From Resolutions to Realities: Setting Spiritual Goals for 2025
Pastor Josh Massaro's message for the Wednesday Evening service on January 1, 2025, emphasizes the promise of newness that God offers as we enter a fresh year. He encourages listeners to reflect on their spiritual goals and to view 2025 through the lens of hope, despite the challenges and uncertainties that may arise. By referencing Revelation 21, Pastor Josh highlights that God is continuously making all things new, inviting believers to embrace their identity in Christ and the transformation that comes with faith. He challenges everyone to set personal and corporate goals that align with their spiritual growth and service to others. This message serves as a reminder that while the world may be filled with turmoil, the assurance of God's control and the promise of renewal can guide us in our daily lives.
Pastor Josh Massaro welcomes listeners to the Middletown Baptist Church Podcast on this New Year's Day service, encouraging reflection on the blessings of the past year and the hope for the coming year. He emphasizes the significance of setting spiritual goals rather than New Year's resolutions, advocating for a proactive approach to personal and spiritual growth. The discussion pivots to the theme of newness, drawing from Revelation 21 and 22, where God promises to make all things new. This promise serves as a foundation for believers to find hope and purpose amid the chaos of a broken world. Pastor Josh invites the congregation to embrace spiritual disciplines such as prayer, Bible reading, and community service, all aimed at fostering a deeper relationship with God and a more profound understanding of His promises. As he shares personal stories and insights, he emphasizes that true fulfillment and joy stem from a life anchored in Christ and His transformative power.
The sermon delves into the biblical concept of newness, contrasting it with the disappointments and letdowns often experienced in life. Pastor Josh reflects on the fleeting nature of worldly events and expectations, urging listeners to anchor their hopes in the eternal promises of God. He discusses how the Apostle John’s vision in Revelation illustrates a future free from pain, suffering, and death, where believers will dwell with God in perfect unity. This vision of a new heaven and a new earth is not just a distant hope but a reality that begins in the life of a believer at the moment of salvation. Pastor Josh encourages listeners to examine their own lives and recognize the ongoing work of God in making them new creations, reinforcing that the journey of faith is marked by continual growth and transformation.
In addressing practical steps for the new year, Pastor Josh challenges the congregation to set specific spiritual goals. He highlights the importance of Bible reading plans and maintaining a consistent prayer life, suggesting that these practices can lead to a deeper understanding of God’s word and a stronger relationship with Him. He invites listeners to consider their unique gifts and how they can serve others within the church and the broader community. The sermon emphasizes collaboration among church members to achieve collective goals, fostering a spirit of unity and purpose. As the service concludes, Pastor Josh expresses excitement for the upcoming church vision launch and the opportunities for growth and outreach in the coming year. He leaves listeners with a sense of hope and urgency to actively participate in the work God is doing, reinforcing that together, they can make a lasting impact for His kingdom.
Takeaways:
- The new year offers a fresh start for spiritual growth and setting goals.
- Emphasizing the importance of spiritual disciplines like prayer and Bible reading.
- Reflecting on past blessings can lead to a deeper appreciation of God's work.
- God's promise of newness is a continual process in a believer's life.
- The ultimate hope lies in the future restoration and the absence of pain.
- Setting spiritual goals for the year can help maintain focus on faith.
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This podcast is produced by Ralph Estep, Jr., host of the Ask Ralph Podcast, a daily podcast on Christian Finance you can find it at https://www.askralphpodcast.com/
00:00 - None
00:17 - Exploring the Word of God
01:39 - The Promise of Newness
13:00 - The Newness of Life in Christ
27:04 - Facing Life's Challenges with Faith
39:49 - Setting Spiritual Goals for 2025
Pastor Josh
Hello and welcome to the Middletown Baptist Church Podcast, where we are proclaiming the truth to the world.
Pastor Josh
My name is Pastor Josh, and I want to thank you for listening to this podcast.
Pastor Josh
I hope that this podcast can be a blessing to you and strengthen you in the word of God.
Pastor Josh
Now, come along.
Pastor Josh
Let's look into the Bible and see what God has for us here today.
Pastor Josh
All right.
Pastor Josh
Well, I asked on Sunday, I believe it was, maybe it was a couple Sundays ago, what if anyone had any Christmas traditions, But I was wondering if anyone had any New Year's Eve or New Year's Day traditions.
Pastor Josh
Does anyone have any of those that you guys do?
Pastor Josh
We don't really have any of those, but does anyone have one that you guys do?
Pastor Josh
What's that you're in bed by?
Pastor Josh
So that's a tradition of getting in bed by 10:00.
Pastor Josh
Okay.
Pastor Josh
So one of the things that Micah and I did yesterday is we sat down and we just talked about 2024 and the things that God blessed us with.
Pastor Josh
And it was kind of an exciting time to.
Pastor Josh
To go back.
Pastor Josh
Sometimes you don't realize how much God has really done in your life until you actually go back and recount all the things that that have actually happened.
Pastor Josh
And so hope that you've had a wonderful 2024.
Pastor Josh
And hopefully we're going to be praying for God to give us an even better 2025.
Pastor Josh
And we don't know what the future holds, right?
Pastor Josh
I mean, 2025, it's fresh, it's new.
Pastor Josh
But obviously by looking at the news, things aren't any better just because the calendar turned over.
Pastor Josh
Right?
Pastor Josh
But what we do know is that God is still in control.
Pastor Josh
And we do know that through God's word, he has given us promises.
Pastor Josh
And one of the promises that I wanted to go through here this evening is a promise of newness.
Pastor Josh
And as we start out the new year and we think about that, we're new and fresh, and maybe some of you even have some New Year's resolutions.
Pastor Josh
Now, those can be a little bit dangerous because what happens with New Year's resolutions usually is that we're really excited about it for a little bit of time, and then they kind of pass away.
Pastor Josh
And so instead of calling them New Year's resolutions, let's call them New Year's goals.
Pastor Josh
And I think we should set goals in our life.
Pastor Josh
I think we should set personal goals, maybe if you're in the professional world, professional goals.
Pastor Josh
But I think most importantly, we should have spiritual goals in our life.
Pastor Josh
I think that we should look towards moving forward in our spiritual growth and in our spiritual disciplines.
Pastor Josh
When I use the words spiritual disciplines, what am I talking about?
Pastor Josh
Well, I'm talking about prayer, Bible reading, Bible study, witnessing, teaching, growing, all of those aspects of the spiritual walk that help us grow in all our walk with Christ.
Pastor Josh
So with that being said, even before I get started tonight, if some of you have ever done this before, you'll know that it's a beneficial thing.
Pastor Josh
But I would challenge you to read through scriptures this year.
Pastor Josh
Read through the Bible from.
Pastor Josh
From day one all the way to day 365.
Pastor Josh
We have a Bible reading planned for you out in the lobby.
Pastor Josh
I printed out 25 copies.
Pastor Josh
I didn't know how many people would be here this evening.
Pastor Josh
If you'd like to take one of those with you.
Pastor Josh
It's a plan that helps you read through the Bible day by day.
Pastor Josh
There's some breaks in there, but it kind of guides you through Scripture.
Pastor Josh
And I.
Pastor Josh
I would encourage you to grab one of those.
Pastor Josh
If we run out, just let me know.
