Rev. David Holwick ZQ
First Baptist Church
Ledgewood, New Jersey
December 28, 1997
2 Corinthians 7:8-11
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I. Cleaning up after Christmas.
A. You are packing up Christmas decorations.
1) ("Cathy" cartoon cut back on Christmas, but miracle is
there is just as much garbage.)
B. Throw away some other things:
1) Regrets: "If only he hadn't..."
a) Don't be held hostage to regrets.
b) We tend to focus on failure, what didn't go right.
c) (Contrast of what we did, and what we didn't quite do)
2) Failed plans: "I wish I had..."
a) Be careful not to project failure into the future.
1> "I'll probably mess up again this year."
3) Disappointments: "But why didn't she...?"
a) "If wishes and BUTS were candy and nuts, we'd all have
a wonderful Christmas."
b) A successful life, like a success holiday, does not
depend on zero regrets.
c) Coming year will not be perfect, no matter how much we try.
1> We may not be able to change other people.
2> But we can change ourselves.
C. [Impact of Terry Dwyer column.]
1) God is patient with you, but your family may not be.
II. Start fresh.
A. Planning for new year.
1) [ask congregation]
How many of you already have your 1998 daily planners?
Many have become dependent on them.
2) (Finding and altering Glenn's calendar.)
B. Planners give a message of grace - we can have a new beginning.
1) What we failed to do is now passed.
a) Don't continually relive past mistakes.
b) Do you secretly enjoy being chained by them??
2) God gives us a new calendar this week.
a) The old has gone, the new has come. 2 Cor 5:17
III. Decide to change.
A. Time to clean up our lives.
1) Do you want to change?
2) Many are satisfied with mediocrity.
In a PEANUTS cartoon strip Lucy is livid at her mother.
"You promised me a birthday party," she wails, "and now you
say I can't have one.
It's not fair!"
Linus tries to intervene.
"You're not using the right strategy," he counsels.
"Why not go up to Mom and say to her, 'I'm sorry,
Dear Mother...
I admit I've been bad, and you were right to cancel my party,
but from now on I shall try to be good!'"
Lucy has a grimace on her face as she thinks this through.
Finally in the last panel she cries out,
"I'd rather die!"
Unfortunately, that is the response of many of us.
We would rather continue in our same self-destructive ways.
#2201
3) Perhaps a reason why so many get drunk on New Years' Eve:
rather than hassle with change, drown it out.
B. Contrast between sorrow and repentance. 2 Cor 7:8-11
1) Many people feel bad about what they have done.
a) God is not impressed.
2) Instead of regrets, focus on real change.
3) Be sorry (confess), then go in different direction.
C. Genuine repentance does not lead to lasting regret.
1) Not a guilt-trap, like it is so often portrayed.
2) It is life-affirming and enabling.
IV. Choose a direction.
A. Set attainable goals.
1) Defined goals can head off procrastination.
2) Meeting goals can give sense of accomplishment.
3) Some personal goals.
a) Revival at end of January.
1> Have not had one in over ten years.
2> Opportunity to be challenged by a fresh speaker.
3> Shake us out of rut?
b) Start new Sunday School class, for young adults.
1> Perhaps your goal could be to come to one.
c) A schedule for visits.
1> If something is penciled in my calendar, I tend
to do it.
B. Have a positive attitude.
1) Find good in life.
2) All things are possible with God.
a) Lamentations: "His compassions never fail; they are
new every morning." Lam 3:23
b) God offers us tomorrow as a means of reaching our
potential.
C. Model yourself on Jesus.
1) Popularity of WWJD symbols.
2) Ask yourself: "What Would Jesus Do?"
V. A new year calls for trust.
A. We don't know what will happen.
1) We are not only ones writing in our calendars.
2) Unexpected tragedies?
B. Whatever happens, we can entrust it to God.
1) Father in control; Jesus holds us in his hands.
a) It is not ours to worry.
2) God has good plans for us. Jer 29:11
a) Contrast with our evil, stubborn plans. Jer 18:11-12
C. Take the spiritual challenge.
1) Each new year holds spiritual challenges.
a) Growth.
b) Doubt.
c) Calamity.
2) Give calendar editing pencil to God.
3) Become saved?
==================================================================
Adapted from Advent Spiritual Adventure, Post Advent sermon, by
Greg Asimakoupoulos
-----------------------------
Original:
I. Cleaning up after Christmas.
A. You are packing up Christmas decorations.
1) ("Cathy" cartoon cut back on Christmas, but miracle is there
is just as much garbage.)
B. Throw away something else: regrets.
1) If only he hadn't... I wish I had... But why didn't she...?
2) Regrets, failed plans, unmet expectations are predictable.
a) "If wishes and BUTS were candy and nuts, we'd all have a
wonderful Christmas."
3) A wonderful Christmas doesn't depend on zero regrets.
C. Planning for new year.
1) (Author looks for daily planning calendar.)
a) >>finding and altering Glenn's calendar.<<
2) December is not the end of time.
3) Planners give a message of grace - we can start fresh.
D. What we failed to do is now passed.
1) Don't be held hostage to regrets.
a) We tend to focus on failure, what didn't go right.
b) (Contrast of what we did, and what we didn't quite do)
c) Also, be careful not to project failure into the future.
1> ...I'll probably mess up again...
2) God gives us a new calendar today.
a) The old has gone, the new has come. 2 Cor 5:17
II. Time is different for God.
A. He sees our lives as one year (season) only.
1) But he does accommodate us.
2) Through Lamentations, God offers us tomorrow as a means of
reaching our potential. Lam 3:23
a) (Great is thy faithfulness)
b) Each morning we can simply start over.
B. Blank pages represent taste of grace, but demand faith.
1) We don't know what the coming year holds.
2) From past experience, we know we'll probably waste much.
3) God's appointments always take precedence over ours.
a) Boy Jesus at temple.
b) Mary is anxious, like any concerned parent.
c) Jesus - I had to be about my father's business.
III. No one knows what the future holds.
A. Psychics and terrible accuracy.
1) Missed Diana's death, etc...
B. Valid predictions.
1) Team that scores the most points will win Super Bowl.
2) Twenty percent of church members will give 80% of offerings.
3) Several times we will cry out, "Why, Lord, why?"
C. Like Jesus said, the Father is still in control.
1) It is not ours to worry.
2) God has good plans for us. Jer 29:11
a) Contrast with our evil, stubborn plans. Jer 18:11-12
D. It is O.K. to verbalize our fears, like Mary did.
IV. A new year invites us to take our spiritual growth seriously.
A. Each new year holds spiritual challenges.
B. Various fears people have.
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