full
From Resolutions to Realities: Setting Spiritual Goals for 2025
Pastor Josh Massaro's message for the Wednesday Evening service on January 1, 2025, emphasizes the promise of newness that God offers as we enter a fresh year. He encourages listeners to reflect on their spiritual goals and to view 2025 through the lens of hope, despite the challenges and uncertainties that may arise. By referencing Revelation 21, Pastor Josh highlights that God is continuously making all things new, inviting believers to embrace their identity in Christ and the transformation that comes with faith. He challenges everyone to set personal and corporate goals that align with their spiritual growth and service to others. This message serves as a reminder that while the world may be filled with turmoil, the assurance of God's control and the promise of renewal can guide us in our daily lives.
Pastor Josh Massaro welcomes listeners to the Middletown Baptist Church Podcast on this New Year's Day service, encouraging reflection on the blessings of the past year and the hope for the coming year. He emphasizes the significance of setting spiritual goals rather than New Year's resolutions, advocating for a proactive approach to personal and spiritual growth. The discussion pivots to the theme of newness, drawing from Revelation 21 and 22, where God promises to make all things new. This promise serves as a foundation for believers to find hope and purpose amid the chaos of a broken world. Pastor Josh invites the congregation to embrace spiritual disciplines such as prayer, Bible reading, and community service, all aimed at fostering a deeper relationship with God and a more profound understanding of His promises. As he shares personal stories and insights, he emphasizes that true fulfillment and joy stem from a life anchored in Christ and His transformative power.
The sermon delves into the biblical concept of newness, contrasting it with the disappointments and letdowns often experienced in life. Pastor Josh reflects on the fleeting nature of worldly events and expectations, urging listeners to anchor their hopes in the eternal promises of God. He discusses how the Apostle John’s vision in Revelation illustrates a future free from pain, suffering, and death, where believers will dwell with God in perfect unity. This vision of a new heaven and a new earth is not just a distant hope but a reality that begins in the life of a believer at the moment of salvation. Pastor Josh encourages listeners to examine their own lives and recognize the ongoing work of God in making them new creations, reinforcing that the journey of faith is marked by continual growth and transformation.
In addressing practical steps for the new year, Pastor Josh challenges the congregation to set specific spiritual goals. He highlights the importance of Bible reading plans and maintaining a consistent prayer life, suggesting that these practices can lead to a deeper understanding of God’s word and a stronger relationship with Him. He invites listeners to consider their unique gifts and how they can serve others within the church and the broader community. The sermon emphasizes collaboration among church members to achieve collective goals, fostering a spirit of unity and purpose. As the service concludes, Pastor Josh expresses excitement for the upcoming church vision launch and the opportunities for growth and outreach in the coming year. He leaves listeners with a sense of hope and urgency to actively participate in the work God is doing, reinforcing that together, they can make a lasting impact for His kingdom.
Takeaways:
- The new year offers a fresh start for spiritual growth and setting goals.
- Emphasizing the importance of spiritual disciplines like prayer and Bible reading.
- Reflecting on past blessings can lead to a deeper appreciation of God's work.
- God's promise of newness is a continual process in a believer's life.
- The ultimate hope lies in the future restoration and the absence of pain.
- Setting spiritual goals for the year can help maintain focus on faith.
Thank you for joining our podcast. Visit our website at https://middletownbaptistchurch.org/
Subscribe to our YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@middletownbaptistchurchde5091
Follow us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/MBCDelaware
This podcast is produced by Ralph Estep, Jr., host of the Ask Ralph Podcast, a daily podcast on Christian Finance you can find it at https://www.askralphpodcast.com/
Transcript
Hello and welcome to the Middletown Baptist Church Podcast, where we are proclaiming the truth to the world.
Pastor Josh:My name is Pastor Josh, and I want to thank you for listening to this podcast.
Pastor Josh:I hope that this podcast can be a blessing to you and strengthen you in the word of God.
Pastor Josh:Now, come along.
Pastor Josh:Let's look into the Bible and see what God has for us here today.
Pastor Josh:All right.
Pastor Josh:Well, I asked on Sunday, I believe it was, maybe it was a couple Sundays ago, what if anyone had any Christmas traditions, But I was wondering if anyone had any New Year's Eve or New Year's Day traditions.
Pastor Josh:Does anyone have any of those that you guys do?
Pastor Josh:We don't really have any of those, but does anyone have one that you guys do?
Pastor Josh:What's that you're in bed by?
Pastor Josh: radition of getting in bed by: Pastor Josh:Okay.
Pastor Josh: down and we just talked about: Pastor Josh:And it was kind of an exciting time to.
Pastor Josh:To go back.
Pastor Josh:Sometimes you don't realize how much God has really done in your life until you actually go back and recount all the things that that have actually happened.
Pastor Josh: e that you've had a wonderful: Pastor Josh: God to give us an even better: Pastor Josh:And we don't know what the future holds, right?
Pastor Josh: I mean,: Pastor Josh:But obviously by looking at the news, things aren't any better just because the calendar turned over.
Pastor Josh:Right?
Pastor Josh:But what we do know is that God is still in control.
Pastor Josh:And we do know that through God's word, he has given us promises.
Pastor Josh:And one of the promises that I wanted to go through here this evening is a promise of newness.
Pastor Josh:And as we start out the new year and we think about that, we're new and fresh, and maybe some of you even have some New Year's resolutions.
Pastor Josh:Now, those can be a little bit dangerous because what happens with New Year's resolutions usually is that we're really excited about it for a little bit of time, and then they kind of pass away.
Pastor Josh:And so instead of calling them New Year's resolutions, let's call them New Year's goals.
Pastor Josh:And I think we should set goals in our life.
Pastor Josh:I think we should set personal goals, maybe if you're in the professional world, professional goals.
Pastor Josh:But I think most importantly, we should have spiritual goals in our life.
Pastor Josh:I think that we should look towards moving forward in our spiritual growth and in our spiritual disciplines.
Pastor Josh:When I use the words spiritual disciplines, what am I talking about?
Pastor Josh:Well, I'm talking about prayer, Bible reading, Bible study, witnessing, teaching, growing, all of those aspects of the spiritual walk that help us grow in all our walk with Christ.
Pastor Josh:So with that being said, even before I get started tonight, if some of you have ever done this before, you'll know that it's a beneficial thing.
Pastor Josh:But I would challenge you to read through scriptures this year.
Pastor Josh:Read through the Bible from.
Pastor Josh:From day one all the way to day 365.
Pastor Josh:We have a Bible reading planned for you out in the lobby.
Pastor Josh:I printed out 25 copies.
Pastor Josh:I didn't know how many people would be here this evening.
Pastor Josh:If you'd like to take one of those with you.
Pastor Josh:It's a plan that helps you read through the Bible day by day.
Pastor Josh:There's some breaks in there, but it kind of guides you through Scripture.
Pastor Josh:And I.
Pastor Josh:I would encourage you to grab one of those.
Pastor Josh:If we run out, just let me know.
Pastor Josh:And I would love to make sure I get enough copies for everybody.
Pastor Josh:Well, where do we start when it comes to the new year?
Pastor Josh:I thought about that and I said, let's start at the end.