Pastor Josh
And I would love to make sure I get enough copies for everybody.
Pastor Josh
Well, where do we start when it comes to the new year?
Pastor Josh
I thought about that and I said, let's start at the end.
Pastor Josh
So let's get our Bibles out and let's look at Revelation chapter 22.
Pastor Josh
If you know anything about Scriptures, that's the end.
Pastor Josh
You say, how are we starting out at the end?
Pastor Josh
From the beginning?
Pastor Josh
Right at the beginning of the year.
Pastor Josh
Well, I want to take you to a passage of scripture, Revelation chapter 22, and it speaks of God making all things new.
Pastor Josh
Revelation chapter 22.
Pastor Josh
We're going to start in verse number one, and we're going to look at the first five verses here in the last chapter of the Bible.
Pastor Josh
And I know that's a different place to start out when you're talking about the beginning of the year, but I think that it'll make sense once we start looking at this.
Pastor Josh
And, and I think that one of the things that helps us understand the hope that we have in a new year is understanding the hope that we have in Christ.
Pastor Josh
You know, I think a lot of times for me, I get so excited about an event that's coming up that I wrap up all my expectations in that event.
Pastor Josh
And when that event doesn't go the way that I expect it to go, or maybe it goes really well, but it's over.
Pastor Josh
There's somewhat of a letdown.
Pastor Josh
I don't know about you guys, but, you know, looking forward to Christmas and having family.
Pastor Josh
It's all great.
Pastor Josh
But then, you know, days go by and people leave and the food's gone and, you know, all, all your new gifts wear out and they're newness and, you know, you're kind of back to the mundane and there's that letdown.
Pastor Josh
And so many times, I think as believers, we have these expectations that are set in the world.
Pastor Josh
And when those things fail, which they inevitably will, we get that letdown, we get that disappointment.
Pastor Josh
But when we keep our eyes fixed on the true hope that we have in Christ, we are able to keep our eyes fixed on that newness of life.
Pastor Josh
And so Revelation chapter 22, this is @ the very end, right?
Pastor Josh
This is the Apostle John here kind of explaining what he sees that is to come.
Pastor Josh
And he says, here, and he showed me a pure river of water, of life, clear as a crystal proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.
Pastor Josh
Now, now we understand these descriptions, but we can't ultimately wrap our minds around exactly what he's talking about.
Pastor Josh
We can do our best, but he's speaking of this beautiful place, this pure river, water of life, clear as a crystal.
Pastor Josh
And then he says in verse two, in the midst of the street of it and on either side of the river was there the tree of life, which bear 12 manners of fruits and yielded her fruit every month.
Pastor Josh
And the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.
Pastor Josh
And so this speaks of the unification of all the believers of all time coming together and finding healing.
Pastor Josh
Says in verse 3, and there shall be no more curse.
Pastor Josh
Aren't you excited for that day?
Pastor Josh
What is he talking about here?
Pastor Josh
He's talking about no more sin curse on us.
Pastor Josh
As of right now, in 2025, January 1st, we are still cursed with sin.
Pastor Josh
This earth is cursed with sin.
Pastor Josh
Now, many of us, hopefully all of us tonight, have trusted in Jesus Christ as our Savior.
Pastor Josh
So no longer are we defined by that curse, but we still feel the effects of that curse.
Pastor Josh
What's the effect of that curse?
Pastor Josh
That's the sin nature.
Pastor Josh
That's the flesh.
Pastor Josh
That's the old man.
Pastor Josh
And we see the world, a broken world.
Pastor Josh
There's still death, there's still disease, there's still hate.
Pastor Josh
There's still murder.
Pastor Josh
And so the Bible says that we are still living in that curse.
Pastor Josh
But the Bible says one day right here, there will be no more curse.
Pastor Josh
And that day that we're longing for is the day that when we are with our Savior, there's going to be no more sin.
Pastor Josh
There's going to be no more pain.
Pastor Josh
There's going to be no more suffering, there's going to be no more disease.
Pastor Josh
There's only that newness of life forever and ever.
Pastor Josh
It says, but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and his servants shall serve him.
Pastor Josh
This speaks to the perfect plan of God.
Pastor Josh
We are in his presence and we are serving Him.
Pastor Josh
I know.
Pastor Josh
I've heard a lot of people say over the years, what's heaven going to be like?
Pastor Josh
We're just going to be sitting on a cloud and playing a harp and singing forever?
Pastor Josh
I don't think so.
Pastor Josh
I think there's more to it than that.
Pastor Josh
Are we going to be singing?
Pastor Josh
Yes.
Pastor Josh
I don't think all of us are going to be playing the harp.
Pastor Josh
Maybe some of us will be.
Pastor Josh
But the truth is, is that we will be not only worshiping him by singing and praising him, which we will, but it also says that we will be there serving him.
Pastor Josh
And serving is worship, right?
Pastor Josh
We know that eternity means that we are going to be worshiping God.
Pastor Josh
But in that comes service.
Pastor Josh
In that comes us being used by God still.
Pastor Josh
And we see that we're not done with our work.
Pastor Josh
Then verse 4.
Pastor Josh
And they shall see his face and his name shall be in their foreheads.
Pastor Josh
This speaks to our identification, our identity in Christ.
Pastor Josh
And then it says, verse 5.
Pastor Josh
And there shall be no more, no night there.
Pastor Josh
They need no candle, neither light of the sun, for the Lord giveth them light.
Pastor Josh
This is going to be that point in time in which we can see truly the light of the world.
Pastor Josh
And I'm looking forward to that day.
Pastor Josh
And then it says here, and this is the last phrase that I want you to see there.
Pastor Josh
It says, for the Lord God giveth them light, and they shall reign forever and ever.
Pastor Josh
What an amazing thing that is.
Pastor Josh
So how can God do this?
Pastor Josh
How is God going to work this all out?
Pastor Josh
Well, we go back and we look at verse one of chapter 21.
Pastor Josh
It says, and I saw a new heaven and a new earth.
Pastor Josh
And for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away, and there was no more sea.
Pastor Josh
And I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
Pastor Josh
This is a beautiful picture.
Pastor Josh
This is the culmination of everything.
Pastor Josh
This is the culmination of God's promises.
Pastor Josh
This is the culmination of the gospel.
Pastor Josh
This is the culmination of the kingdom.
Pastor Josh
And it says, verse three.
Pastor Josh
And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will Dwell with them, and they shall be his people.
Pastor Josh
And God himself shall be with them and be their God.
Pastor Josh
We see that it's the presence of God that brings this newness of life.
Pastor Josh
It's the presence of God that brings this perfection.
Pastor Josh
Verse 4.
Pastor Josh
This is one that I'm excited for.
Pastor Josh
I don't know about you, but it says, and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.
Pastor Josh
It's not until this moment that all the tears are wiped away.
Pastor Josh
I know that there's a lot of misconceptions about what happens after death.
Pastor Josh
But what we can see here is at this very moment is when God wipes away all the tears from their eyes and there shall be no more death.
Pastor Josh
This is exciting, right?
Pastor Josh
This is.
Pastor Josh
Death is abolished.
Pastor Josh
No more death.
Pastor Josh
Death is a painful thing.
Pastor Josh
We.
Pastor Josh
We just saw there's a terrorist attack down in.
