Biblical Focus: II Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!

Transcription

1 Osceola Sermon / Can We Start Over (Alt Ctrl Del) January 5 th, 2014 Theme: With Christ we can start over with a new beginning. Scripture Lesson: Phil. 3:12-15 (Communion Sunday) Biblical Focus: II Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! Scripture Lesson: Philippians 3:12-15 Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 13 Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. Traditional Service: Hymn of Praise: # 57 O For A Thousand Tongues To Sing Prayer Hymn: # 395 Take Time to Be Holy Holy Communion: Served in small cups in trays, but folks need to come up to the altar. (Four servers.) *Need to make a 4 x 6 fill in the blank commitment card to be placed in every bulletin. (Every person needs one; ushers may need extra cards to pass out for a couple or family who only take one bulletin.) Both Services: Use for offering just before the sermon with the following video: Will-Be-Different

2 Do you remember the term do over when you were a kid? If you were playing any game and things didn t go the way you thought it should go, you could shout out, Do Over. If the friends you were playing with were kind, they would let you have a Do Over, and start the game or activity over. Some of us wish life was just that easy! Our lives get so tangled and bogged down with stuff, schedule, career, family, business, mistakes, vices in our lives that we would like to get rid of, and many of us would like to have a do over if possible. Golfers call that a Mulligan Shot. You were given a second chance and that last terrible shot did not count. On our computers, we can get so frustrated when our computer freeze up and just doesn t work. Our computers can freeze for a number of different reasons. 1. Perhaps there is a virus on your computer. 2. Perhaps you are simply overloaded with too much stuff / information on your hard drive. (Slow you down.) 3. Perhaps your files are out of alignment and you need to DeFrag you computer. (Need a vacation & get reorganized.) 4. Maybe your computer is just broken and needs to be repaired.

3 When our computer freezes up we have a three finger Start Over command. It is called, (Alt Ctrl Del), and allows the computer to reboot and start over. Wouldn t it be nice to have a start over button in life? When life gets crazy, were too busy, were struggling with our job, marriage, relationship with others or our relationship with God. Have you ever said anything negative to someone and after you said it, you thought, boy I sure wish I could do that over? There are also times we need to push the Alt Ctrl Del button and start over with God. That is what our two scriptures are pointing to today. God is saying to us, Yes, you can start over, you can begin anew and I will help you along the way. Philippians 3:12-15 Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 13 Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. There are three key things Paul is telling us in this scripture to help us in our Christian walk. Let s learn from them. 1. I realize that I am not perfect but striving for perfection. 2. I forget about the mistakes of yesterday. 3. I press on towards the goal towards Christ.

4 I. I realize that I am not perfect, but I m striving for perfection: A. The Bible actually says that we are to strive for perfection. Our goal is to be like Jesus Christ in our lives. (Who is Perfect) Matthew 5:48 Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect. B. Has anyone here met that goal yet? I have not, but I am trying. How about you? C. Have you ever met someone who thinks they are perfect? 1. I don t know if folks think they are perfect because of foolish pride or they think they are just that good at everything. 2. I once heard a wise person say, Once you figure out that you re not perfect.that is when wisdom begins & you gain some confidence about yourself. D. I have found two things in my life about striving to be perfect. 1. No one is perfect...that's why pencils have erasers and calculators have a clear button. 2. The closest I have ever been to being perfect is when I filled out a job application. I don t think that perfection is actually attainable but I do believe that if we strive towards perfection, perhaps we can attain excellence, which is pretty good. I have a good friend who is a perfectionist. (He is also an engineer and graduate of Georgia Tech.) He even has a photographic memory. I also have a photographic memory; however, my picture development is somewhat slow and rather fuzzy! My friend has gifts that are amazing to me; he see s the fine details and minute things that I will never see in life. However, as a non

5 perfectionist, I tend to dream ideas and see the big picture that he does not always see; which amazes him. New Video Screen at the church: He and I were serving on the same music team at a church in Georgia. The leadership of the church hired a company to put a huge electronic powered video screen at the front part of the sanctuary. At the back of the church was the sound booth where the up and down button was located to control the screen. After they installed the electronic screen, I went to the sanctuary and pushed the button in the back to allow the screen to come down. I quickly noticed something was very wrong with our newly installed video screen. As it was scrolling down about a foot out of its case, I noticed the front of the screen was completely black and not white. The company actually installed the screen totally backwards. Once the screen was all the way down it was so obvious as I saw the big picture. I just could not believe that a professional company could have installed the screen backwards with the black facing the audience rather than the white facing the audience. Later that evening I had a meeting at the church and my perfectionist friend was at that same meeting. After the meeting was over, I just had to show him the screen that was placed in backwards. I took him to the back of the sanctuary and told him there was something very wrong with the way the company installed the screen. As he and I were at the back of the sanctuary, I pushed the button to allow the screen to go down. I really figured my friend would notice the problem as soon as the screen came out. My friend looked intently at the backward black screen as it slowly came down and didn t say a word. He then began to squint his eyes and placed his hand on his chin as if he were in deep thought. I could not believe he had not noticed the problem yet. As soon as the huge screen was all the way down, my friend began to shake his head up and down and said to me, you re right Bob there is a problem; the screen is not level by about an inch on the left side. I was in shock as he looked at the small detail of being unlevel rather than the big picture of the screen being all black and not white to display words and pictures to the congregation. He began to talk about

6 the fact we needed to call the company right away to get them to come over and get the screen level. I then asked him how well the black words from the video projector would show up on a black screen rather than a white screen. He began to laugh with amazement how he could have missed such a thing. We tease each other about our oppositeness in regard to being a perfectionist or a big picture guy. Both are needed and both are a blessing to the world. Three tips to help you be more like Christ: 1. Learn who Jesus is: Read the gospels. (miracles & teachings) It is hard to know what you are shooting for if you can t see or know what the target looks like. It would be hard to take someone deer hunting if they have never seen a deer. They might shoot a dog. 2. Be a person of prayer and ask the Holy Spirit for help in striving to be like Christ. The devil is going to be fighting against your goal. 3. Be a person of love, forgiveness, giving and serving. These are the attributes of Christ. If you can do these three things, and do them well, I believe you will be on a good path towards being like Christ in your life.

