Walking with Christ in the New Year

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This is a sermon that was given on the first Sunday of the new year, 2020. It is based upon the text found in Hebrews 13:5-6 - (NKJV) Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you." So we may boldly say: "The LORD is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?" The message seeks to provide encouragement for the uncertainties of the future.

Written Excerpts:

Introduction:

Well, a brand-new year has begun, and in case anyone is interested in this bit of information… there are only 353 days left until Christmas!

I doubt many people are think about next Christmas already, but I imagine that there are several who have been assessing the past year and trying to anticipate the opportunities of the new year.

We all have probably gained much experience with making and breaking New Year’s resolutions. 

I don’t know if you have made any resolutions, but here are a few that are better left unmade:

·         I resolve to make better bad decisions.

·         I resolve to start buying lottery tickets at a luckier store!

·         I resolve to stop reliving the past and use that energy to worry about the future.

Or, a couple that seem fruitless:

·         I resolve to stop hanging out with people who always ask about my New Year’s resolutions.

·         I resolve to not tell the same stories at every gathering.

As I thought about a message that would be appropriate for this first Sunday, I checked out a set of books in the digital library on my computer. The set is called “Expository Preaching Outlines” written by Dr. Stephen Olford. I found a sermon outline that he had used for a “New Year’s Sunday” many years ago. I didn’t use his outline, but I did choose to use the Scripture text he had used for that sermon.

I have titled this sermon, “Walking with Christ in the New Year.”

The specific text is found in the passage that was read earlier – Hebrews 13. If there is any biblical text that ought to provide comfort and assurance for the future, it is the latter part of verse 5 in this 13^th chapter of Hebrews. “He Himself has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’”

There are at least 3 OT verses where this phrase appears.

Deuteronomy 31:6, 8 (NKJV) Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the LORD your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you." ⁸  And the LORD, He is the one who goes before you. He will be with you, He will not leave you nor forsake you; do not fear nor be dismayed." 

Joshua 1:5 (NKJV)  No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life; as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you nor forsake you.

The reference in Joshua is the specific one in which the Lord is speaking and making the promise to Joshua. In the other verses, Moses is speaking for the Lord.

As I read these two verses in Hebrews 13, I found three truths that should inspire hope for the coming year.

When we walk with Christ through the new year, we will experience the promise of companionship which will result in contentment and confidence.

I.          God Promises Companionship

The author of this epistle has been urging his readers to keep their faith in spite of the opposition and persecution they have experienced. In this vein, he explains to them all the reasons why they are better off now than they were before – in Judaism (OT sacrifices, etc.). 

Now, in the last chapters of the letter, he is giving them various exhortations and admonitions for living out their faith. This 13^th chapter contains many such practical exhortations. In the few verses leading up to our text he has exhorted the readers to demonstrate genuine love toward one another and toward strangers and prisoners. He has also exhorted them to maintain fidelity in their marriage relationships and to avoid an attitude of covetousness.

In the middle of these exhortations Paul reminds the people of a promise recorded in the OT that still applies to them hundreds of years later, and it still applies to us as well. That promise is first recorded as a promise to Joshua from the Lord Himself, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” This quote is a blessed promise of divine companionship.

I’m sure that most of us here today can remember when we were children and we were afraid of certain places or conditions. Remember how comforting and reassuring it was for Mom or Dad to whisper, “I’ll be right here beside you. Don’t be afraid.”? 

There are dozens of passages in the OT in which God promised to “be with” Abraham, Moses, Joshua, David and a host of others. Those promises almost always accompanied some command or directive that God had given to them. Those commands or directives included such things as leaving familiar surroundings to settle in a land God promised or engaging the armies of Israel’s enemies. 

The promises of companionship made by God to the various leaders of Israel were literally applicable as they performed the duties of national leadership. The promises of companionship in the OT are spiritually applicable to present-day believers who are in a relationship with God through faith in Jesus Christ.

There are some other passages that are more general in nature.

Is. 41:10 _(KJV)  Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness. 

Prov. 18:24 _(NKJV)  A man who has friends must himself be friendly, But there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.

In the OT, companionship with God was based on covenant promises and covenant relationship. In the NT, companionship is based on the “New Covenant” in which we can participate when we accept the merits of Christ's atoning sacrifice to cover our sins and we are adopted into the family of God by faith.

Are you in companionship with Christ? Do you know that He is always with you on the basis of your faith in His sacrifice? Have you remained in relationship by faith, or have you walked away from Him?

