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SPIRITUAL RESOLUTIONS FOR A NEW YEAR

INTRODUCTION

When Jonathan Edwards was just a young man, he made five resolutions and lived by them faithfully.

A.        RESOLVED: TO LIVE WITH ALL MY MIGHT WHILE I DO LIVE.

B.        RESOLVED: NEVER TO LOSE A MOMENT OF TIME, BUT TO IMPROVE IT IN THE MOST PROFITABLE WAY I CAN.

C.        RESOLVED: NEVER TO DO ANYTHING WHICH I SHOULD DESPISE OR THINK MEANLY OF IN ANOTHER.

D.        RESOLVED: NEVER TO DO ANYTHING OUT OF REVENGE.

E.        RESOLVED: NEVER TO DO ANYTHING WHICH I SHOULD BE AFRAID TO DO IF IT WERE THE LAST HOUR OF MY LIFE.

I would suggest to you that the resolutions of Jonathan Edwards would be good resolutions for every one of us, especially as we close out one year and begin a new year.

All of us have at one time or another have made New Year’s Resolutions. Someone has said, “The weakness of most New Year’s resolutions is that they go in one year and out the other.”

Another has said, “Resolutions are like babies crying in Church. They must be carried out to be good!"

As we look at our text we see that James is talking about the future. In verse 13 he refers to the plans certain ones had for the year before them.

He speaks to us about the attitudes we should have about the days that are before us.

James tells us that when we consider the year that is before us that there is much about the future that is uncertain.         (See Verse 14)

He reminds us that we don’t even know what tomorrow holds, much less what a year may hold. 

Let me say that even though we may not know what we face in the future, we should know how to face the future.

One of the ways to face the New Year is to settle certain things in our hearts and lives. There are certain spiritual resolutions we should make about how we are going to approach and face the New Year.

We should glean from what James said some spiritual resolutions for the New Year.

NOTICE THAT JAMES SPEAKS TO US ABOUT:

 I.       JAMES SPEAKS OF A DAILY MEASURED LIFE!

            In verse 13, James speaks of those who were making plans about the future.

            Their plans were to go into a certain city and over the next year buy and sell and make a profit. The words "Go to now" is

            similar to our expression, “Now look here.”         

            James is saying, "Your are making all these big plans but there is something you are failing to consider.” He continues in verse 14.

            James was not condemning their plans or their ambition, but was reminding them of the uncertainty of life and the perspective

            by which we should view all future plans.

            A.        How Life Must Be Assessed.

                        1.         James asks the question, “What is your life?” He then describes

                                    life as a vapor that appears for a short time and then is gone.

                        2.         James is reminding us of the brevity of life.

                                    Other Bible Writers Spoke Of The Brevity Of Life:

                                    Job 7:6–"My days are swifter than a weaver’s shuttle...” 

                                    Job 9:25-26–"Now my days are swifter than a post: They flee away, they see no good. They are passed

                                    away as the swift ships: as the eagle that hasteth to the prey.”

Psalm 39:4-5–"Lord, make me to know mine end, and the measure of my days, what it is; that I may know how frail I am. Behold, Thou hast made my days as an handbreadth; and mine age is as nothing before thee..."

                        3.         Life at it’s longest is brief and short.

                                    In the “big picture,” we are like a vapor that is here for a short time and then vanishes away.

                        4.         The young in this place look out into the future thinking the years will never get here.

                                    I can remember thinking my 16th birthday would never get here so I could get my drivers license.

                        5.         Yet the oldest in this place looks back and wonders where all the years have gone.

                                    We say, “It seems like yesterday."

                                    But in reality years have passed. Life is a very brief experience.

                        6.         An unknown writer has given us these words:

                                    “When as a child, I laughed and wept--time crept.

                                    When as a youth, I dreamed and talked--time walked.

                                    When I became a full-grown man--time ran.

                                    When older still I grew--time flew.

                                    Soon I shall find in passing on--time gone.”

                        7.         Someone has said: “It has been proven that married life is healthy.  Statistics show that single people

                                    die sooner than married folks do. So, if you are looking for a long life and a slow death, get married!”                         

                        8.         Married or not, life is but a vapor. It is short and brief.         

How must life be assessed? The proper way to assess life is that at its longest it is a brief experience.

            B.        How Life Must Be Approached.

1.         I read an Arabic fable of a merchant in Baghdad that sent his servant to the market. Before long the servant returned, white and trembling. He said to his master, “Down in the market place I was jostled by someone in the crowd. When I turned and looked I saw that it was death that jostled me.

She looked at me and made a threatening gesture. Please lend me a horse that I might hasten to Samarra and hide there so death cannot find me."    The master loaned him a horse and the servant galloped away in haste.

Later, the merchant went to the marketplace and saw death standing in the crowd. He went over to her and said, “Why did you frighten my servant this morning? Why did you make a threatening gesture?”

