Eternal Life Starts Now.

James McLean

[0:00] Well, good morning. [0:01] Good morning. [0:02] My name is James. [0:03] I’m one of the pastors here. [0:04] And you’re probably a little surprised [0:07] that you’re not looking at Steve right now.

[0:10] They let the singer come up for a week, [0:12] so you’re stuck with me this morning. [0:15] I wanted to start out this morning just by thanking you.

[0:22] Many of you know and have heard our daughter was born [0:28] on Thanksgiving Day, and she had some difficulties. [0:31] And you’ve been praying for her. [0:33] And I’m very, very thankful for that.

[0:38] So I just want to thank you for the giving that you’ve [0:43] done to our family, the prayers, and the support [0:45] that you’ve shown us over this time. [0:47] It’s made all the difference. [0:49] Just to kind of give you a comparison of so [0:53] that you know what your prayers have done.

[0:56] When she was born, she wasn’t breathing. [0:58] She had an Apgar score of one, and she had a heart rate of 60. [1:02] When they did the MRI, they showed three areas [1:05] in her brain that were damaged. [1:08] And over the past few weeks, they’ve done another MRI. [1:11] And two of those areas have completely healed.

[1:14] There’s one area left. [1:15] And she’s breathing on her own.

[1:19] If you look at her, she looks like any other baby. [1:22] So you would never know. [1:26] Keep praying, because we still have a little ways to go. [1:30] She’s not home yet. [1:32] She just had surgery Friday for a feeding tube [1:35] so that it can help her eat what she needs to eat for her size.

[1:41] And so she still has some difficulty swallowing, [1:43] but we can work with her on that over time. [1:47] And we’re hoping that possibly within a week [1:50] we’ll have her home. [1:50] So keep praying. [1:53] And thank you so much for your support.

[1:55] But I wanted to start out just by thanking you so much for that, [1:57] because it’s meant the world. [1:59] And I know that God has used your prayers [2:02] and responded to your prayers in her healing.

[2:06] I want to take that opportunity to launch [2:10] into an advertisement for groups, because I never [2:13] waste an opportunity to promote groups. [2:17] My group has been such a huge support during that time. [2:20] And they know specifically what’s been going on. [2:24] I’ve been keeping them updated, and they’ve been praying daily with us.

[2:28] And so the reason that’s important is because there [2:32] are people in this church that have needs, [2:36] and you have the ability to meet those needs through prayer [2:39] or physically. [2:40] But you can’t know what those are if you don’t know those people. [2:44] And so the reason that we have community groups at our church

[2:48] is so that you can’t know 300 people, [2:53] but you can know a few select people, and you can focus on their lives [2:59] and minister to them in that moment. [3:02] And so you never know what’s going to happen in someone’s life [3:04] and where God will use you. [3:06] So I encourage you, starting out this new year, to look into that.

[3:10] If you’re not already in a community group, [3:13] we’re not just saying that because we like to annoy you or make you feel bad. [3:17] But we really do see that there’s value in groups, [3:21] and it’s going to give you an opportunity to be used by God in that way. [3:28] Would you pray with me for just a minute?

[3:32] Father, I thank you for a new year. [3:35] I thank you for the chance to be here and tell of your grace, God, [3:39] this morning. [3:40] I pray that you would make sense of what you’ve given me this morning to speak. [3:47] I pray that the Holy Spirit would intervene and help it to connect this morning.

[3:54] And God, I just thank you for this church and for all that you continue to do [3:58] in our lives. And we pray all this in Jesus name. [4:00] Amen. Well, it’s 2014.

[4:05] And you guys probably set some resolutions, I’m sure. [4:08] So by now, you’ve probably already lost 10 pounds. [4:11] You’ve you’ve read through the Bible entirely and you’ve paid off all your debt. [4:15] Right. Those are kind of the top three that we usually shoot for. [4:21] I actually love this time of year because it’s it’s kind of hopeful. [4:26] You know, it’s like everything is fresh and and we’ve kind of put the put last year

[4:30] behind us and we’re looking forward to what God is going to do this year.

