Message given at Grace Church on New Year’s Eve 2006

Nothing strikes terror in the hearts of parents like three simple words, “Some assembly required.” We shop carefully to find just the right toy, yet somehow we overlook those fateful words, printed on the box like a high-voltage warning on a power pole: Some assembly required. Translated, realistically, that means “Warning! Parents keep away! Danger!” Still, we pay our money and then pay the real price when our kids open that pile of parts that promise to drive us crazy.

For those of us who attempt the impossible, there is hope: the directions that promise to show us how to turn that mysterious mess of pieces into a basketball backboard, a swing set, a bicycle, or a quaint dollhouse. We want to trust the instructions, believing that the same folks who created those pieces were also the authors of the booklet. If anyone can help us get the toy into working order, it will be the one who made the toy.

Life is a lot like a child’s toy. The picture on the box looks intriguing, but life doesn’t come fully assembled. Our job as human beings is to assemble a life worth living. It’s not easy and it takes more than some assembly. Life comes with directions. And since God made our lives, He probably has the best directions.

When we were younger and the kids were small, there was a common saying going around parenting circles. “Kids don’t come with an instruction book.” But you know what? They do. Our Creator has not abandoned us to our own devices. He gave us instructions for assembling an abundant life and He constructed us with certain inbuilt things so we could be just like Him.

But many of us would rather do it ourselves. We think we can figure out how to put together a meaningful life without outside help. And yet we often confront challenges that exceed our intuition. Some of us proudly display the trappings of success, but inside we feel like failures. We send perfectly posed pictures in our Christmas cards while our families disintegrate. Our lives aren’t anything like the picture on the box.

Which brings us to today, New Years Eve. We are poised to celebrate the coming of a new year. No matter how good, how bad, or how ho-hum 2006 was, there is always the tantalizing hope that 2007 will be a good year.

According to Christian History Today, New Year’s Day, as we know it on January 1, wasn’t adopted until in 1752. At that time, Puritans didn’t like New Year's celebrations. Rather, they encouraged their children to meditate on the year past and the one to come. And the Puritans started our common practice of making resolutions to keep them growing in faith, character, knowledge and for a few of them - to keep them out of temptation and trouble.

Would anyone here this morning benefit from something that could help them grow in faith and joy and keep them out of trouble at the same time? Yeah, you’re right…. probably none of us. So let’s read the first 11 verses of Psalm 147 instead: “1 Praise the Lord! How good it is to sing praises to our God; for he is gracious, and a song of praise is fitting. 2 The Lord builds up Jerusalem; he gathers the outcasts of Israel. 3 He heals the brokenhearted, and binds up their wounds. 4 He determines the number of the stars; he gives to all of them their names. 5 Great is our Lord, and abundant in power; his understanding is beyond measure. 6 The Lord lifts up the downtrodden; he casts the wicked to the ground. 7 Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving; make melody to our God on the lyre. 8 He covers the heavens with clouds, prepares rain for the earth, makes grass grow on the hills. 9 He gives to the animals their food, and to the young ravens when they cry. 10 His delight is not in the strength of the horse, nor his pleasure in the speed of a runner; 11 but the Lord takes pleasure in those who fear him, in those who hope in his steadfast love.”

Here is a song of praise to God. What amazes me are the contrasts in this Psalm. God builds the broken. He gathers the outcasts and those who are lost. He heals those whose lives and hearts are broken. He lifts up those who are lowly. He casts the wicked ones away. His understanding and power are great and beyond our comprehension. And the Lord is gracious and so attentive to detail that He knows the name of each star and is concerned about the color of our grass (I think God likes green).

Then there is verse 11, which gives us more than a hint about what pleases God.

The Lord takes pleasure in those who fear Him, who hope in His reliable and unwavering love. For 2007, do you want to bring the Lord pleasure? He isn’t impressed by our strengths and our gifts. What brings joy to the Lord of lords is when our hearts and minds are focused on Him.