Pastor Josh:So let's get our Bibles out and let's look at Revelation chapter 22.
Pastor Josh:If you know anything about Scriptures, that's the end.
Pastor Josh:You say, how are we starting out at the end?
Pastor Josh:From the beginning?
Pastor Josh:Right at the beginning of the year.
Pastor Josh:Well, I want to take you to a passage of scripture, Revelation chapter 22, and it speaks of God making all things new.
Pastor Josh:Revelation chapter 22.
Pastor Josh:We're going to start in verse number one, and we're going to look at the first five verses here in the last chapter of the Bible.
Pastor Josh:And I know that's a different place to start out when you're talking about the beginning of the year, but I think that it'll make sense once we start looking at this.
Pastor Josh:And, and I think that one of the things that helps us understand the hope that we have in a new year is understanding the hope that we have in Christ.
Pastor Josh:You know, I think a lot of times for me, I get so excited about an event that's coming up that I wrap up all my expectations in that event.
Pastor Josh:And when that event doesn't go the way that I expect it to go, or maybe it goes really well, but it's over.
Pastor Josh:There's somewhat of a letdown.
Pastor Josh:I don't know about you guys, but, you know, looking forward to Christmas and having family.
Pastor Josh:It's all great.
Pastor Josh:But then, you know, days go by and people leave and the food's gone and, you know, all, all your new gifts wear out and they're newness and, you know, you're kind of back to the mundane and there's that letdown.
Pastor Josh:And so many times, I think as believers, we have these expectations that are set in the world.
Pastor Josh:And when those things fail, which they inevitably will, we get that letdown, we get that disappointment.
Pastor Josh:But when we keep our eyes fixed on the true hope that we have in Christ, we are able to keep our eyes fixed on that newness of life.
Pastor Josh:And so Revelation chapter 22, this is @ the very end, right?
Pastor Josh:This is the Apostle John here kind of explaining what he sees that is to come.
Pastor Josh:And he says, here, and he showed me a pure river of water, of life, clear as a crystal proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.
Pastor Josh:Now, now we understand these descriptions, but we can't ultimately wrap our minds around exactly what he's talking about.
Pastor Josh:We can do our best, but he's speaking of this beautiful place, this pure river, water of life, clear as a crystal.
Pastor Josh:And then he says in verse two, in the midst of the street of it and on either side of the river was there the tree of life, which bear 12 manners of fruits and yielded her fruit every month.
Pastor Josh:And the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.
Pastor Josh:And so this speaks of the unification of all the believers of all time coming together and finding healing.
Pastor Josh:Says in verse 3, and there shall be no more curse.
Pastor Josh:Aren't you excited for that day?
Pastor Josh:What is he talking about here?
Pastor Josh:He's talking about no more sin curse on us.
Pastor Josh: As of right now, in: Pastor Josh:This earth is cursed with sin.
Pastor Josh:Now, many of us, hopefully all of us tonight, have trusted in Jesus Christ as our Savior.
Pastor Josh:So no longer are we defined by that curse, but we still feel the effects of that curse.
Pastor Josh:What's the effect of that curse?
Pastor Josh:That's the sin nature.
Pastor Josh:That's the flesh.
Pastor Josh:That's the old man.
Pastor Josh:And we see the world, a broken world.
Pastor Josh:There's still death, there's still disease, there's still hate.
Pastor Josh:There's still murder.
Pastor Josh:And so the Bible says that we are still living in that curse.
Pastor Josh:But the Bible says one day right here, there will be no more curse.
Pastor Josh:And that day that we're longing for is the day that when we are with our Savior, there's going to be no more sin.
Pastor Josh:There's going to be no more pain.
Pastor Josh:There's going to be no more suffering, there's going to be no more disease.
Pastor Josh:There's only that newness of life forever and ever.
Pastor Josh:It says, but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and his servants shall serve him.
Pastor Josh:This speaks to the perfect plan of God.
Pastor Josh:We are in his presence and we are serving Him.
Pastor Josh:I know.
Pastor Josh:I've heard a lot of people say over the years, what's heaven going to be like?
Pastor Josh:We're just going to be sitting on a cloud and playing a harp and singing forever?
Pastor Josh:I don't think so.
Pastor Josh:I think there's more to it than that.
Pastor Josh:Are we going to be singing?
Pastor Josh:Yes.
Pastor Josh:I don't think all of us are going to be playing the harp.
Pastor Josh:Maybe some of us will be.
Pastor Josh:But the truth is, is that we will be not only worshiping him by singing and praising him, which we will, but it also says that we will be there serving him.
Pastor Josh:And serving is worship, right?
Pastor Josh:We know that eternity means that we are going to be worshiping God.
Pastor Josh:But in that comes service.
Pastor Josh:In that comes us being used by God still.
Pastor Josh:And we see that we're not done with our work.
Pastor Josh:Then verse 4.
Pastor Josh:And they shall see his face and his name shall be in their foreheads.
Pastor Josh:This speaks to our identification, our identity in Christ.
Pastor Josh:And then it says, verse 5.
Pastor Josh:And there shall be no more, no night there.
Pastor Josh:They need no candle, neither light of the sun, for the Lord giveth them light.
Pastor Josh:This is going to be that point in time in which we can see truly the light of the world.
Pastor Josh:And I'm looking forward to that day.
Pastor Josh:And then it says here, and this is the last phrase that I want you to see there.
Pastor Josh:It says, for the Lord God giveth them light, and they shall reign forever and ever.
Pastor Josh:What an amazing thing that is.
Pastor Josh:So how can God do this?
Pastor Josh:How is God going to work this all out?
Pastor Josh:Well, we go back and we look at verse one of chapter 21.
Pastor Josh:It says, and I saw a new heaven and a new earth.
Pastor Josh:And for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away, and there was no more sea.
Pastor Josh:And I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
Pastor Josh:This is a beautiful picture.
Pastor Josh:This is the culmination of everything.
Pastor Josh:This is the culmination of God's promises.
Pastor Josh:This is the culmination of the gospel.
Pastor Josh:This is the culmination of the kingdom.
Pastor Josh:And it says, verse three.
Pastor Josh:And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will Dwell with them, and they shall be his people.
Pastor Josh:And God himself shall be with them and be their God.
Pastor Josh:We see that it's the presence of God that brings this newness of life.
Pastor Josh:It's the presence of God that brings this perfection.
Pastor Josh:Verse 4.
Pastor Josh:This is one that I'm excited for.
Pastor Josh:I don't know about you, but it says, and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.
Pastor Josh:It's not until this moment that all the tears are wiped away.
Pastor Josh:I know that there's a lot of misconceptions about what happens after death.
Pastor Josh:But what we can see here is at this very moment is when God wipes away all the tears from their eyes and there shall be no more death.
Pastor Josh:This is exciting, right?
Pastor Josh:This is.
Pastor Josh:Death is abolished.
Pastor Josh:No more death.
Pastor Josh:Death is a painful thing.
Pastor Josh:We.
Pastor Josh:We just saw there's a terrorist attack down in.
Pastor Josh:In Louisiana.
Pastor Josh:We've seen shootings, we've seen people get hurt in.