Pastor Josh
In Louisiana.
Pastor Josh
We've seen shootings, we've seen people get hurt in.
Pastor Josh
In car accidents.
Pastor Josh
We've seen people die of.
Pastor Josh
Of different illnesses.
Pastor Josh
But what we can see at this point is that there's going to be no more death.
Pastor Josh
Death, where is thy sting?
Pastor Josh
Neither sorrow nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain.
Pastor Josh
For the former things are passed away.
Pastor Josh
Folks, if you live with pain and if you live with suffering and you live with sorrow, the Bible says all of that is going to be wiped away.
Pastor Josh
That's what we're looking Forward to.
Pastor Josh
Verse 5.
Pastor Josh
And he sat upon the throne and said, this is what I want you to think about.
Pastor Josh
This is the thesis of the lesson tonight.
Pastor Josh
This is what God says to us.
Pastor Josh
He says, behold, I make all things new.
Pastor Josh
The original language in the Greek.
Pastor Josh
It's not just that he makes things new then.
Pastor Josh
It's this.
Pastor Josh
It's this continuous.
Pastor Josh
That he's making things new.
Pastor Josh
From the moment that we trust in Jesus Christ as our Savior, he is making things new in our lives.
Pastor Josh
And this is the culmination of that.
Pastor Josh
This is it.
Pastor Josh
This is where he says, I've been working in your life, making you a new creation, and now you're seeing it come to pass.
Pastor Josh
And he said unto me, write.
Pastor Josh
For these words are true and faithful.
Pastor Josh
So God says to the apostle John, write this down.
Pastor Josh
I happen to think about what John's thinking.
Pastor Josh
He's going through this like man.
Pastor Josh
What will it be like to have no more death?
Pastor Josh
What will it be like to have no more sorrow, no more pain?
Pastor Josh
God's making all things new.
Pastor Josh
And God wakes him up and says, john, write this down.
Pastor Josh
They need to hear this.
Pastor Josh
And that's what he's Saying here, He says, make.
Pastor Josh
Make note of this, because these words are faithful and true.
Pastor Josh
And that excites me.
Pastor Josh
I don't know about you, but this world is a painful world to live in.
Pastor Josh
There's suffering, there's sor.
Pastor Josh
There's loss.
Pastor Josh
But what God says here, and I want you to think about that phrase, he says, behold, I make all things new.
Pastor Josh
Now for some of us, we're like, well, I'm longing for that day.
Pastor Josh
When is that day going to happen?
Pastor Josh
I've mentioned this quite a bit in.
Pastor Josh
In my speaking is.
Pastor Josh
You know, as I get older, I'm more excited to be with my Savior.
Pastor Josh
When I was young, I was like, lord, don't come back, Lord, I want to live for a long time.
Pastor Josh
I want to experience all these things.
Pastor Josh
But as we experience this world, there's a song that says, and the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of his glory and grace.
Pastor Josh
And so the more we rest in Christ, and the more we see how beautiful and perfect and holy he is, and then we see how evil and terrible and painful this world is, the more we say, these things are not what we want.
Pastor Josh
We want to be with our Savior.
Pastor Josh
So how is God making things new in our lives right now?
Pastor Josh
Because that's.
Pastor Josh
It's.
Pastor Josh
It's not here yet.
Pastor Josh
That.
Pastor Josh
That part right there is not here yet.
Pastor Josh
There's still pain, there's still sorrow, there's still death, there's still loss, there's still tears.
Pastor Josh
But how is he working out that plan in our lives right now?
Pastor Josh
I want you to go with me to another passage in the New Testament, and that is found in Romans, Romans chapter.
Pastor Josh
Actually, let's go to second Corinthians first, and then we'll go to the Romans passage.
Pastor Josh
Let's just go to second Corinthians, chapter five.
Pastor Josh
Most of you know this passage of Scripture.
Pastor Josh
The, The.
Pastor Josh
The beginning of God making our lives new is salvation.
Pastor Josh
We can't experience newness of life without that transformation, without God indwelling us.
Pastor Josh
And so the hope of newness, the hope of perfection, the hope of eternal life can only be found in an individual who has trusted in Jesus Christ as his or her Savior and has experienced that transformation.
Pastor Josh
Second Corinthians, chapter 5, verse 17.
Pastor Josh
You guys know this passage.
Pastor Josh
Therefore, if any man be in Christ, that's the disclaimer.
Pastor Josh
That's the factor that makes someone have this new life.
Pastor Josh
It says, if any man be in Christ, what does it mean to be in Christ?
Pastor Josh
It means to have our identity set in him, to Put our faith in Jesus to trust in his work of salvation.
Pastor Josh
So if there, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature or a new creation.
Pastor Josh
So that's the.
Pastor Josh
That's the rebirth.
Pastor Josh
It's.
Pastor Josh
It's the rebirth that's talked about in John chapter 3.
Pastor Josh
Remember when Nicodemus comes to Jesus in the middle of the night and he's scared, and he's like, we know that you're from God because of what you're doing.
Pastor Josh
And he says, you know, how are you doing these things?
Pastor Josh
And Jesus explains them well, you got to be born again.
Pastor Josh
And that blew Nicodemus's mind because he's like, how can I be born again?
Pastor Josh
How could I go back into my mother's womb and be born again?
Pastor Josh
I can't understand this.
Pastor Josh
And that's what Jesus is teaching.
Pastor Josh
He's teaching this new creation, this new creature that comes through a life in Christ.
Pastor Josh
And he says, old things are passed away.
Pastor Josh
Behold, all things are become new.
Pastor Josh
And it works down and talks about reconciliation.
Pastor Josh
It talks about now, our job as ambassadors for Christ and explains how that can happen through Jesus's sacrifice for us.
Pastor Josh
In verse 21, he who knew no sin became sin for us that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
Pastor Josh
And so God gives us a new life.
Pastor Josh
He gives us a new creation.
Pastor Josh
He gives us a new righteousness.
Pastor Josh
What is new righteousness?
Pastor Josh
Well, righteousness before we were saved was what we tried to do in our own strength.
Pastor Josh
I tried to be a good person, and I tried to say the right thing.
Pastor Josh
I tried to do the right thing.
Pastor Josh
But ultimately, we all know that we will fail in that.
Pastor Josh
We all know that we can't do enough.
Pastor Josh
We all know that we can't earn our way to heaven.
Pastor Josh
So God gives us a new righteousness, and that righteousness is found in him.
Pastor Josh
That righteousness is found in Jesus Christ's righteousness.
Pastor Josh
And so we go to Romans chapter five.
Pastor Josh
Let's go to Romans chapter five.
Pastor Josh
And it speaks of that walk after salvation.
Pastor Josh
So.
Pastor Josh
So the new life starts at the moment of salvation, but it doesn't end there.
Pastor Josh
God then starts working in this newness of life.
Pastor Josh
And so we're that new creation.
Pastor Josh
Old things are passed away.
Pastor Josh
Folks, if.
Pastor Josh
If an individual says, you know what?
Pastor Josh
I was saved, and there was no change in my heart.
Pastor Josh
I was saved and I had no new desires.
Pastor Josh
I was saved.
Pastor Josh
And I don't feel any different.
Pastor Josh
I don't think any different.
