LAND OF BEGINNING AGAIN 1 Cor. 6:9-11 1. We are on the threshold of a new year. As we look back over 2020, we are all ready to wave good-bye to it,  with hopes of a better year ahead. What will 2021 bring to us? We’re all filled with the hope that it  will give us the opportunity to begin again. 2. Is there a way that we could begin again? (Note Louisa Fletcher’s poem). (Fletcher, b. 1878: married/divorced 3 times – billed as eccentric) “I wish there were some wonderful place  Called the Land of Beginning   Again, Where all our mistakes and all our heartaches Could be dropped like a   shabby old coat at the door, And never be on again.”

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Land of Beginning Again

IMMANUEL: GOD WITH US Matthew 1:18-25 INTRODUCTION: This is a joyous time of the year. Despite the setbacks and  lockdowns of 2020, this season is one that challenges us to count our  blessings. As it reminds us of blessings, it also reminds us of need. 1. What is our greatest need? If our greatest need had been technology, God would have sent us a scientist. If our greatest need had been money, God would have sent us an economist. If our greatest need had been pleasure, God would have sent us an entertainer. But our greatest needwas forgiveness, so God sent us a Savior. 2. Because we needed a Savior, God came among us. Jo. 1:1-3, 14. This is what we mean by “Incarnation.” The term literally means “in the flesh.” Although we might  sometimes use it accommodatively, however the true incarnation is Jesus  Christ: one who is truly God, who took on full humanity. The Incarnation  of Jesus Christ is set forth in the Gospels. 3. That incarnation is presented in our textual setting. Matthew provides a genealogical list from Abraham to Jesus.  He sets forth a whole series of father-son relationships in that line.  However, when he comes to the birth of Jesus, he is very careful to  distinguish between the previous records and the realities involved when  Jesus was born. The text demonstrates the way the Lord entered into the realm  of human beings.

Immanuel: God With Us

1. What is distinctive about the Christian’s lifestyle? What do we mean by “life-style?” It is a manner of living that reflects the person's values and attitudes. It is the manner in which we relate to others, how we spend our time, and how we express our individuality. It is the characteristic mode of our communication and the distinctive application of our values. It is ethics, priorities, and acquired customs all rolled into our behavior that is observed by others. What is your life-style? 2. The Christian's life-style is different. It is different from what he was before he was a Christian. It is different from those in the world. It may even appear strange to those not in Christ. 3. What is the basis for the Christian's lifestyle? Our text is concerned with that basis. It is important for us to see who God is and what we are to be in our relationship with him. While our anti-God atmosphere screams at us to conform, we are called by God to be different. Be Transformed! We belong to God.

The Christian's Lifestyle

This is a novel by Thomas Wolfe published posthumously  (1940). The meaning is: “If you try to return to a place you remember from the past, it won’t be the same as you remember it.” How true! It is demonstrated in our growing up. I first heard of this book when a speaker in chapel was applying the principle to us Harding Freshmen. Does this thought have any relevance to us as a church? How can we ever get back to NORMAL?

You Can't Go Home Again

“Into each life some rain must fall, Some days must be dark and dreary.” Henry Wordsworth Longfellow This poem comes out of difficult experiences. Longfellow lost his first wife from a miscarriage; his second wife, years later, died from severe burns.  He used “rain” as a metaphor for the difficulties/trials though which we pass. Believers are not exempt from the “rainy days” – the difficult times. Peter used a different analogy: “fiery trial.” (1 Pet. 1:7): “tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire. . .”   4:12: “Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you as though something strange were happening to you.” The text looks to the time of the Babylonian captivity. What a sad, difficult experience (cf. Ps. 137). The general setting anticipates the return of the captives. However, the difficult experience is likened to passing through the waters.  Is. 43:2: “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you . . .” PROPOSITION: We should maintain the right attitude as we “pass through the waters.” How? Scripture stresses three basics in that attitude…

“WHEN YOU PASS THROUGH THE WATERS" (Isa 43:1-7)

How important is it to know the ABC’s? Without knowing these, we cannot read a paper, a book, directions. Knowing the ABC’s is basic to every aspect of our lives. This is the same in the Christian life and Christian living. These basics are presented in 1 Cor. 13:13: “So now faith, hope , and  love abide, these three, but the greatest of these is love. These are at the very heart of all the positive qualities that describe  the Christian life. These qualities should be more than simply admired: they are to be  implemented in the Christian life, as Christian disciplines.