Death replied, “That was not a threatening gesture. I was only startled and surprised. I was astonished to see him in Baghdad, for I have an appointment with him tonight in Samarra.”

                        2.         You could say that each of us has an appointment in Samarra as James

                                    described, someday, one day, life will vanish away.

                                    This life is neither predictable nor permanent.

                        3.         The only day of which we are certain of is the day that we have.

                                    And we can’t even be certain how much of it we will be allowed to have.

                                    Therefore life must be approached one day at a time.

                        4.         Dr. R. G. Lee said: "Yesterday is in the tomb of time. Tomorrow is in the womb of time. Only now is yours.”

                        5.         Since life must be assessed as brief and must be approached as consisting of only the day before us, then a

                                    resolution we all should make is that we will be all we should be and do all we should do, this day.

6.         We often say, “One of these days I am going to get a round to this or that.”

                                    We don’t know that we have another day, therefore, we should live one day at a time. 

                                    What we ought to do today ought to be done today.

                                    What we ought to be this day, we should be this day.

                        7.         If you are not saved, then you ought to get saved today.

                                    If you are not living for God, you ought to start today.

                                    If you are out of the will of God, you ought to get in the will of God today.                                    

                                    If you are not working for God, then you ought to start working for Him today.

                        8.         A Spiritual resolution for the New Year ought to be that you are going to be what you should be and do what

                                    you should do each day of the rest of your life, beginning today! Then live it one day at a time.

                        9.         Yesterday is a canceled check. Tomorrow is a promissory note. Today is the only cash we have!

    I.      JAMES SPEAKS OF A DAILY MEASURED LIFE!

  II.      JAMES SPEAKS OF A DIVINELY MANAGED LIFE!

            In verse 13 we read the words "Ye that say."

            In verse 15 we read the words "Ye ought to say."

            They were saying we are going to do this and that, but James reminds them that they ought to be saying, “We will do this and

            that if it be the Lord’s will."

            James is describing a divinely managed life. It is a life that suggests two great truths:

            A.        God Determines The Existence Of Life.

All future plans hinge upon God’s will. God is the one that determines how long our life will exist and when our life will end.

                        Job reminded us of this fact in Job 14:5– “Seeing his days are determined, the number of his months are with Thee,

                        thou hast appointed his bounds that he cannot pass.”

                        Behind our starting point and our stopping place is God’s management of our life. He is the one that has set the

                        boundaries of life.        Notice James 4:16.

                        James reminds us that it is wrong to presume that we are the masters of our fate and boast in all we are going to do as if

                        nothing could happen outside our control.

                        The simple truth is, it is up to God whether or not we will be around in another year or even one more day. 

            B.        God Directs The Events Of Life.

God not only controls the “when” of our life, he also controls the “what” of our life. Romans 8:28 is true because God is in control.

                        Life is not a series of accidents. It is a series of appointments. God directs the events of our life in order to bring about His

                        will for our life.

                        Everything that comes to us comes God filtered.

                        Therefore, a Spiritual resolution we ought to make for the New Year is “Lord,

                        I want to yield to your management of my life.”

                        It is saying, “Lord, I want you to be Lord of my life.”

                        Since our life is in His hands, we ought to put our life in His hands.

   I.       JAMES SPEAKS OF A DAILY MEASURED LIFE!

  II.       JAMES SPEAKS OF A DIVINELY MANAGED LIFE!

 III.      JAMES SPEAKS OF A DILIGENTLY MASTERED LIFE!

            The final Spiritual Resolution we glean from our text is found in James 4:17.

             James tells us that we ought to be conscious and concerned about sin in our lives.

            Instead of sin mastering us, we ought to master sin.

            As believers, we cannot take sin lightly and should not ignore sin of any kind in our lives,

            Think With Me About The Matter Of Confessing Our Sin.

The heart and soul of what James says is to get us to acknowledge our sin before God and admit our sin to God.

            He is wanting us to realize what sin is and then confess that sin.

Psalm 32:5– “I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid, I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin.”

Confession simply means to agree with God. When God says something is sin, we agree and then come to God and deal with that sin.

Why confess? Proverbs 28:13–"He that covereth his sin shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.”

            God will not and cannot bless us with unconfessed sin in our lives.

I don’t know of a better way to close out one year and start a New Year than searching our hearts and dealing with any sin that may be there.

1 Johne1:9– “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

            Oh how we need to guard our hearts against sin.

Conclusion

As we close out 2000 and move into 2001, if we make any New Year’s Resolutions, we ought to make these 3 spiritual resolutions:

1.         I will do today what I ought to do, I will be today what I ought to be.

2.        I will let Jesus be Lord of my life and manage my life according to His will.

3.        I will confess my sins and then guard my heart and life and strive to live a life that is more pleasing to the Lord this year.

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NOTICE:   THESE SERMONS ARE FREE TO BE USED BUT ARE NOT TO BE SOLD!