II.        Companionship Produces Contentment

The second truth I find in this text is based on the first half of verse 5. 

The opening phrase is roughly translated as indicated by the words printed in italics in the English Bible. The original Greek has two words: one means “manner of life” or “conduct,” and the other word means “without covetousness.”

Standing alone they wouldn’t communicate very well, but when taken with the primary verb that follows, they communicate this thought, “being content with present things, let your manner of life be without covetousness.”

Lit. being contented with the things which are at hand. (Vincent, Word Studies in the New Testament)

The word “covetousness” is translated “love of money” by most newer Bible translations.

Immediately following the opening half of the verse, the text goes on to say, “For He Himself has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’” The conjunction “for” clearly makes the intentional connection between the 1^st and 2^nd halves of the verse. In other words: “The reason we should be contented with the present things and live without a love for money (greed) is because God is always with us.”

Without Christ, I have nothing; with Christ, I have everything. Someone has said, “I didn’t know that God was all I needed until He was all I had.” If I do not have a close enough relationship with Christ to be content when I have little, then I will not be content when I have much.

The point of Paul’s comment is this: as long as God is my close companion, I can be content and live a life free of greed or grasping for more money and material things.

The trick of the Devil is to try to make us think that one more gadget or one more dollar will finally bring happiness. He does this knowing full well that we were created to only find true happiness and contentment in a relationship with our Creator.

The song writer C.W. Waggoner has penned these words:

I have found no satisfaction in the fleeting joys of earth 
I had hewn me broken cisterns that had mocked me by their dearth 
All the springs my soul had tested failed to meet my deepest need 

Christ, alone, has met my longing, He has satisfied indeed! 

I was tempted not to trust Him for so many things had failed 
But so patiently He waited, and His tenderness prevailed 
So, I swung my heart's door open, and His promises I tried 

Christ is not a disappointment; He has fully satisfied! 

I had tried the world for pleasure, but it could not satisfy. 
Though it promised much, it failed me. All its wells and springs were dry... 
Everything I tried was empty, and I thought my life was vain, 
Then, He came and tuned my heartstrings, 

And I learned to sing again.

Chorus 
Christ is not a disappointment! Every longing in my breast 
Finds, in Him, complete fulfillment, He has brought me into rest
I have tested Him and proved Him more than all I dreamed He'd be 

Christ is not a disappointment; He is all in all to me! 

Have you found true contentment in Christ? Is His faithful, abiding presence enough to satisfy the longing of your heart? If not, then I urge you to seek a fresh heart-felt connection with Him through the cleansing fire of the Holy Spirit. His Spirit can cleanse away any and all competing affections until Christ is all-in-all to you.

III.       Companionship Creates Confidence

The third truth revealed in this text is the fact that genuine companionship with God creates confidence for the future.

Hebrews 13:6 _(NKJV) So we may boldly say: "The LORD is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?"

Psalm 118:6 _(NKJV) The LORD is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me? 

There are a number of natural fears that we may experience from day to day. Some of those will not go away just because we believe in God or have a relationship with Christ. But this verse, and the OT verse it is quoting from, seem to be specifically talking about the fear of what men may do (i.e. our enemies). 

Psalm 118:7-10 _(NKJV) The LORD is for me among those who help me; Therefore I shall see my desire on those who hate me. It is better to trust in the LORD Than to put confidence in man. It is better to trust in the LORD Than to put confidence in princes. All nations surrounded me, But in the name of the LORD I will destroy them. 

The presence of Christ produces confidence in the face of the unknown. Political unrest, terrorism, and other conditions can generate fear in the hearts of people. But if we trust in Christ and have His constant companionship, we can face the future with confidence.

We may have a certain amount of anxiety over what might happen in the future if specific scenarios come to pass, but when we keep our minds focused on Christ, He brings peace and confidence that we can triumphantly endure anything He permits to come into our lives.

Conclusion:

I’m glad I can recommend the truths of this text to you this morning! God has promised unending and unfailing companionship through the abiding presence of the Holy Spirit. When we genuinely experience His presence then He brings contentment that the world could never bring, and He provides confidence in the face of an uncertain future.

If you do not have this companionship, contentment and confidence, I urge you to “dig deeper” and “climb higher” in the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Our closing song is a prayer for God to bring us to a higher level of spiritual life than we have ever been before. Let’s sing it with passion and sincerity.

Higher Ground