“A NEW FOCUS FOR A NEW YEAR” - Sermon Outlines. Org
“A NEW FOCUS FOR A NEW YEAR”
2 THESSALONIANS 3:1-5
INTRO: As we begin to look forward to another year that the Lord has given
us sometimes we tend to look back in regret or remorse at the things
we did not get accomplished for the Lord in the past year. But we
must not allow the failures of the past to cloud our vision of the
future. As Richard C. Woodsome wrote: “You can never change the
past. But by the grace of God, you can win the future. So remember
those things which will help you forward, but forget those things
which will only hold you back” (1). The apostle Paul said something
very similar in Philippians 3:13-14—“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, I
press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ
Jesus.” Because our hope is in Christ…we can let go of past guilt and
look forward to what He will help us become. Don’t dwell on your
past. Instead, grow in the knowledge of God by concentrating on your
relationship with Him now (2).
Sometimes we, as Christians, stray from God in our hearts, grow
weary in well doing, and grow slack in our commitment. It is during
these times that our lives seem to get out of focus. We fail to see that
we are heading in a direction contrary to God’s direction for our lives.
Paul prayed for the Thessalonians in v5—“And the Lord direct your
hearts into the love of God, and into patient waiting for Christ.” The
word direct in the Greek means “to straightened fully.” It implies that
our focus has become blurred or not clear. Paul prayed that the
Thessalonians would get refocused. That they might refocus their
lives on Christ and His will for their lives. As we stand at the
threshold of a new year let us take time to refocus our lives on Christ
and His will for each of our lives.
IT IS TIME TO:
(1) REFOCUS OUR PASSION
2 THESSALONIANS 3:5a—“And the Lord direct your hearts into the
love of God…”
*What is Passion? It means “ardent affection or love; a strong desire or
affection for some object, cause, etc; and The object of such desire or
affection” (Funk & Wagnalls Standard Desk Dictionary, Volume 2, N-Z, pg.
478). The Psalmist said in Psalm 63:1-2—“O God, thou art my God; early
will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a
dry and thirsty land, where no water is; To see thy power and thy glory,
so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary.” Friend, Do you have that kind of
passion for the Lord? Consider:
A. WE SHOULD LOVE GOD ABOVE ALL ELSE. Deuteronomy 6:5 tells
us, “And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with
all thy soul, and with all thy might.” The Jews refer to these verses
Deuteronomy 6:4-6, as the Shema. To the Jews, this is the most
important text in Deuteronomy. According to the Lord Jesus, to love
God is the great and first commandment (Matt. 22:36-38). To love God
with all one’s heart is the very soul and essence of Christianity (Rom. 8:
28; 1 Cor. 13:1-3). If we love God as we should, we will willingly suffer
for Him and for His cause and patiently wait for His Son from heaven.
Paul wants Christ to direct the hearts of the believers at Thessalonica
into the fullness of the love of God, and thereby fill their hearts with
patience, rather than anxiety concerning the glorious appearing of the
great God and Saviour, Jesus Christ (3).
ILLUS: Someone wrote: One day, I woke early in the morning to watch
the sunrise. Ah the beauty of God's creation is beyond
description. As I watched, I praised God for His beautiful work.
As I sat there, I felt the Lord's presence with me. He asked me,
"Do you love me?" I answered,"Of course, God! You are my
Lord and Saviour!" Then He asked, "If you were physically
handicapped, would you still love me?" I was perplexed. I
looked down upon my arms, legs and the rest of my body and
wondered how many things I wouldn't be able to do, the things
that I took for granted. And I answered, "It would be tough
Lord, but I would still love You." Then the Lord said, "If you
were blind, would you still love my creation?" How could I love
something without being able to see it? Then I thought of all
the blind people in the world and how many of them still loved
God and His creation. So I answered, "It's hard to think of it,
but I would still love you." The Lord then asked me, "If you
were deaf, would you still listen to my word?" How could I
listen to anything being deaf? Then I understood. Listening to
God's Word is not merely using our ears, but our hearts. I
answered, "It would be tough, but I would still listen to Your
word." The Lord then asked, "If you were mute, would you still
praise My Name?" How could I praise without a voice? Then it
occurred to me: God wants us to sing from our very heart and
soul. It never matters what we sound like. And praising God is
not always with a song, but when we are persecuted, we give
God praise with our words of thanks. So I answered, "Though
I could not physically sing, I would still praise Your Name."