Pastor Josh
Folks, there's a challenge there.
Pastor Josh
The challenge is, let's look at what Scripture says about salvation, what does it mean to be in Christ?
Pastor Josh
Now, I'm not here to judge someone's profession of faith, okay?
Pastor Josh
I don't walk around and go, well, I look at your life and I don't believe you're a Christian.
Pastor Josh
I don't believe you meant it when you prayed that prayer.
Pastor Josh
That's not my job.
Pastor Josh
My job is to point people to Scripture to say, this is what a new life looks like.
Pastor Josh
This is what hope in Jesus Christ looks like.
Pastor Josh
And it's for the individual to inspect his or her own life and say, you know, what is this?
Pastor Josh
Me?
Pastor Josh
I don't know if anyone's ever come to you and said, well, I'm.
Pastor Josh
I'm doubting my salvation.
Pastor Josh
I don't know.
Pastor Josh
I don't feel saved ever.
Pastor Josh
Don't raise your hand, but just most of us have probably heard someone say, I don't feel saved.
Pastor Josh
And, and I'm going to be honest with you.
Pastor Josh
There's going to be days where I've gotten up and I don't feel saved.
Pastor Josh
But what do I do?
Pastor Josh
I go back to what I know about Scripture, and I would point someone to First John chapter.
Pastor Josh
Well, all of First John read the book of First John.
Pastor Josh
The book of First John is a biography of a believer.
Pastor Josh
And, and so when we read First John, we say, okay, I'm not perfect, but First John is something that can characterize my life.
Pastor Josh
I'm.
Pastor Josh
I'm walking in the love of Christ.
Pastor Josh
I'm walking in this newness of life.
Pastor Josh
If you read First John and it's foreign to you, I would say it's time to inspect the truth of the Gospel in your own life.
Pastor Josh
And so we get to Romans chapter 5, and we see we're justified by faith.
Pastor Josh
Verse 1.
Pastor Josh
We have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand and rejoice in the hope of glory.
Pastor Josh
And not only so, but we glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation worketh patience and patience experience and experience hope.
Pastor Josh
And he goes on to talk about the Holy Ghost, which is given to us.
Pastor Josh
Verse 5.
Pastor Josh
The.
Pastor Josh
The way that we understand God working through our life is the Holy Spirit moving in our life.
Pastor Josh
And, and then we get to verse number six, and he says, what shall we say then?
Pastor Josh
Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound?
Pastor Josh
So we he explains grace in Romans chapter five.
Pastor Josh
He says, you have been given grace.
Pastor Josh
You have been given forgiveness.
Pastor Josh
But then what he says, is this the challenge for many people who don't understand what God has done to say, well, you know what?
Pastor Josh
If God is going to forgive me, then I can just keep sinning.
Pastor Josh
I can abuse grace.
Pastor Josh
And he goes, no, no, no.
Pastor Josh
He says, what shall we say then?
Pastor Josh
Should we continue in sin that grace may abound, God forbid.
Pastor Josh
How shall we that are dead to sin live any longer therein?
Pastor Josh
Know ye not that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death, Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death.
Pastor Josh
So this is talking about the identification being in Christ, okay?
Pastor Josh
That like as Christ was raised up from the dead by glory of the Father, even so we should walk in.
Pastor Josh
There's our phrase of the evening newness of life.
Pastor Josh
For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection, knowing this, that our old man, that's the old way, that's the sin nature.
Pastor Josh
Our old man is crucified, killed with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed.
Pastor Josh
And henceforth we should not serve sin.
Pastor Josh
For if, for he that is dead is freed from sin, meaning when we are dead to our sins, we are freed from the bondage of that sin.
Pastor Josh
And so yes, as Christians, we don't live sinless lives, but the Bible says that we are striving to be pushed forward in the Holy Spirit so that we can live more and more righteous lives for him, not in our righteousness, but his righteousness.
Pastor Josh
That's how God is working newness of life.
Pastor Josh
He's working that change out in our life.
Pastor Josh
So, so what it would look like practically is someone walks in here and they're characterized by sin.
Pastor Josh
They're maybe not evil people, but we all know in reality all of us are evil outside of our righteousness in Christ.
Pastor Josh
But anyway, they walk in and maybe they don't break the law, maybe they don't break the rules, but they come in and they're defined by their sin.
Pastor Josh
And then they trust in Jesus Christ as their Savior, they're justified.
Pastor Josh
Then there's that change, there's that newness of life, there's that transformation, there's that repentance.
Pastor Josh
Repentance is that about face.
Pastor Josh
And so that is the miracle of God working newness in our life.
Pastor Josh
So when we see a changed Christian, when we see a person changed, that is the miracle of the newness of life.
Pastor Josh
That is the beginning of it.
Pastor Josh
And God eventually is going to bring that to pass at the end.
Pastor Josh
The culmination of all of that will be when we are restored to him, when we are reconciled completely to Him.
Pastor Josh
The theological term for that is glorification.
Pastor Josh
We're glorified when we're with him in his presence, when we're walking with him forever and ever.
Pastor Josh
That's when newness of life will be completely imagined and seen and lived out.
Pastor Josh
So the question is today is how can we say that God is making all things new when we look around at this world?
Pastor Josh
Well, we know that in the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.
Pastor Josh
We know that he pronounced everything good.
Pastor Josh
Genesis, chapter one.
Pastor Josh
But what happened?
Pastor Josh
Well, we sinned.
Pastor Josh
The curse.
Pastor Josh
Remember the curse.
Pastor Josh
The curse came.
Pastor Josh
So mankind sins and marred creation.
Pastor Josh
And so the world is no longer good.
Pastor Josh
If I've heard recently someone said, well, my faith in humanity has been restored because they helped this little animal off the ice.
Pastor Josh
And like, well, you know what they were.
Pastor Josh
Don't have faith in humanity, okay?
Pastor Josh
Humanity will fail outside of Jesus Christ.
Pastor Josh
We cannot have faith in humanity.
Pastor Josh
Humanity is broken and is marred.
Pastor Josh
And so what we can see here is that from Genesis, chapter three, okay, all the way, all the way to Revelation, okay?
Pastor Josh
All the way to the very end, we understand that this is a world that is defined by sin.
Pastor Josh
But something will change at the great white throne.
Pastor Josh
Judgment.
Pastor Josh
So after God judges sin, he promises a new heaven.
Pastor Josh
He promises a new earth where suffering, pain, death will all cease.
Pastor Josh
And so what we can see here is that.
Pastor Josh
And we go back to Revelation and we think about what John is.
Pastor Josh
Is bringing to us here.
Pastor Josh
He sees this beautiful city.
Pastor Josh
He sees God.
Pastor Josh
He sees all of the people serving him and praising him.
Pastor Josh
And so he's understanding that this is what God is promising us from the very beginning.
Pastor Josh
It's.
Pastor Josh
It's what believers have longed for.
Pastor Josh
It's what all of us should be longing for.
Pastor Josh
The.
Pastor Josh
The book of Romans, Romans, chapter 8 says that they're Romans.
Pastor Josh
Chapter 8, verse 19.
Pastor Josh
For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestations of the sons of God.
Pastor Josh
Meaning this.
Pastor Josh
If we are children of God and we are working properly in his path, in our life, and we're following his will, we should long for the day of that unification.