[4:36] So this is actually one of my favorite times of year, a new year, [4:39] and just kind of starting out with all these new goals and these new opportunities. [4:44] And everything seems so hopeful. [4:47] And we and we look forward to to what God has for us this year. [4:52] But this morning, I want to talk to you about a hope [4:54] that cannot just get you through 2014, but can get you through on to eternity.

[5:01] And recently, that’s been kind of a subject that I’ve been fascinated with. [5:07] There’s been something I’ve been fascinated with lately, and it’s [5:10] it’s the fact that we will live forever, [5:13] that Jesus has purchased our eternity. [5:18] And it’s just a mind blowing thought if you just sit and dwell on it for a minute. [5:24] That we will never die,

[5:27] that we will go on forever. [5:31] It’s hard to even think of what that looks like. [5:33] It’s hard to even fathom that.

[5:38] And how would that change what we do today? [5:41] If that was a reality in our mind every day?

[5:45] If you would turn with me to Genesis three, 22 through 24.

[5:52] There was a time [5:54] in the human race was designed to live forever. [5:59] There was a time when we were in fellowship with God. [6:03] Where everything went right. [6:05] We gladly obeyed him. [6:07] We lived in his protection and we lived in his provision.

[6:11] We didn’t really think about any of that. [6:13] We didn’t have to. [6:14] It was all done for us. [6:16] And of course, as we read in Genesis and we’ve heard [6:20] Adam and Eve fell, they made a choice to defy God, to go against [6:24] what he had planned for them. And.

[6:29] And there were consequences to that. [6:30] So let’s read here in Genesis three. [6:34] Then the Lord God said, Behold, the man has become like one of us [6:37] in knowing good and evil. [6:38] Now, lest he reach out his hand and take also of the tree of life [6:43] and eat and live forever.

[6:45] Therefore, the Lord God sent him out from the Garden of Eden [6:47] to work the ground from which he was taken. [6:51] He drove out the man and at the east of the Garden of Eden, [6:53] he placed the cherubim and a flaming sword that turned every way [6:57] to guard the way to the tree of life.

[7:02] So the effects of the fall. [7:05] Are devastating. [7:06] I don’t know about you, but there are days [7:08] when I just I grieve the fall.

[7:14] All that it’s done throughout history, [7:17] all the things that we’ve seen go on, [7:20] the family members and friends that we know that are going through things [7:24] or even just our own lives and the sin that we deal with every day. [7:29] All of that can be traced back to the fall into this decision to defy God. [7:34] Um. It’s difficult to to think on it for very long because it can be overwhelming.

[7:42] But do you ever have days where you just grieve the fall?

[7:48] Where you where you realize just how big that was [7:51] and how it affected us forever? [7:55] I think in America, it’s a little bit difficult to do that, [7:59] because everything’s been designed for your comfort [8:02] and to alleviate your suffering and to. [8:07] Build up your comfort and your safety.

[8:10] And so for us, there’s always some kind of price we can pay, [8:14] a pill we can take or some kind of entertainment [8:18] where we can kind of numb ourselves to the effects of what has happened. [8:22] But it’s still there and we know. [8:27] That we can’t avoid it everywhere we look, [8:31] we see that the fall has an effect somewhere in this life.

[8:37] So we long for eternity and we can look around today [8:40] and we can realize that something isn’t right. [8:44] The world is not isn’t all that it could be. [8:47] And life is hard. [8:49] And this is because we were never meant to live apart from God.

[8:54] We try to find significance and hope in temporary things, [8:58] but that’s not what God’s designed us for. [9:02] So some of the ways we do that, you know, we eat a good meal. [9:06] I don’t know about you, but I just came from the holidays [9:09] where there was all kinds of good, good home cooking [9:14] and opportunities to eat out at some of your favorite restaurants.

[9:18] I actually just tried for the first time, Bonefish Grill, [9:20] if you’ve been there before. [9:22] That was my first time ever going there last week. [9:24] And it was amazing. It tasted so good. [9:27] I didn’t want it to end. [9:29] I wanted to stuff as much as I could in my mouth

[9:32] and enjoy an appetizer and a full meal and then a dessert. [9:36] I go all the way.