John Ortberg has written a book called “God is closer than you think.” Much of my sermon today is inspired by and borrowed from this book. He has a line that jumps out at me. It says, “Every thought holds the promise of carrying me into God’s presence.” Let me repeat that. “Every thought holds the promise of carrying me into God’s presence.” He says that studies have shown that each thought that we have carries an emotional charge. He illustrates it with a string with circles like pearls, each of which has a plus and minus sign. Each thought can pull us toward anger (minus) or joy (plus). It reminds me of the old Oscar Meyer hot dog commercial. One child sings with a smile, “O, I wish I were an Oscar Meyer Weiner, that is what I’d truly like to be. For if I were an Oscar Meyer Weiner, everyone would be in love with me.” The next child has a scowl and sings, “O, I’m glad I’m not an Oscar Meyer Weiner. That is what I’d never want to be. For if I was an Oscar Meyer Weiner. There would soon be nothing left of me.”

If words and songs can carry an emotional charge, they also carry a spiritual charge. James 1 tells us that God doesn’t tempt us. Instead the origin of our bad deeds comes from within our own minds, “Temptation comes from the lure of our own evil desires. These evil desires lead to evil actions, and evil actions lead to death.”

So as we approach New Year’s resolutions, each and every thought and action has the potential to bring us closer to God or drive us farther from Him. No matter if you are living the easy life or trying to keep up with a life that is as fast as the speed of light, this is true. What a concept! Every action and idea we have each moment of every day can move us closer to the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Or our thoughts can move us to the fruit of the flesh. So what are the works of the flesh? Galatians 5 says they include sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery, idolatry and witchcraft, hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions, envy, drunkenness, and orgies.

Now if this sounds like your planned News Year’s Eve party for tonight, watch out! I urge you to remember the lesson of James. Our minds say, “That looks interesting” long before we ever walk through the door of sin. And Paul follows this passage with his own observation, “I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.” That’s consistent with our Psalm today that God tosses away those who are wicked.

So what we think affects what we do, long before we do it.

In Romans 12 Paul urges us to present our bodies as living sacrifices and to let our minds be renewed and transformed by God. We cannot change, no matter how many resolutions we make, without the Lord. Only the Holy Spirit can transform us, but we have choices in the direction we aim. Making any sense?

There are 3 ways to aim. We can aim for immorality. We can aim for holiness. Or we can aim for nowhere.

It’s pretty easy to aim for wickedness. All we have to do is nothing. Don’t worry about thoughts of envy. That idiot next door really doesn’t deserve the new car as much as you do. And don’t worry about checking out the babe or the hunk walking by. After all, as long as you don’t touch it’s OK, right? And by all means, turn away from those who are needy and don’t help them. In fact, give thanks that you aren’t in such a bad place. And it’s almost tax time. Isn’t it OK to fudge on your taxes? After all, the government has so much money that they don’t need any of yours. And when you see those people sitting in front of Friendly Market? They ARE talking about you. Think about how you are smarter, better, prettier or even holier than they are.

Avoid repentance. Avoid prayer. Avoid the Bible. And avoid looking deeply within. Once you begin to think along those lines it will only be a matter of time before your actions begin to follow and then you will find your joy drained.

But most of us aren’t aiming for depravity. Yet we often settle for nowhere. That’s why we end up dry. The Bible calls this lukewarm or double minded. We’re neither hot nor cold. We have a low level of spiritual input and focus and we end up with a low level of spiritual blessings and joy. We kind of know that there are some good promises that come from having our sins forgiven by Jesus Christ but we are sure that we have already experienced all the sins we want to be forgiven for. Worse, we walk around with a chronic level of guilt.

In the Book of Revelation Jesus tells the church of Laodicea that because they are lukewarm He will spit them out of His mouth. By the way… this kind of lukewarm is not what happens to Kulia’s brother Luke when he puts on a jacket or a blanket.

How do we achieve the lofty goal of being lukewarm? That takes a bit more effort. All you need to do is get sporadic spiritual input. Occasionally show up at a study or at church. Think about spiritual things once in a while but don’t get too caught up in believing in Jesus. Realize that your thoughts are pretty well formed and probably wiser than what’s written in the Bible. Treat fellowship, obedience, and study the same way. Don’t focus too much on them, just enough to satisfy your duty or conscience. Let the culture around you define the Lord for you. Be a spiritual channel-surfer.

