BEHOLD, I am making all things new
Scripture Revelation 21:5
Rev 21:1-8
Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea. 2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, "Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, 4 and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away."
5 And He who sits on the throne said, "Behold, I am making all things new." And He said, "Write, for these words are faithful and true." 6 Then He said to me, "It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give to the one who thirsts from the spring of the water of life without cost. 7 "He who overcomes will inherit these things, and I will be his God and he will be My son. 8 "But for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death." NASU
This is the time of year many of us like to say: BEHOLD, I am making all things (or at least some things – or maybe a single thing) in my life – NEW! Do we have the power to make things new in our life? Of course, we do. I recently heard one of our US Navy retired admiral’s say the reason he advanced to such a high rank is that at a young age he determined he would make his bed first thing every day. (#1 Book Cover) How do you go from making your bed to being an admiral in the US Navy? By that, he meant he would live a life of discipline, doing little things that can change your life…and maybe your world. He would do the things that needed to be done even when he didn’t feel like it, to not only achieve a certain outcome (like regularly working out makes you in better shape) but to live a life of high character regardless of the outcome.
Or take nineteen-year-old Jonathan Edwards (#2 J. Edwards) who knew his weaknesses and was aware of the destructive nature of his sin, so he resolved to make and keep certain resolutions in his effort to live for God’s glory. He helped pave the way for us all as he prefaced his seventy resolutions with these words: (#3 frame)
Being sensible that I am unable to do anything without God’s help, I do humbly entreat him by his grace to enable me to keep these resolutions, so far as they are agreeable to his will, for Christ’s sake.
Some would say the Christian need not make resolutions but simply live daily the life God wants us to live. I would disagree, otherwise I would not give a call to decision and prayer at the end of each sermon. Also, I find resolutions to make things new throughout the scriptures by various people.
Dan 1:8 But Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine, and he asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself this way.
Matt 1:19 Because Joseph, Mary’s husband, was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.
Acts 19:21 After all this had happened, Paul decided to go to Jerusalem, passing through Macedonia and Achaia. "After I have been there," he said, "I must visit Rome also."
Colossians 3:15-22
15 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts.
16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another.
17 Whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus.
18 Wives, submit to your husbands.
19 Husbands, love your wives and do not be harsh with them.
20 Children, obey your parents in everything.
21 Fathers, do not embitter your children.
22 Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything; and do it, not only when their eye is on you and to win their favor.
23 Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men,
2 Thess 1:11
With this in mind, we constantly pray for you, that our God may count you worthy of his calling, and that by his power he may fulfill every good purpose of yours and every act prompted by your faith.
I say we have a biblical principal to make resolutions founded on our faith in Christ and that we should determine to regularly make things new in our lives.
PUT OFF: Gal 5:19-22 (The obvious sinful nature) sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like.
PUT ON: Gal 5:22-23 (The fruit of the Spirit) love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.
Which is easier – get rid of the bad or start living the good? If we start living the good, there is no longer room for the bad. Gal 5:25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.
THAT IS THE KEY: keep in step with the spirit because even though we have human potential to Make Thins New! It is only by the presence, strength, wepons and will of God that we stand a chance. Besides seeking God to make things new in our lives – we need to seek where God is doing a new thing around us. We can either watch others engaged in the work of God or we can dive in to the center of God’s activity and be a part of the movement of God in history.
Like God we can make something new out of something old but only God can make something new out of NOTHING.
The door bell rings. You open the door. A man is standing there that you know to be the most trusted, most reliable man in your community. He wants to make you an offer. "I would like to take all of the furniture in your house," he says, "and trade it for brand new furniture. It is the very best. You can pick and choose anything you want. I'll make it an even trade."
How would you respond to that offer? Let's imagine (strictly hypothetical, of course) that your furniture is 100% early garage sale. The springs sag. The upholstery snags. It is covered in rags. You called Goodwill once, and they came and offered to give you $10 to keep the stuff. (#4 furniture) So here comes the most trusted person you know offering to haul off all that junk for nothing and pay whatever price is necessary to replace it with the very best. How long would it take you to decide?
Suppose you drove up to church in your 1963 junkmobile, the usual cloud of smoke ascending into the air behind your clattering tailpipe, your best friend pulls up next to you in his new Mercedes. (#5 cars) After you pried your door open with the screwdriver that you keep in the glove box just for that purpose, you try to act nonchalant in the process. You greet your friends in the new Mercedes without even an evident glint of envy in your carbon monoxide filled eyes. Now suppose that friend offers to trade you even. That's right. Even. Your lemon for his limo. No cost. No strings attached. How long would you have to ponder whether or not that was a viable offer?
Now, our God has made us an offer that makes the two situations I've just described pale in comparison. He has offered to take our old lives and make them new, brand new. 2 Corinthians 5:17 is the card tucked in with the offer. It says, Therefore, if any man is IN CHRIST, he is a new creation. Old things are passing away. Behold, all things are becoming new. So God has offered to take your clattering, smoking junkmobile of a life and trade it for a brand new model Christler. He has offered to take the tattered and torn furnishings of your life and clean house. He will replace every single item with brand new Eternity design, His favorite brand. You say, what an offer! God has offered you a new life on earth.
But He has gone one step farther. He has even said, "This new life is just temporary. One day soon, I'm going to take that life in trade for something SO MUCH BETTER that you'll need new eyes just to look at it." He will tuck in another card with a verse from Revelation 21:5 that says, Behold, I am making all things new. Then the process will have been replaced by the product. The prayer will give way to the promise. He who began a good work in you will have completed it. God will have made ALL THINGS NEW.
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