Sabbath 12/31/16 Seventh Day Baptist Daytona Pastor Wray sermon “New Year”

Sabbath 12/31/16 Seventh Day Baptist Daytona Pastor Wray sermon “New Year” Phil 3:14-15

“Press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus”


New Year….why don’t more life changing decisions change a person’s life? People are sometimes not sure of what this Christian thing is all about. But through prayer, bible study and attending church services, one can make changes in their life. Doing what God will have you to do will finally change your life. Your life changing experience with Jesus Christ will change your life. What is different about you? It is December 31, 2016 and it’s time to talk about change. I mean change for the saved Christian.

To have a life changing experience change your life, you must forget the Past. The past won’t let you get free of its grip until you make a decision to put it behind you. In the Past there are: Skeletons, Bruises and Letter Jackets.

  1. Skeletons:
    These are mistakes and sins that we have done. These are sins we don’t want Pastor Wray to find out about. We all have skeletons where we failed and wish we could undo what we did. Apostle Paul says to forget it and stop digging up bones. Forget it! This is the concept seen in the story of the Prodigal Son. The father ran to the son, forgiving and forgetting his sins. God, like the father, runs after us and is blind to our skeletons.

  2. Bruises:
    We don’t forget the bruises, hurts, bitterness and the pain. We need to forget it all. Others may have hurt us in the past but we must let it go and move on. Don’t hold onto a list of people who did us wrong. Don’t be bitter, just let it go. Don’t be angry with God either. Forget the past bruises and remember that we will not change with bitterness still inside us.

  3. Letter Jackets:
    Forget the losses we’ve had and also forget the successes we’ve had. We were not as good as we like to think. We were not that great. Don’t sit around remembering the letter jacket, the events of high school. Move on and leave the past behind us. Paul was a great man in the church before his meeting with Jesus. Paul forgot his wins, took off his letter jacket and took on the role of servant. Many of us are living our Christianity in the past.

    We say”Ohhh…I used to teach” or “Ohhh…I used to be so active in the church”. God is saying “What have you done for me lately?” We need to forget the past and focus on the future.
To get life changes, pursue the future. Reach for what lies ahead. We need a clear vison of this objective and to reach for the goal. Stay focused on reaching for the right goal. Reach for the goals that God has for us. Sometimes we can be distracted when reaching for our goals. Don’t be distracted but stay on the coarse God has for us to reach our goal. For all of us, life at times can be like driving thru a swarm of bees and missing the target. We must never take our eyes off the goal. One day, each one of us will stand before God and all that we did for Him will be the only thing that matters.

Life change is a concrete action. Our moments of absolute obedience will keep our focus on the goals for God. We must take practical little steps that will matter. If we want to have a better witness at work, change your language. Whatever it is you must do, God will tell you. Life changing events are supposed to change your life. Forget the past and focus on the future in 2017. Let God be with us all in this future. Thank God that we can make new starts in our lives.

AMEN
 
Back
Top