And pray once in a while. Repent if you’re caught. When things are going badly, look deeply within, but realize you are probably more good than bad. And if you read the Bible, just use the Captain Cook method. (flip open the Bible, close your eyes and land on a place). Drift through the ocean and land on any island that your finger lands on as the primary way you experience God’s Word. Before you know it, your life will heat up from cold and listless to the amazing temperature of lukewarm and unenthusiastic.

Look at the person next to you and say, “Wow. Now I know how to be lukewarm.”

Or maybe…just maybe 2007 is the year to experience the presence of Jesus Christ and have your mind transformed by the Holy Spirit. This can be the year that you sing praises to the Lord who has built YOU up, healed YOUR broken heart, and has filled YOU with His abundant joy and power. Maybe this is the year your moodiness can be replaced by love, joy, peace and the other fruit of the Spirit. Maybe it’s time to let your thoughts and actions direct you deeper towards the Lord.

I hope that sounds more appealing than lukewarm or ice cold. Now for the hard part. We cannot manipulate God. But we can be like a directional antenna. God’s love and wisdom don’t stop. But if we are pointed away from Him we cannot receive the signal. If we want to pick up God’s signal, we need to turn our thoughts and minds so that we are aimed towards His transmission tower.

God is never more than a thought away. Train your mind to remember and look for Him.

First - you are not alone. You don’t have to be in control. God is. No matter what crisis is occurring He has not left you as an orphan. God can use everything that is happening for your good. At anytime you can pray, “Jesus, You are my Lord. I have everything I need.”

When someone praises you, think, “All praise and glory go You Lord. Thank you for the gifts that You have given me.”

When someone criticizes you think, “God loves me the way that I am. There is no condemnation for me because I am in Christ Jesus.” Then look deeply within for the truth and be willing to repent if this is an area you are weak in.

Second- be focused on what you read. This is the time to begin a daily time in God’s Word. If we are what we eat, we are also what we read. A steady diet in the Bible, just a few minutes a day will build a strong spiritual body. Imagine, most of us spend more time listening to commercials than studying. Here is a radical suggestion for you TV watchers who insist there is no time in your life for a Bible study… keep your Bible handy and hit the mute button every time a commercial is on. You don’t really need that new Chevy truck or a new shampoo that takes away dandruff.

And pray…really pray this year. Talk to God and then take a minute to listen. You may be surprised to hear Him speak softly to you. If you are focusing your mind on Him and His Word, you will be amazed at the way you will begin to see Him working all around you. Pray for people in need, but also pray to know God’s abundant joy and power.

And maybe 2007 is the time to join a group to help you. There is no one here today, especially me, who can do this by themselves. God uses our small groups to encourage us when we are feeling down and to keep us accountable when we have drifted. I will speak plainly. I would not be half the person I am if I did not have the study and prayer groups to help me. I have one friend who calls me once a week at 5:30 a.m.! We share and pray together by phone probably 48-50 weeks a year. Those days fill me with God’s presence and with words of encouragement and love from a dear friend. If you cannot find a group, at least find a prayer partner. Our God is so awesome that He even listens when we pray on the phone!

Finally, this year make your mind a home for Jesus. I can say it no better than the way Paul said it in the end of his letter to the Philippians. “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me--put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.” My prayer for 2007 is that the God of peace will indeed be with us. Amen? … sort of

A couple of days ago, I heard about an e-mail service that allows you to send yourself an e-mail that will be delivered in the future. If you want, you can e-mail the person you'll be, say, three months, three years or even 30 years from now. I thought that this could be a great way to check and see if I've met some of my resolutions I've set for this year.

But why e-mail? Since many of us write out resolutions out, why not take a minute and write them now. Then put your name and address (where you will be in June) on the envelope. No one will read your resolutions. They won’t show up in next month’s sermon. But in June, we will send these out to you to see how you have done with your resolutions. Maybe we can let the Lord encourage us midway through the year to make our minds a home for Jesus this year. Let’s do i

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