Possibly Your Best Year!  Part 2

Sermon Notes:  January 11, 2009

Rev. Jim O’Neal, Senior Pastor

Sun Lakes United Methodist Church, 9248 E. Riggs Road, Sun Lakes, Arizona 85248 - (480) 895-8766

Isaiah 11:1-9 NRSV

1A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots.  2The spirit of the LORD shall rest on him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD. 

3His delight shall be in the fear of the LORD.  He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide by what his ears hear; 4but with righteousness he shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked.  5Righteousness shall be the belt around his waist, and faithfulness the belt around his loins.

6The wolf shall live with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the kid, the calf and the lion and the fatling together, and a little child shall lead them.  7The cow and the bear shall graze, their young shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.  8The nursing child shall play over the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put its hand on the adder’s den.  9They will not hurt or destroy on all my holy mountain; for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea.

Luke 3:21-22 NRSV

21Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heaven was opened, 22and the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form like a dove.  And a voice came from heaven, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.”

A.  Introduction

    1.  The New Millennium

        a.  As the year 2000 approached, a lot of people were convinced that God would end the world, because it was the start of a new millennium.  This, of course, did not happen.  Some felt the "Apocalypse" would not happen till the beginning of the next year since technically January 1st of 2001 was the true beginning of the new millennium.  (For the curious, that is because there is no “Zero Year” in our current form of dating.)  And once again God did not end the world.

        b.  Maybe God has a lesson for us in this.  For one, don’t tell God when to end the world.  Second, stop trying to guess when the end will come, because Jesus told us that nobody but God knows this date.  And thirdly, maybe our Creator is telling us that that there is always hope and new opportunities.

    2.  Jeremiah 29:11

        a.  Let us trust God’s many promises that tell us just that.  Believe the Biblical promise:  “For I know the plans I have for you, says the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” (Jeremiah 29:11 RSV)

        b.  Indeed each of us has been given a new opportunity and a New Year.  This year of 2009 has the possibility of being the best yet, if you and I embrace three Biblical truths:  First, you know who you are:  You are God’s child!  Secondly, you know where you are going:  You are bound for the Kingdom of God!  And thirdly, you know who goes with you:  God is with you!  Last Sunday we looked at the first two of these.  Today, we will revisit these first two truths and then talk about the third truth.

 

B.  You know who you are:  You are God’s child!

    1.  God’s Child

        a.  An anonymous author wrote:  I may be young; I may be old, but I am somebody, for I am God’s child!  I may be educated; I may be unlettered, but I am somebody, for I am God’s child!  I may be black; I may be white, but I am somebody, for I am God’s child!  I may be rich; I may be poor, but I am somebody, for I am God’s child!  I may be fat; I may be thin, but I am somebody, for I am God’s child!  I may be married; I may be divorced, but I am somebody, for I am God’s child!  I may be successful in business; I may be a failure in business, but I am somebody, for I am God’s child!  I may be a sinner; I may be a saint, but I am somebody, for Jesus is my Savior and I am God’s child!

        b.  No matter what you have or have not done, Jesus has reclaimed you as one of God’s precious children.

    2.  Romans 8:16

        a.  The Bible tells us this truth:  “The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.” (Romans 8:16 NIV)

        b.  You my friends are a beloved member of the family of God.  And that makes all the difference in the world.  You can face the New Year with confidence because you are a child of the King!

 

C.  You know where you are going:  You are bound for the Kingdom of God!

    1.  Fools’ gold

        a.  In the Spring of 1608, the settlers of Jamestown thought they had found gold.  Instead of planting crops, preparing buildings, and readying themselves for winter, they devoted their time to digging up the “gold.”  They sent a large shipment of the “ore” by boat to England.  They thought they were going to be very rich.  Then winter came and they would have starved except for the kindness of some of the Native Americans.  Eventually word came back from England that their “gold’ was just iron pyrite, also called “fools’ gold.”  And it was worth nothing.

        b.  We do not want to make this mistake in the spiritual sense.  We know the foolishness of pursuing the transitory things of this life that do not last.  We will not chase after the false gods of this world that do not give meaning or purpose to life and that in the long run fail.  We will seek the things of God that last.

    2.  Matthew 6:33 

        a.  Matthew 6:33 says, “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” (Matthew 6:33 NKJV)

        b.  We know where we are going.  This year has great possibilities because we are bound for God’s Kingdom in this life and the next.

 

D.  You know who goes with you:  God is with you!

    1.  Isaiah 7:14  (Isaiah's faith)

        a.  Isaiah the prophet trusted in God, and God alone.  Isaiah believed that God is with us.  Isaiah 7:14 sums up the prophet’s faith and our trust as Christians:  “Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” (Isaiah 7:14 KJV)

        b.  Immanuel means “God is with us.”  Immanuel has come to our world.  His name is Jesus and he promised us that we have with us a “Helper” and a “Comforter” called the Holy Spirit.

    2.  Native American Rite of Manhood

        a.  Among one of our Native American peoples there is a rite of passage through which each boy in the tribe must pass.  It is a rite designed to help the lad develop courage on his path to manhood.  As a young boy he is taken out into the deep woods by some of the men of the tribe, and left alone to spend the night.  He is left with nothing but a knife and told to be brave and silent through the night.  His father tells him that he will return in the morning to bring him home.  At the first light of dawn the boy discovers that he has not been alone.  Someone has kept vigil all night to guard him.  Sitting on a rock above him, with bow and arrows ready to protect him from all harm, is his own dear father. 

        b.  Many of us have discovered something akin to this in the midst of our own long and difficult nights.  The Spirit of Christ has been watching over us.

    3.  “His Eye Is On the Sparrow”

        a.  Many years ago Mr. and Mrs. C. D. Martin went to visit some Church friends with the last name of Doolittle.  Both Mr. and Mrs. Doolittle were physically disabled, but they were not bitter people.  Indeed, they radiated with God’s love and joy!  Mrs. Martin asked, “What is the source of your faith?”  Mrs. Doolittle responded, “His eye is on the sparrow and I know he watches me.”  Mrs. Martin went home that evening and composed the well-known hymn.

        b.  How about you?  Do you trust, believe and know that God is with you?  I hope so.  Believe the promise of our Lord and Savior.  Jesus said, “Lo, I am with you always.” (Matthew 28:20 NKJV)  And He means it.  You can count on Him to be with you.  Once again you And I can face this New Year with great confidence, because we know that God’s Spirit is there to help and guide us.

 

E.  Conclusion:  2009 has the possibility of being your best year ever, if you embrace these three Biblical truths:

    1.  You know who you are:  You are God’s child!

    2.  You know where you are going:  You are bound for the Kingdom of God!

    3.  You know who goes with you:  God is with you! 

Possibly Your Best Year! Part 2

 

1.  You know who you are:  You are God’s child!

 

2.  You know where you are going:

              You are bound for the Kingdom of God!

 

3.  You know who goes with you:  God is with you!

 

Isaiah 11:1-9 NRSV

1A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots.  2The spirit of the LORD shall rest on him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD. 

3His delight shall be in the fear of the LORD.  He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide by what his ears hear; 4but with righteousness he shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked.  5Righteousness shall be the belt around his waist, and faithfulness the belt around his loins.

6The wolf shall live with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the kid, the calf and the lion and the fatling together, and a little child shall lead them.  7The cow and the bear shall graze, their young shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.  8The nursing child shall play over the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put its hand on the adder’s den.  9They will not hurt or destroy on all my holy mountain; for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea.

 

Luke 3:21-22 NRSV

21Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heaven was opened, 22and the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form like a dove.  And a voice came from heaven, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.”