Pastor Josh:In car accidents.
Pastor Josh:We've seen people die of.
Pastor Josh:Of different illnesses.
Pastor Josh:But what we can see at this point is that there's going to be no more death.
Pastor Josh:Death, where is thy sting?
Pastor Josh:Neither sorrow nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain.
Pastor Josh:For the former things are passed away.
Pastor Josh:Folks, if you live with pain and if you live with suffering and you live with sorrow, the Bible says all of that is going to be wiped away.
Pastor Josh:That's what we're looking Forward to.
Pastor Josh:Verse 5.
Pastor Josh:And he sat upon the throne and said, this is what I want you to think about.
Pastor Josh:This is the thesis of the lesson tonight.
Pastor Josh:This is what God says to us.
Pastor Josh:He says, behold, I make all things new.
Pastor Josh:The original language in the Greek.
Pastor Josh:It's not just that he makes things new then.
Pastor Josh:It's this.
Pastor Josh:It's this continuous.
Pastor Josh:That he's making things new.
Pastor Josh:From the moment that we trust in Jesus Christ as our Savior, he is making things new in our lives.
Pastor Josh:And this is the culmination of that.
Pastor Josh:This is it.
Pastor Josh:This is where he says, I've been working in your life, making you a new creation, and now you're seeing it come to pass.
Pastor Josh:And he said unto me, write.
Pastor Josh:For these words are true and faithful.
Pastor Josh:So God says to the apostle John, write this down.
Pastor Josh:I happen to think about what John's thinking.
Pastor Josh:He's going through this like man.
Pastor Josh:What will it be like to have no more death?
Pastor Josh:What will it be like to have no more sorrow, no more pain?
Pastor Josh:God's making all things new.
Pastor Josh:And God wakes him up and says, john, write this down.
Pastor Josh:They need to hear this.
Pastor Josh:And that's what he's Saying here, He says, make.
Pastor Josh:Make note of this, because these words are faithful and true.
Pastor Josh:And that excites me.
Pastor Josh:I don't know about you, but this world is a painful world to live in.
Pastor Josh:There's suffering, there's sor.
Pastor Josh:There's loss.
Pastor Josh:But what God says here, and I want you to think about that phrase, he says, behold, I make all things new.
Pastor Josh:Now for some of us, we're like, well, I'm longing for that day.
Pastor Josh:When is that day going to happen?
Pastor Josh:I've mentioned this quite a bit in.
Pastor Josh:In my speaking is.
Pastor Josh:You know, as I get older, I'm more excited to be with my Savior.
Pastor Josh:When I was young, I was like, lord, don't come back, Lord, I want to live for a long time.
Pastor Josh:I want to experience all these things.
Pastor Josh:But as we experience this world, there's a song that says, and the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of his glory and grace.
Pastor Josh:And so the more we rest in Christ, and the more we see how beautiful and perfect and holy he is, and then we see how evil and terrible and painful this world is, the more we say, these things are not what we want.
Pastor Josh:We want to be with our Savior.
Pastor Josh:So how is God making things new in our lives right now?
Pastor Josh:Because that's.
Pastor Josh:It's.
Pastor Josh:It's not here yet.
Pastor Josh:That.
Pastor Josh:That part right there is not here yet.
Pastor Josh:There's still pain, there's still sorrow, there's still death, there's still loss, there's still tears.
Pastor Josh:But how is he working out that plan in our lives right now?
Pastor Josh:I want you to go with me to another passage in the New Testament, and that is found in Romans, Romans chapter.
Pastor Josh:Actually, let's go to second Corinthians first, and then we'll go to the Romans passage.
Pastor Josh:Let's just go to second Corinthians, chapter five.
Pastor Josh:Most of you know this passage of Scripture.
Pastor Josh:The, The.
Pastor Josh:The beginning of God making our lives new is salvation.
Pastor Josh:We can't experience newness of life without that transformation, without God indwelling us.
Pastor Josh:And so the hope of newness, the hope of perfection, the hope of eternal life can only be found in an individual who has trusted in Jesus Christ as his or her Savior and has experienced that transformation.
Pastor Josh:Second Corinthians, chapter 5, verse 17.
Pastor Josh:You guys know this passage.
Pastor Josh:Therefore, if any man be in Christ, that's the disclaimer.
Pastor Josh:That's the factor that makes someone have this new life.
Pastor Josh:It says, if any man be in Christ, what does it mean to be in Christ?
Pastor Josh:It means to have our identity set in him, to Put our faith in Jesus to trust in his work of salvation.
Pastor Josh:So if there, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature or a new creation.
Pastor Josh:So that's the.
Pastor Josh:That's the rebirth.
Pastor Josh:It's.
Pastor Josh:It's the rebirth that's talked about in John chapter 3.
Pastor Josh:Remember when Nicodemus comes to Jesus in the middle of the night and he's scared, and he's like, we know that you're from God because of what you're doing.
Pastor Josh:And he says, you know, how are you doing these things?
Pastor Josh:And Jesus explains them well, you got to be born again.
Pastor Josh:And that blew Nicodemus's mind because he's like, how can I be born again?
Pastor Josh:How could I go back into my mother's womb and be born again?
Pastor Josh:I can't understand this.
Pastor Josh:And that's what Jesus is teaching.
Pastor Josh:He's teaching this new creation, this new creature that comes through a life in Christ.
Pastor Josh:And he says, old things are passed away.
Pastor Josh:Behold, all things are become new.
Pastor Josh:And it works down and talks about reconciliation.
Pastor Josh:It talks about now, our job as ambassadors for Christ and explains how that can happen through Jesus's sacrifice for us.
Pastor Josh:In verse 21, he who knew no sin became sin for us that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
Pastor Josh:And so God gives us a new life.
Pastor Josh:He gives us a new creation.
Pastor Josh:He gives us a new righteousness.
Pastor Josh:What is new righteousness?
Pastor Josh:Well, righteousness before we were saved was what we tried to do in our own strength.
Pastor Josh:I tried to be a good person, and I tried to say the right thing.
Pastor Josh:I tried to do the right thing.
Pastor Josh:But ultimately, we all know that we will fail in that.
Pastor Josh:We all know that we can't do enough.
Pastor Josh:We all know that we can't earn our way to heaven.
Pastor Josh:So God gives us a new righteousness, and that righteousness is found in him.
Pastor Josh:That righteousness is found in Jesus Christ's righteousness.
Pastor Josh:And so we go to Romans chapter five.
Pastor Josh:Let's go to Romans chapter five.
Pastor Josh:And it speaks of that walk after salvation.
Pastor Josh:So.
Pastor Josh:So the new life starts at the moment of salvation, but it doesn't end there.
Pastor Josh:God then starts working in this newness of life.
Pastor Josh:And so we're that new creation.
Pastor Josh:Old things are passed away.
Pastor Josh:Folks, if.
Pastor Josh:If an individual says, you know what?
Pastor Josh:I was saved, and there was no change in my heart.
Pastor Josh:I was saved and I had no new desires.
Pastor Josh:I was saved.
Pastor Josh:And I don't feel any different.
Pastor Josh:I don't think any different.
Pastor Josh:Folks, there's a challenge there.
