What Jesus Says to a Complacent Church

It's 2020 and we are living in the most technologically advanced time in history - It's certainly an incredible time to be alive!

The world is forever changing its values and ideologies. We live in a time full of fads that come and go like the changing wind.

But Jesus is the constant. Hebrews 13:8 tells us “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” We can put our trust and hope in  Jesus because He has stood the test of time. He is trustworthy.

If we’re to own a vision for how we live out our days and if we’re to fulfill God’s purpose for our lives then our choices are important. 
 
The word "door" is used in the Bible probably 400 or so times.  In the Bible a door can represent the entrance door of salvation, or the passage door of discipleship, or the service door of ministry, or the outside door to our mission in life.  It could be the access door of prayer, or the holy door of worship, or the door to fellowship in life.  
 
The author of Revelation sees God as sometimes opening doors in our lives and sometimes closing doors in our lives –“The doors that I unlock and open, no one else can close. And any doors, that I shut and lock, no one will ever, be able to open ... So look!  I am placing before you, an open door, that no one can shut!”  (Revelation 3:7-8).
 
Our future will be shaped by which doors we choose to walk past and which doors we walk through. 

We live in a “self-help” world, where we’re left to find the resources we need (well, there’s “You Tube”!) for just about every need or circumstance that touches our lives.

Jesus, on the other hand, promised that we’re not left to our own devices. Before He was crucified and resurrected, He said to his followers -"It's actually best for you that I go away, because if I don't, the Helper won't come to you. But if I do … go away, He will come because, I will send Him to you … And when He, the Spirit of Truth comes, He will guide you" (John 16:13).

Now that’s something! Our own personal guide to help us …

know what we need to know

get where we need to go

say the right things

wait for God’s timing

resist the temptations of self-indulgence, and

avoid dangers and mistakes.

How could anything be better, than having God’s spirit guiding us, personally through life?

Jeremiah 29:11 is a well-known Old Testament text; a personal favourite for many people - "For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans to prosper you, not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future".

Yes, God has a purpose for our lives, but we can miss it. It’s not automatic. And God isn’t going to force us into the purposes He has for us. God’s purpose has to be chosen, has to be accepted and has to be followed.

Moses is a great example of “choosing” God’s life purposes (read Hebrews 11:23-27) and an example we can follow. His choosing included –

refusing to be defined by others

choosing short-term pain for long-term gain

choosing what God values, not what culture values, and

choosing to live by faith, not by fear.

May God strengthen us to choose His purposes for us in 2020

Our Father in Heaven ….
The Lord’s Prayer is only about 70 words, but is a prayer that stands at the core of Jesus teaching.
A prayer that we can rattle off without thinking, without commitment, because it is familiar.
How will our life be different if we take this prayer seriously?

We live in a world where we are saturated with people’s opinions on different things. And often we look to please people instead of pleasing God.
 
The greatest commandment is found in Matthew 22:36-40, Jesus tells us to love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul and mind, and to love our neighbour as ourselves.
 
As we start 2020, let us be more in love with God, and let it show in our everyday lives through our relationships and actions. 

Ephesians 4:14-15

We have just passed that time of the year when we celebrated God in the form of a small, innocent & vulnerable human baby coming into the world.
But babies have to grow up to attain to all the purposes that God has for them as adults.
The twin themes for The Church in the Market Place for 2019 were “Moving from Maintenance to Mission” & ”Praying that God’s Kingdom would come down here on earth at CMP as it is in Heaven”.
These two themes still need to be at the forefront of our prayers and activities for 2020 but might I suggest that for 2020 we add a third strand- “To Grow Up” to be the mature church that God seeks us to be.

We will look more deeply into what this means for each of us as we explore the theme in this week’s message.

Research has shown that the healthiest emotion a person can have is gratitude.  It makes us feel better.  It makes us live longer.  It’s a stress reliever.  If we’re a grateful person, then we’ll live happier and healthier lives.  
 
The idea of having an attitude of thankfulness permeates Scripture.  1 Thessalonians 5:18 reminds us to - “Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”  
 
So how do we develop the attitude of gratitude? 
We do it by appreciating other people; we appreciate their loyalty, their differences and their efforts.   And that appreciation needs to be genuine, recognizable and regular.
 
What a great resolution for a new year – to be more appreciative and thankful.

We can be sceptical of the “miraculous”. But, that’s what Christmas is.  It’s a miraculous time of year.  
 
There’s the miracle of who came at Christmas – Jesus, and 
the miracle of how he came - as a human infant. 
There’s the miracle of who he came for - you and me, and
the miracle of why he came - to bring truth, life and salvation (our past forgiven, our future secured and purpose for our present life).  
 
Now that’s miraculous. 

Have you ever had one of those days when everything went wrong and you thought - “I shouldn’t have got out of bed today!”  Well Christmas must have felt like that for many of the key characters – for Mary and Joseph, Herod, the religious leaders of the time, the inn keeper and the shepherds.  Everybody’s plans got changed.
 
So, the story of Christmas can teach us what’s happening when it seems that God messes up our plans.  Christmas is a great opportunity –
for God to get our attention
for us to discover God’s purpose for our lives, and
to trust God.
 
May God bless this Christmas time for you as you reflect on your life in 2019 and commit your life into God’s care in 2020.