Sermons from Moorpark Presbyterian Church

The Best New Year's Resolution!

by Janet Loughry

Hebrews 12:1-3

December 31, 2000

I promise that in the Year 2001 I will not smoke! That resolution is an easy one for mem because I did not smoke in 2000 nor in 1999 - nor ever. I also promise not to run for president; therefore there will be no recounts. I further promise to give up Lima Beans and Spam, especially when cooked together. It is so easy to make resolutions that are easy to keep. Now I also promise not to over eat in 2001, and to give up snicker bars and peanut M&M's. Well, to know me is to know otherwise! Now I could further promise not to preach really long sermons in the year 2001, but I am not sure I want to even go there.

I have a friend who said the best New Year's resolution he ever heard was: "Do Not Make Any Resolutions!" Probably not a bad idea.

Yet we have all made and broken New Year's Resolutions. Then we make them again! And on and on! This compulsion to make New Year's Resolutions dates back to the early Babylonians. The very ones we read about and learn about in our Old Testament scriptures. The Babylonians' reasoning for making an annual resolution was to return borrowed farm equipment. Perhaps this is where we get the inclination to clean out the garage or closets once a year.

But what is our real purpose of making resolutions? Some say it is "To inflict guilt on ourselves." Often that does seem to be a major result. More often than not, we share our resolution with others in the hopes of, perhaps: Either being held accountable and encouraged along the way throughout the year; OR In the hopes we'll be absolved from carrying out our newly resolved pledges before we even begin. Some of us may be hoping someone will say, "Oh, You don't need to stop smoking!!!!!!

Yet, we do take time to think, and reflect and assess the past. How did last year go? What do I want to do differently this year? What got me off schedule or made me lose sight of my goal? Then we try and resolve to do and be better in the coming new year.

The writer of Hebrews knew how difficult it is to keep on schedule and to keep sight of the goal and to keep serving God more fully. He tells us that as we run this race of Christian faith, we are to "lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely." That is, we are to put aside, get rid of everything that easily distracts us and hinders our faith walk.

He gives these Hebrew Christians an encouraging coach- type talk. This talk centers on the runners in a foot race in a stadium. He includes himself when he says, "Let us, throw off everything that hinders or easily distracts."

Literally, the hearers of the original letter would have been thinking of the athletes in a huge stadium, down on the field, warming up, stretching and preparing for their turn to run. When it was time, they would have thrown off their robes -- much like our athletes today throw off their sweats.

The robe or the sweat suit have their place. They are useful and appropriate clothing. Yet they encumber the runner during the race. This type of clothing could actually cause the runner to possibly stumble and even lose the race.

You and I are to put aside those things that hinder our faith. There are some things that are not wrong in of themselves: some of the people with whom we hang; some of the books we read, the movies we choose to see and other ways we spend our leisure time.

There are other things that don't have a place whatsoever. One is the sin of lack of time with God and the lack of focus and the dullness that results because of our sheer busyness. This tells us we need to eliminate, to get ride of, hurry from our life and take time to listen to God's heartbeat - not ours.

Something else that doesn't have a place in our Christian walk is the pursuit of materialism - things. When we focus on more money and the things money can buy, then we are not able to focus on God and what God desires for us. And another that has no place in our faith walk is being overly concerned about ourselves so that we neglect to reach out to others. We need to express joy in and for others. We need to let God have the chance to work through us - even while He is working IN us.

Each of these, and you no doubt can think of others, weigh us down. They each hinder us in our faith. With these and other things like them in our life, our Christian faith does not have a starting or fighting chance. We can't even get out of the starting block. If our walk with God has been good, and these things crept in, then we are greatly hindered.

It is like when "The army of Alexander the Great was advancing on Persia. At one critical point, it appeared that his troops might be defeated. The soldiers had taken so much plunder from their previous battles that they had become so weighted down. They were losing their effectiveness in combat. Alexander immediately commanded that all the spoils be thrown into a heap and burned.

