Sermons About Resolutions
"Go-To"
With God's help we can see worth and potential in every person, and act accordingly - from John 4:1-10
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Peter's New Year Resolution
The New Year often drives us to make resolutions which we later break. If we keep the resolutions, we feel good about ourselves but perhaps look down on others who failed. If we do not keep our resolutions, we tend to beat ourselves up. The Gospel breaks this cycle but causing us to focus on Jesus’ performance and what he has done for us rather than what He can do to us. Peter’s failure and Jesus’ redemption illustrate the Gospel.
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Standup
Jesus didn’t die to make us better people – but with Him in the centre of our lives, we will be.
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New Years Resolutions
New Years Resolutions are always tough to implement, aren’t they. In fact, I was reading an article in the NY Times on Dec. 31 of this year about this. Dr. Gonzales, who is a professor of psychology at the Univ. of Minnesota, stated, “In a season of change, in a year of change, most people who embark on a journey of self-renewal can expect anything but. Research shows that about 80 percent of people who make resolutions on Jan. 1 fall off the wagon by Valentine’s Day.†Even changes that are absolutely necessary, like changing your eating after a heart-attack. Dr. Edward D. Miller, the dean of the medical faculty at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, said more than 70 percent of coronary bypass patients revert to unhealthy habits within two years of their operation.
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Glorifying God
1 Corinthians 10:31 Have you made a resolution for the new year? How about more than one resolution? Consider the 18th century preacher and theologian Jonathan Edwards, who shortly after his conversion, established 70 resolutions for himself. Edwards put forth so many resolutions because his desire was to glorify God in every aspect of his life. Seldom do contemporary Christians exercise such self-examination. The glory of God was clearly Jonathan Edward's all-encompassing passion and this matched up precisely with the overriding theme of all scripture in the Bible - the glorification of God and God glorifying Himself through His creation. The universe is the theater that God uses to put on His glory (Psalm 19:1, Isaiah 6:3, Romans 1:20), and, He deserves to receive glory, honor, and praise (Romans 11:36) because He is the author and creator of all that is (Isaiah 43:7); everyone was created for the glory of God, which is why all was created in the universe. Indeed, the chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. But sadly, we seek to glorify ourselves all too often instead. It is the essence of sin that causes us to fall short of God's glory and His glorious standards, and thereby deny Him glory. But Isaiah 48:11 tells us that God doesn't share His glory with anyone! Everything that God does is to bring glory and honor to himself. Jonathan Edwards recognized this and this is what prompted him to self examination and to establish 70 resolutions for his life. These resolutions clearly reflected his passion and desire to glorify God in every aspect of his life. Edwards used them in a deliberate and systematic manner- to gauge his progress in accomplishing his goals. Edward's overall goal was to be the best Christian on the planet every day of his life. He felt that this was achievable if he dedicated every aspect of his life - every day, to the glorification of God. As we move into 2009, we need to ask ourselves what will glorify God the most as we pursue our daily endeavors. The more we consider this, the more we realize that the glorification of God should permeate every aspect of our lives, no matter how trivial. God is honored or dishonored by everything we say and do. As the apostle Paul said in 1 Corinthians 10:31, "Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God." Finally, we should always remember that we cannot hold to our resolutions without God's grace and the help of the Holy Spirit. It is by God's will, by His grace, and for Christ's sake that we even desire to do so.
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Free From The Past?!?
If we will let Him, Jesus will set us free from the pain of our past hurts and mistakes.
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Crisis and Opportunity
Gary reflects on issues that lead us into 2009's challenges for the nation at large. What could the economic uncertainty and new political administration mean for the discerning Christian? Gary addresses it.
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