This Saturday, April 27th, we will be having a de-clutter day at Central. We will be going through various parts of the buildings and removing or re-purposing items in the buildings that have exceeded their purpose.If you could share some time this Saturday, please meet at the building at 10:00 am. This is open to anyone who could share a few minutes to help with this clean-up effort . Men & Women are welcome.

We are still accepting involvement forms!
Fill yours out at bit.ly/centralinvolve

LOOKING TO 2024 – REFLECTIONS AND EXPECTATIONS

Only Jesus can provide us with abundance and enable us to walk in the light. (John 8:12, Matthew 5:14)  Last week we considered some of the blessings God provided for us in 2023.  Certainly, all His gifts to us will be ever-present until life is over.  How blessed we are!

            Tonight, we turn our attention inward.  We stand at the door of a new year with new beginnings.  We ask a simple question now.  How can I change my life and do more to bring God glory in 2024?  Let’s consider ways to improve our lives and dedicate ourselves to that end. 

SPIRITUAL EXPECTATIONS-NEW BEGINNINGS

What Will We Do for God in 2024?

Song Selection:  Take My Life and Let It Be

Song with Lyrics (click the link): youtu.be/gAOcYrbYHr8 

PRAYER:  “Lord, as we go into the new year, we are thankful for all you have done for us in the past.  We trust in your will for our lives and know our future can be strong and certain.  Help us to always see your plan and remember we are part of it.  Give us faith, hope and love each day.  May we go forward in your Son’s name, to live at our highest spiritual potential.  It is in His name we offer this prayer.”

“Seek the Lord while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near.” (Isaiah 55:6)

May God bless your efforts each day in our future together.

LOOKING TO 2024 – REFLECTIONS AND EXPECTATIONS

REACHING OUR POTENTIAL IN 2024

            As we close the door on 2023 and begin 2024, how can we improve our spiritual lives in the future?  As we seek our fullest potential, we should understand what Jesus called “abundant life”.  Jesus wants to convey a life of spiritual blessings with gifts that overflow into our lives.  He laid out His purpose for us in John 10:10.  “I have come that you may have life and that life more abundantly.”  He gives life unlike anything we could have ever enjoyed without Him.

            We should be thankful for such a blessing.  Jesus said in John 8:12, “I am the light of the world, he that follows me shall not walk in darkness but shall have the light of life.”  Only He can give you a life better than the world offers.  As you wake to a new year, do so with your eyes opened to His way of thinking.  Tonight, we will reflect on the spiritual blessings God has given us.  Next Sunday night, we will consider some expectations for ourselves in 2024.  We pray this time of devotion will benefit everyone who takes part.

SPIRITUAL REFLECTIONS-A YEAR OF BLESSINGS

What Has God Done for Us in 2023?

Song Selection- What the Lord Has Done in Me

Song with Lyrics (click the link): youtu.be/nJDgKrl2gDg

In considering these points, if you found deficiencies, how will you commit to improving them in 2024?

Our second Growth Group meeting is tonight! 

• Leader/Study Guide (Go to Session 2): https://reader.rightnowmedia.org/5/160672
• Lesson 2 Participant Guide is here
• More info at https://www.christiscentral.org/growth-groups/
• Reading for tonight: James 1:13-18

Growth Groups begin tonight! 

• All groups will start at 5, unless your leader has told you otherwise.
• Leader/Study Guide: https://reader.rightnowmedia.org/5/160672
• Lesson 1 Participant Guide is here
• Attendance form for Co-Leader is here
• More info at https://www.christiscentral.org/growth-groups/
• All members have been requested to read James 1:1-12:

This Wednesday the Bloom Ladies will be getting together to clean the Farris’s home that they will be renting. Please meet at the Annex at 10 am if you would like to help. 

This Fall/Winter our Growth Groups will be studying The Book of James. We are getting excited to start our third year of Growth Groups on September 10th, and we hope that you are getting excited too! Below is a short preview of our study of James, with some questions for you and your family to enjoy time discussing together.

The book of James was written by James, the half-brother of Jesus, from Jerusalem, to Jewish Christians living outside of Palestine, around 40-60 AD. These are people like us, trying to live out in the world and be a follower of Christ, who need encouragement and wisdom to follow Him. Thus, James is a very practical book, almost like a manual for everyday Christian living, giving it the nickname “the Proverbs of the New Testament.”