And the Lord asked, "Do you really love Me?" With courage
and a strong conviction, I answered boldly, "Yes Lord! I love
You because You are the one and true God!" I thought I had
answered well, but God asked, "THEN WHY DO YOU SIN?" I
answered, "Because I am only human. I am not perfect."
"THEN WHY IN TIMES OF PEACE DO YOU STRAY THE
FURTHEST? WHY ONLY IN TIMES OF TROUBLE DO YOU
PRAY THE EARNEST?" No answers. Only tears. The Lord
continued: "Why only sing at fellowships and retreats? Why
seek Me only in times of worship? Why ask things so selfishly?
Why ask things so unfaithfully?"
The tears continued to roll down my cheeks.
"Why are you ashamed of Me? Why are you not spreading the
good news? Why in times of persecution, you cry to others
when I offer My shoulder to cry on? Why make excuses when I
give you opportunities to serve in My Name?" I tried to
answer, but there was no answer to give.
"You are blessed with life. I made you not to throw this gift
away. I have blessed you with talents to serve Me, but you
continue to turn away. I have revealed My Word to you, but
you do not gain in knowledge. I have spoken to you but your
ears were closed. I have shown My blessings to you, but your
eyes were turned away. I have sent you servants, but you sat
idly by as they were pushed away. I have heard your prayers
and I have answered them all." "DO YOU TRULY LOVE ME?"
I could not answer. How could I? I was embarrassed beyond
belief. I had no excuse. What could I say to this? When I my
heart had cried out and the tears had flowed, I said, "Please
forgive me Lord. I am unworthy to be Your child." The Lord
answered, "That is My Grace, My child." I asked, "Then why
do you continue to forgive me? Why do You love me so?"
The Lord answered, " Because you are My creation. You are
my child. I will never abandon you. When you cry, I will have
compassion and cry with you. When you shout with joy, I will
laugh with you. When you are down, I will encourage you.
When you fall, I will raise you up. When you are tired, I will
carry you. I will be with you till the end of days, and I will love
you forever." Never had I cried so hard before. How could I
have been so cold? How could I have hurt God as I had done?
I asked God, "How much do You love me?"
The Lord stretched out His arms, and I saw His nail-pierced
hands. I bowed down at the feet of Christ, my Saviour. And for
the first time, I truly prayed.
B. WE SOMETIMES FAIL TO LOVE GOD AS WE SHOULD. We become
as The Church of Ephesus to whom the Lord wrote of in Revelation
2:4—“…I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first
love.” What causes us to fail in our love for God?. Three things
happen:
1. The world steals our affection. Jesus said in Matthew 6:24—
“No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and
love the other; or else he will hold to the one; and despise the other.
Ye cannot serve God and mammon.” James Armstrong said, “We
have been offered in the church, all too often, a watered-down
gospel in willy-nilly fashion, and so we go through the motions of
being faithful while turning to a secular world for the stimulus and
satisfaction we seek” (4). AMEN! Instead of equipping saints to
evangelize the world and stand against the wiles of the devil, we
are entertaining sluggards who are geared on sensuality and
satisfaction from the world! Jesus in the parable of the sower in
Luke 8:14 describes that the seed “…which fell among thorns are
they, which have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares and
riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection.”
Sad to say, but many in our Churches today fall into that category!
We have too many “Demas’” in our Churches today.
