A Message For The New Year

There any kids for junior church that would like to be dismissed they may. Well, it's about that time of year again for resolutions. I don't know if you have any New Year's resolutions yet. I don't have any.

I did read a Man who was 20 years old and he came up with 70 New Year's resolutions. They weren't called New Year's resolutions, but in fact they were called resolutions. Let me read you just a couple.

Resolved. Never to do any manner of thing whether in soul or body less or more. But what tends to the glory of God nor be nor suffer it if I can't avoid it. Resolve never to lose one moment of time, but improve it the most profitable way I possibly can.

Resolve to live with all my might while I do live. Resolve never to do anything which I should be afraid to do if it were the last hour of my life. Resolve to act in all respects both speaking and doing as.

If nobody had been so vile as I and as I had committed the same sins or had the same infirmities or failings as others. That I will let the knowledge of their failings promote nothing. But shame in myself and prove only an occasion of my confessing my own sins and misery to God.

There's about 65 more. Written from a 20 year old man in 1723 by the name of Jonathan Edwards. Every year he would read these resolutions to the glory of God. I can't even come up with one. Or next year and I thought if I can't come up with one then what about the congregation?

So instead of a New Year's resolutions list I'd like to show you 12 words in the Bible today. That can be our watchwords can be our theme can be resolutions if you will for 2004 those 12 words are found in 1st Corinthians chapter 16 if you turn to the Bible there, please.

Again, if you don't have a Bible you may want to get one. It'll be an awfully long sermon without a Bible. It may be an awfully long sermon with the Bible. But you want to get a Bible to go through to see what God's Word says from 1st Corinthians chapter 16.

At the end of the chapters of 1st Corinthians after he's poured out his heart to this church it gives them 12 words for them to do 12 commands and There are 12 words in Greek. I think 23 in my English translations.

But 1st Corinthians was a church that was messed up. They didn't know what to do. They didn't know how to act. They were pretty Fleshly pretty carnal and I asked myself the question this week. What should I tell the church for next year?

What would be the marching orders for 2004? How should I spur our church on here at Bethlehem Bible Church? Certainly, I don't think we've got as many problems as Corinth does I think if you look at the state of the church.

You could see both things that were mature in and things that were immature in. Areas like women's ministries that are just taking off and they're going gangbusters mature and their Development and then things like men ministries men's ministries who are in their infant stages yet I'm encouraged about it after our breakfast a couple weeks ago.

With some of the ideas that the men had I Think we stand for truth in this church. Yet on the flip side, I think it's hard for us to live it out because we have the head knowledge. But it's difficult to live out what we know I Think of the church.

We have a heart for the loss, but sometimes Not a big enough part. And so we have a mixture of good things of the church and bad things of the church. So what do you tell a church that has good things and bad things?

About them. Well, the good news is by the way, we'll all be perfect one day. That's the good news. And I think 2004 at least in my own mind It's going to be the one of the best years at least I'm looking forward to it the most.

With the possibility of hiring more staff. We finally getting our missions program together with Bob Dunn and the men there just a lot of different things. I think okay, here we go. We're finally kind of getting past those hurdles.

So what do I tell you? First Corinthians chapter 16 just kept sticking out these 12 Greek words. They are Rapid fire they are staccato like they are kind of pointed and they are pithy. Let's see if there's any of the P words that I could use they're peculiar but they're just very interesting that tucked in the way tucked in the back of 1st Corinthians 16 is 12 Greek words that basically summarize The answer to the problems found in 1st Corinthians chapters 1 through 16 a what do you tell a church?

That's messed up got some good things some bad things. Here. It is. It's very interesting First Corinthians chapter 16 verses 13 and 14. Let me read these two verses and we'll see what happens today as we work through these verse by verse.

We won't be in Ephesians today. First Corinthians 16 13 be on the alert. That's one Greek word. By the way stand firm in the faith. Act like men. Be strong. Let all that you do be done in love. That is going to be my prayer for this church in the next year that we can by God's grace obey those 12 Greek words.

I Love these words. They are ongoing words. They're continual words. That means the God wants you never to let up do this all the time in other words. They're all imperatives. They're not suggestions.