Below is a preview of some questions James helps us answer. Please take some time to discuss with your family and friends how you would answer them, and take a look at what James has to say. 

1. How do you react when being a Christian gets hard? (1:1-18)

2. How do you react to temptation? Do you blame God for allowing the temptation? (1:13-18)

3. What is the difference between calling yourself a Christian and being a Christian? (2:14-26)

4. Why do negative words seem to have a greater impact on people than positive ones? (3:1-12)

5. How is the wisdom of the world different from the wisdom of God? (3:13-18)

6. How have you seen the power of prayer work in your life? (5:13-20)

Father’s Day: Put a New Twist on an Old Tradition

This year also consider all your Heavenly Father has done for you.

by Rachel Lovingood

The idea for Father’s Day began when a woman heard a Mother’s Day sermon and decided that she didn’t want all that her dad had done for her to go unrecognized. When you think about Father’s Day, what comes to your mind? Can you relate to this woman who was concerned about taking her father for granted?

Honoring fathers is important. After all, the Bible commands us to honor them; but, this year, think of Father’s Day with a new twist. Take some time to consider all your Heavenly Father has done for you and how you might be taking Him for granted.

God is Our Model Father

God Almighty is your Heavenly Father, and He is the perfect example of what it means to be a dad. Looking at each of the letters that make up the word “father,” consider some of the characteristics that set Him apart and provide a model for our human dads.

F   Forgiveness is a huge part of your relationship with your Father. He is willing and able to forgive you of any sin you commit if you will only ask Him. It’s comforting to know that nothing you do is ever so bad that God won’t forgive you (Romans 8:38-39; 1 John 1:9). Now, that’s unconditional acceptance.

A   He is active in your life all the time. God is always at work around you. Ask God to show you what He is doing. You will be amazed at all that is going on. More important, the invitation is open for you to get involved with Him. You never have to wait for your turn to be active with God (John 5:17).

T   Time for you. While humans get too busy to do this or that, God always has time for you. Whenever you feel lonely, struggle with a problem, want to share a thought, or need to deal with a concern, He is there for you. You can’t find a time in your day when He is too busy to talk or listen to you (Jeremiah 33:3).

H   The heart of the matter is that God knows your heart, and He loves you anyway. Proverbs tells us that the heart is deceitful above all things. Some people may not want to be in your life if you make mistakes. God wants to be with you anytime, and He alone is able to change your heart to be all you were created to be (1 John 4:9-10,19).

E   Everywhere sums up God’s place in your life. If you’re a Christian, there is nowhere you can go where He isn’t with you. It can be encouraging to realize that when you are in a tough place in your life, He is right there with you. Whether other people are there or not, God is by your side (Romans 8:35-39).

R   Rest and Read. These are two areas where most people could use a little work. Rest is important to you because it’s easy to become so busy that you don’t take time with the Lord. He wants you to set aside daily time to rest in Him and to read His Word. The Bible is His letter to His children. The best way to get to know your Father is to spend quality time resting and reading all about Him in His Word (John 14:21; Psalm 46:10).

Link to Original Article: https://www.lifeway.com/en/articles/marriage-men-fathers-day-a-new-twist-on-an-old-day 

• Why do bad things happen to good people?
• Why do good things happen to bad people?

• I can’t____
• I don’t WANT to

• EVIDENCE
• 5874 manuscripts
• Early Historians notes/letters/sermons
• Archeology

• 2 Pe 1:3  His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, 
• John 10:10b I have come that they may have life and have it more abundantly.
• I AM the ……….

• Mat 16:18  And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
• 1Th 4:17  Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. 

• Religious Leaders –opposed Jesus
• Matt 10:36 – opposition from own home
• 1 Tim 4:12 – be an example
• Matt 7:1 vs John 7:24
• John 8:7 – cast the first stone
• Gal 6:1 gentleness and 2 Tim 2:25 humility

Welcome to Central Church of Christ, a people who strive to Show God’s Love, Tell God’s Story, and Be God’s Family.

What does it mean to be a “Christian”?

Etymology: 

Acts 11:26b– “And in Antioch, the disciples were first called Christians.”

