Second Chances: New Day, New Mercies
A Sermon for the New Year – 1/03/2021
For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all people, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously, and in a godly manner in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus, who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, eager for good deeds. - Titus 2:11-14 (NASB)
The BIG Idea
The grace of God brings salvation to everyone and gives us the ability to grow in faith and holiness. This year, we can trust in God’s grace to grow us in righteousness, with firm confidence in our salvation and in Jesus - the One Who offers us the gift of salvation. Jesus gives us the opportunity to grow in faith and holiness and gives us a firm footing for the future.
Grace is an immensely vital doctrine for followers of Jesus.
But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me did not prove vain; but I labored even more than all of them, yet not I, but the grace of God with me. – I Corinthians 15:10 (NASB)
“Grace is the voice that calls us to change, and then gives us the power to pull it off . . . When grace happens, we receive not a nice compliment from God but a new heart.” - Max Lucado
Have you resolved to make faith resolutions?
We must allow the Holy Spirit to use these means to transform our hearts and lives as we go into the New Year.
“We are not transformed by our ability to read Scripture, or how well we listen to it preached, or how fervently we pray, or how faithfully we take communion. We are transformed by the Holy Spirit’s use of these means, by God’s grace and for Christ’s glory.” – Christina Fox
The decisions we make today determine the story we’ll tell tomorrow.
How do we live the story we want to tell? The key is to let God help write our story.
Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. - Hebrews 12:2 (NASB)
What does God want you to want?
What do you need to start?
What do you need to stop?
I will do today what I can do, to enable me to do tomorrow what I can’t do today.
I will stop today what I can stop, to enable me to do tomorrow what I can’t do today.
Sometimes the best decision we can make is to stay when it would be easier to go.
We do not have to have the faith to finish – just the faith to get started in the journey.
10 Then Moses said to the Lord, “Please, Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither recently nor in time past, nor since You have spoken to Your servant; for I am slow of speech and slow of tongue.” 11 The Lord said to him, “Who has made man’s mouth? Or who makes him mute or deaf, or seeing or blind? Is it not I, the Lord? 12 Now then go, and I, even I, will be with your mouth, and teach you what you are to say.” - Exodus 4:10-12 (NASB)
The Lord’s acts of mercy indeed do not end, for His compassions for not fail. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness. – Lamentations 3:22-23 (NASB)
Questions for Reflection
What do you think about first when you hear the word “grace?”
When you think about grace, or growing in the grace of God, what is your motivation? Is it a pat on the back and a “job well done,” or are you seeking to have your heart made new by God?
Can we ever have too much grace or too much of the “means of grace?” Why or why not?
What does God want you to want?
What do you need to start?
What do you need to stop?
The BIG Idea
The grace of God brings salvation to everyone and gives us the ability to grow in faith and holiness. This year, we can trust in God’s grace to grow us in righteousness, with firm confidence in our salvation and in Jesus - the One Who offers us the gift of salvation. Jesus gives us the opportunity to grow in faith and holiness and gives us a firm footing for the future.
Grace is an immensely vital doctrine for followers of Jesus.
But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me did not prove vain; but I labored even more than all of them, yet not I, but the grace of God with me. – I Corinthians 15:10 (NASB)
“Grace is the voice that calls us to change, and then gives us the power to pull it off . . . When grace happens, we receive not a nice compliment from God but a new heart.” - Max Lucado
Have you resolved to make faith resolutions?
We must allow the Holy Spirit to use these means to transform our hearts and lives as we go into the New Year.
“We are not transformed by our ability to read Scripture, or how well we listen to it preached, or how fervently we pray, or how faithfully we take communion. We are transformed by the Holy Spirit’s use of these means, by God’s grace and for Christ’s glory.” – Christina Fox
The decisions we make today determine the story we’ll tell tomorrow.
How do we live the story we want to tell? The key is to let God help write our story.
Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. - Hebrews 12:2 (NASB)
What does God want you to want?
What do you need to start?
What do you need to stop?
I will do today what I can do, to enable me to do tomorrow what I can’t do today.
I will stop today what I can stop, to enable me to do tomorrow what I can’t do today.
Sometimes the best decision we can make is to stay when it would be easier to go.
We do not have to have the faith to finish – just the faith to get started in the journey.
10 Then Moses said to the Lord, “Please, Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither recently nor in time past, nor since You have spoken to Your servant; for I am slow of speech and slow of tongue.” 11 The Lord said to him, “Who has made man’s mouth? Or who makes him mute or deaf, or seeing or blind? Is it not I, the Lord? 12 Now then go, and I, even I, will be with your mouth, and teach you what you are to say.” - Exodus 4:10-12 (NASB)
The Lord’s acts of mercy indeed do not end, for His compassions for not fail. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness. – Lamentations 3:22-23 (NASB)
Questions for Reflection
What do you think about first when you hear the word “grace?”
When you think about grace, or growing in the grace of God, what is your motivation? Is it a pat on the back and a “job well done,” or are you seeking to have your heart made new by God?
Can we ever have too much grace or too much of the “means of grace?” Why or why not?
What does God want you to want?
What do you need to start?
What do you need to stop?