Dear gracious and heavenly Father, thank you for today—a new year! Thank you for all you did in and through us in 2022. We are thankful and proud of our accomplishments, both individually and as a church, but…help us look forward toward the future. Give us the wisdom now to use the guidance You provided to us in the past to help us navigate the future. Above all, Lord, help us live for You every single day. Holy Spirit, open our hearts and minds to be receptive to what You have for us this morning; push me out of the way and speak through me. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.
If you received my email on Thursday, you’ll know that I am not a fan of making New Year’s resolutions. I don’t need a new year to realize I should probably hit the gym or call my parents or brothers more often. No, those are things that I know I should do. When we put a stipulation on things that we already know we should do, for me, it becomes more frustrating and feels less attainable. We talked about promises a lot the few weeks leading up to Christmas. I love the promises of God and appreciate all He has done for me this year. I like the word promise more than I like resolution.
But it’s the new year and the term “resolution” gets tossed around quite a bit, so I wanted to address that this morning. What exactly does “resolution” mean? According to the dictionary, it means, “a firm decision to do or not to do something.” Okay, so it makes more sense when we look at the definition. But a “firm decision” kind of sounds like something that we have set in stone, right? Like, I made a firm decision to drive to church this morning. I’m here, I followed through. A resolution should be something that isn’t easily thrown out or quit. A poll in 2020 says that it takes just 32 days for Americans to ditch their resolution(s). Basically, by the first of February, gyms should be back to their pre-New Year’s capacity, people are biting their nails again, energy drinks are being consumed…whatever it is people resolved to start or stop ended up stopping or starting back up. That does not follow the “firm decision” definition.
So, this morning, I want to talk about a resolution we should have no problem keeping. There are a few areas we need to address before we get to the big ticket item of this message, so if you’ll indulge me for a moment, let’s get started.
We Can’t Live in the Past
There are times in our life when we might prefer to live in the past. Perhaps you had an amazing 2022 and want to continue to hang your hat on this past year. To be clear, I don’t think there is anything wrong with remembering our past accomplishments and failures, both of which we certainly were given an opportunity to learn from but living in the past won’t allow us to focus on the future.
I’ve sent a couple emails over the past week or so about how great 2022 was and what I believe God is calling us to do in 2023. If I continue to look at our collective accomplishments last year instead of focusing on where the Spirit is leading us in 2023, we won’t move very far and I wouldn’t be leading well. There are things that happened last year that I wish didn’t, but I’ve learned from those experiences and mistakes and resolve to move forward armed with those lessons learned so I can be better this year. To highlight this point, we are going to start off with Philippians 3:13-14 which says,
Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and reaching forward to what is ahead, 14I pursue as my goal the prize promised by God’s heavenly call in Christ Jesus.
What is Paul saying here? He did not regard himself as having obtained the final knowledge of Christ and the fullest conformity to him. So, one thing was the consuming passion of his Christian life. Using the metaphor of a footrace, Paul describes it as involving the continual forgetting of “what is behind” and the relentless centering of his energies and interests on the course that is ahead of him. “Forgetting” did not mean obliterating the memory of his past but was a conscious refusal to let it absorb his attention and impede his progress.
Now, what’s important here, among many things, is that Paul did not let his past get in the way of was ahead of him. I think there are a lot of different things in our own lives that we could easily allow to get in the way of our future. I’ll use myself as an example. All things considered, I think Grace Fellowship was pretty successful in 2022. I might define success a little differently than you, but all-in-all, we did pretty well. Our giving closely matched our obligations, our First Fruits was amazing (of which, about $20,000 was given to people in our community), we started new ministries, we began a Wednesday evening time of study…I could go on and on. I could also say, you know what, we did pretty well this year…why don’t we just do exactly the same thing we did in 2022 in 2023?
Take a look at Isaiah 43:16-19
This is what the Lord says—who makes a way in the sea, and a path through raging water, 17who brings out the chariot and horse, the army and the mighty one together (they lie down, they do not rise again; they are extinguished, put out like a wick)—18“Do not remember the past events; pay no attention to things of old. 19Look, I am about to do something new; even now it is coming. Do you not see it? Indeed, I will make a way in the wilderness, rivers in the desert.
This passage in Isaiah, God is going to deliver the people from Babylon. In verse 16, we see that He delivered them by creating a path through the sea. In verse 19, He is changing things up a bit and will deliver them through the desert. Here’s the deal…God is delivering the people in both instances, but He is doing it differently each time. God is not predictable. He is the Creator that loves doing things in new ways. So again, we can’t necessarily hang our hat on the past because God is going to do something awesome, but likely different. As an example, God blessed us greatly by bringing new people to the church last year—it was all Him. We didn’t do anything extravagant or create any ads to promote the church. Maybe this year we need to do things a little different. Maybe we need to be more active on social media, have more events at or sponsored by the church…I’m proud of our past, but am so very excited for our future.