ILLUS: The coach said to the quarterback, "Give the ball to
George." But instead he gave it to John, and there was no
gain. Demanded the coach, "Why didn't you give the ball
to George?" "Sir," replied the quarterback, "George said he
did not want the ball."
There was a player on our Lord's side named Demas. Like
George, he did not want to carry the ball. He valued
comfort above character, ease above effort, gold above
God, self-indulgence above self-control. Of him Paul
wrote, "Demas has forsaken me, having loved the present
world." Are you willing to carry the ball for the Lord?
2. The Devil undermines our love. 1 Peter 5:8 warns us, “Be
sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring
lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.” Satan knows
he cannot have our soul once we belong to God, but if he can get
us to fail in our love for God, he still has accomplished his purpose.
Joseph Hall said, “Satan rocks the cradle when we sleep at our
devotions" (5). Satan does all he can to cause our love for Christ to
wax cold. He sends death, disappointments, distress, depression,
and difficulties to our lives to test our love for God. Ephesians 4:27
tells us, “Neither give place to the devil.” We must never give Satan
a foothold in our lives!
ILLUS: It is startling to think that Satan can actually come into
the heart of a man in such close touch with Jesus as
Judas was. And more--he is cunningly trying to do it
today. Yet he can get in only through a door opened from
the inside. "Every man controls the door of his own life."
Satan can't get in without our help. -- S. D. Gordon in The
Bent-Knee Time. Christianity Today, Vol. 33, no. 10.
We MUST “…resist the devil, and he will flee from you,” as James 4:
7b tells us.
3. We fail to nourish our love. How do we fail to nourish our love
for God so it will grow and flourish? By failing to:
a. Spend time with Him in Prayer. Philippians 4:6-7 instructs
us to, “be careful for nothing; but in everything by prayer and
supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known
unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all
understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ
Jesus.” The more time we spend in prayer with Him, the more
We will love HIM!
b. Study His Precious Word (2 Timothy 2:15). The more we
learn of Him through His Word, the more we can love Him
because of His Greatness and Glory! John Wesley said, “I want
to know one thing—the way to heaven; how to land safe on that
happy shore. God Himself has condescended to teach the way:
For this very end He came from heaven. He hath written it
down in a book. O give me that book! At any price, give me the
book of God! I have it: Here is knowledge enough for me. Let
me be a man of one book” (6).
c. Serve Him with Gladness. Psalm 100:2—“Serve the LORD
with gladness: come before His presence with singing.” Why do
you serve God? Is it because you love HIM? Someone has said
“Service is love made visible.” Is serving God a burden or a
blessing? Is it a privilege or a pain?
ILLUS: Someone wrote:
FOR SALE
One Cross, - almost new. Top heavy. Cramps my style
keeping up with the world
One Talent, - slightly shelf-worn. Unused for several
years.
One Bundle of Seldom Used Opportunities, - Among
these, church attendance, personal witnessing.
One Badly Used Influence, - Buyer needs to repair it and
use it more carefully.
These items may be seen anytime in the basement of my
home. Corner of Careless Avenue and Neglect Street.
Signed, Careless Christian
d. Sing praises to Him and worship Him for His goodness
(Psalm 34:1-3). If we haven't learned to be worshipers, it
doesn't really matter how well we do anything else. -- Erwin
Lutzer, pastor and author. Men of Integrity, Vol. 1, no. 1. We are
called to an everlasting preoccupation with God. -- A.W. Tozer,
That Incredible Christian. Christianity Today, Vol. 41, no. 5. That
is what worship is all about we are overwhelmed by His Grace
and Glory and cannot help by offer Him praise and thanksgiving
because of His Goodness!
C. WE SOMETIMES NEED TO BE DIRECTED BACK TO LOVING GOD.
Paul wrote in v5—“And the Lord direct your hearts into the love of
God…” There are times that our hearts needed to be directed back to
the love of God. The love of God is the grand motive and principle of
obedience; this must occupy your hearts: the heart is irregular in all
its workings; God alone, by his Spirit, can direct it into his love, and
keep it right (Adam Clarke’s Commentary on The Bible). When the
Lord directs us back to His love, three things occur:
• Conviction.