Pastor Josh
I think it's.
Pastor Josh
It's summed up well In Galatians, chapter 2, verse 20, I am crucified with Christ.
Pastor Josh
This speaks of that identification.
Pastor Josh
Nevertheless, I live.
Pastor Josh
Yet not I, but Christ liveth in me.
Pastor Josh
And the life which I now live in the flesh.
Pastor Josh
I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.
Pastor Josh
And so there's this idea that God is making all things new in our life only when he takes control through salvation.
Pastor Josh
And the Bible speaks of all of this.
Pastor Josh
The Bible speaks of Ephesians, chapter four, putting off the old and putting on the new, not walking in sin, but walking in newness of life.
Pastor Josh
And so the Bible tells us over and over again that this is the path that God wants us to have it all of creation, Romans chapter 8 says, is groaning for this restoration.
Pastor Josh
So how can we look at 2025 through the lens of a human seeing all the news and seeing all the pain and still hope in the newness of God?
Pastor Josh
It's looking towards the promise at the end.
Pastor Josh
It's, it's believing in faith that God is keeping his word and will keep his word to make all things right now.
Pastor Josh
Now, partially he is making things right now by the sense that he has saved us and he's changing us and he's working it out for us and he's working out his good in our life and he's working out our good in our lives.
Pastor Josh
But what we can ultimately see is that though there is pain and suffering now, the promise is that God is going to take this all away.
Pastor Josh
And so we live in light of that with hope.
Pastor Josh
So, so what happens tomorrow when we get bad news?
Pastor Josh
Well, I'm not living for tomorrow.
Pastor Josh
I'm living for eternity.
Pastor Josh
I'm not living for 20, 25, I'm living for eternity.
Pastor Josh
And, and that will help us in many different ways.
Pastor Josh
I think it'll help us in understanding all the things that God has given us in the newness of life.
Pastor Josh
So he's given you a new life, he's given you a new hope, he's given you a new name, he's given you a new identity, he's given you a new righteousness.
Pastor Josh
Jesus says, I've given you a New Testament, a new promise, a new, a new commandment.
Pastor Josh
And that's the beauty of the so.
Pastor Josh
So prior to Jesus right there.
Pastor Josh
And well, even today, I mean, it's not just prior to Jesus, even today, people believe that they have to keep the law to be saved, to see God there, there, you know, 613 laws that these folks follow and they stay right on the path as best as they can, even though none of us could keep the law perfectly.
Pastor Josh
But now we have a new covenant, we have a new promise.
Pastor Josh
And it's not this.
Pastor Josh
It's, it's not, hey, keep all these laws and then maybe I'll give you Greece.
Pastor Josh
The Bible says, hey, there's a new commandment.
Pastor Josh
Love God with all your heart, soul, mind, Strength.
Pastor Josh
After that, love your neighbor as yourself and all of that, the law and the prophets, everything is hanging on this.
Pastor Josh
So you say, well, how can I love God with everything?
Pastor Josh
Well, you, you love him in everything.
Pastor Josh
By trusting in him, by committing to him, by saying, you know what?
Pastor Josh
I'm going to give my life over to Him.
Pastor Josh
You know, it's a hard thing to do that.
Pastor Josh
It's a hard thing to go all in.
Pastor Josh
It really, really is.
Pastor Josh
And, and for me, I, I, I know that even in my life.
Pastor Josh
Am I all in?
Pastor Josh
That's a good question.
Pastor Josh
I don't know.
Pastor Josh
I, I really don't know.
Pastor Josh
Because we can't ultimately know that answer until we are tested.
Pastor Josh
Like right now, theoretically, I'm all in, right?
Pastor Josh
There's nothing that could change my mind.
Pastor Josh
But that might change tomorrow when pressures come.
Pastor Josh
And that's a challenge that all of us have to think about.
Pastor Josh
Like, what will happen if this is challenged in my life?
Pastor Josh
What will happen if my expectations aren't met in 2025?
Pastor Josh
You know what?
Pastor Josh
I remember what it means to not have expectations fulfilled.
Pastor Josh
We, we were driving up to the hospital.
Pastor Josh
It's almost been a year now, and we had Micah and Nora, and everything went smoothly.
Pastor Josh
We were like, I, I, I, I was like, okay, we're gonna go in.
Pastor Josh
Everything's gonna be the exact same way.
Pastor Josh
And I remember that night, it did not go the way that we expected it to go.
Pastor Josh
And there was a lot of fear, there was a lot of concern, there was a lot of confusion.
Pastor Josh
And, and my expectations were not met by, by any stretch of the imagination.
Pastor Josh
But looking back on that with, without telling the whole story again, looking back on that, we understand why God allowed certain things to happen in our life.
Pastor Josh
We know that now.
Pastor Josh
I mean, every time that I look at Silas, I understand now.
Pastor Josh
God more and more through not, not, not.
Pastor Josh
Silas isn't the instrument of that, but he's the reminder of God's faithfulness.
Pastor Josh
He's the reminder of God's provisions.
Pastor Josh
He's a reminder of the conversations that I have with the Lord that evening.
Pastor Josh
And, and I will tell you that those are the realities in life when we are tested, where.
Pastor Josh
Where are we going to turn?
Pastor Josh
And I don't know what 2025 holds for all of us here.
Pastor Josh
I don't know.
Pastor Josh
I really don't know.
Pastor Josh
I don't know what the political climate will be.
Pastor Josh
I don't know what the international climate will be.
Pastor Josh
I don't know what the financial climate will be.
Pastor Josh
But what I do know is that God is still good What I do know is God is still in control.
Pastor Josh
And when we look at the, the chaos in this world so many times, it's easy to get our eyes fixed on that and our expectations aren't met.
Pastor Josh
And when our expectations are met, we start turning to things that are not scriptural.
Pastor Josh
So, for example, okay, we all would say we believe God is in control.
Pastor Josh
I hope, I hope that's what you would say.
Pastor Josh
We all believe that God has promised that he's never going to leave us nor forsake us.
Pastor Josh
We all believe that God is love.
Pastor Josh
We all believe, hopefully, that we love God with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength.
Pastor Josh
We love him with everything.
Pastor Josh
And we love our neighbor as ourself.
Pastor Josh
But the true test is like, when things don't go the way that we want them to go, are we willing to say those same things about God?
Pastor Josh
Are we willing to say that he's there with us when we don't feel that?
Pastor Josh
And, and what I would say, and the best advice that I ever had given to me was don't.
Pastor Josh
Feelings are good, emotions are good.
Pastor Josh
God gave us emotions and we should embrace those emotions.
Pastor Josh
But our emotions should not dictate to us our truth, right?
Pastor Josh
So if I'm angry or I'm upset or I'm let down or I'm fearful, I can't let those emotions dictate my truth about what God's word says about him, about me, about salvation, about newness of life, about the hope that we have in Him.
Pastor Josh
But what I can do is allow my emotions to be dictated and controlled by what I believe in, the truth of God.
Pastor Josh
So it's my faith that brings me to the point where, yes, I know that this is a bad circumstance, but I know that God is good.
Pastor Josh
I know that he loves me.
Pastor Josh
And, and so you go back to what you know.
Pastor Josh
And so your emotions are dictated by your truth instead of vice versa.