• G5546 – christianos (Christian)
• G5547 – christos (Christ/Messiah)
• G5548 – chriō (Anoint, Greek)
• H4899 – māšîaḥ (Messiah)
• H4886 – māšaḥ (Anoint, Hebrew)

OT Usage:

Gen. 31:13– “I am the God of Bethel, where you anointed a pillar and made a vow to me. Now arise, go out from this land and return to the land of your kindred.’”

Gen. 28:10-22– 10 Jacob left Beersheba and went toward Haran. 11 And he came to a certain place and stayed there that night, because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones of the place, he put it under his head and lay down in that place to sleep. 12 And he dreamed, and behold, there was a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven. And behold, the angels of God were ascending and descending on it! 13 And behold, the Lord stood above it and said, “I am the Lord, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac. The land on which you lie I will give to you and to your offspring. 14 Your offspring shall be like the dust of the earth, and you shall spread abroad to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south, and in you and your offspring shall all the families of the earth be blessed. 15 Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land. For I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.” 16 Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it.” 17 And he was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.” 18 So early in the morning Jacob took the stone that he had put under his head and set it up for a pillar and poured oil on the top of it. 19 He called the name of that place Bethel, but the name of the city was Luz at the first. 20 Then Jacob made a vow, saying, “If God will be with me and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat and clothing to wear, 21 so that I come again to my father’s house in peace, then the Lord shall be my God, 22 and this stone, which I have set up for a pillar, shall be God’s house. And of all that you give me I will give a full tenth to you.”

When something is anointed, it is a mark of a connection between heaven and earth, and a mark of God’s blessing.

Exodus 28:41

1 Samuel 10:1– Then Samuel took a flask of oil and poured it on his head and kissed him and said, “Has not the LORD anointed you to be prince over his people Israel? And you shall reign over the people of the LORD and you will save them from the hand of their surrounding enemies. And this shall be the sign to you that the LORD has anointed you to be prince over his heritage.

1 Samuel 16:13- Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers. And the Spirit of the LORD rushed upon David from that day forward. And Samuel rose up and went to Ramah.

1 Kings 1:39

1 Kings 19:16- And Jehu the son of Nimshi you shall anoint to be king over Israel, and Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah you shall anoint to be prophet in your place.

2 Kings 2:6-22

NT Usage: For Jesus

Matthew 16:16

Mark 8:29

Luke 22:67

John 11:27

Psalm 132:17-18- There I will make a horn to sprout for David; I have prepared a lamp for my anointed. 18 His enemies I will clothe with shame, but on him his crown will shine.”

Isaiah 61:1-2a- The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; 2 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor,

Luke 3:21-22

John 1:51– And he said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you,[a] you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”

John 14:6– Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.,

Matthew 8:16– That evening they brought to him many who were oppressed by demons, and he cast out the spirits with a word and healed all who were sick.

John 3:16– For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 

Matthew 4:17

Heb. 4:14-16

Is. 9:6-7

1 Tim 6:14-17

John 3:16

Matt. 4:16-21

NT Usage: For Us

2 Cor. 1:21-22– And it is God who establishes us with you in Christ and has anointed us, 22 and who has also put his seal on us and given us his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.

Close:

His Hand Is Bigger Than Mine

Titus 2:1-8– But as for you, teach what accords with sound doctrine. 2 Older men are to be sober-minded, dignified, self-controlled, sound in faith, in love, and in steadfastness. 3 Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good, 4 and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, 5 to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled. 6 Likewise, urge the younger men to be self-controlled. 7 Show yourself in all respects to be a model of good works, and in your teaching show integrity, dignity, 8 and sound speech that cannot be condemned, so that an opponent may be put to shame, having nothing evil to say about us.

Welcome to Central Church of Christ, where we strive to Show God’s Love, Tell God’s Story, and Be God’s Family. 

Joseph Campbell’s “hero’s journey” or “monomyth.” 

John 14:6– Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

Matt. 28:18-20– “18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Each of us is at one of these different points in our spiritual journey:

• Point #1- Accepting the Call
• Point #2- Struggling with Challenges and Temptations
• Point #3- Maturing and Mentoring

Point #1- Accepting the Call

Romans 6:23- “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Gen. 1:26–  “Then God said, “Let us make man[a] in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”

Romans 3:23–  “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”

John 3:16-18– “16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his  only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. “

Acts 2:38– “And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”

Romans 6:3-4– “3 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.”

