Today we begin a NEW sermon series entitled ‘Life Reboot’. Service led by David Casse. Preaching from Brian Dickson.

Sermon Notes

Happy New Year – Now what?

Welcome to a new year, 2023. As is tradition not just in the UK, but around the world, people will be taking the opportunity to consider the year just gone, and of things that might lie ahead; prospects, wishes, things to avoid and progress to be made.

These are the usual things regarding New Year’s resolutions, but what about the Christian, how might our thoughts turn towards more spiritual matters?

Do you need to turn over a new leaf?

This is the time of year, perhaps more than any other, that prompts us all to consider ‘turning over a new leaf’ as the idiom goes, or to put it another way ‘control-alt-delete’.

Control-alt-delete or more correctly ‘CTRL-ALT-DEL’ is commonly associate with something you do when working on a desktop PC. When things go bad, when the system is no longer working as it should, these three keys need to be pressed at the same time, after which your PC may restart depending on the severity and type of problem.

Consider the important things

When we contemplate our future and the things we need to improve, we might consider things personal to ourselves, our health, our wealth, our homes, our jobs.

We might also consider our relationships with those close to us. We may also consider pressures on our lives outside of our control.

For the Christian however, we would do well not to ignore the spiritual. Indeed, it might be said, the spiritual things are the most important of all.  

How much we allow God’s holy scriptures to guide us, can have a greater effect on our lives going forward. Consider just one scripture example, and how that would affect our lives if we applied it daily, Jesus said…

Matthew 6:34 (NKJV)

Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

Putting God first

We often hear, sing and proclaim that Jesus is LORD. That means that he is the boss, the one who rules over our lives, but if we ignore his commandments, is he really lord of our lives or do we assume lordship over our own lives instead?

Even Jesus, in his most trying time, did not relent and take the easy path…

Luke 22:41–42 (NKJV)

41 And He was withdrawn from them about a stone’s throw, and He knelt down and prayed,

42 saying, “Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done.”

Hello God, hello 2023

So as we march on into a new year, let us endeavour to keep the spiritual things in the foremost of our minds, surrounding ourselves with the things of God and his righteousness, and may we all look forward to God’s blessing in 2023.