Pastor Josh
And that's helped a lot in my own life because I'm going to tell you, sometimes fear.
Pastor Josh
The.
Pastor Josh
The Bible says that the fear of man is a snare or a trap.
Pastor Josh
And so it's the fear of man that sometimes pulls us away from doing what we need to do.
Pastor Josh
And God has wonderful plans for you.
Pastor Josh
I know he does because he has a plan for all of us.
Pastor Josh
But, but the plan that God has for us sometimes makes us stretch ourselves.
Pastor Josh
It sometimes takes us out of our comfort zone.
Pastor Josh
It sometimes takes us to a place that we don't expect to go.
Pastor Josh
But what I would say is that go back to when, when Those trials of life come.
Pastor Josh
When those success successes of life come.
Pastor Josh
When the confusion comes, just go back to say this.
Pastor Josh
God is making this all right.
Pastor Josh
God is doing what he said he is going to do.
Pastor Josh
And he is going to ultimately conclude this by saying, hey, we're going to be there one day.
Pastor Josh
And I think the apostle Paul says it this way.
Pastor Josh
One day when we get to heaven and we're with our Savior, we're going to say, that was it that little temporary pain for this glory.
Pastor Josh
And I long for that day because there's days where I don't feel that there's days.
Pastor Josh
I'm going to tell you there's days where I'm like, what is going on?
Pastor Josh
And you say you're allowed to say that as a pastor.
Pastor Josh
I don't know if I'm allowed to say that or not.
Pastor Josh
But I'm going to tell you there are some days where I don't know what God is doing.
Pastor Josh
I don't know what his plan is.
Pastor Josh
I don't know why he would let this happen.
Pastor Josh
I don't know why he would work it this way.
Pastor Josh
But all I say is that, lord, I trust you.
Pastor Josh
And that's by faith.
Pastor Josh
It is.
Pastor Josh
Hebrews, chapter 11, verse 6 says, it's impossible to please him without faith.
Pastor Josh
So.
Pastor Josh
So I would take a step to say it's impossible to love him without faith.
Pastor Josh
I can't love God without faith.
Pastor Josh
It's impossible.
Pastor Josh
Because for me, if I love God, I believe that he's going to keep his word.
Pastor Josh
I believe that he is good.
Pastor Josh
I believe that he is in control.
Pastor Josh
And for.
Pastor Josh
For many of us, including myself, I will say that until things look like they're going bad, then I go, well, we're losing.
Pastor Josh
Christians are losing.
Pastor Josh
Faith is losing.
Pastor Josh
God's gonna be wiped away from the map, folks.
Pastor Josh
God is not going to be wiped away from the world scene, okay?
Pastor Josh
If you read the Book of Revelation, if you question that God is coming, okay, he is coming with.
Pastor Josh
With.
Pastor Josh
With righteous indignation, okay?
Pastor Josh
This world will be judged.
Pastor Josh
And I'm not trying to scare you, I don't know when it's going to happen.
Pastor Josh
It could be another 50 years.
Pastor Josh
It could be another 5,000 years.
Pastor Josh
It could be another 50 minutes.
Pastor Josh
But we know that ultimately God is going to make all things new.
Pastor Josh
He's going to restore us and he's going to vindicate us.
Pastor Josh
Because the Bible says, vengeance is mine, I will repay, saith the Lord.
Pastor Josh
I look at things in the news and I say, wow, I want to make this right.
Pastor Josh
And some of you have that sense of justice in your heart.
Pastor Josh
You want to do that too, right?
Pastor Josh
Protecting the innocent.
Pastor Josh
There is innocent blood that is being shed in this world.
Pastor Josh
We know that.
Pastor Josh
So does God care about that?
Pastor Josh
I believe he does.
Pastor Josh
Why isn't he doing something immediately, right now?
Pastor Josh
Completely.
Pastor Josh
Because he is long suffering, because he's patient, because he wants more folks to come to him.
Pastor Josh
So what does that mean for us?
Pastor Josh
We have to get busy in proclaiming the truth of God to this world.
Pastor Josh
He saved us and he's equipped us and he's challenged us and he's commissioned us to go proclaim the truth of God in this lost and dying world.
Pastor Josh
And so you say, well, I don't know if I can do that.
Pastor Josh
You can.
Pastor Josh
I know you can.
Pastor Josh
It's not easy.
Pastor Josh
But the Bible says that people like, think about guys like Elijah.
Pastor Josh
We say, well, he.
Pastor Josh
He was different.
Pastor Josh
He was a special, like, special character.
Pastor Josh
He had like, an extra measure of.
Pastor Josh
Of glory on him.
Pastor Josh
The Bible says in the book of James, he was just like everybody else.
Pastor Josh
He was.
Pastor Josh
He was a human being.
Pastor Josh
Yeah, Paul, you think about Paul, you think about John the Baptist, right?
Pastor Josh
Man, Jesus said John the Baptist was the greatest prophet to ever walk.
Pastor Josh
I mean, John the Baptist was a human being.
Pastor Josh
Now, I'm not saying that.
Pastor Josh
Hey, you're.
Pastor Josh
You're John the Baptist, okay?
Pastor Josh
What I am saying is that you have been equipped by God to do what he has called you to do in the time that you have.
Pastor Josh
And, and so this is.
Pastor Josh
This is the goal.
Pastor Josh
So for me, you know, when I get down in the dumps and I start feeling bad about things is when I start focusing on myself.
Pastor Josh
Like, I start really inspecting my own life.
Pastor Josh
And I go, you know what?
Pastor Josh
I'm not really smart enough to do what God has given me in my life.
Pastor Josh
I'm not really equipped enough.
Pastor Josh
I'm not really.
Pastor Josh
And I start.
Pastor Josh
And if.
Pastor Josh
Let me be honest, if you look into your own life, you're going to find flaws.
Pastor Josh
If you're honest, we can find flaws in each other.
Pastor Josh
Like I could.
Pastor Josh
I.
Pastor Josh
If you follow me around for a week, you find a lot of flaws in my life and probably vice versa.
Pastor Josh
But when we take our eyes off of ourselves, because.
Pastor Josh
Because that's really an egotistical, prideful thing.
Pastor Josh
Like, well, I'm just so worried about how I'll come across.
Pastor Josh
I'm going to be really worried about how people like what people are going to say about me.
Pastor Josh
The moment we stop worrying about what people say about us when we live for Christ is the moment that we can be used by God.
Pastor Josh
And so what I would say is this.
Pastor Josh
Romans, chapter 1, verse 16.
Pastor Josh
For I am not ashamed of the Gospel.
Pastor Josh
Like, are we ashamed of the Gospel?
Pastor Josh
That's a question that I want to ask.
Pastor Josh
It's a question that I'm asking myself.
Pastor Josh
And I would encourage you to think about this year in 2025.
Pastor Josh
What's my spiritual goals for.
Pastor Josh
For some of us, our spiritual goal should be to, to start reading scripture because you, because you might not know all of the promises of God.
Pastor Josh
You might not understand what God has said because you haven't read it.
Pastor Josh
You haven't studied it.
Pastor Josh
And you know, all of us need that study.
Pastor Josh
All of us need to get into the word of God consistently and faithfully and read.
Pastor Josh
But not just read, study, meditate.