These Three!

 How are we as members of this congregation to relate to one another? We sing, “Bind us together, Lord, Bind us together with cords that cannot be broken. Bind us together, Lord; Bind us together, Lord; Bind us together, Lord, Bind us together in love. There is only one God. There is only one King. There is only one body, That is why we do sing: . . .” Appreciate the nature of the church. As the body of Christ, the Head is perfect. We, individual members, are not perfect. However, we are called to the Christ-like life: “until Christ is formed in you”(Gal. 4:19) “being transformed into the same image” (2 Cor. 3:18). 

Bind Us Together

TRYING TIMES Psalm 25:1-22 1. Then and Now. Then: December, 1776: George Washington and his withering  army had been pushed out of New York and were facing depressing  times. Within two weeks, the agreed-upon-time for the soldiers’  service would be up. That could mean the end of the Revolutionary  cause. Washington required his soldiers to hear the reading of  Thomas Paine’s pamphlet, “The American Crisis.” The first line  was, “These are the times that try men’s souls.” The soldiers  stayed with Washington, they crossed the Delaware River, and the  struggle went forward. Now: The Coronavirus has become a pandemic. As of  8/19/20, in U.S. there have been 5.25 million cases; 167,000 have  died; and all of this since the first death of the virus on 2/29/20. As  in 1776, we can say, “These are the times that try men’s souls.”

Trying Times

Does Jesus care? Around 1900, the beautiful daughter of the Frank Graeffs (Philadelphia, PA) was dressed in a floor-length skirt when she accidentally backed too close to the fireplace. The skirt, with several layers of lace, caught fire.  Despite the frantic efforts to spare their daughter, it could not be done and she died. Overcome with grief in the loss of his beautiful daughter, Graeff began write, “Does Jesus care when I’ve said ‘good-bye’ To the dearest on earth to me, And my sad heart aches till it nearly breaks. Is it aught to him? Does he see?” Reflecting further, he wrote, “O yes, He cares; I know he cares, His heart is touched with my grief. When the days are weary, the long nights dreary, I know my Savior cares.” As we face this pandemic, we are probably asking, “Does Jesus care?” We may be sure he cares. This is really our comfort and assurance in this time of uncertainty. The Lord knows our situation and our needs. His message speaks directly to our needs. Cf. Jo. 2:25: “For he himself knew what was in man.”

Does Jesus Care?

When in Suva, Fiji, 2006, I went to the American Embassy. A coup was being threatened in the country, and I went to the embassy for advice concerning what I needed to do. An embassy can refer to both a permanent diplomatic mission and the building in which the mission is held. Embassies are an important part of foreign relations. They serve as an official contact point between the visiting and the host nation. An embassy will have an ambassador who acts as the home country’s representative on foreign soil. In some ways, the church – this congregation – is like an embassy. It is a heavenly embassy on foreign soil – this world. This principle is in the thoughts of Paul in our text, Philippians 1:27-30, one sentence in Greek N.T. It is concerned with the impact of Christians/the church in the world. Paul has shown in previous verses the ultimate victory in Christ (cf. 1:21-23). Now he stresses the faithfulness of the church in her mission.

The Church - A Heavenly Colony

1. They started a work together. Three men agreed to start a company together, each one  making an equal investment. So, things went well for a while, then  everything “went south.” They couldn’t get along with each other.  And that was the undoing of their venture. 2. We have to learn to get along with each other. True in business. True in the family. True in the church. The church is made up of humans, presumably each one  committed to following Jesus in all areas, including relationships.  However, we don’t always get along with one another as we should. “To dwell above with the ones we love, O that will be glory! But to dwell below with the ones we know, now, that’s a different  story.” 3. We are called to “love one another.” Expression occurs 16x; 43 “one another,” applying “love one  another.” To love one another, we must learn to “get along” with one  another. We must learn to “dwell below with the ones we know.” How can that be done?

THE ONES WE KNOW . . .

Anthony Best shares how Jesus is our faithful High Priest in a two-part message.

Jesus, Our Faithful High Priest

Sometimes you're looking for encouragement, advice and guidance to help with the challenges in life. Here is a good place to find them!

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