• Confession.
• Consecration.
How do we know our hearts need to be directed back to loving God?:
1. When Calvary Doesn’t Break Us We read in Luke 23:33—“And
when they were come to the place, which is called Calvary, there
they crucified him…” *We know our hearts need directed back to
God’s love when we can sing of Calvary, think on Calvary, and
speak of it without a tear coming to our eye! Amy Carmichael
said, “There is something in Calvary that passes our
understanding, and the words about the Precious Blood should
never be read or sung except on the knees of our spirit”
2. When The Presence Of The Savior Doesn’t Bless us We read
in Revelation 2:1, 4-5 of the Church at Ephesus. The Church at
Ephesus is a portrait of many of our Churches today. They are
have a firm foundation, but a small focus. They had reached a
point where service to God was mere form. They worshipped by a
program instead of the power of the Spirit.
Friend, Is the Lord your Passion? Or Do you need a New Focus for The New Year? As 1 Peter 2:7 tells us, “Unto you therefore which believe, He is precious…” Is He precious to you? Do you need a New Focus? It is time to REFOCUS OUR PASSION also it is time to…
(2) REFOCUS OUR PURPOSE
2 THESSALONIANS 3:4—“And we have confidence in the Lord
touching you, that ye both do and will do the things which
we command you.”
*Paul wrote to the Thessalonians that they would “both do and will do the
things which we command you.” referring both to the commandments,
which they had already given them by Christ, and they had showed, and
continued to show a proper regard unto, see 1Th_4:1 and also to what
would be observed to them [by Paul] (John Gill’s Exposition of The Entire
Bible). This was their purpose. What is our purpose as Believers? It is
basically two-fold:
A. WE ARE TO GLORIFY GOD. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20—“What! Know ye
not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which
ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price:
therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.”
What did Paul mean when he said God owns our bodies? Many people
Say they have the right to do whatever they want with their own bodies.
Although they think this is freedom, they are really enslaved to their
own desires instead of the leading of the Holy Spirit. When we become
Christians, the Holy Spirit fills our lives and lives in us. Therefore, we
no longer own our bodies. If you live in a building owned by someone
else, you don’t violate the building rules. Since your body belongs to
God, you must not violate His standards for living (7).
B. WE ARE TO GO WITH THE GOSPEL (MATTHEW 28:19-20).
Wherever we go and whatever we do, we are to be a witness for God of
the life-changing power of the Gospel. Why? Because 2 Corinthians
5:18-20 tells us, “And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to
himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of
reconciliation; To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto
himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed
unto us the word of reconciliation. Now then we are ambassadors for
Christ…” Warren Wiersbe said, “The message of the Church today is
one of reconciliation: God in Christ on the cross has reconciled the
world to himself and is willing to save all who will trust His Son…We
represent Christ as we invite the lost to receive Him. What a privilege—
what a responsibility! All believers are ambassadors, whether they
accept the commission or not” (8). In the early days of Christianity they
who confessed Christ became witnesses for Christ, and so many of them
died for their profession that they gave new meaning to the word
"witness," making it equivalent to martyr. --Topical Illustrations
ILLUS: Benjamin Franklin wanted to interest the people in Philadelphia
in street lighting. He did not call a town meeting nor try to
persuade the people by talking about it. He acted upon what he
considered a good idea. He hung a beautiful lantern on a long
bracket in front of his house. He kept the glass polished and
carefully trimmed and lit the wick every evening at the
approach of dusk. The lamp helped the people see the
pavement ahead; made them feel more secure at night. Others
began placing lights in front of their houses. Soon Philadelphia
recognized the need for street lights. Be the one today to light
up your neighborhood with the light of life. Let it shine. Let
your light shine TODAY!