Pastor Josh:The challenge is, let's look at what Scripture says about salvation, what does it mean to be in Christ?
Pastor Josh:Now, I'm not here to judge someone's profession of faith, okay?
Pastor Josh:I don't walk around and go, well, I look at your life and I don't believe you're a Christian.
Pastor Josh:I don't believe you meant it when you prayed that prayer.
Pastor Josh:That's not my job.
Pastor Josh:My job is to point people to Scripture to say, this is what a new life looks like.
Pastor Josh:This is what hope in Jesus Christ looks like.
Pastor Josh:And it's for the individual to inspect his or her own life and say, you know, what is this?
Pastor Josh:Me?
Pastor Josh:I don't know if anyone's ever come to you and said, well, I'm.
Pastor Josh:I'm doubting my salvation.
Pastor Josh:I don't know.
Pastor Josh:I don't feel saved ever.
Pastor Josh:Don't raise your hand, but just most of us have probably heard someone say, I don't feel saved.
Pastor Josh:And, and I'm going to be honest with you.
Pastor Josh:There's going to be days where I've gotten up and I don't feel saved.
Pastor Josh:But what do I do?
Pastor Josh:I go back to what I know about Scripture, and I would point someone to First John chapter.
Pastor Josh:Well, all of First John read the book of First John.
Pastor Josh:The book of First John is a biography of a believer.
Pastor Josh:And, and so when we read First John, we say, okay, I'm not perfect, but First John is something that can characterize my life.
Pastor Josh:I'm.
Pastor Josh:I'm walking in the love of Christ.
Pastor Josh:I'm walking in this newness of life.
Pastor Josh:If you read First John and it's foreign to you, I would say it's time to inspect the truth of the Gospel in your own life.
Pastor Josh:And so we get to Romans chapter 5, and we see we're justified by faith.
Pastor Josh:Verse 1.
Pastor Josh:We have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand and rejoice in the hope of glory.
Pastor Josh:And not only so, but we glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation worketh patience and patience experience and experience hope.
Pastor Josh:And he goes on to talk about the Holy Ghost, which is given to us.
Pastor Josh:Verse 5.
Pastor Josh:The.
Pastor Josh:The way that we understand God working through our life is the Holy Spirit moving in our life.
Pastor Josh:And, and then we get to verse number six, and he says, what shall we say then?
Pastor Josh:Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound?
Pastor Josh:So we he explains grace in Romans chapter five.
Pastor Josh:He says, you have been given grace.
Pastor Josh:You have been given forgiveness.
Pastor Josh:But then what he says, is this the challenge for many people who don't understand what God has done to say, well, you know what?
Pastor Josh:If God is going to forgive me, then I can just keep sinning.
Pastor Josh:I can abuse grace.
Pastor Josh:And he goes, no, no, no.
Pastor Josh:He says, what shall we say then?
Pastor Josh:Should we continue in sin that grace may abound, God forbid.
Pastor Josh:How shall we that are dead to sin live any longer therein?
Pastor Josh:Know ye not that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death, Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death.
Pastor Josh:So this is talking about the identification being in Christ, okay?
Pastor Josh:That like as Christ was raised up from the dead by glory of the Father, even so we should walk in.
Pastor Josh:There's our phrase of the evening newness of life.
Pastor Josh:For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection, knowing this, that our old man, that's the old way, that's the sin nature.
Pastor Josh:Our old man is crucified, killed with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed.
Pastor Josh:And henceforth we should not serve sin.
Pastor Josh:For if, for he that is dead is freed from sin, meaning when we are dead to our sins, we are freed from the bondage of that sin.
Pastor Josh:And so yes, as Christians, we don't live sinless lives, but the Bible says that we are striving to be pushed forward in the Holy Spirit so that we can live more and more righteous lives for him, not in our righteousness, but his righteousness.
Pastor Josh:That's how God is working newness of life.
Pastor Josh:He's working that change out in our life.
Pastor Josh:So, so what it would look like practically is someone walks in here and they're characterized by sin.
Pastor Josh:They're maybe not evil people, but we all know in reality all of us are evil outside of our righteousness in Christ.
Pastor Josh:But anyway, they walk in and maybe they don't break the law, maybe they don't break the rules, but they come in and they're defined by their sin.
Pastor Josh:And then they trust in Jesus Christ as their Savior, they're justified.
Pastor Josh:Then there's that change, there's that newness of life, there's that transformation, there's that repentance.
Pastor Josh:Repentance is that about face.
Pastor Josh:And so that is the miracle of God working newness in our life.
Pastor Josh:So when we see a changed Christian, when we see a person changed, that is the miracle of the newness of life.
Pastor Josh:That is the beginning of it.
Pastor Josh:And God eventually is going to bring that to pass at the end.
Pastor Josh:The culmination of all of that will be when we are restored to him, when we are reconciled completely to Him.
Pastor Josh:The theological term for that is glorification.
Pastor Josh:We're glorified when we're with him in his presence, when we're walking with him forever and ever.
Pastor Josh:That's when newness of life will be completely imagined and seen and lived out.
Pastor Josh:So the question is today is how can we say that God is making all things new when we look around at this world?
Pastor Josh:Well, we know that in the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.
Pastor Josh:We know that he pronounced everything good.
Pastor Josh:Genesis, chapter one.
Pastor Josh:But what happened?
Pastor Josh:Well, we sinned.
Pastor Josh:The curse.
Pastor Josh:Remember the curse.
Pastor Josh:The curse came.
Pastor Josh:So mankind sins and marred creation.
Pastor Josh:And so the world is no longer good.
Pastor Josh:If I've heard recently someone said, well, my faith in humanity has been restored because they helped this little animal off the ice.
Pastor Josh:And like, well, you know what they were.
Pastor Josh:Don't have faith in humanity, okay?
Pastor Josh:Humanity will fail outside of Jesus Christ.
Pastor Josh:We cannot have faith in humanity.
Pastor Josh:Humanity is broken and is marred.
Pastor Josh:And so what we can see here is that from Genesis, chapter three, okay, all the way, all the way to Revelation, okay?
Pastor Josh:All the way to the very end, we understand that this is a world that is defined by sin.
Pastor Josh:But something will change at the great white throne.
Pastor Josh:Judgment.
Pastor Josh:So after God judges sin, he promises a new heaven.
Pastor Josh:He promises a new earth where suffering, pain, death will all cease.
Pastor Josh:And so what we can see here is that.
Pastor Josh:And we go back to Revelation and we think about what John is.
Pastor Josh:Is bringing to us here.
Pastor Josh:He sees this beautiful city.
Pastor Josh:He sees God.
Pastor Josh:He sees all of the people serving him and praising him.
Pastor Josh:And so he's understanding that this is what God is promising us from the very beginning.
Pastor Josh:It's.
Pastor Josh:It's what believers have longed for.
Pastor Josh:It's what all of us should be longing for.
Pastor Josh:The.
Pastor Josh:The book of Romans, Romans, chapter 8 says that they're Romans.
Pastor Josh:Chapter 8, verse 19.
Pastor Josh:For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestations of the sons of God.
Pastor Josh:Meaning this.