They are not do this when you feel like it. This may be good on certain days of the week they are all imperatives and All of them except the last one have the idea of the church doing it it's not kind of individual Christianity it's us as a body and They're all except the last one military terms.

How many people with military backgrounds do we have here? Several there are military terms kind of Bootcamp like terms and I like that short and sweet and to the point and you can just kind of See these things be on the alert stand firm act like men be strong.

Let all you to be done in love and that's a lot easier than memorizing 70 resolutions. At least it's a lot easier for me. And so we are going to look at these solution oriented commands for next year if the Lord tarries.

Maybe we won't even make it through this sermon. Wouldn't that be amazing? I would love that. Number one, let's just go through these as quickly as we can number one be on the alert. They're just going to be right from the text.

I'm not going to work on alliteration or anything like that because I want you to memorize these words be on the alert. The first command that God gives the church at Corinth and now to us is to be on the alert found in verse 16 at verse 13 of 1st Corinthians 16.

Do we have any Gregg's here today Gregory's? No, Gregory's. Well, we have one. It's right here in the text. The word Gregory means to be alert to pay attention to have your eyes open to be awake to be alert.

And that's what he's calling the church to be to be alert to pay attention. Temporally, well, no, but spiritually to be on the alert and on the lookout spiritually. Be on the alert have your eyes wide open be diligent be vigilant be diligent.

Be spiritually awake. You can ask yourself the question. What would be the opposite? The opposite would be for next year. Just sleep at the wheel. Just kind of snoring through the whole year drowsy. Kind of a ostrich in the head in the sand.

Come see come saw. No big deal. Coasting couch potatoing. You could just kind of get all the contrast and all the antonyms here. It says be on the alert of the question would be what should we be on the alert about?

What do you pay attention for. What spiritually do you want to be awake to what kind of no-dose spiritually should we be taking. Remember in college taking all that no-dose to study for those tests late at night.

I don't think it worked didn't work help me study. It kept me awake. Well, that's for sure. Now you don't have to do that. You can just drink jolt cola all day or whatever it is. Vibrant the church needs to be spiritually drinking jolt cola for the rest of the year.

Moxie, I think Moxie has caffeine doesn't it? Stay awake. Well to what there are several places in the Bible that it says to be awake and alert for something in particular. And so why don't you turn to Matthew chapter 24 and let me let me give you the most important one.

This church should be spiritually awake. Primarily for the Lord's return. Primarily for the Lord's return. This was my only point of the sermon. That would be fine that we should remember that one day the Lord will fulfill his promise.

He said he would come the first time through the prophets. He did we celebrated it a few days ago. He also said he would come back again. And we are to look forward to his coming in such a way that will change the way we live.

So we need to be alert to his second coming because it does change the way you function day by day knowing that the Lord Could come back any time. Matthew 24 42. Therefore what be on the alert same word for you do not know which day your Lord is coming.

But be sure of this that if the head of the house had known at what time the night of the night the thief was Coming he would have been on the alert. It would not have allowed his house to be broken into.

For this reason you be ready to for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not think he will Jump down another chapter Matthew 25 same terminology verse 11 of the next chapter and later the other virgins also came saying Lord Lord open up for us and He answered and said truly I say to you.

I do not know you verse 13 be on the alert then for you do not know the day nor the hour and. So here they have the church at Corinth basically snoozing through their Christian life. That's why they had little problems and now Paul inspired by the Holy Spirit is saying it's time to wake up.

Here's the wake-up call stop hitting that one button on that Clock that you have. I know where my button is. It's right on the top. And what does it do? All the snooze button stop spiritually snoozing their eternal matters at stake.

And so instead of like just another ten more minutes just you know Eat drink and be merry and be faithful Christians after ten more minutes of snooze, you know, he's saying it's time to wake up. Listen to Matt mark chapter 13 verse 35.

Jesus said therefore be on the alert. You do not know when the master the house is coming you wake up and you kind of got that weird kind of hazy feeling where you don't know if it was a nap or if you slept all night and what time of the day it is and it's kind of just.

You can't really walk, right? You can't really focus you look in the mirror and it's just Gregory. Be alert. That's what Paul's trying to say. It's a picture of a man Sleeping kind of finally waking up after a long nap.