[9:40] And you know, those things are to be enjoyed. [9:43] God’s given us those things to be enjoyed, [9:46] but they never seem to fully satisfy. [9:49] We always want more. [9:52] You know, one more bite of this dessert. [9:54] I think I can cram it in there.

[9:57] And there’s there’s never enough room. [9:59] There’s never enough there.

[10:02] We look forward to a vacation or we look forward to the weekend. [10:05] I don’t know how many times, you know, if you if you work [10:08] an eight to five, you know, Monday through Friday job [10:11] where people, you know, obviously Monday is the bad day, right? [10:14] Because you started out your work week and you don’t want to be there. [10:17] And then Wednesday is hump day, which is Geico is famously

[10:22] helped us out with with the camel. [10:25] And then Friday is, of course, the celebration day, right? [10:28] It’s the end of the week. [10:29] And now the weekend’s here and we can all go celebrate [10:32] and have a good time for the weekend and then turn around and do it again.

[10:37] I don’t know if you know this, but God created Monday and he created Friday. [10:42] They’re both his and he can use them both in your life.

[10:47] But nothing ever nothing ever really satisfies us. [10:50] There’s never enough time. [10:52] There’s never enough money. [10:53] There’s never enough pleasure. [10:55] We’re constantly seeking after more and more and more. [10:58] We wish that these special moments would last longer than they did.

[11:03] We wish that we had the money to be able to go do this. [11:06] If we just had, you know, a couple hundred more dollars, [11:08] we could pay this thing off or we could save up for this thing. [11:12] I think that’s constantly on our mind. [11:14] It’s something that we think about all the time. [11:17] And we live throughout our week to maximize these things, to pursue these things.

[11:24] But everything on earth has limits.

[11:27] And the world’s way of thinking pervades our life constantly. [11:33] And we’re always looking for the next thing. [11:36] The longing that we sense is for something that this world can’t satisfy. [11:41] If you turn with me to Romans 8, 22 through 25, Romans 8, 22 through 25, it says, [11:50] for we know that the whole creation has been groaning together [11:53] in the pains of childbirth until now.

[11:56] And not only the creation, but we ourselves who have the first fruits [12:00] of the spirit grown inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, [12:05] the redemption of our bodies, for in this hope we were saved. [12:09] Now hope that is seen is not hope. [12:11] For who hopes for what he sees? [12:13] But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.

[12:19] So he’s talking about all of creation to start with. [12:23] It’s not just Christians that long for something better or more complete, [12:28] but it’s all of creation. [12:29] It’s constantly saying, this isn’t enough. [12:32] There has to be more than this. [12:34] And those who are Christians who have the first fruits of the spirit,

[12:39] we know that Jesus is going to redeem us fully one day [12:43] and we’ll go to live with him forever. [12:46] And so we groan inwardly asking God, when will that be? [12:50] When’s that going to happen? [12:52] We long for God to set things right again, to restore our fellowship with him [12:56] and to give us new hearts.

[12:59] And for those who trust in Jesus, we know that the answer to that longing is Jesus. [13:05] God made him who knew no sin to be sin so that in him we might become the [13:11] righteousness of God. [13:14] Our righteousness was destroyed in the fall, but it’s restored through the death [13:18] and resurrection of Jesus Christ. [13:21] When we trust in him, we receive not just forgiveness of sin, restored

[13:25] fellowship with our creator, but we also receive eternal life, the opportunity [13:30] to live forever. [13:33] And I think the first two are the ones that we focus on the most because it’s [13:38] where we are. [13:39] We live on earth. [13:40] We deal with the consequences of sin and we want to know that there’s forgiveness

[13:45] for that sin and that there’s peace with God through that. [13:49] So we focus on that a lot. [13:51] But I think a lot of times we don’t focus on heaven. [13:57] We don’t focus on eternity because it’s foreign to us. [14:01] It’s a foreign concept. [14:02] We don’t even fully grasp what that will be like.

[14:07] But how amazing is it that God doesn’t just take our sin from us, give us Jesus [14:14] righteousness, give us hope and peace in this life. [14:19] But the best is still yet to come. [14:22] And I think that’s incredible.

[14:25] As I was telling you earlier. [14:29] On Thanksgiving morning, our daughter was born.

[14:34] It didn’t happen the way that we thought it was going to happen.