Pastor Josh:If we are children of God and we are working properly in his path, in our life, and we're following his will, we should long for the day of that unification.
Pastor Josh:I think it's.
Pastor Josh:It's summed up well In Galatians, chapter 2, verse 20, I am crucified with Christ.
Pastor Josh:This speaks of that identification.
Pastor Josh:Nevertheless, I live.
Pastor Josh:Yet not I, but Christ liveth in me.
Pastor Josh:And the life which I now live in the flesh.
Pastor Josh:I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.
Pastor Josh:And so there's this idea that God is making all things new in our life only when he takes control through salvation.
Pastor Josh:And the Bible speaks of all of this.
Pastor Josh:The Bible speaks of Ephesians, chapter four, putting off the old and putting on the new, not walking in sin, but walking in newness of life.
Pastor Josh:And so the Bible tells us over and over again that this is the path that God wants us to have it all of creation, Romans chapter 8 says, is groaning for this restoration.
Pastor Josh: So how can we look at: Pastor Josh:It's looking towards the promise at the end.
Pastor Josh:It's, it's believing in faith that God is keeping his word and will keep his word to make all things right now.
Pastor Josh:Now, partially he is making things right now by the sense that he has saved us and he's changing us and he's working it out for us and he's working out his good in our life and he's working out our good in our lives.
Pastor Josh:But what we can ultimately see is that though there is pain and suffering now, the promise is that God is going to take this all away.
Pastor Josh:And so we live in light of that with hope.
Pastor Josh:So, so what happens tomorrow when we get bad news?
Pastor Josh:Well, I'm not living for tomorrow.
Pastor Josh:I'm living for eternity.
Pastor Josh:I'm not living for 20, 25, I'm living for eternity.
Pastor Josh:And, and that will help us in many different ways.
Pastor Josh:I think it'll help us in understanding all the things that God has given us in the newness of life.
Pastor Josh:So he's given you a new life, he's given you a new hope, he's given you a new name, he's given you a new identity, he's given you a new righteousness.
Pastor Josh:Jesus says, I've given you a New Testament, a new promise, a new, a new commandment.
Pastor Josh:And that's the beauty of the so.
Pastor Josh:So prior to Jesus right there.
Pastor Josh:And well, even today, I mean, it's not just prior to Jesus, even today, people believe that they have to keep the law to be saved, to see God there, there, you know, 613 laws that these folks follow and they stay right on the path as best as they can, even though none of us could keep the law perfectly.
Pastor Josh:But now we have a new covenant, we have a new promise.
Pastor Josh:And it's not this.
Pastor Josh:It's, it's not, hey, keep all these laws and then maybe I'll give you Greece.
Pastor Josh:The Bible says, hey, there's a new commandment.
Pastor Josh:Love God with all your heart, soul, mind, Strength.
Pastor Josh:After that, love your neighbor as yourself and all of that, the law and the prophets, everything is hanging on this.
Pastor Josh:So you say, well, how can I love God with everything?
Pastor Josh:Well, you, you love him in everything.
Pastor Josh:By trusting in him, by committing to him, by saying, you know what?
Pastor Josh:I'm going to give my life over to Him.
Pastor Josh:You know, it's a hard thing to do that.
Pastor Josh:It's a hard thing to go all in.
Pastor Josh:It really, really is.
Pastor Josh:And, and for me, I, I, I know that even in my life.
Pastor Josh:Am I all in?
Pastor Josh:That's a good question.
Pastor Josh:I don't know.
Pastor Josh:I, I really don't know.
Pastor Josh:Because we can't ultimately know that answer until we are tested.
Pastor Josh:Like right now, theoretically, I'm all in, right?
Pastor Josh:There's nothing that could change my mind.
Pastor Josh:But that might change tomorrow when pressures come.
Pastor Josh:And that's a challenge that all of us have to think about.
Pastor Josh:Like, what will happen if this is challenged in my life?
Pastor Josh: my expectations aren't met in: Pastor Josh:You know what?
Pastor Josh:I remember what it means to not have expectations fulfilled.
Pastor Josh:We, we were driving up to the hospital.
Pastor Josh:It's almost been a year now, and we had Micah and Nora, and everything went smoothly.
Pastor Josh:We were like, I, I, I, I was like, okay, we're gonna go in.
Pastor Josh:Everything's gonna be the exact same way.
Pastor Josh:And I remember that night, it did not go the way that we expected it to go.
Pastor Josh:And there was a lot of fear, there was a lot of concern, there was a lot of confusion.
Pastor Josh:And, and my expectations were not met by, by any stretch of the imagination.
Pastor Josh:But looking back on that with, without telling the whole story again, looking back on that, we understand why God allowed certain things to happen in our life.
Pastor Josh:We know that now.
Pastor Josh:I mean, every time that I look at Silas, I understand now.
Pastor Josh:God more and more through not, not, not.
Pastor Josh:Silas isn't the instrument of that, but he's the reminder of God's faithfulness.
Pastor Josh:He's the reminder of God's provisions.
Pastor Josh:He's a reminder of the conversations that I have with the Lord that evening.
Pastor Josh:And, and I will tell you that those are the realities in life when we are tested, where.
Pastor Josh:Where are we going to turn?
Pastor Josh: And I don't know what: Pastor Josh:I don't know.
Pastor Josh:I really don't know.
Pastor Josh:I don't know what the political climate will be.
Pastor Josh:I don't know what the international climate will be.
Pastor Josh:I don't know what the financial climate will be.
Pastor Josh:But what I do know is that God is still good What I do know is God is still in control.
Pastor Josh:And when we look at the, the chaos in this world so many times, it's easy to get our eyes fixed on that and our expectations aren't met.
Pastor Josh:And when our expectations are met, we start turning to things that are not scriptural.
Pastor Josh:So, for example, okay, we all would say we believe God is in control.
Pastor Josh:I hope, I hope that's what you would say.
Pastor Josh:We all believe that God has promised that he's never going to leave us nor forsake us.
Pastor Josh:We all believe that God is love.
Pastor Josh:We all believe, hopefully, that we love God with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength.
Pastor Josh:We love him with everything.
Pastor Josh:And we love our neighbor as ourself.
Pastor Josh:But the true test is like, when things don't go the way that we want them to go, are we willing to say those same things about God?
Pastor Josh:Are we willing to say that he's there with us when we don't feel that?
Pastor Josh:And, and what I would say, and the best advice that I ever had given to me was don't.
Pastor Josh:Feelings are good, emotions are good.
Pastor Josh:God gave us emotions and we should embrace those emotions.
Pastor Josh:But our emotions should not dictate to us our truth, right?
Pastor Josh:So if I'm angry or I'm upset or I'm let down or I'm fearful, I can't let those emotions dictate my truth about what God's word says about him, about me, about salvation, about newness of life, about the hope that we have in Him.
Pastor Josh:But what I can do is allow my emotions to be dictated and controlled by what I believe in, the truth of God.
Pastor Josh:So it's my faith that brings me to the point where, yes, I know that this is a bad circumstance, but I know that God is good.
Pastor Josh:I know that he loves me.
Pastor Josh:And, and so you go back to what you know.