Point #2- Struggling with Challenges and Temptations

1 Peter 1:25b – 2:2– “And this word is the good news that was preached to you. So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander. Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation”

Heb. 6:1-2– Therefore let us leave the elementary doctrine of Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, 2 and of instruction about baptisms, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment.

Hebrews 5:12-14– “12 For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food, 13 for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child. 14 But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.”

1 Cor. 2:14 – 3:3 -”14 The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. 15 The spiritual person judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one. 16 “For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ. 2:1 But I, brothers, could not address you as spiritual people, but as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ. 2 I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it. And even now you are not yet ready, 3 for you are still of the flesh. For while there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not of the flesh and behaving only in a human way?

Heb 5:14–“14 But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.”

Point #3- Maturing and Mentoring

Hebrews 5:12– 12 For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food,

Ephesians 4:11-16– 11 And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, 12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, 13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, 14 so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. 15 Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, 16 from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.

James 3:1– “Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness.” 

Matthew 28:18-20– “And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in[b] the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” 

Deut. 11:18-19–“You shall therefore lay up these words of mine in your heart and in your soul, and you shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. 19 You shall teach them to your children, talking of them when you are sitting in your house, and when you are walking by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.”

Titus 2:1-8– But as for you, teach what accords with sound doctrine. 2 Older men are to be sober-minded, dignified, self-controlled, sound in faith, in love, and in steadfastness. 3 Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good, 4 and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, 5 to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled. 6 Likewise, urge the younger men to be self-controlled. 7 Show yourself in all respects to be a model of good works, and in your teaching show integrity, dignity, 8 and sound speech that cannot be condemned, so that an opponent may be put to shame, having nothing evil to say about us.

New Life and New Year Resolutions

Welcome to Central Church of Christ, where we seek to Show God’s Love, Tell God’s Story, and Be God’s Family.

Top New Year’s Resolutions for 2023: 

New Year’s resolutions are hard!

How do we keep our goals?

• Deeply understand why you want to change.
• Set specific and challenging long-term goals
• Set small and realistic short-term goals
• Find like-minded people with the same goal

Why Do We Make Resolutions?

The Problem: An Life of Death, separated from God 

Gen. 1= Seven good things- 

1. light v.4
2. the land and sea v.10
3. first life of plants v.12
4. the lights of the sky v.17
5. the creatures of air and water v.21
6. the land creatures v.25
7. everything with humanity in God’s image was very good v.31

Gen 2= Garden of Eden: 

• A land of abundance v.8-9

And the Lord God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there he put the man whom he had formed. 9 And out of the ground the Lord God made to spring up every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

• People had purpose v.15

The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it.

• They had healthy relationships with each other and with God v.18,24-25–

18 Then the Lord God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.” 24 Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. 25 And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed.

• Humanity had one choice to make: trust God and do what was right in His eyes, choosing life, or distrust God and do what seems right in their own eyes, choosing death. (v.16-17)

16 And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”

Gen 3:1-6

1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made.  He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” 2 And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, 3 but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’” 4 But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. 5 For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” 6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate.

The world is no longer “very good.”

• The man and woman hide themselves from each other and God. They fear both each other and God. Their relationships are broken. v.7,8,16
• The serpent is cursed to live on the earth, and he is promised a deathblow from the seed of the woman. v.14-15
• The ground is cursed to withhold its fruits from man, and man must labor for his food until he dies. v.19
• Death enters the world (v.19 & 21), and man is driven out of the garden, away from God and away from the tree of life.

The Promise: A New Life, with God through Christ

Gen 3:15- I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.”

“in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” Gen. 12:1-3 

Is 7:14-15–

Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. 15 He shall eat curds and honey when he knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good.

Is 42:1–

Behold my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my Spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations.

Is 52:13-15; 53:4-6,10-

13 Behold, my servant shall act wisely; he shall be high and lifted up, and shall be exalted. 14 As many were astonished at you— his appearance was so marred, beyond human semblance, and his form beyond that of the children of mankind—15 so shall he sprinkle many nations. Kings shall shut their mouths because of him, for that which has not been told them they see, and that which they have not heard they understand.

