“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.

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