[14:39] She was she was born C-section and she was not breathing. [14:44] And in that moment, there’s despair that comes. [14:49] There’s worry that comes. [14:51] There’s concern that comes. [14:52] And everything that you’re thinking about.

[14:57] Before that doesn’t matter. [15:01] The financial worries or the.

[15:05] You know, the relationship that was broken or anything that you were [15:09] concerned about at the time kind of goes away. [15:12] And all you can focus on is that moment. [15:16] And what’s going on there?

[15:21] In that moment, I knew that God was good, but it was very difficult to see [15:26] the good in what was happening. [15:29] And I think the hardest thought that I had was, why does this have to be her? [15:35] She’s she’s the small, helpless baby.

[15:43] And I wish that I could take her pay on myself.

[15:51] A few weeks after that.

[15:56] Steve had read from Second Corinthians four, 17 through 18. [16:01] And this is what it says. [16:04] For this light, momentary affliction is preparing for us in eternal weight of glory [16:10] beyond all comparison. [16:12] As we look not to the things that are seen, but to the things that are seen, [16:16]

[16:16] the things that are unseen for the things that are seen are transient, [16:19] but the things that are unseen. [16:22] Or eternal. [16:24] So I remember hearing that verse and trying to process it. [16:28] And thinking this isn’t light and momentary. [16:32] This is very real to me right now.

[16:33] God, this is all I can think about and I can’t focus on anything else.

[16:39] And I think that.

[16:42] All we wanted was for her to be OK, and we wanted her to be home. [16:46] Uh, in moments like that, we have to rely on the promises of God to pull us through [16:52] our emotions and our circumstances overwhelm us.

[16:58] And we have to respond based on what God has told us and believe that. [17:03] And we know that God has always been faithful. [17:05] He’s always carried us through. [17:08] And he can be trusted. [17:11] So in this verse, what God is saying to through Paul is not that our [17:15] circumstances are unimportant or that they don’t matter, but that God is bigger,

[17:20] that he’s using the things we go through to build our faith, that he’s training [17:25] us to be citizens of heaven.

[17:28] Spending eternity with Jesus in a resurrected, glorified body will outweigh [17:33] any hardship we have faced on this earth. [17:36] And we must believe that. [17:37] And there are seasons in life where we have to believe that. [17:41] And there’s nothing else that will pull us through.

[17:46] Um, there are so many verses that I could share with you that. [17:50] Help you dwell on the promises of God. [17:53] Um, we have a limited amount of time this morning, so I can’t, but I would [17:56] encourage you, um, as you read through the Bible, take certain verses out that [18:03] are giving you hope and write those down and recall them later, memorize them, [18:09] get them in your head because you’re going to need those when you go through

[18:13] tough moments.

[18:16] So as Christians, we don’t look to this world or this life for our ultimate hope.

[18:22] Um, if our hope is in the promise of eternity, we’ll be able to endure all [18:27] kinds of things in this life that we never could have imagined. [18:31] I used to think, um, that the apostle Paul was kind of some kind of superhuman [18:37] person. [18:38] Um, I would read in the New Testament, just all the things that God brought him [18:42] through and, and the way that he held together through those things, which he

[18:46] really didn’t, if you read in detail, he was, he was totally dependent on God and [18:51] asking God to pull him through. [18:53] Um, but I used to read that and I would say, God, that’s such a crazy model. [18:57] I can’t, I can’t live like that guy did. [19:01] He was special. [19:02] He had a special calling on him.

[19:04] You kind of made him special to be able to endure those things. [19:07] And so, you know, don’t, don’t show me these verses and call me to these things [19:12] because that’s special for Paul. [19:15] Um, I think you can kind of get out of that in some ways with Jesus because he [19:19] was the son of God, but you can’t get out of that with Paul because he was just a [19:23] guy.

[19:24] Um, he was just a guy who’d been changed, who’d been transformed by God and who [19:29] wanted to, to show the world that this made all the difference in his life. [19:34] And he was willing to give his life for it.

[19:38] So when you read, uh, the stories of Paul’s travels and just all that God used [19:43] for him to establish the church in its early days, um, realized that God has a [19:50] for your life as well. [19:52] And if you’ve trusted in Jesus, it involves bringing him glory. [19:57] And on this earth, the church that he’s established is what he’s going to use to [20:03] do that.