Pastor Josh:And so your emotions are dictated by your truth instead of vice versa.
Pastor Josh:And that's helped a lot in my own life because I'm going to tell you, sometimes fear.
Pastor Josh:The.
Pastor Josh:The Bible says that the fear of man is a snare or a trap.
Pastor Josh:And so it's the fear of man that sometimes pulls us away from doing what we need to do.
Pastor Josh:And God has wonderful plans for you.
Pastor Josh:I know he does because he has a plan for all of us.
Pastor Josh:But, but the plan that God has for us sometimes makes us stretch ourselves.
Pastor Josh:It sometimes takes us out of our comfort zone.
Pastor Josh:It sometimes takes us to a place that we don't expect to go.
Pastor Josh:But what I would say is that go back to when, when Those trials of life come.
Pastor Josh:When those success successes of life come.
Pastor Josh:When the confusion comes, just go back to say this.
Pastor Josh:God is making this all right.
Pastor Josh:God is doing what he said he is going to do.
Pastor Josh:And he is going to ultimately conclude this by saying, hey, we're going to be there one day.
Pastor Josh:And I think the apostle Paul says it this way.
Pastor Josh:One day when we get to heaven and we're with our Savior, we're going to say, that was it that little temporary pain for this glory.
Pastor Josh:And I long for that day because there's days where I don't feel that there's days.
Pastor Josh:I'm going to tell you there's days where I'm like, what is going on?
Pastor Josh:And you say you're allowed to say that as a pastor.
Pastor Josh:I don't know if I'm allowed to say that or not.
Pastor Josh:But I'm going to tell you there are some days where I don't know what God is doing.
Pastor Josh:I don't know what his plan is.
Pastor Josh:I don't know why he would let this happen.
Pastor Josh:I don't know why he would work it this way.
Pastor Josh:But all I say is that, lord, I trust you.
Pastor Josh:And that's by faith.
Pastor Josh:It is.
Pastor Josh:Hebrews, chapter 11, verse 6 says, it's impossible to please him without faith.
Pastor Josh:So.
Pastor Josh:So I would take a step to say it's impossible to love him without faith.
Pastor Josh:I can't love God without faith.
Pastor Josh:It's impossible.
Pastor Josh:Because for me, if I love God, I believe that he's going to keep his word.
Pastor Josh:I believe that he is good.
Pastor Josh:I believe that he is in control.
Pastor Josh:And for.
Pastor Josh:For many of us, including myself, I will say that until things look like they're going bad, then I go, well, we're losing.
Pastor Josh:Christians are losing.
Pastor Josh:Faith is losing.
Pastor Josh:God's gonna be wiped away from the map, folks.
Pastor Josh:God is not going to be wiped away from the world scene, okay?
Pastor Josh:If you read the Book of Revelation, if you question that God is coming, okay, he is coming with.
Pastor Josh:With.
Pastor Josh:With righteous indignation, okay?
Pastor Josh:This world will be judged.
Pastor Josh:And I'm not trying to scare you, I don't know when it's going to happen.
Pastor Josh:It could be another 50 years.
Pastor Josh:It could be another 5,000 years.
Pastor Josh:It could be another 50 minutes.
Pastor Josh:But we know that ultimately God is going to make all things new.
Pastor Josh:He's going to restore us and he's going to vindicate us.
Pastor Josh:Because the Bible says, vengeance is mine, I will repay, saith the Lord.
Pastor Josh:I look at things in the news and I say, wow, I want to make this right.
Pastor Josh:And some of you have that sense of justice in your heart.
Pastor Josh:You want to do that too, right?
Pastor Josh:Protecting the innocent.
Pastor Josh:There is innocent blood that is being shed in this world.
Pastor Josh:We know that.
Pastor Josh:So does God care about that?
Pastor Josh:I believe he does.
Pastor Josh:Why isn't he doing something immediately, right now?
Pastor Josh:Completely.
Pastor Josh:Because he is long suffering, because he's patient, because he wants more folks to come to him.
Pastor Josh:So what does that mean for us?
Pastor Josh:We have to get busy in proclaiming the truth of God to this world.
Pastor Josh:He saved us and he's equipped us and he's challenged us and he's commissioned us to go proclaim the truth of God in this lost and dying world.
Pastor Josh:And so you say, well, I don't know if I can do that.
Pastor Josh:You can.
Pastor Josh:I know you can.
Pastor Josh:It's not easy.
Pastor Josh:But the Bible says that people like, think about guys like Elijah.
Pastor Josh:We say, well, he.
Pastor Josh:He was different.
Pastor Josh:He was a special, like, special character.
Pastor Josh:He had like, an extra measure of.
Pastor Josh:Of glory on him.
Pastor Josh:The Bible says in the book of James, he was just like everybody else.
Pastor Josh:He was.
Pastor Josh:He was a human being.
Pastor Josh:Yeah, Paul, you think about Paul, you think about John the Baptist, right?
Pastor Josh:Man, Jesus said John the Baptist was the greatest prophet to ever walk.
Pastor Josh:I mean, John the Baptist was a human being.
Pastor Josh:Now, I'm not saying that.
Pastor Josh:Hey, you're.
Pastor Josh:You're John the Baptist, okay?
Pastor Josh:What I am saying is that you have been equipped by God to do what he has called you to do in the time that you have.
Pastor Josh:And, and so this is.
Pastor Josh:This is the goal.
Pastor Josh:So for me, you know, when I get down in the dumps and I start feeling bad about things is when I start focusing on myself.
Pastor Josh:Like, I start really inspecting my own life.
Pastor Josh:And I go, you know what?
Pastor Josh:I'm not really smart enough to do what God has given me in my life.
Pastor Josh:I'm not really equipped enough.
Pastor Josh:I'm not really.
Pastor Josh:And I start.
Pastor Josh:And if.
Pastor Josh:Let me be honest, if you look into your own life, you're going to find flaws.
Pastor Josh:If you're honest, we can find flaws in each other.
Pastor Josh:Like I could.
Pastor Josh:I.
Pastor Josh:If you follow me around for a week, you find a lot of flaws in my life and probably vice versa.
Pastor Josh:But when we take our eyes off of ourselves, because.
Pastor Josh:Because that's really an egotistical, prideful thing.
Pastor Josh:Like, well, I'm just so worried about how I'll come across.
Pastor Josh:I'm going to be really worried about how people like what people are going to say about me.
Pastor Josh:The moment we stop worrying about what people say about us when we live for Christ is the moment that we can be used by God.
Pastor Josh:And so what I would say is this.
Pastor Josh:Romans, chapter 1, verse 16.
Pastor Josh:For I am not ashamed of the Gospel.
Pastor Josh:Like, are we ashamed of the Gospel?
Pastor Josh:That's a question that I want to ask.
Pastor Josh:It's a question that I'm asking myself.
Pastor Josh: u to think about this year in: Pastor Josh:What's my spiritual goals for.
Pastor Josh:For some of us, our spiritual goal should be to, to start reading scripture because you, because you might not know all of the promises of God.
Pastor Josh:You might not understand what God has said because you haven't read it.
Pastor Josh:You haven't studied it.
Pastor Josh:And you know, all of us need that study.