53:4 Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. 5 But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed. 6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

10 Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him; he has put him to grief; when his soul makes an offering for guilt, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the Lord shall prosper in his hand.

Jesus always chose to follow God’s wisdom. 

• “in [His] father’s house” Luke 2:49
• “fulfill all righteousness” Matt 3:13-15
• “It is written” Matt 4:4,7,10.

Jesus’ call to a new life:

• “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Matthew 4:17
• Matthew 9:2-7
  • • 2 And behold, some people brought to him a paralytic, lying on a bed. And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Take heart, my son; your sins are forgiven.” 3 And behold, some of the scribes said to themselves, “This man is blaspheming.” 4 But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, “Why do you think evil in your hearts? 5 For which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise and walk’? 6 But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he then said to the paralytic—“Rise, pick up your bed and go home.” 7 And he rose and went home. 

• John 3:14-21
  • • 14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. 16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. 19 And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. 20 For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. 21 But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.”

• John 14:6- “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

Matthew 16:14-16

And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” 15 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” 16 Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

Matt. 26:63-66

63 But Jesus remained silent. And the high priest said to him, “I adjure you by the living God, tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God.” 64 Jesus said to him, “You have said so. But I tell you, from now on you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power and coming on the clouds of heaven.” 65 Then the high priest tore his robes and said, “He has uttered blasphemy. What further witnesses do we need? You have now heard his blasphemy. 66 What is your judgment?” They answered, “He deserves death.”

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:23

2 Cor. 5:21- “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”

1 Pet. 3:18– “For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit,”

Rev. 1:17-18–

17 When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he laid his right hand on me, saying, “Fear not, I am the first and the last, 18 and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades.

A New Life Resolution: Today and to Come

Ephesians 4:17-24:

17 Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds. 18 They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart. 19 They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity. 20 But that is not the way you learned Christ!— 21 assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, 22 to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, 23 and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, 24 and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.

The new life today: v.25-32

• We speak the truth v.25
• We do not sin in our anger, and we don’t let the problem fester, we resolve the problem promptly v.26
• We don’t even give the tempter a chance v.27
• We do honest work, and share with anyone in need v.28
• We build each other up with grace v.29
• We don’t grieve the Holy Spirit v.30
• We are kind, tenderhearted, and forgiving, like God in Christ v.32

Eternal life to come- 

Romans 6:22-23–

22 But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life. 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Rev. 21:1-7:

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. 2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. 4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” 5 And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” 6 And he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment. 7 The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son. 

Outro: What’s Your Resolution?

To be successful, remember to:

• Deeply understand why you want to change.
  • Our world is broken because of our sinful choices that lead us to separation from God and each other.
• Set specific and challenging long-term goals
  • We want to achieve eternal life with God and each other.
• Set small and realistic short-term goals
  • We can do that today, by choosing to follow God’s wisdom and living the new life He gives us.
• Find like-minded people with the same goal
  • You are not alone and don’t have to try and do it by yourself. We are all aiming for the same goal, and we are here to encourage each other to get there.

Matt 25:31-46

31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. 34 Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ 37 Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? 38 And when did we see you as a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? 39 And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ 40 And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’ 41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ 44 Then they also will answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?’ 45 Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ 46 And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

What’s your choice?

• What is a Steward?
  • • 1 Cor.4:1
    • A steward is a servant entrusted with the management of a master’s possessions or people. The most essential quality of a steward is faithfulness. A faithful steward is trustworthy, dependable, reliable.
• A Master delegates responsibility. 
  • • Their responsibility matches their ability. v.14-15
    • Each steward manages his opportunity. v.16-18
• The master returns and holds accountable v.19
  • • Why are the first and second stewards blessed? v.20-23
    • Why is the third steward cursed? v.24-27
      • • The good-for-nothing steward is terminated v.28-30

• The point of Jesus parable
  1. 1. Use your God-given abilities
        • • 1 Peter 4:10
     2. Seize every opportunity
        • • Galatians 6:10
          • Colossians 4:3,5
     3. Advance the Lord’s church
        1. • Matthew 28:18-20
           • Matthew 22:34-40
           • Acts 2:14-47

All teen and adult bible classes will be in the auditorium today!