[20:07] All right. [20:07] If you would turn to first Peter one, three through nine, I love this verse. [20:15] This is kind of one of those ones that’s going to get you through stuff. [20:20] First Peter one, three through nine. [20:21] It’s kind of long. [20:22] So hang in there with me.

[20:25] Blessed be the God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ. [20:28] According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living [20:34] hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead to an inheritance [20:38] that is imperishable, undefiled and unfading kept in heaven for you who by [20:46] God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be [20:50] revealed in the last time in this you rejoice though now for a little while,

[20:56] if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials so that the tested [21:01] genuineness of your faith, more precious than gold that perishes though it is [21:07] tested by fire may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the [21:12] revelation of Jesus Christ. [21:13] Though you have not seen him, you love him though you do not now see him. [21:18] You believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with

[21:24] glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

[21:31] I love that he, that he mentions gold in there because it’s really the only thing [21:36] that we can compare to that’s kind of solid. [21:40] You know, there’s very few things in this world that will last for a long time, [21:44] but gold, you can melt it down, you can form it in all kinds of things, but it [21:48] doesn’t go away. [21:51] And I love how he says it’s more precious than gold that perishes though it’s

[21:54] tested by fire so you can burn it to a certain point. [21:59] But our faith is even more precious and stronger than that because it results in [22:09] the glory of God, the outcome of our faith, the salvation of our souls. [22:14] So God is using our trials to make our faith more genuine. [22:19] He’s guarding us as we walk through this life. [22:22] He’s keeping our inheritance in heaven.

[22:24] And like I said earlier, the best is yet to come.

[22:28] The first Corinthians two nine, it says what no eye has seen nor ear heard, nor [22:35] the heart of man imagined what God has prepared for those who love him. [22:41] That’s another one of those verses that’s going to get you through hard times as [22:45] well. We can’t even fathom, we can’t even imagine the good that God has for us for [22:53] eternity, for those who love God.

[22:58] And I think dwelling on that, thinking on that helps you live a better life here on [23:05] this earth. [23:06] No sin, no death, no sadness, no pain, no disappointment, no fighting. [23:12] Every need will be met by God. [23:14] Our bodies will not break down. [23:16] Our minds will not be confused.

[23:18] Our hearts will be at peace. [23:21] And I can’t wait for that.

[23:26] So it’s good to celebrate those things and to be excited about those things and to [23:31] dwell on those things. [23:32] We need to do it more and more. [23:34] I’ve always told Joey from the beginning, one of my biggest disappointments with worship [23:40] songs when we’re looking for worship songs is there’s not enough of them that sing about [23:45] heaven, that sing about eternity.

[23:47] There’s very few. [23:48] I wish there were more. [23:49] If there were, they’d be they’d be up here a lot more often. [23:52] So some of you at this point might be thinking, all right, it’s good to think about heaven. [23:57] It’s good to think about eternity. [23:58] We should look forward to that.

[23:59] We should long for it.

[24:02] So should we just wander through this life with our head in the clouds and sort of ignoring [24:07] what’s going on around us and pretending that it’s all OK and that God is just going to [24:12] make it right one day in the future? [24:16] No, that’s not really the response that we have. [24:18] And I’ve heard the quote and you probably have, too, that someone is so heavenly minded [24:24] that they’re no earthly good.

[24:28] I once heard John Piper, Pastor John Piper respond to that by saying the only people [24:32] who are any earthly good are those who are heavenly minded.

[24:37] What are you going to offer the world that it doesn’t already have? [24:42] So are you just going to give it more of what it already has? [24:44] It doesn’t need that. [24:46] The world needs hope beyond what they’re facing. [24:50] And people need to hear and see that hope in us.

[24:55] If we aren’t living our lives for God’s kingdom, for eternity, they will never ask [25:02] about the hope that we have. [25:04] And they’ll never know about it.

[25:07] First, John two, 17 says the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever [25:12] does the will of God abides forever.

