Every Day Can Be New (2 Corinthians 5:14-21)
Gary McManus, 01/15/2023Part of the New Life series, preached at a Sunday Morning service
January 15, 2023 2 Corinthians 5:14-21
Today, we begin by hearing from another author
(with a few Pastor notes added) :
“I'm a sucker for new beginnings.. . .2023. . .”
Pastor’s brother still makes new year’s resolutions.
Pastor’s brother is 75 years old. I admire that.
When we turn to God’s Word, how many times does
the word “new” used in NT. . (over 100!)
Americans generally don’t like change.
Americans LOVE the word “new”.
So, don’t call our worship “old-fashioned.”
DCC has TRAD worship, “traditional” worship.
Recent headline:
“Congress is more religious than the United States.”
Nearly three in ten Americans claim NO RELIGIOUS
AFFILIATION. They are called NONES. . .N-O-N-E-S.
Check the statistics: more Americans, fewer Christians, more Nones.
And the quality of (newer) Jesus followers?
In the measurable statistics: ouch.
Google search “church buildings for sale in Indiana.”
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More stats
The study, which analyzed church data from 34 Protestant denominations and groups, found that 4,500 churches closed in 2019, while about 3,000 new congregations were started. “Even before the pandemic, the pace of opening new congregations was not even providing enough replacements for those that closed their doors,” said Scott McConnell, executive director of Lifeway Research. And the pace of church closings is increasing. In 2014, it found, there were 3,700 church closures, compared with 4,500 in 2019.
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Problem? Let’s get back to some basics.
Pastor almost used for God’s Word today
Luke 4: 17 where Jesus quotes the prophet Isaiah 61. But Pastor used those for sermon a couple of years ago. In that sermon, the emphasis was that our God has New Year’s resolutions for us. . .good news. . .freedom. . . recovery of sight, relief from oppression and the year of the Lord’s favor.
Since that was Jesus’ message, that is our message. That is what today’s God’s Word states.
Who would say NO to what Jesus said?
Unless they are “deaf”—not in the ears, but the mind
or the heart. Jesus said, “let those who have ears, let them hear.” (Matthew 11:15, Matthew 13:9 )
Americans have trouble HEARING that this is good news.
When speaking with others, Pastor will refer to “the God I serve.”
Pastor can’t assume what an audience knows/doesn’t know about Jesus/God.
There is plenty of misunderstanding everywhere.
So, Pastor talks about NOT the God of Christianity,
but the God I serve, the God I read about in the Bible and the Jesus I know.
Pastor knows that there are limits to his knowledge.
Gratefully, Pastor’s healing and saving is not based on what he knows.
See Jeremiah 31:34, but read the whole chapter.
Strangely enough, Pastor needs to be reminded of the good news that Jesus proclaimed. It really is good news. Keep looking for the good news in your own life and in your own Jesus following—and THAT is what you share with other people. Amen.
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