Mark 1337 it says again. I say to you all be on the alert. And so what our church should be ready for in the next year is being ready to meet our master face-to-face. Whether he comes or whether we die to live in light of that.

It's a good thing to remember because it will change the way you live. If your theology says I'll have to give an account and the Lord could be back anytime. I'd like to live in such a way as George Whitefield said when I go to bed.

There's not even so much as a pair of gloves out of order in case the Lord comes. Ever seen my garage a Pair of gloves. It's much cleaner. Now. You can get two cars in it. Two little cars from Europe.

Robert Murray McShane said. McShane said to some friends. Do you think Christ will come tonight one after another? I think not. I think not. When they had all given this answer, he repeated this text the Son of Man cometh it in our.

Same thing with Horatious Boner. He said In the morning when he wakes up perhaps today Lord. When he went to bed perhaps tonight Lord and it changes the way you live. G Campbell Morgan said to me the second coming is a perpetual light on the path.

What makes which makes the present bearable? I never lay my head on the pillow without thinking that maybe before the morning breaks the final morning may have dawned. I never begin my work without thinking that perhaps he may interrupt my work and begin his own.

Like the lady who who didn't want the Lord to come because she had all her great plans. First Corinthians 16 22 Paul says come O Lord Maranatha. Martin Luther said I preach as though Christ died yesterday rose from the dead today and was coming back tomorrow.

I mean if the Lord was coming back tomorrow and you knew it, what would you do differently? Whitfield said here's my day timer. That's what I would do tomorrow. Because he had it planned out he was being alert he was Alert and sober as 1st Thessalonians 5 6 sins.

What else should you be on the alert for the Lord soon return? Secondly, you should be on the alert for enemies. Why don't you turn to 1st Peter 5 8? We as a church need to be spiritually awake to enemies.

If you don't think there are wolves and perverse speakers who want to do damage to this flock. You need to remember what the Bible says. When truth is being proclaimed there is the enemy wanting to steal.

Bible calls them perverse speakers. 1st Peter chapter 5 verse 8 same terminology same root word on this whole idea of alert and awake eyes. Wide open you can just imagine there's so many trials in life and you're trying to drive.

You know 1 ,800 miles and you're just trying to keep yourself awake. You know, you know you roll down the window you turn on the air-conditioner you crank up the radio to some weird Station that you don't like some kind of I don't know I like jazz, but I don't like kind of jazz fusion where I can't figure it all out and just crank it up all the way.

Trying to stay awake trying to pay attention your your your physical soul is on the line and here he's saying You've got to be careful because there's somebody who wants your Eternal soul and their enemies be of sober spirit and there it is again be on the alert.

Your adversary the devil prowls about like a roaring lion. Seeking someone to devour better pay attention. Satan's ready to wolf somebody down. I'll poured his heart out into the church at Ephesus and he said in Acts 20.

Therefore be on the alert remember that night and day for a period of three years. I did not cease to admonish each one with tears. Says they're going to be false teachers. These guys are going to be after you.

It was right. That's why elders need to do two things teach sound doctrine. What's the other thing they need to do? Refute those who contradict we need to be a careful that there are people out there saying well the key to sanctification.

The key to justification is just be good do better. We have to be careful. Turn to Mark chapter 14 you say well, what do I do about this alertness alertness? What's a good partner to alertness. Matthew chapter 14 verse 38 the exact same kind of terminology That Jesus gives say how specifically can the church be alert?

How can we keep our eyes open. The partner to alertness is prayer? Mark 1438 we're jumping around a little bit more today than normal, but that's alright. Keep watching and praying mark 1438 that you may not come in temptation.

The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak. I think we have miles to go in this church for prayer. But I think we've started off on a good foot with Jack and with Bill and our ideas about prayer. And you'll see in the coming year about 12 times that the church can get together for corporate prayer.

How do you stay alert? You can't just say to yourself be alert be alert be alert. Be alert pay attention pay attention. I'm too poor to pay attention be alert. I mean you just can't do that. No, you have to say God I'm going to have to have your help and here Jesus is saying if you keep watching and praying that you may not come in Temptation, so we'll help you so you're not low like everyone is over time into kind of the lethargy and apathy and Whenever comes my way God's.