Luke 9:62 says
But Jesus said to him, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”
This verse in Luke is the last verse in a passage of 6 verses that discusses the cost of following Jesus, but this particular verse really paints a picture of what it looks like to focus on the past rather than looking ahead toward the future God has planned for us. If we have our hand on the plow, or in more modern terms, if we have our hand on the steering wheel of our car and look backwards, chances are, we’re going to end up in a bad position. Likewise, following Jesus requires us to look forward. It’s not about forgetting the past, but acknowledging it and moving on. It was important for an ancient plowman to concentrate on the furrow before him, guiding the light plow with his left hand while goading the oxen with the right. Looking away would result in a crooked furrow—in other words, it would result in a crooked path in our life.
But…We Need to Learn from the Past
Is there anyone here this morning that made a mistake in 2022? Please don’t be just me! Yes, we all fell short in some instance last year. The question is, did you learn from it? Did you gain something from your mistake that you can take with you into the future to help mitigate it from happening again? I’m sure, if you really looked at the mistake, you would be able to learn something from it.
I remember one of my first ever sermons, I kind of threw it together, thinking that I had it ready to go and was well prepared to present the material to the congregation. I prayed, studied, and wrote the sermon. I was excited. Well, as I was going through the message—in front of a congregation—I realized that transitions were non-existent, points were weak, at best, and the flow was pretty choppy. I wrote the message and even I was getting somewhat confused. I think people understood the jist of the message, but there was definitely room for improvement. I made a very important decision after that first message…I would spend at least 16 hours in preparation for every sermon I prepared. That is just actual research and preparation. Prayer would be another several hours throughout the week. It has served me well so far, although sometimes I find myself getting off topic or off track, but for the most part, it has worked well for me. I learned a valuable lesson when I presented my first sermon that preparation is absolutely key and that if I let pride get in the way, it will shine through in the message.
Romans 15:4 says:
For whatever was written in the past was written for our instruction, so that we may have hope through endurance and through the encouragement from the Scriptures.
The use of the Scriptures promotes endurance and supplies encouragement. Both may be learned by precept and example from the records of the past. We can’t let the past dictate our future—after all, if I did, I might still be an alcoholic, perhaps in jail, or worse, dead. No, I don’t let the past dictate my future, but I surely take what I have learned from my past mistakes and use that wisdom to help me in the present and future. Take a look at…
Proverbs 1:5
Let a wise person listen and increase learning, and let a discerning person obtain guidance.
There are a couple statements in this passage worth noting. First, it is telling us that we must listen. As a parent, I have asked my kids several times, “are you listening to me?!” If you’re a parent, I’m sure you’ve said the same thing to your kids before. Maybe you remember your parents asking you that very direct question. We want our kids to listen to us because we are trying to provide them wisdom. The second part of this passage is that by listening we then obtain guidance. It makes perfect sense, right? We listen to God and we then use what He has told us as guidance in our own lives. The problem is, sometimes we don’t listen to Him. Sometimes we think we know better or our way is more effective or efficient or whatever. In order to learn from the past, we need to ensure we listen to what God said and taught us so we can obtain that guidance.
Speaking of guidance, in my email I sent on Thursday, I mentioned a couple different things. One of those things was about mission-focused opportunities. Specifically, I am referring to mission trips, whether locally or not, is something I really feel God calling us to do. It can be kind of scary to think about doing something different or new, but when we hear the voice of God, we really need to stop and listen. Let me tell you, I’ve been hearing the word “go” from God for several months. I kept praying and praying about what that meant. I didn’t want to just willy nilly assume anything and instead wanted some confirmation. This is what I’m talking about when I say listening in order to obtain guidance. As I sought wisdom through listening to God, all His guidance continued to consistently come back to mission-focused opportunities. It is so, so critical to listen.
And finally, the moment you all have been waiting for…the end of the sermon. The last point is…
Look Ahead and Live For God
I mentioned in the beginning of this message that I am not a huge fan of setting New Year’s resolutions. That’s completely true. Resolutions are not my jam. I like to call it strong expectation management. Like I mentioned earlier, I found a poll from 2020 that said Americans generally quit their New Year’s resolutions by day number 32. That means by the first of February, the majority of Americans will have tossed their resolutions out the window.