Friend do you need to REFOCUS YOUR PASSION and REFOCUS YOUR PURPOSE and finally let us see, It Is Time To…
(3) REFOCUS OUR PATIENCE
2 THESSALONIANS 3:5b—“And the Lord direct your hearts…into
the patient waiting for Christ.”
*The words “patient waiting” means “A patient endurance for Christ.” (The
People’s New Testament Commentary). No matter what we face until our
Lord Jesus Christ comes for us, we must patiently wait for His appearing.
At all events, this grace, "patience," or persevering endurance, is
connected with the "hope" (1Th_1:3, 1Th_1:10) of Christ's coming
(Jamieson, Fausset & Brown Commentary). Notice three things with me:
A. PATIENCE IS THE DUTY OF ALL SAINTS. "Patience is bitter, but its
fruit is sweet."- Jean Jacques Rousseau - _Instant Quotation Dictionary_,
p. 225. There are two things we must do to have patience:
1. We must surrender to God’s Timetable. We must not get ahead of
God but patiently wait for His will and direction.
ILLUS: Christians, of all people, should understand that the
MasterCard mentality is not the way to master life. The
pattern Jesus established was one of deferring desires--not
because the fulfillment of desiring is wrong, but because
"my time has not yet come." Most of us think our time has
come five minutes after the desire first pops into our minds.
-- Joel Belz in World (May 11, 1987). Christianity Today,
Vol. 33, no. 8.
2. We must wait on the Lord. Psalm 37:7 tells us, “Rest in the LORD,
and wait patiently for him…” The words “wait patiently” means “to
be submissive with murmuring, complaining, or anger.” J. J. Lynch
wrote:
His wisdom is sublime,
His heart profoundly kind;
God never is before His time,
And never is behind. (9)
Someone said, “The grace of vital perseverance is that quality of
patience which is always equal to the pressure of the passing
moment, because it is rooted in that eternal order over which the
passing moment has no power.” “Waiting on the Lord” means to
“quietly submit to his will, and wait for his help” (John Wesley’s
Explanatory Notes).
B. PATIENCE IS NOT ALWAYS EASY.
ILLUS: People seem to believe that they have an inalienable right to be
happy--"I want what I want and I want it now." No one wants to
wait for anything and, for the most part, no one has to
anymore. Waiting is interpreted as pain. ... People walk into my
office and say they are Christians, but I see no difference except
that they want to be happy and now expect God to make it so.
The problem is that, in this country, you can have what you
want when you want it most of the time. ... People like the fact
that they can buy a 50-foot tree and instantly plant it in their
yard. Why on earth would anyone want to wait on relationships
or wait on God? -- Psychologist Kim Hall, interviewed in The
Door (Sept.-Oct. 1992). Christianity Today, Vol. 37, no. 9.
We sometimes do not wait patiently on the Lord. All of us have a
tendency to do two things:
1. We take matters into our own hands (1 Samuel 13:8-13). Saul
was told in v13 by Samuel that he should wait seven days for his
coming, who would then offer sacrifices, and tell him what he should
do. But Saul became impatient and took matters into his own
hands. We, too often, are guilty of the same.
ILLUS: A generation of Christians reared among push buttons and
automatic machines is impatient of slower and less direct
methods of reaching their goals. We have been trying to
apply machine-age methods to our relations with God. We
read our chapter, have our short devotions and rush away,
hoping to make up for our deep inward bankruptcy by
attending another gospel meeting. ...
The tragic results of this spirit are all about us: Shallow
lives, hollow religious philosophies, the preponderance of the
element of fun in gospel meetings, the glorification of men,
trust in religious externalities, quasi-religious fellowships,
salesmanship methods, the mistaking of dynamic personality
for the power of the Spirit. These and such as these are the
symptoms of an evil disease, a deep and serious malady of
the soul. -- A. W. Tozer in The Pursuit of God. Christianity
Today, Vol. 40, no. 2.