I think we need to be alert in this church for areas of service. You see something that the Lord places in your heart for something to you for you to do around here you do it. You don't need the church's blessing.

Opportunities to evangelize. We need to keep our eyes open. There's the oil man. There's the postman. Here's the bank lady. Here's all these people you say I need to be alert and awake. Eternity is soon.

All right, well, that's the first one. Let's keep going. Number two back to first Corinthians chapter 13. First thing Paul tells the church at Corinth to do is to be alert. Secondly found in verse 13 stand firm in the faith.

First Corinthians 16 verse 13. First Corinthians 16 verse 13 stand firm in the faith. And what's he saying here? Be firm stand firm in the faith. Well, you can think of some of the words that are the opposite of standing firm.

I hate to do this to you, but you'll see I'm a child of my generation of pop culture. What do they call those things that wobbled and they never fell down? That's right. Weevils wobble, but they don't fall down for some of the kids are going.

What's a granimal? What's a weeble? The idea here is you can just imagine the soldier terminology if the first one was you've got to pay attention while you're on sentinel duty. Are you know what they would do matter of fact?

This is still back in point one if they found you sleeping on your post. They would either kill you or they could light your clothes on fire in those days. You're caught sleeping on the job. This will wake you up a little.

BIC action. Flick the BIC. I'm awake. So as the military sentinels should stay awake, they also were to stand firm. It didn't mean going backwards. It didn't mean falling down. It didn't mean going back sliding.

They were to stand firm because they were going to try to attack the enemy and you'd not want to give up ground. You want to at least stay firm our take new ground. This is definitely military language.

It's a command and he's saying hold on to your faith your personal faith. Well, that's good, but it's not your personal faith. It's the faith Jude chapter Jude verse 3 the faith that was delivered. This is standing firm in the Christian faith the faith that Jesus is God.

He's man. He was our substitutionary atonement. God raised him from the dead. He's coming back all the essentials the fundamentals of the faith if you will Hold fast to that truth, and I'm telling you there is an attack on this truth wherever you go.

Scripture is not really inspired. Therefore. It's not authoritative and it's not sufficient. There's no such thing as absolute truth. The big one these days is open theology that God doesn't really know the future because you've got to have ultimate free will and if You had free will then how could God know the future?

I mean the attack is coming and Paul is saying to the Church of Corinth stand up for what you know. Don't cave in or here's a big one. This verse would strike against everything that says, you know, what?

Why don't you give a little of your doctrine for the sense of unity? You just need to all get along. It's Rodney King theology. Come on. Don't put up a big fuss. Just all get along, but you don't really need that.

You don't need to keep that you're justified in God's sight by faith alone. You can kind of give it away. It's all right. Paul says be firm in the faith and notice this isn't just leaders leaders mind your P's and Q's leaders.

Make sure you know doctrine. No, he says leaders and the people. And for some of you may I encourage you or exhort you on how could you be firm in the faith if you couldn't describe What redemption is what reconciliation is what substitution is what propitiation is these are general truths?

We need to know them. It's not too late. What you could do you say I need to be firm in my faith. What could people in the church do? What could I do? Firstly take fundamentals of the faith. There's a great class.

We have here called fundamentals of the faith and guess what we study The Fundamentals of the faith so you can stand firm in them because you don't want to believe what this church teaches. You want to believe that this church teaches the right thing because you know it because you've studied it.

Right. That's what we're after. Well, my pastor teaches forget what I teach you want to own it. You want to say I'm standing firm in this faith because I know. You could study church history, you know.

There is nothing new under the Sun and when these new things come down if it's not called Jehovah's Witnesses. It's called Arianism. It's not new. How about this discipleship? Ask yourself the question male and female.

I have someone in my life who knows more than I do. That is helping me and I have someone in my life who knows less than I do and I'm helping them. It's a good way to stand firm in the faith that is passed down.

2nd Timothy chapter 2 verse 2. How about this? How about use a precise Bible translation? You want to stand firm in the faith. Use a precise Bible translation. Talked about this in Sunday school a little bit.

I saw the new Bible translation the T and E TR WFA translation. I don't think it'll be a big seller. Today's new easy to read warm fuzzy application Bible hot off the presses. Not true, but. You get the idea.