Pastor Josh:All of us need to get into the word of God consistently and faithfully and read.
Pastor Josh:But not just read, study, meditate.
Pastor Josh:And the word meditate just means to dwell on.
Pastor Josh:We all know what it means to dwell on something negatively.
Pastor Josh:So let's dwell on something positively in His Word.
Pastor Josh:It might be a prayer life.
Pastor Josh:You might need to grow in your area of prayer, communicating with God.
Pastor Josh:Right?
Pastor Josh:Any relationship is based upon communication.
Pastor Josh:All of us that are married understand that.
Pastor Josh:All of us that have worked in a workplace understand that communication is key.
Pastor Josh:And the way that we communicate with God is number one.
Pastor Josh:We hear him through His Word and we speak to him in prayer.
Pastor Josh:There's other spiritual disciplines, service within the church.
Pastor Josh:There's.
Pastor Josh:There's areas of, of witnessing evangelism, there's areas of fasting and, and sacrifice and being allowed to be focused on Him.
Pastor Josh:And the list goes on and on.
Pastor Josh: are your spiritual goals for: Pastor Josh:For.
Pastor Josh:For us, last year, it was to institute a specific time in which we had family devotions.
Pastor Josh:And the busyness of life has pulled us a lot from that.
Pastor Josh:And what we have to do is we have to recalibrate and say, okay, what matters, what's important?
Pastor Josh:For, for me, I'll just, I'll be real.
Pastor Josh:I, I have no reason to put up a front to you.
Pastor Josh: For me, my goal for: Pastor Josh:Someone asked me recently, how, how much should I pray?
Pastor Josh:And I answered more.
Pastor Josh:Like, what does more mean?
Pastor Josh:Well, if you're praying five minutes, pray six minutes, pray without ceasing.
Pastor Josh:Biblically speaking, have a constant communication with God.
Pastor Josh:How much should I read more?
Pastor Josh:I'd encourage you to read through scripture.
Pastor Josh:I would encourage you to take that Bible reading plan.
Pastor Josh:And if you don't pick that one, there's plenty of great ones on different apps that you can go through.
Pastor Josh:And I would encourage you to try to do that.
Pastor Josh:So what are your spiritual goals?
Pastor Josh:I don't want you to answer me right now, but I want you to pray about that for the next few days.
Pastor Josh:Be praying about what your goals are.
Pastor Josh:Because if you don't set goals, what's going to happen?
Pastor Josh:Well, you're just going to kind of drift, right?
Pastor Josh:And I'm not saying that we should be checklist oriented as a Christian because we know that it's more than that, but.
Pastor Josh:But all of us should put some sort of plan down that we say, you know what?
Pastor Josh:This is what I'm going to strive to do in the power of God.
Pastor Josh:I'm going to ask him to give me strength to overcome the distractions, to overcome the difficulties and say, you know, I need to do more of this.
Pastor Josh:Maybe for you it's exercising in your spiritual discipline.
Pastor Josh:Maybe for you, you know, as we studied the spiritual gifts, you've really narrowed down.
Pastor Josh:You know what, I'm a teacher or I'm a.
Pastor Josh:I have the gift of ministry, the gift of helps.
Pastor Josh:I have the gift of mercy.
Pastor Josh:How can I dive deeper into that spiritual gift or spiritual gifts this year?
Pastor Josh:And it doesn't have to be within the confines of Middletown Baptist Church.
Pastor Josh:It could be within your community, it could be within your home, it can be within your workplace.
Pastor Josh: ow God is going to use you in: Pastor Josh: a list of spiritual goals for: Pastor Josh:Maybe you say, you know what?
Pastor Josh:I want to read my Bible more and I want to read some.
Pastor Josh:Some spiritual books.
Pastor Josh:Well, it's very easy to get started, get a book, start reading.
Pastor Josh:Okay?
Pastor Josh:You got to get started.
Pastor Josh:That's the biggest thing.
Pastor Josh:Maybe it's church attendance.
Pastor Josh:Now I'm speaking to a crowd that came out on a Wednesday night of New Year's Day.
Pastor Josh:So that's really cool.
Pastor Josh:I'm glad you guys are out.
Pastor Josh:But maybe it's just being church.
Pastor Josh:You go, I need to be in church.
Pastor Josh:I need to be around other fellow brothers and sisters in Christ.
Pastor Josh:Maybe.
Pastor Josh:Maybe you need to.
Pastor Josh:Here's one thing I was hit with last year.
Pastor Josh:I was challenged with friendship.
Pastor Josh:You know, like, how many make meaningful friendships do I have in the Lord?
Pastor Josh:You know, and.
Pastor Josh:And like, we get busy.
Pastor Josh:You know, my wife's my best friend, but there is an element of iron, sharpening iron and being able to be around folks that are of, like, faith, and.
Pastor Josh:And I think we need more of that.
Pastor Josh:And so, you know, maybe for some of us, you don't think about friendship as a spiritual thing, but maybe for some of us, we want to pursue more of what it means to be a godly friend and, and grow in that regard.
Pastor Josh:Maybe it's parenting, maybe it's grandparenting, uh, maybe it's in your marriage.
Pastor Josh:I don't know what it is.
Pastor Josh:But.
Pastor Josh:But maybe God has some spiritual goals for you as a.
Pastor Josh:As a couple, as a husband and wife, to say, you know, we're going to do this together.
Pastor Josh:Maybe you have some goals within your workplace.
Pastor Josh:Maybe you say, I want to share the gospel with at least one person this year.
Pastor Josh:You know, that's a.
Pastor Josh:That's a.
Pastor Josh:Sounds kind of trivial.
Pastor Josh:One person over a whole year.
Pastor Josh:But you know what?
Pastor Josh:If everyone shared the gospel with just one person in the year, there would be a lot more gospel presented.
Pastor Josh:I'm going to tell you that.
Pastor Josh:And so I would encourage you, maybe think about someone in your life and it doesn't have to be a complete stranger.
Pastor Josh:I think a lot of times we think about soul winning and evangelism.
Pastor Josh:I'm going to walk up to the scariest guy at the store and walk up to him and give him a confrontation, and that might be you.
Pastor Josh:That's fine.
Pastor Josh:Go for it.
Pastor Josh:But what I would say is that there are people in your life that you probably have a relationship with that would hear you out, that would understand you and know your life and say, yeah, you know what?
Pastor Josh:I'll hear you out.
Pastor Josh:I respect your faith, and you might have an opportunity to share with them why the Bible says on First Peter, chapter three, verse 15, give an answer for the hope that is within you.
Pastor Josh:And so people see your hope, give them an answer.
Pastor Josh:Give them an answer in Jesus Christ.
Pastor Josh: And so our spiritual goals in: Pastor Josh:But just as much as there's individual goals, we need to have corporate goals.
Pastor Josh:We need to have goals within the church.
Pastor Josh:And for the next three Sundays, for the next three Sundays, we're going to be going through three goals that I believe this church, Middletown Baptist Church, should strive after.
Pastor Josh: In: Pastor Josh:On the third Sunday of the month, we are going to be launching our church vision, and it's going to be one of those goals, and it's going to be a really big thing.
Pastor Josh:We're really excited for it.