2. We forsake our duties or work. Notice what Paul wrote in 2
Thessalonians 3:10-15. Evidently, there were some at
Thessalonica who had become impatient and slack in their work for
the Lord. There is a difference between leisure and laziness.
Relaxation and recreation provide a necessary and much needed
balance; but when it is time to work, Christians should be
responsible. We should make the most of our talent and time…(10).
There were those at Thessalonica who because of persecution for
their faith who had forsaken their duties and expected the Church
to provide for them. Spiritually, there are those in our Churches
today, who believe it the Church’s responsibility to keep their
relationship with Christ alive and growing, while they do little or
nothing to nourish their faith. Our relationship with Christ is a
personal relationship and we keep it flourishing by personally
paying attention to our spiritual responsibilities!
ILLUS: To be like Christ, we must condition ourselves to think
like Christ. To change our desires to be more like Christ’s,
we need the power of the indwelling Spirit, the influence of
faithful Christians, obedience to God’s Word (not just
exposure to it), and sacrificial service. Often it is in doing
God’s will that we gain the desire for it (11).
C. OUR PATIENCE MUST BE DIRECTED BACK INTO WAITING FOR
THE LORD’S COMING. Paul prayed that the Thessalonians might by
helped to do that. That they might endure whatever Satan might try
and inflict upon them with the knowledge that the Lord was coming
soon to receive them unto Himself. We are to be as Titus 2:13 tells us,
“Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great
God and our Saviour Jesus Christ.” Our Lord is coming soon and as
Paul wrote in Romans 8:18—“For I reckon that the sufferings of this
present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be
revealed in us.” The best way to prepare for the coming of Christ is never to forget the presence of Christ. -- William Barclay in You Can Say That Again. Christianity Today, Vol. 39, no. 8.
ILLUS: God told Gideon to bring ten thousand men down to the water
to drink. These who bent over and lapped up the water like a
dog drinking were to be left behind. Those who got down on
their knees were also to be left behind. But the 300 who lapped
up the water with their hands, while still looking toward the
enemy, were chosen. So we are to be busy for Christ, yet we are
to keep our eyes toward His return.
CLOSING: Friends, A new year lies before us. A Year full of opportunities. A
Year that will include some disappointments and defeats. But a
Year in which we can give more of ourselves to the One who died
for us. Do you need a NEW FOCUS FOR A NEW YEAR? Do you
need to REFOCUS YOUR PASSION, REFOCUS YOUR PURPOSE,
and REFOCUS YOUR PATIENCE?
Hymnist Frances Ridley Havergal took New Year’s Day very
seriously, always using it as a time of reflection and often
composing a poem to send to friends expressing her feeling about
the new day and year. The one she wrote in 1874 has become
immortal. She was thirty-six at the time, and she dashed off this
poem and had it printed on a specially designed greeting card to
send to friends. The card was captioned: “A Happy New Year! Ever
such may it be!” The inside said:
Another year is dawning:
Dear Father, let it be,
In working or in waiting,
Another year with Thee;
Another year of progress,
Another year of praise,
Another year of proving
Thy presence all the days.
(12)
NOTES: 1. Albert M. Wells, Jr. Inspiring Quotations-Contemporary & Classical.
p. 141.
2. Living Letters From The Life Application Bible. p. 142.
3. Oliver B. Greene. The Epistle of Paul The Apostle To The
Thessalonians. p. 295.
4. Wells. p. 218.
5. Wells. p. 57.
6. Wells. p. 16.
7. Living Letter. p. 57.
8. Warren W. Wiersbe. Wiersbe’s Expository Outlines On The New
Testament. p. 490.
9. Robert J. Morgan. Nelson’s Complete Book of Stories, Illustrations
& Quotes. p. 602.
10. Living Letters. p. 173.
11. Living Letters. p. 139.
12. Morgan. p. 587.
................
................
In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.
To fulfill the demand for quickly locating and searching documents.
It is intelligent file search solution for home and business.