Pastor Josh
And the word meditate just means to dwell on.
Pastor Josh
We all know what it means to dwell on something negatively.
Pastor Josh
So let's dwell on something positively in His Word.
Pastor Josh
It might be a prayer life.
Pastor Josh
You might need to grow in your area of prayer, communicating with God.
Pastor Josh
Right?
Pastor Josh
Any relationship is based upon communication.
Pastor Josh
All of us that are married understand that.
Pastor Josh
All of us that have worked in a workplace understand that communication is key.
Pastor Josh
And the way that we communicate with God is number one.
Pastor Josh
We hear him through His Word and we speak to him in prayer.
Pastor Josh
There's other spiritual disciplines, service within the church.
Pastor Josh
There's.
Pastor Josh
There's areas of, of witnessing evangelism, there's areas of fasting and, and sacrifice and being allowed to be focused on Him.
Pastor Josh
And the list goes on and on.
Pastor Josh
So what are your spiritual goals for 2025?
Pastor Josh
For.
Pastor Josh
For us, last year, it was to institute a specific time in which we had family devotions.
Pastor Josh
And the busyness of life has pulled us a lot from that.
Pastor Josh
And what we have to do is we have to recalibrate and say, okay, what matters, what's important?
Pastor Josh
For, for me, I'll just, I'll be real.
Pastor Josh
I, I have no reason to put up a front to you.
Pastor Josh
For me, my goal for 2025 is to pray more, pray more, always pray more.
Pastor Josh
Someone asked me recently, how, how much should I pray?
Pastor Josh
And I answered more.
Pastor Josh
Like, what does more mean?
Pastor Josh
Well, if you're praying five minutes, pray six minutes, pray without ceasing.
Pastor Josh
Biblically speaking, have a constant communication with God.
Pastor Josh
How much should I read more?
Pastor Josh
I'd encourage you to read through scripture.
Pastor Josh
I would encourage you to take that Bible reading plan.
Pastor Josh
And if you don't pick that one, there's plenty of great ones on different apps that you can go through.
Pastor Josh
And I would encourage you to try to do that.
Pastor Josh
So what are your spiritual goals?
Pastor Josh
I don't want you to answer me right now, but I want you to pray about that for the next few days.
Pastor Josh
Be praying about what your goals are.
Pastor Josh
Because if you don't set goals, what's going to happen?
Pastor Josh
Well, you're just going to kind of drift, right?
Pastor Josh
And I'm not saying that we should be checklist oriented as a Christian because we know that it's more than that, but.
Pastor Josh
But all of us should put some sort of plan down that we say, you know what?
Pastor Josh
This is what I'm going to strive to do in the power of God.
Pastor Josh
I'm going to ask him to give me strength to overcome the distractions, to overcome the difficulties and say, you know, I need to do more of this.
Pastor Josh
Maybe for you it's exercising in your spiritual discipline.
Pastor Josh
Maybe for you, you know, as we studied the spiritual gifts, you've really narrowed down.
Pastor Josh
You know what, I'm a teacher or I'm a.
Pastor Josh
I have the gift of ministry, the gift of helps.
Pastor Josh
I have the gift of mercy.
Pastor Josh
How can I dive deeper into that spiritual gift or spiritual gifts this year?
Pastor Josh
And it doesn't have to be within the confines of Middletown Baptist Church.
Pastor Josh
It could be within your community, it could be within your home, it can be within your workplace.
Pastor Josh
But I would encourage you to be thinking more and more about how God is going to use you in 2025.
Pastor Josh
And so I would say a practical thing to do would be to write down a list of spiritual goals for 2025 and then say, okay, how am I going to go about doing these things?
Pastor Josh
Maybe you say, you know what?
Pastor Josh
I want to read my Bible more and I want to read some.
Pastor Josh
Some spiritual books.
Pastor Josh
Well, it's very easy to get started, get a book, start reading.
Pastor Josh
Okay?
Pastor Josh
You got to get started.
Pastor Josh
That's the biggest thing.
Pastor Josh
Maybe it's church attendance.
Pastor Josh
Now I'm speaking to a crowd that came out on a Wednesday night of New Year's Day.
Pastor Josh
So that's really cool.
Pastor Josh
I'm glad you guys are out.
Pastor Josh
But maybe it's just being church.
Pastor Josh
You go, I need to be in church.
Pastor Josh
I need to be around other fellow brothers and sisters in Christ.
Pastor Josh
Maybe.
Pastor Josh
Maybe you need to.
Pastor Josh
Here's one thing I was hit with last year.
Pastor Josh
I was challenged with friendship.
Pastor Josh
You know, like, how many make meaningful friendships do I have in the Lord?
Pastor Josh
You know, and.
Pastor Josh
And like, we get busy.
Pastor Josh
You know, my wife's my best friend, but there is an element of iron, sharpening iron and being able to be around folks that are of, like, faith, and.
Pastor Josh
And I think we need more of that.
Pastor Josh
And so, you know, maybe for some of us, you don't think about friendship as a spiritual thing, but maybe for some of us, we want to pursue more of what it means to be a godly friend and, and grow in that regard.
Pastor Josh
Maybe it's parenting, maybe it's grandparenting, uh, maybe it's in your marriage.
Pastor Josh
I don't know what it is.
Pastor Josh
But.
Pastor Josh
But maybe God has some spiritual goals for you as a.
Pastor Josh
As a couple, as a husband and wife, to say, you know, we're going to do this together.
Pastor Josh
Maybe you have some goals within your workplace.
Pastor Josh
Maybe you say, I want to share the gospel with at least one person this year.
Pastor Josh
You know, that's a.
Pastor Josh
That's a.
Pastor Josh
Sounds kind of trivial.
Pastor Josh
One person over a whole year.
Pastor Josh
But you know what?
Pastor Josh
If everyone shared the gospel with just one person in the year, there would be a lot more gospel presented.
Pastor Josh
I'm going to tell you that.
Pastor Josh
And so I would encourage you, maybe think about someone in your life and it doesn't have to be a complete stranger.
Pastor Josh
I think a lot of times we think about soul winning and evangelism.
Pastor Josh
I'm going to walk up to the scariest guy at the store and walk up to him and give him a confrontation, and that might be you.
Pastor Josh
That's fine.
Pastor Josh
Go for it.
Pastor Josh
But what I would say is that there are people in your life that you probably have a relationship with that would hear you out, that would understand you and know your life and say, yeah, you know what?
Pastor Josh
I'll hear you out.
Pastor Josh
I respect your faith, and you might have an opportunity to share with them why the Bible says on First Peter, chapter three, verse 15, give an answer for the hope that is within you.
Pastor Josh
And so people see your hope, give them an answer.
Pastor Josh
Give them an answer in Jesus Christ.
Pastor Josh
And so our spiritual goals in 2025 need to be individual goals.
Pastor Josh
But just as much as there's individual goals, we need to have corporate goals.
Pastor Josh
We need to have goals within the church.
Pastor Josh
And for the next three Sundays, for the next three Sundays, we're going to be going through three goals that I believe this church, Middletown Baptist Church, should strive after.
Pastor Josh
In 2025, we're going to go through three goals.
Pastor Josh
On the third Sunday of the month, we are going to be launching our church vision, and it's going to be one of those goals, and it's going to be a really big thing.
