New Year’s Sermon

What’s In the Mix for 2006?

Romans 8:28-34

Text: vs 28

 

INTRO: What will you do in 2006?  What is your vision for this new year?  Proverbs 29:18 says: “Where there is no vision the people perish....”  We need to have a vision for 2006; we need to know where we are headed. We need to ask ourselves: “What is in the mix for 2006?”

I want to guarantee something; I want you to be aware of something.  Friends, not everything will be good in 2006.  Not everything will be what we want it to be, but for the child of God, “....all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose” (Rm 8:28).  Friends, I don’t like eating corn meal out of the bag.  It’s not good!  Neither do I like to eat baking soda nor baking powder!  Flour by itself would make me choke.  Raw eggs are not for me.  I have never drank vegetable oil out of the bottle, and I hope I never will.  Hot water by itself is not appetizing, but put it in the mixer and mix it together and bake it, and you’ve got cornbread.  I like cornbread!

There are somethings that should always be in the mix or there are things that will end up in it whether you and I like it or not.  Be assured, child of God, that it will work together for good.

 

I.          MISERY IN THE MIX (“Man that is born of a woman is of few days, and full of trouble” Job 14:1).

A.       There will be those of you here today who will have misery in 2006.  Not everything will be comfortable for you.

B.       Job faced a lot of misery in life, yet he kept on trusting in God.  Listen to the words of Job concerning his faith in Jehovah: “Thou he slay me, yet will I trust him....” (13:15).

C.      Adversity in life can make you bitter or better.  You can choose to be miserable, or you can rejoice in the Lord.  Adversity has a purpose.

1. Adversity can conquer pride in our lives.  God has a way of taking us down when we get too big for our britches.  “...God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace to the humble.  Submit yourselves therefore to God.  Resist the Devil, and he will flee from you” (Jm 4:6-7), Some of the most miserable people I know are folks who are selfish and prideful.

2. Adversity, problems, and misery should motivate us to cry out to God.

a. Cry out with your voice: “I cried unto the Lord with my voice, and he heard me out of His holy hill” (Psa 3:4).

b. Cry out daily to the Lord: “Be merciful unto me, O Lord: for I cry unto thee daily” (Psa 86:3).

c. Cry out with a pure heart: “If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me” (Psa 66:18).

 

II.                                               MONEY IN THE MIX    

A.       How many of you will operate without money in 2006?  We all have to have some kind of cash flow to stay afloat.

1. I pray that God will richly bless you.  I know that He will meet needs of His elect.

2. It is not wrong to have money nor the things that it affords.  B ut it is wrong for money and things to have you (I Tim 6:10, “For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.”)

B.       Just as it takes money to operate your home, it take money to operate the house of God.  The church is not to be neglected (Hag 1:4-6).

1. The tithe is to come to God’s storehouse, the local, visible church (Mal 3:10).

2. Jesus commended tithing (Mt 23:23).

 

III.          MINISTRY IN THE MIX

A.       Ministry is all about serving.  It is about helping others.  The ministry of Elliott Baptist Church is to serve (Mt 20:27; 23:11).

1. We are to serve the Lord God.  We are to worship Him, to bow before Him.  All that we do is to be pleasing to Him (I Cor 10:31 “Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.”)

2. We are to be obedient to God, without obedience we will not truly serve (I Sam 15:22b, “...Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice...” ).

B.       To truly minister to our community and the world, we must have a team effort.

1. Ministry involves meeting the personal needs of those in need– i.e. the pillow case ministry, the Katrina appliance effort, the Katrina food effort, the Katrina supply effort, etc.

2. Characteristics of a true servant:

a. A true servant will overlook personal discomfort in order to meet the needs of others.

b. A true servant must have genuine love for others.

c. A true servant is willing to let others have the credit for what is done.

 

IV.          MISSIONS IN THE MIX

A.       Missions is the heartbeat of the church.  We are to love and support our missionaries.

B.       A missionary is a person sent on a mission.  Because not all of us can go, we send others out under church authority to preach the Gospel (Mt 28:18-20, Mk 16:15).

 

V.          MORTALITY IN THE MIX

A.       There are folks in attendance today who will not be with us next year.  We are mortals and death is an appointment we will keep (Heb 9:27, “...It is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment.”)

B.       The Bible often reminds us of the brevity of life:

1. James 4:14, “Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow.  For what is your life?  It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.”

2. Proverbs 27:1, “Boast not thyself of tomorrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth.”

3. Proverbs 29:1, “He, that being often reproved hardeneth his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed....”

 

VI.          MARRIAGE IN THE MIX

A.       The Lord Jesus commends marriage.  He did so by attending the marriage feast in Cana of Galilee.

1. Jesus points out the seriousness of marriage (Mk 10:2-9).

2. Jesus recognizes one kind of marriage, one between man and woman (MK 10:6-7).

B.       To live together outside of marriage is sin.

1. I Cor 7:9 tells us that it is better to marry than to burn with lust.