If God speaks in a certain language and it's maybe 11th grade English. But you're only adept at 4th grade English, then let's study together. So we know the precision of his language. You say well, I want an easy to read translation.

I want to know the truth. How about you? The truth are easy and sometimes it is easy and you read for God so loved the world and you say I can get that. Use a precise translation. Let me give you something else you could stand firm in the faith.

Demand sermons that are not watered down. Demand them. I think you should kick me out if I stop preaching the Bible and frankly some days I don't really feel like preaching the Bible. I mean intellectually I do but I'm just like, okay, here I go.

I'm gonna say this today and I know Jim and and then Julie and Jill over there aren't gonna like it. I don't mean Jill O 'Leary or anybody else with those names. I'm just picking things. I go. I'm not gonna like it.

Who wants to do that, but you say we want the truth. Where else are you gonna get the truth water? I'm not watered down. Wall Street Journal. Well, maybe they're gonna give a little truth. Who knows. How about beware of?

Always wanting to go for balance. That's a bad way to slip. That's an easy way to slip. I always want balance. I don't want to go too far here too far there. Sometimes that's true. But it's a biblical truth.

We want to stand up for the truth. How about Plan in O4. What doctrine you'd like to study in the Bible. Pick an ology I have in my notes. What ology would you like to study in O4 and then own it? Oh, I don't know much about the Holy Spirit.

I'll study spirit ology or pneumatology. Well, I don't really know how we got the Bible and what the Bible is all about. So I'll study bibliology. Would you pick one ology this year and just study it?

We have all the resources in the library and taped you could master an ology and in nine years. You would master all the ologies. How's that sound? Firm in the faith. Additionally, I would suggest that if you want to stand firm in the faith, you should avoid best-selling Christian books now there are exceptions.

The best-selling Christian book is the Bible. Second best-selling Christian book is the Pilgrims Progress. There are good books. That a lot of people have but these days if you open up CBD or look at the cover or you walk into your your.

Your your evening moon bookstore and you just look at the front. Are you look on me the plant that's on fire bookstore, whatever one you go to. I'm not picking on the stores. But their idea is not necessarily to bulk you up in firmness of faith.

Their idea is they sell books. It's a business more than it is a ministry. So if you go there and you say well, I'm just gonna read all these Christian books. Beloved have somebody who knows more than you do help you before you go in there.

So you don't spend a bunch of money on just the latest trends and fads that will make you a mile wide and an inch deep. You want to go for the good stuff, don't you? Yes, it's harder. Yes, it takes more out of you.

But you say I want to go for the good stuff. You just want to be aware if a book is sold 1 .5 million copies to believers and unbelievers. I think you should run from that book. For the most part. I read the purpose-driven life this week and actually it's worse than I thought it was and after I read every page.

That's not going to help you grow. You're not even gonna understand Christianity if you read that book. Stay away from some of those books. You know love languages the five love languages and all these things get some meat and you say I don't know what to pick.

Well Nate does a great job. Just go to the book table over there and pick any book and you'll say this has been approved by the elders of the church. We're gonna get this book. Something else you could do to keep you firm in the faith.

You could pray for ourselves here in the church and Colossians 412 says that we may stand perfect and fully assured and all the will of God. God help us to be stable. God help Us not to fall away first.

Timothy 4 1 says the Spirit explicitly says in later times. Some will fall away from the faith. So I'm charging you like a soldier to say I'm on the alert. I'm standing firm. Thirdly, here's a good one.

When we want to get Gracie all riled up all the kids simultaneously say don't upset the apple cart and she's like Don't upset the apple cart. Here comes the apple cart upset number three. Act like men.

Act like men. Now some of your translations may say be brave not accurate have courage not accurate. The men and women of courage not accurate. It's a one word in the Greek that has the root word of masculine.

What's the male hormone? Testosterone this word has not general mankind anthropos. This has man and nair it doesn't mean All the women have to act like men in all the areas, but in the spiritual area.

Yes, it's good to have a church that is Mature in a church that has courage. That's the idea here act like men. Andre is a root word and I said to the men at the chef at the Men's breakfast Andre the giant remember him.

It's a good word picture because he's big and tough and he would never lose a fight unless the WWF was rigged. And here it was so he lost you mean that guy's gonna lose anything. He's twice the size of Hulk Hogan.