[25:17] So our response to the enjoyment, the excitement that we that we think and that we feel [25:26] about eternity, about heaven, is obedience to Jesus in this life, because he’s left us [25:32] here for a reason. [25:33] If if all there was was eternal life right away, then as soon as we pledged our allegiance [25:41] to Jesus, as soon as we put our faith in him, he would take us. [25:46] But he’s got a plan.

[25:48] And that’s why he’s left us here. [25:50] And we have a very limited amount of time on this earth to make a difference.

[25:56] And I want to know that what I invested my life in was worthwhile. [26:02] And was invested in the greatest hope we could ever have. [26:06] If you would turn with me to Revelation 14, 12 through 13, says, here is a call for the [26:17] endurance of the saints, those who keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus. [26:21] That’s Christians. [26:23] And I heard a voice from heaven saying, write this blessed are the dead who die in the

[26:28] Lord from now on. [26:29] Blessed indeed, says the spirit that they may rest from their labors for their deeds [26:34] and follow them. [26:37] So the work that we do for Jesus in this life will follow us into the next. [26:41] That should motivate us. [26:43] That should give purpose to our everyday activities.

[26:47] And the best life that we could hope for is one that goes beyond this world and results [26:52] in eternal joy in Jesus.

[26:56] In closing, you’ve probably heard this verse before in Mark 8, 35 through 37.

[27:05] It says for whoever would save his life will lose it. [27:09] But whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospels will save it. [27:13] For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? [27:19] For what can a man give in return for his soul?

[27:22] So the life that Jesus modeled for us, he was born for a purpose to direct us back to [27:28] God, to reunite us with God. [27:32] Everything he did connected back to that purpose, to that reason. [27:37] And the model that he shows in his life is one that we can follow here. [27:42] Jesus didn’t just purchase our salvation and then send us along our way and said, oh, [27:47] you can go live however you want.

[27:49] You can go follow the American dream. [27:51] You can go do this. [27:52] He saved us for a specific purpose. [27:55] And that purpose is to glorify God, to show everyone on earth the hope that we can have [28:02] in him.

[28:05] Before we found Jesus, we were wandering through this life. [28:08] We were unsure of who we were. [28:10] We were unsure of what we were doing. [28:12] And knowing him has brought so much focus and so much purpose to our lives. [28:20] And so much joy.

[28:23] So this morning, my encouragement to you in 2014 is to put your hope in the promises of God. [28:32] They are the only thing that’s reliable in this life. [28:36] They are the only thing that will not let you down, that will not disappoint you ultimately. [28:42] I love this quote from Paul Tripp. [28:45] It’s in a book that he wrote called Forever. [28:48] And it says, if you listen to the voices on the other side as recorded in the book of Revelation,

[28:56] they will tell you where to find reliable hope. [28:59] The songs from eternity could be summarized this way. [29:03] Lord, we put our hope in you and you did everything you promised to do.

[29:10] That’s where we want to be as a church. [29:12] That’s where we want to be as followers of Jesus. [29:15] That one day we can say with joy, thank you, God, for keeping all of your promises.

[29:22] And we could go into eternity worshiping him with glorified resurrected bodies.

[29:30] And it will go on forever.

[29:33] As the band comes up, we want to start this year out by.

[29:39] Committing our lives to Jesus by sharing a meal with him. [29:45] And we do this every week at the village.

[29:50] It’s not just a boring religious tradition, but it’s us saying.

[29:57] Jesus, I want to remember you. [29:59] I want to be thankful for the price that you paid for my sin. [30:06] And I want to continue to hope that you will make me new. [30:11] That you will work through my trials. [30:15] That you will build up my faith.

[30:20] And ultimately remind us that. [30:24] One day we will share a meal with Jesus and it will go on forever. [30:29] And it will be the best meal we’ve ever tasted.

[30:35] So let me pray for us for a minute.

[30:42] Father, thank you for New Year’s. [30:45] For fresh starts.

[30:52] God, I know that there are all kinds of needs in this room this morning. [30:58] Father, you sacrificed your own son. [31:08] So that we could know you.

[31:14] So that we could be restored to you, God.

[31:20] So that we would never die. [31:24] That we would live with you forever in eternity.