But, as I was doing some research on resolutions, I came across a preacher from the mid-1700s named Jonathan Edwards. Here’s what Edwards’ said about resolutions:
1) Resolution One: I will live for God
2) Resolution Two: If no one else does, I still will
Now, I know what I said…I don’t do resolutions. But, this is one resolution I can get behind. Living for God is something I think we all probably strive to do each and every day. Do we fall short? You betcha! Does God forgive our shortcomings? Absolutely. The important part is to look ahead and live for Him. Take a look at…
Acts 20:24
But I consider my life of no value to myself; my purpose is to finish my course and the ministry I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of God’s grace.
As Paul weighed this outlook in his mind, he did not think that his own life was the great consideration. His ambition was to obey God and to please Him. If in doing this, he would be called upon to offer up his life, he was willing to do so. No sacrifice he could make would be too great for the One who died for him. All that mattered was that he finish his race and complete the ministry which he received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God. No title could better express the good news which Paul preached—the gospel of the grace of God.
Let this be our theme for 2023! Let’s focus completely and solely on Jesus and serving Him this year.
Romans 14:8
If we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.
Paul is not expressing a maxim applicable to all people; rather, he is speaking of believers. Christians do not live to themselves because they live to the Lord. Devoting ourselves to God in life is the way to live an honest and happy life. All the choices we make in our lives should be made for His honor. None of us should act out of regard for ourselves alone. Everything we do in life is subject to Christ’s scrutiny and approval. We test things by how they appear in His presence. Even in death we aspire to glorify the Lord as we go to be with Him. Both in life and in death we belong to Him. That’s what it means to live for God. Everything we do, we do for Him.
Matthew 10:39
Anyone who finds his life will lose it, and anyone who loses his life because of me will find it.
I really love this passage because it explains the importance for us to give up our own life in order to live for God. This verse involves a radical crucifixion of self interest in light of Jesus' interest. Salvation involves far more than a decision or prayer. It demands our everything. Nothing less will do!
There have been plenty of times, even this week, where I probably didn’t give God my everything. I truly want to all the time, but there are some instances where it’s just difficult. A lot has happened in our community and in my own life this week. I’m sure you have heard about the tragedy in the Minot Police Department this week. Just a couple days later, there was a murder in Minot. Amanda’s uncle Scott, who we were all very close with, particularly Gabe, died yesterday due to complications with internal bleeding. All I wanted to do was just nothing. I prayed, of course, but all these things in our community and my life just had me in weird place. There was so much I wanted to do and perhaps even felt the nudge from God to do, but I just wanted to be with Genevieve (Amanda and Gabe are in Fargo for hockey this weekend). As we have discussed this weekend, even when things aren’t going particularly well, we still need to live for God. In the midst of tragedy, live for God. When you are struggling with loss, live for God. When you just don’t have any energy, live for God. Give him all you have. I understand that it’s a whole lot easier said than done, but we have to give Him our very best. Always.
As I was reflecting on all these different things, I come to this passage in Isaiah…
Isaiah 41:10
Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you; I will help you; I will hold on to you with my righteous right hand.
Just as the God took Abraham from Mesopotamia and the descendents of Jacob out of Egypt, he can take this generation out as well. God is “with” them, to “strengthen,” “help,” and “uphold” them. God is not at some far-off point, shouting instructions. He is personally present with his people, so they have nothing to “fear.” I love this promise! When we live for God, we can always count on Him to be with us. This gave me great comfort this week and I pray it gives you some comfort, too.
Conclusion
As we prepare to close this morning and start 2023 off strong, I want to remind all of us to remember all that happened last year, but don’t live there. Last year was a great year. A lot of awesome things happened and we were able to do a great deal of kingdom work, but we can’t hang our hats on that. God has a lot planned for us in 2023 and so we need to make sure to focus on what it ahead. As things happen in our lives, we will rest well knowing that God has provided us guidance from our past experiences. Whether we realize it or not, God has taught us a whole lot last year and we must use that wisdom heading into the new year.
Finally, we need to live for God. There is genuinely nothing better than living for Him. When things get tough, live for Him. When things are going great, live for Him. When you’re struggling, live for Him. When you just don’t feel like it because you’ve got a lot on your mind or going on in your life, live for Him.
If you haven’t fully lived for God, resolve today to do that. Even if no one else does, live for Him.
Let’s pray.
Gracious God, thank You! Thank you again for a great year behind us. We sit here this morning with great anticipation for what You have in store for us in 2023. Lord, guide our every step this year—when we are struggling, help us still live for You. When things are great, remind us to still live for You. Even when no one else will, Lord, we resolve this morning to live for You. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.
