THE NEW YEAR, PROSPECTIVELY!
TEXT: Phil 3:13-14
13 Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do,
forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those
things which are before,
14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ
Jesus.
INTRO: At this time of the year, we look upon the past year with sadness
because of our failures, but we look upon it with pleasure because of our
accomplishments. With these mixed feelings we try to face the new year with
some sense of stability and security.
I. A RETROSPECTIVE LOOK AT THE PAST YEAR! (Looking Back)
A. We have made some mistakes!
1. We have not accomplished all that we wanted to, nor have we
accomplished
all that we could have accomplished.
2. That goes for all of us as a church and each of us as an
individual.
3. My personal failures.
4. Paul said, "I count not myself to have apprehended." (Phil
3:13)
B. We have made some accomplishments!
1. We have done some worthwhile things; some good things.
2. We have keep the church doors open for those who wish to
worship God.
3. Don't be surprised if you count a number of accomplishments
that you have
made.
4. Paul said, "But what things were gain to me. . . ." (Phil 3:7)
C. But we must not allow the things of the past to hinder us now!
1. Our failures and our accomplishments are things of the past.
a. We must not allow our failures to discourage us.
b. We must not allow our accomplishments to cause us to
become
complacent.
2. Forget It, from Leaves of Gold.
Forget the slander you have heard,
Forget the hasty, unkind word;
Forget the quarrel and the cause,
Forget the whole affair, because
Forgetting is the only way.
Forget the storm of yesterday,
Forget the chap whose sour face
Forgets to smile in any place.
Forget you're not a millionaire,
Forget the gray streaks in your hair.
Forget the coffee when it's cold,
Forget to kick, forget to scold,
Forget the plumber's awful charge,
Forget the iceman's bill is large;
Forget the coalman and his ways,
Forget the winter's blustery days.
(My own add-on)
Forget your failures and defeat.
Look up to God; Stand on your feet.
Hold up your shoulders; Know your plan,
And say like Paul, "Through Christ, I can!"
3. We will not be discouraged because of our failures.
Disappointed? Yes!
Discouraged? No!
4. We are not complacent nor content with our accomplishments. We
must
press on.
II. AN INTROSPECTIVE LOOK AT TODAY! (Looking Within)
A. There are some things that we just cannot do!
1. Our numerical size limits us, Our financial size limits us, Our
location may
limit us, and Our convictions may limits us for better or
worse.
2. I am not gifted with charisma. I cannot speak a foreign
language. I'm not a
farmer nor a salesman.
3. Can you tell me how to make this church grow? If so, can you
do what
needs to be done? Can you make a sinner repent? Can you
solve the
problem of crime?
B. There are some things that we can do!
1. We can continue to keep the doors of the church open. We can
go to
church. We can pray. We can pay our tithes and give in the
offering. We
can offer our services to this community. We can break our
record. We can
have an influence on someone for Christ. We can reach
someone with the
Good News of Jesus Christ.
2. I can play the piano & sing. I can continue to preach. I can
help a farmer or
salesman. I can be a witness for Jesus Christ.
3. You can help the church grow by your faithful attendance. You
can learn
more about God, the Church and People in order to be a better
Christian.
You can learn the Plan of Salvation and share it with others.
C. Some introspective thoughts:
1. Pebbles On The Shore, from Leaves of Gold.
"I do not know what I may appear to the world, but to myself
I seem to
have been only like a boy playing on the seashore, and
diverting myself in
now and then finding a prettier shell or a smoother pebble
than ordinary,
whilst the great ocean of truth lay all undiscovered before
me." --- Isaac
Newton
2. Mistakes, from Leaves of Gold.
1. The delusion that individual advancement is made by
crushing others
down.
2. The tendency to worry about things that cannot be changed
or corrected.
3. Insisting that a thing is impossible because we ourselves
can not
accomplish it.
4. Refusing to set aside trivial preferences in order that
important things may
be accomplished.
5. Neglecting development and refinement.
6. The failure to establish the habit of saving money.
3. Verbs, from Leaves of Gold.
"No one really knows what it is to live until he can truly
say these eleven
great verbs of life: . . .
1. I Am: the power of self-knowledge.
2. I Think: the power to investigate.
3. I Know: the power to master facts.
4. I Feel: the power to appreciate, to value and to love.
5. I See: the power of insight, imagination, vision.
6. I Wonder: the power of reverence, curiosity, worship.
7. I Ought: the power of conscience, the moral imperative.
8. I Believe: the power of adventurous faith.
9. I Can: power to act and skill to accomplish.
10. I Will: will power, loyalty to duty, consecration.
11. I Serve: power to be useful, devotion to a cause."
--- George Walter Fiske
4. Gone, from Leaves of Gold.
Lost wealth may be replaced by industry, lost knowledge by
study, lost
health by temperance, but lost time is gone for ever. ---
Smiles
5. Lamentations 3:40 Let us search and try our ways, and turn
again to the
Lord.
6. 2 Corinthians 13:5a Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the
faith. . . .
III. A PROSPECTIVE LOOK AT THE NEW YEAR! (Looking Forward)
A. ". . .the mark. . ." Goal Setting!
1. Church goals.
a. Numerically and financially.
b. Fellowship that reaches all in the church and out into the
community.
c. Evangelistically: Personal evangelism, Royal Rangers,
Missionetts, Jail &
Prison, Hospital, etc.
2. My Goals.
a. Personal.
b. Family.
c. Church.
3. Your Goals.
a. You must set goals if you will accomplish anything.
b. Goals for yourself, your family and your job.
c. Goals for your Christian life and for your church.
B. ". . .I press. . ." Working!
1. The word "press" implies "make an effort".
a. It's an ongoing effort. If we stop trying, there is no
"press".
b. We must never, never stop trying. "If at first we don't
succeed, we must
try and try again."
2. Spring enlargement campaign, Visitation, VBS, Christmas Play,
etc.
3. Prov 4:27 Turn not to the right hand nor to the left: remove
thy foot from
evil.
4. 1 Cor 15:58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast,
unmoveable,
always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye
know that your
labour is not in vain in the Lord.
C. ". . .the prize. . ." Reaching! If we work toward the goal, we
will be rewarded.
1. We will have church growth, we will minister to one another and
the
community and we will reach some for the Lord Jesus Christ.
2. I will become a better husband and father, be a better pastor
and preacher
and be a more effective soul winner for Jesus.
3. You will be a better Christian, a better church member, and a
better worker
and witness for the Lord Jesus.
CONC: The greatest joy in life is not in remembering yesterday, nor in
dreaming of tomorrow, but our greatest joy comes from the satisfaction of
being involved in "the press" today. Forget the past! Realize the prospects
of tomorrow! Work today to achieve your goals! John 9:4 I must work the
works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can
work.
We can do it! We can have a better year!
2 Cor 8:12 For if there be first a willing mind, it is accepted according to
that a man hath, and not according to that he hath not.
Phil 4:13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.
2. Where then do they come from?
a. Principalities - evil spir