How would he lose? I Only watched that when I was an unbeliever. I don't watch it anymore. So please no letters. I was trying to act like a man. Andre means man and Andre the giant gives you the good idea where you want to be a man.

Of course, there are great qualities about ladies, but that's not you know Paul says that in second first Thessalonians chapter 2, you know, I love you like a new mom. I was gentle with you, but here when there's all these issues and you say here comes the New Year act like a man Church.

I Love King James. It says quit you like men play the man. Get out of the diapers get out of the baby food distinctly male in courage and maturity he W Tozer just Strikes a nerve when he says the church at this moment needs men the right time.

The talk is we need revival that we need a new movement of the spirit and God knows we must have both but God will not revive mice. He will not fill rabbits with the Holy Ghost. We languish for men who feel themselves expendable in the warfare of the soul.

Who cannot be frightened by threats of death because they have already died to the allurements of this world. The true church's leaders heard from God and went ahead wholly independent of popular support are the lack of it.

They knew their Lord's will and they did it and their people followed them sometimes to triumph oftener to insults and public persecution and their sufficient reward was the satisfaction of being right.

Isn't that good? Maturity and courage and of course all the church saying we need to act like a man in terms of strength and maturity. But also within that it's time for the real men to rise up. And I'm sure your wives will do nothing else besides just sit there and clap say go get him boy valiant brave and How do you do that?

How do you grow? How do you grow from being a baby to a teenager to a man? There's only one way and how do you do that? The direct way turn to 1st Peter chapter 2. We'll take a look at this. Our men need to strive for the Word of God our ladies to be Spiritually masculine in this right kind of way need to strive for the Word of God.

There's no quick zaps everybody runs around and says, you know I want this demon in my life of alcoholism rebuked and I want the demon of a bad temper. Rebuked and I want my demon of distemper rebuked and all these other things.

It doesn't happen that fast. Of course. It's easy to walk down the aisle and say slay me and knock me down and now everything's better and it is better till tomorrow. Then what we need real growth. You know the passage it is so wonderful but to be reminded of it again is good first Peter 2 to Long for the pure milk of the word like what like newborn babes.

I love that. I wish I had another little one. Little tiny because then you just take your finger and what do you do by their cheek? You just kind of rub over here. I mean it you're just built in wherever it's close and it doesn't even have to be something that has milk in it.

But it just they're just around they go they want food and it's not one time a day. It's not two times a day. It is 15 times a day. If you let that baby eat. See only imperative in all these first 10 verses of chapter 2 long for the pure milk of the word.

He says long for it ache for it. I can't get enough of it and I'll show you people who are in junior church Spiritually and I'll guarantee you one thing about them. They're either a new Christian on their way up.

Are there an old Christian who will not long after God's Word with the hankering with the desire saying I want to know. Now, of course, it's not enough just to know God's Word, but you have to start by knowing.

You long to see someone. It's like okay. I'm in India at 17 days. I can't wait to get home. I can't wait to see Kim. I can't wait to see the kids. You're just thinking about it over and over and over.

That's the kind of longing and the desire and the hankering were to have for God's Word. David Livingston. When he went across Africa, he started off with 73 books. 180 pounds were the books trekking across Africa finally after 300 pounds.

He said 300 miles. He said I've got to get rid of a few. So he left a few down at the end of his journey into the heart of Africa. He had one book and one book left the Bible. Loved that. Exactly what he's talking about and you'll grow with respect to salvation.

You want growth it comes to the word. I want this church to grow like man next year. But I'm not talking about numbers. I'm talking about you. I'm talking about me. That's real growth all these mega churches.

You want to have a church here? That's growing God's Word. Like Jeremiah the words were found and I ate them. Like the psalmist how sweet are thy words to my taste sweeter than honey to my mouth. It's about the sweetest thing you had back.

There's honey. Just imagine though. You just get get a white pink Yellow and a blue tear the lids off of all those little fake sugar things and real sugar things and pour it all in your mouth. You get that sweet taste.

That's an overkill. Yeah, I don't think you want to do that. But you just imagine something sweet and you go. That's what the Bible is to me. It's a love letter from God and I'm going to just devour it.