7 II. Forget about the mistakes of yesterday. Phil. 3:13b But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead. A. To remember the mistakes of yesterday helps us not to repeat those mistakes. But when we allow our past mistakes to bring guilt, depression and low self image upon ourselves it makes it very hard to move forward with courage and confidence. (Repeat) Christian author and Pastor, Rick Warren once said, we are products of our past, but we don t have to be prisoners of our past. (Repeat.) B. How do we leave behind our past mistakes? 1. Seek forgiveness and realize that God forgives and remembers our sins no more. (There is no reason for guilt if we believe God has forgiven us.) 2. Realize that we are a work in progress and not perfect. We will make mistakes along the way. Keep walking towards Christ. 3. As much as possible place yourself in situations of success and not failure. (Don t let temptation get a foothold in your life.) Illustration: WHEN THINGS GO WRONG: Several years ago, Chicago Cubs relief pitcher Bob Patterson described one of his pitches, which the Cincinnati Reds Barry Larkin hit for a game-winning home run: "It was a cross between a screwball and a change-up. He called the pitch a screw-up." (Wall Street Journal, 7/9/96; Leadership, Vol. 17, no.3)

8 That describes our lives sometimes, but what do we do when we screw-up? What do we do when we fail? What do we do when life doesn t go as we planned? I hope you pick up the ball and throw some more pitches. Trying not to throw any more Screw-ups. Bob Patterson went on to be a pretty good pitcher and played 13 years in the major leagues. Occasionally he would throw a Screw-up. But he did his best to keep it at a minimum. He did not give up after that home run hit against Barry Larkin. He stuck with it and did his best. I believe there is a lesson in that story. Illustration: I believe God shows a lot of Grace when we screw up and seek forgiveness. I had a professor who gave myself and our entire class a ten page test and gave us a time limit to complete the test. As he handed out the test he pointed out the first sentence at the top of the first page. (Completely read the test before you answer any questions or even place your name on the test.) Most all of us were studious hard chargers that needed to get this test done quickly before the time limit ran out. We didn t have time to read through this test before answering the questions or placing our names at the top of the first page. Nearly everyone in the class just started writing essays, filling in the blanks and circling the multiple choice answers to the many questions on the 10 page test. The test was difficult and as each person got to the last page there was a bit of a groan. On the last page, just after the very last question was the following sentence. If you have read this test before answering any of the questions, all you need to do is place your name at the top of the first page and I will give you an A+ for this test, otherwise I will grade you on the answers you have given. Out of a class of about 50 college students, there were only about 2 who read the test all the way through and did not answer any questions. God is like that with us in regard to grace.

9 Some folks just want to fill out all the questions in life and live by the law. Some folks think they can earn their way to heaven. Jesus is asking us: Just believe. Acts 16:31 "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved.

10 III. Press on towards the goal of Christ: Phil. 3:13b 14 straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. A. Question: 1. What is the goal? 2. What is the Prize for which God has called you? 3. Are you heavenward in Christ Jesus? If you ve gotten past your history of mistakes and desire to move forward towards Christ..what sort of things are you moving forward towards? 1. What is your goal? 2. What is the prize in your life? 3. Are you looking to go to heaven? B. Does your relationship with God have anything to do with your goals, treasures or your sort term or eternal future? 1. That s really what we are talking about here isn t it. (Goals, Treasures and Future?) 2. (Pause..) What do you want for your life in 2014? (Pause and Repeat.) a. What is your goal? b. What is your prize or treasure? c. What is your eternal future? These are great questions for the first Sunday morning of the new year.

11 Look inside your bulletin for a commitment card. I want to help you with some goals for I would like for you to take some time to fill out this card. Once you fill it out, hold on to it and encourage yourself to help meet your goals. Give a copy of your card to a friend who will pray for you and ask them to encourage you towards making that goal. I would like to give you a few minutes to fill out your card. (Music Plays; I surrender all.) As we go to Holy Communion this morning, I would ask that we kneel at the altar and pray for God to help us with these commitments. Take your card with you to pray over your 2014 goals.

12 My 2014 God-Centered Goals God, I seek your wisdom and guidance to reveal how I can grow closer to you and become more like Jesus in Goal Specific, Measurable Steps to Achieve the Goal Target Date Name: Accountability Partner: Examples of God-Centered Goals Grow closer to God through the reading, study, and application of Scripture Grow closer to God by enhancing my prayer life, developing a unceasing attitude of prayer and focusing on what He is trying to tell me Improve my relationship with (fill in name(s) of family member) including forgiveness as needed Become more like Jesus in the areas of (fill in the areas character development, behavior changing, or areas such as repentance, forgiveness, sacrifice, service, or just living with a joy-filled spirit) Increase my involvement and/or leadership in the life and growth of the Church through (fill in areas that you feel drawn to either through needs or to use your talents) Embrace the responsibility of sharing my Faith in Jesus Christ Use my financial resources more effectively to honor the Lord and to advance the Kingdom of God Grow closer to God by respecting the Sabbath and using this day to focus on family and devotion to God

13 Pastor Bob s Sermon Notes 1. I realize that I am not perfect but striving for perfection. 2. I forget about the mistakes of yesterday. 3. I press on towards the goal towards Christ.