Pastor Josh
We're really excited for it.
Pastor Josh
And I wouldn't.
Pastor Josh
I wouldn't say It's a reason to be afraid.
Pastor Josh
But it is going.
Pastor Josh
If, if we cooperate, if our church says we believe in this goal, and I think it's a scriptural goal, I think it will stretch us.
Pastor Josh
It will stretch us.
Pastor Josh
It'll put us in a place that we might say, hey, I've never done this before.
Pastor Josh
I've never gone and done something like this before.
Pastor Josh
But I guarantee you, as God stretches you, that's the way that we grow.
Pastor Josh
Growing isn't always easy.
Pastor Josh
Actually, it's more difficult than we would expect it to be.
Pastor Josh
Sometimes there's growing pains.
Pastor Josh
And I would encourage you to be praying about how God leads you this year.
Pastor Josh
How can you walk in newness of life?
Pastor Josh
And so I want you to think about what Revelation chapter 21, verse 5 says, that God's going to make all things new.
Pastor Josh
How is he making things new in your life?
Pastor Josh
Are you noticing the newness of life?
Pastor Josh
Are you allowing it just to be like, well, you know what?
Pastor Josh
Same old, same old.
Pastor Josh
For me, I've been really challenged with walking differently so many times as we've been saved for so long.
Pastor Josh
Many of us, most of us have been saved for a very long time.
Pastor Josh
We get so complacent.
Pastor Josh
We get so used to the gospel that we miss the grandeur and the miracle of what the gospel really is.
Pastor Josh
And the gospel is everything.
Pastor Josh
The gospel is every.
Pastor Josh
Why.
Pastor Josh
Why do what we are doing without the gospel?
Pastor Josh
Right?
Pastor Josh
You could go, you know, you could join a social club and have your friendships there.
Pastor Josh
You could join a sports team and go get your athleticism.
Pastor Josh
You could.
Pastor Josh
You could even join a charity and give food to the poor and needy, which is a great thing.
Pastor Josh
But you can do all of those things and not have the gospel.
Pastor Josh
So.
Pastor Josh
So why are we doing what we're doing?
Pastor Josh
The gospel is the heartbeat.
Pastor Josh
The gospel is the root.
Pastor Josh
The gospel is the centerpiece.
Pastor Josh
And we say, okay.
Pastor Josh
Everything that we do is centered in the gospel.
Pastor Josh
It's centered in the gospel.
Pastor Josh
And so that's what we're going to be talking about here for the next three weeks at church is what are our goals?
Pastor Josh
And so I'm not going to check you.
Pastor Josh
I'm not going to say, hey, as you head out tonight, I want a list of all of your goals.
Pastor Josh
But if you would like to say, hey, Pastor, I've.
Pastor Josh
I've got a few goals that I would like to accomplish this year.
Pastor Josh
I would love to say, like, well, let me hear them.
Pastor Josh
Like, if you.
Pastor Josh
If you want to share them with me, you can.
Pastor Josh
And if you want to Say, like, hey, how can I accomplish these goals?
Pastor Josh
Like, like, I, I feel like God is calling me this way.
Pastor Josh
How could I get there?
Pastor Josh
And, and maybe, just maybe someone within the church has something going on the same way, and we can get people together and we can start working and collaborating and getting some of these goals accomplished.
Pastor Josh
But I would say, hey, maybe you're like, I, I want to read some more books on a different topic.
Pastor Josh
Maybe it's the topic of, I don't know, prayer or, or whatever, heaven, and you want some reading materials.
Pastor Josh
I would love to point you in that direction.
Pastor Josh
Okay.
Pastor Josh
The, the purpose of the pastor is not to get up and just give you content on Sunday morning.
Pastor Josh
That's one element.
Pastor Josh
The Bible says in Ephesians, chapter four, equipping the saints for the work of the ministry.
Pastor Josh
So it's my job to give you every tool that you can, scripturally speaking, to do what God has called you to do.
Pastor Josh
And so I want to help you in that.
Pastor Josh
And so let's, let's collaborate, let's get together, let's talk.
Pastor Josh
Don't be ashamed of it.
Pastor Josh
Don't say, well, it's embarrassing, folks.
Pastor Josh
There's nothing more exciting for a Christian.
Pastor Josh
There shouldn't be anything more exciting for Christians to get together and say, like, how can we talk about God working in our life?
Pastor Josh
It's an exciting thing.
Pastor Josh
I love to get together with pastors sometimes and just say, hey, what's your church doing?
Pastor Josh
And it's not about competition, it's not about jealousy.
Pastor Josh
It's like, hey, I want to see what God's doing at your church.
Pastor Josh
And then I'm just going to give you a little bit of a hint.
Pastor Josh
Hey, whose kid is that over there?
Pastor Josh
That's my kid.
Pastor Josh
So I can say that.
Pastor Josh
But one of the things, I'll give you a little, a little hint and then we'll be done.
Pastor Josh
One of the things that we're going to be doing is collaborating with other churches.
Pastor Josh
You've already seen us kind of do that already with, with our Christmas Eve service.
Pastor Josh
And some people start getting nervous.
Pastor Josh
Whoa, collaborating with another church is that, that, that's our competition?
Pastor Josh
Well, if they're a Bible preaching, solid church that we agree with, there's nothing wrong with helping them out.
Pastor Josh
Okay.
Pastor Josh
The Bible says to go to Jerusalem, Judea, and to the uttermost part of the earth.
Pastor Josh
And then it all.
Pastor Josh
I, I skipped one there.
Pastor Josh
Samaria.
Pastor Josh
Samaria is a place that we're not comfortable going and sometimes going to another church and helping another church that might need some help is, is a difficulty.
Pastor Josh
We go, well, if we help them, how we're losing that.
Pastor Josh
No, we're all part of the kingdom of God now.
Pastor Josh
We don't go to, we're not ecumenical.
Pastor Josh
We don't go to a church that doesn't believe the gospel.
Pastor Josh
We don't go to a church that practices things differently than we practice them.
Pastor Josh
But we go and we help and we support other fellow brothers and sisters.
Pastor Josh
Hey, we might even have opportunities to go outside of our confines and support people in other countries.
Pastor Josh
We already do in our missions and giving.
Pastor Josh
You know, one of the things that I've been really challenged with is sometimes we're willing to write a check, but we're not willing to take a step.
Pastor Josh
And I think sometimes it might be that some of us that are able, maybe we're not able to write a check, but we're able to go and help.
Pastor Josh
That might be something that we can think about for our goals in 2025.
Pastor Josh
And so I will stop there and save the rest for this Sunday.
Pastor Josh
Hope that you can come back for that.
Pastor Josh
Thank you again for listening to the Middletown Baptist Church podcast.
Pastor Josh
I hope that this sermon has been a blessing blessing for you.
Pastor Josh
You would like to find out more information about our church or this sermon, you can find us at middletownbaptistchurch.org or find us on Facebook or YouTube.
Pastor Josh
You can also email me directly at Josh Massaroiddletownbaptistchurch dot com if you've enjoyed this podcast, please subscribe and follow along for future podcast and updates.
Pastor Josh
Thank you so much.
Pastor Josh
God bless.
Pastor Josh
Have a wonderful day.
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