New Year, New Me 12-15-24 AM
I. A new me in relationship to sin.
a. 1 Thessalonians 5:22.
i. Flee fornication (1 Corinthians 6:18).
ii. Flee idolatry (1 Corinthians 10:14).
iii. Flee youthful lusts (2 Timothy 2:22).
b. It is easy to see from these and other verses that we are to stay as far from sin as possible.
c. Yet how many of us walk as close to sin as we can?
d. How many of us allow some type of sin to stay in our lives?
e. It may be this new year that you want to be new in getting rid of some sin that you have been allowing to stay in your life.
f. It may be a sin of the tongue.
i. Gossiping is the past time of many people but it is a sin (Romans 1:30 - backbiters carries this idea).
ii. Lying is an easy habit to get into and a hard one to get out of (Revelation 21:8).
g. It may be the sin of a bad attitude.
i. Some are quick to think evil of brethren (1 Corinthians 13:5).
ii. It may be that we are unloving towards others (1 John 2:10-11).
h. It may be the use of tobacco that harms the body or the use of language that is vulgar (Colossians 3:8).
i. Whatever sin that it may be, now is the best time to make a new me when it comes to removing sin from your life.
II. A new me in relationship to study.
a. There is only one way that the word of Christ can dwell in us richly and that is through study.
b. A lot of people are like one lady who had a family heirloom Bible on her coffee table. It was a beautiful old book and the man painting her house commented on its beauty and then said it doesn’t really matter how it looks on the outside because what is on the inside is much more important. She replied, “Oh yes. We have family records and births and marriages and deaths that go so far back, all recorded in that Bible; we could never replace them.”
c. Children of God must be students of God’s word.
d. As inspired as Paul was, he still wanted the Old Testament parchments brought to him by Timothy (2 Timothy 4:13).
i. We have all heard of the study habits of men like Gus Nichols and Guy N. Woods.
ii. The reason that they studied was that they knew they had room to grow and mature as Christians.
e. We need Christians that are daily Bible readers and students of what they read.
f. Br. Woods said that if Christians would spend 15 minutes a day in real study that they would see real growth in their spiritual lives.
g. 2 Timothy 2:15 tells us to give diligence, the meaning of the word “study”, to show ourselves approved to God, one who handles God’s word correctly.
i. This passage indicates that we must use God’s word for the purpose that it was intended.
ii. The only way that we can do that is if we study it.
h. We are commanded to know God and the only way to get to know God is through a study of His word.
i. Someone once said, “ A thumbprint on the Bible is more important than a footprint on the moon.”
j. Right now is the best time to make a new me when it comes to being a better Bible student
III. A new me in relationship to service.
a. What are you doing to serve God and others?
b. Our Lord was a servant to others.
i. He brought the truth to mankind (John 1:17).
ii. He healed others.
iii. He washed feet to illustrate the necessity of service in His kingdom (John 13:14-15).
c. There are many areas in which we can serve.
i. We can do things on our own that others don’t have to know about.
ii. We can get involved in the works of this congregation.
iii. There are always sick who need visiting.
iv. There are always those who are absent who need a call.
d. We need to ask ourselves, “What have done to help Blackwater to grow in 2024?”
i. If it was a lot, then keep doing what you are doing.
ii. If you can do more then 2025 is the time to do it.
e. Right now is the best time to make a new me when it comes to serving in the Lord’s church.
IV. A new me in relationship to salvation.
a. With a gathering of this size, there is no doubt that there are some who ended 2007 in sin.
b. It may be you are a child of God who has some sin that you know you need to get rid of as we have mentioned already.
i. The reason you are need to get rid of it is because you are lost.
ii. Not just because it would be a good thing to do.
c. It may be that you are a child of God but have not been studying or serving as you know you can.
i. Simply coming to worship and Bible class and doing nothing else to grow is not God’s plan for you.
ii. God expects study and service in the life of His children.
d. It also could be the case, and I know it is with some here in this audience, that you have never rendered obedience to Christ.
i. This morning, you are lost because you have not obeyed the commandments of God (Matthew 7:21).
ii. By obeying the Lord’s commands in regard to salvation, you can become a new creature (2 Corinthians 5:17).
iii. There is nothing else that produces results with God than being a new creature (Galatians 6:15).
iv. The result with God is that He adds us to the Lord’s church when we are obedient (Acts 2:47).
e. If you really want to be a new me in the new year, you need to obey the gospel, God’s only power to save.
f. Right now is the best time to make a new me when it comes to salvation.