to where they worked and lived.
God wants to be with you where you work and live this year.
In your home
On your job
In your problems
In your mess
Help with your situations
Your cancer experiences and mine
Your addiction
Your habits
God wants to be involved He is there.
Can I give you a couple of more promises for this year?
HEBREWS 13:8
“Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and forever.”
Matthew 28:20b
“I am with you always, even unto the end of the world”
If the end comes for us as we know it in 2012, guess who will be there?
Malachi 3:6a
“For I am the Lord, I change not;”
TAKE HOME #4 - Because of these promises, I can trust Him.
Let’s look one last time this morning at Zephaniah 3:5
Zephaniah 3:5
“But the Lord is good and HE is there in that city. HE does no wrong, Every morning HE governs the people fairly; every day HE can be trusted.”
I was having my prayer time and devotions I am sure I am no different than you I pray a lot and carry a heavy burden for my kids.
My greatest desire for my children is that they serve God.
I was praying along that line one morning, the lord spoke this verse to my heart, and said, “You can trust Me with them.”
You can trust God
Whatever you and I face in 2012, we can trust God because:
HE IS GOOD
HE IS FAITHFUL
HE HAS PENTY OF MERCY AND FULL OF COMPASSION
ONE LAST PICTURE
This picture was sent to me on Friday at work, what a tremendous image for you and I to start out the New Year. (Refer to picture on power point)
Reminds me of Psalm 91:4, He will cover you with his feathers. He will shelter you with his wings. His faithful promises are your armor and protection Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass. it’s about learning to dance in the rain There is absolutely nothing to fear about tomorrow for God is already there.
The altar is open this morning, and I want to encourage you to come and pray about any issues you may have for 2012.
Family
Financial
Health
Most of all spiritual