[31:28] God, I know that there are all kinds of needs in this room this morning. [31:28] And now this world is fleeting.

[31:32] There isn’t a lot around us to look forward to.

[31:38] But with Jesus we see so much hope.

[31:42] And we know that we can endure anything that we face in this life, God.

[31:50] We come this morning giving ourselves to you, God. [31:53] Asking you to use us while we still have time on this earth.

[31:59] And we pray all this in Jesus’ name. [32:02] Amen. [32:03] I can’t think of a better way to start the year than to talk about the eternal [32:09] hope that we have in Jesus Christ our Lord. [32:12] I don’t know how your 2013 was, but I know this, that’s gone. [32:17] It’s over.

[32:19] It’s a new year, fresh start. [32:22] And grace means every day is a fresh start. [32:25] Grace means that his mercies are new every single morning. [32:30] However yesterday was.

[32:33] Ask God for more mercy and more grace because it’s never ending. [32:38] Follow him today. [32:40] I love that quote. [32:42] The only people that are any earthly good are those that are heavenly minded. [32:45] Because when you’re heavenly minded, you have a vision of the cross. [32:49] And that cross means that we have been reconciled to the Father.

[32:55] Through the work of the Son. [32:58] I don’t know if you guys noticed, but it’s a little crowded in here this morning. [33:01] We have about at least 20 people that couldn’t even get in here. [33:05] They’re sitting out in the foyer watching the TV. [33:07] So we’ve kind of had to change a few plans. [33:10] There was a day where we could get away with doing one service.

[33:14] Those days are over. [33:15] So next Sunday, we will have two services. [33:18] Next Sunday, we’ll be meeting at 9 a.m. as well as 11 a.m. [33:23] You don’t have to come to both. [33:25] They’ll be the same. [33:26] Now if you’re getting baptized next week, doesn’t mean you have to be baptized twice.

[33:30] We’ll work that out for you. [33:32] We’ll do some baptisms in the 9 a.m. and some baptisms in the 11 a.m. [33:36] Just to give you guys some perspective this morning. [33:39] Understand that a year ago today, we easily fit in this room. [33:44] We have grown by over 80 percent in the last year. [33:49] God has been so good.

[33:54] By his grace, he has allowed us to be a part of all of your lives [33:58] and allowed all of you to be a part of our lives. [34:02] Those of us that are on staff here at Village Church. [34:04] And I want to just thank each and every one of you for being a part of God’s work [34:09] here at Village Church, being a part of seeing the gospel [34:13] go into lives, transforming lives, changing lives,

[34:18] and giving people this great hope that we have in our King Jesus Christ. [34:24] So next Sunday, please come at either 9 a.m. or 11 a.m. [34:27] We’ll work out all the details of how that’s going to work ourselves. [34:31] Don’t worry yourselves with that. [34:32] But understand we’re going to have to go back to two services next Sunday morning. [34:36] And what I want to do as we close is I want us to sing loud.

[34:40] Nobody’s going to hear you. [34:41] Don’t worry. That’s why we we have music a little loud. [34:43] For those of you that can’t sing, so you don’t have to worry about the guy next to you [34:47] hearing you so you can sing as loud as you want. [34:50] But I want us to sing songs of praise this morning. [34:53] Number one, for the hope through these momentary afflictions

[34:57] that we have in this life that God is using those to change us. [35:01] God is using those to sanctify us. [35:03] God is using those to prepare us for joy. [35:08] That’s never going to end in heaven. [35:11] We will not know sorrow. [35:13] In heaven, we will only know joy because the Book of Revelation says

[35:18] we will see his face and he will wipe away every tear. [35:25] There is no greater hope. [35:27] And friends, that is the hope that the world needs in 2014. [35:33] And we’re going to be a part of taking that hope to them. [35:37] So in this next song, as we close out, I want you to do two things. [35:40] First, we’re going to have the ushers.

[35:41] They’re going to come down and they’re going to take up the offering [35:44] as a part of our worship every single week. [35:46] If this is your first time here with us, don’t feel obligated to take part in that. [35:51] That’s for those that call Village Church home. [35:53] But please give freely as an act of worship. [35:56] And then secondly, lift your voices high as we begin the year by praising Jesus Christ.