Pastor Josh:And I wouldn't.
Pastor Josh:I wouldn't say It's a reason to be afraid.
Pastor Josh:But it is going.
Pastor Josh:If, if we cooperate, if our church says we believe in this goal, and I think it's a scriptural goal, I think it will stretch us.
Pastor Josh:It will stretch us.
Pastor Josh:It'll put us in a place that we might say, hey, I've never done this before.
Pastor Josh:I've never gone and done something like this before.
Pastor Josh:But I guarantee you, as God stretches you, that's the way that we grow.
Pastor Josh:Growing isn't always easy.
Pastor Josh:Actually, it's more difficult than we would expect it to be.
Pastor Josh:Sometimes there's growing pains.
Pastor Josh:And I would encourage you to be praying about how God leads you this year.
Pastor Josh:How can you walk in newness of life?
Pastor Josh:And so I want you to think about what Revelation chapter 21, verse 5 says, that God's going to make all things new.
Pastor Josh:How is he making things new in your life?
Pastor Josh:Are you noticing the newness of life?
Pastor Josh:Are you allowing it just to be like, well, you know what?
Pastor Josh:Same old, same old.
Pastor Josh:For me, I've been really challenged with walking differently so many times as we've been saved for so long.
Pastor Josh:Many of us, most of us have been saved for a very long time.
Pastor Josh:We get so complacent.
Pastor Josh:We get so used to the gospel that we miss the grandeur and the miracle of what the gospel really is.
Pastor Josh:And the gospel is everything.
Pastor Josh:The gospel is every.
Pastor Josh:Why.
Pastor Josh:Why do what we are doing without the gospel?
Pastor Josh:Right?
Pastor Josh:You could go, you know, you could join a social club and have your friendships there.
Pastor Josh:You could join a sports team and go get your athleticism.
Pastor Josh:You could.
Pastor Josh:You could even join a charity and give food to the poor and needy, which is a great thing.
Pastor Josh:But you can do all of those things and not have the gospel.
Pastor Josh:So.
Pastor Josh:So why are we doing what we're doing?
Pastor Josh:The gospel is the heartbeat.
Pastor Josh:The gospel is the root.
Pastor Josh:The gospel is the centerpiece.
Pastor Josh:And we say, okay.
Pastor Josh:Everything that we do is centered in the gospel.
Pastor Josh:It's centered in the gospel.
Pastor Josh:And so that's what we're going to be talking about here for the next three weeks at church is what are our goals?
Pastor Josh:And so I'm not going to check you.
Pastor Josh:I'm not going to say, hey, as you head out tonight, I want a list of all of your goals.
Pastor Josh:But if you would like to say, hey, Pastor, I've.
Pastor Josh:I've got a few goals that I would like to accomplish this year.
Pastor Josh:I would love to say, like, well, let me hear them.
Pastor Josh:Like, if you.
Pastor Josh:If you want to share them with me, you can.
Pastor Josh:And if you want to Say, like, hey, how can I accomplish these goals?
Pastor Josh:Like, like, I, I feel like God is calling me this way.
Pastor Josh:How could I get there?
Pastor Josh:And, and maybe, just maybe someone within the church has something going on the same way, and we can get people together and we can start working and collaborating and getting some of these goals accomplished.
Pastor Josh:But I would say, hey, maybe you're like, I, I want to read some more books on a different topic.
Pastor Josh:Maybe it's the topic of, I don't know, prayer or, or whatever, heaven, and you want some reading materials.
Pastor Josh:I would love to point you in that direction.
Pastor Josh:Okay.
Pastor Josh:The, the purpose of the pastor is not to get up and just give you content on Sunday morning.
Pastor Josh:That's one element.
Pastor Josh:The Bible says in Ephesians, chapter four, equipping the saints for the work of the ministry.
Pastor Josh:So it's my job to give you every tool that you can, scripturally speaking, to do what God has called you to do.
Pastor Josh:And so I want to help you in that.
Pastor Josh:And so let's, let's collaborate, let's get together, let's talk.
Pastor Josh:Don't be ashamed of it.
Pastor Josh:Don't say, well, it's embarrassing, folks.
Pastor Josh:There's nothing more exciting for a Christian.
Pastor Josh:There shouldn't be anything more exciting for Christians to get together and say, like, how can we talk about God working in our life?
Pastor Josh:It's an exciting thing.
Pastor Josh:I love to get together with pastors sometimes and just say, hey, what's your church doing?
Pastor Josh:And it's not about competition, it's not about jealousy.
Pastor Josh:It's like, hey, I want to see what God's doing at your church.
Pastor Josh:And then I'm just going to give you a little bit of a hint.
Pastor Josh:Hey, whose kid is that over there?
Pastor Josh:That's my kid.
Pastor Josh:So I can say that.
Pastor Josh:But one of the things, I'll give you a little, a little hint and then we'll be done.
Pastor Josh:One of the things that we're going to be doing is collaborating with other churches.
Pastor Josh:You've already seen us kind of do that already with, with our Christmas Eve service.
Pastor Josh:And some people start getting nervous.
Pastor Josh:Whoa, collaborating with another church is that, that, that's our competition?
Pastor Josh:Well, if they're a Bible preaching, solid church that we agree with, there's nothing wrong with helping them out.
Pastor Josh:Okay.
Pastor Josh:The Bible says to go to Jerusalem, Judea, and to the uttermost part of the earth.
Pastor Josh:And then it all.
Pastor Josh:I, I skipped one there.
Pastor Josh:Samaria.
Pastor Josh:Samaria is a place that we're not comfortable going and sometimes going to another church and helping another church that might need some help is, is a difficulty.
Pastor Josh:We go, well, if we help them, how we're losing that.
Pastor Josh:No, we're all part of the kingdom of God now.
Pastor Josh:We don't go to, we're not ecumenical.
Pastor Josh:We don't go to a church that doesn't believe the gospel.
Pastor Josh:We don't go to a church that practices things differently than we practice them.
Pastor Josh:But we go and we help and we support other fellow brothers and sisters.
Pastor Josh:Hey, we might even have opportunities to go outside of our confines and support people in other countries.
Pastor Josh:We already do in our missions and giving.
Pastor Josh:You know, one of the things that I've been really challenged with is sometimes we're willing to write a check, but we're not willing to take a step.
Pastor Josh:And I think sometimes it might be that some of us that are able, maybe we're not able to write a check, but we're able to go and help.
Pastor Josh: think about for our goals in: Pastor Josh:And so I will stop there and save the rest for this Sunday.
Pastor Josh:Hope that you can come back for that.
Pastor Josh:Thank you again for listening to the Middletown Baptist Church podcast.
Pastor Josh:I hope that this sermon has been a blessing blessing for you.
Pastor Josh:You would like to find out more information about our church or this sermon, you can find us at middletownbaptistchurch.org or find us on Facebook or YouTube.
Pastor Josh:You can also email me directly at Josh Massaroiddletownbaptistchurch dot com if you've enjoyed this podcast, please subscribe and follow along for future podcast and updates.
Pastor Josh:Thank you so much.
Pastor Josh:God bless.
Pastor Josh:Have a wonderful day.