The men complained bitterly. Don't we? Yet soon, they came to see the wisdom of that order. Someone wrote, 'It was as if wings had been given to them they walked lightly again.' Victory was assured!" (From Our Daily Bread, 7-3-92)

Just as the Greek runner was able to run better to the goal and victory; and Alexander's army was able to march lightly and move forward to their next victory; we too will be able to "run with perseverance the race that is set before us" when we put aside those things that weigh us down and hinder us.

So just what is the goal of our race? When we look away from those things that weigh us down then we are able to look toward Jesus. Jesus is our goal. He is the one on whom we are to keep our eyes focused - and run toward.

The author of Hebrews pictures a huge stadium, filled to capacity with a crowd of people in those stands. He calls them a cloud of witnesses. He says our Christian walk can be improved just by studying these witnesses and their lives from our Bibles. They are witnesses to us that we do not struggle alone. They witness to us that we are not the first to ever face struggles. They are also witness to us that our struggle in our Christian walk is worth it. Finally, these witnesses are telling us it is our turn to run this race and apply that faith.

For the long haul - for our resolve; for our faith's life-time staying power, the author of Hebrews tells us to look to Jesus. We are to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus. Here is Someone Who has faced problems, been tempted...yes, even struggled with life and death situations. We can look to Jesus not just for inspiration, but also for the qualities necessary to continue in faith and endure whatever may be ahead.

Jesus not only ran the race of life and faith as a full human being. And He is not only the object of our faith. Jesus is the greatest encouragement to each of us because He is the Author or Pioneer of our faith. The term Author or Pioneer depends on the translation you read. The idea here is more that of a Pioneer.

We all know what a pioneer is. I would venture to guess that someone sitting here today just may be a pioneer. A pioneer is one who goes first. A pioneer is the first to cross the river. The first to climb the mountain. The first to settle a town. The pioneer is the first to dream dreams about and then build an aircraft, so that 100 years later you and I can fly to the next town, the next state, around the world, or to outer space.

A pioneer needs courage, stamina, endurance and focus.

In His humanity, this same Jesus who came as a baby, is the same Jesus who truly needed the utmost of courage and stamina for His strenuous adult ministry. He broke the trail for us. He also enables and equips us to follow His path. His mission in life required great personal effort. He needed motivation, even as we do. Jesus' motivation and focus was the joy of doing God's will. Our motivation is Jesus, who personally and humanly went before us in all our human experiences.

Now many of us have either met or know of a few self- made men and women. They so often seem proud and driven. Another way is to be a Godly person through Jesus. Because Jesus is the Perfecter of our faith, not ourselves. He is the perfect example of faith. So we are to trust in the strength that Jesus gives, not our own strength. We are assured of fullness of life through Jesus. He will not leave us unresolved and unfinished. He alone will bring us to completion - perfect completion. Jesus, not you, not me, but He will make us whole. Because Jesus has resolved to bring us to perfect completion - our resolution needs to be to turn to him, and keep our eyes on him.

God's strength through Jesus has and will continue to see you and me through a lot. As the Isaiah (43:1-5a) passage and the hymn we sang ("How Firm A Foundation") tell us when we focus of God: Our sorrows will not over take us. Our fiery trials will not consume us. Jesus is our strength and refuge, to whom we must resolutely flee. His strength will cause us to stand firm on that foundation that he has built. Then we will not be swayed by whatever may come our way.

There is an old tune from 1922 that was brought back to life in the 50's and again in the 70's. Many of you may know it. It is called "Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus." The words are: "Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in his wonderful face; and the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of his glory and grace."

These words tell us in a profound way that the same God who came as a child whose birth we have just celebrated - is this same God who has come to deliver us from everything that keeps us separated from Him. He is the same God who gives us strength to endure and grow through all that comes our way. As we turn our eyes, our thinking, our hearts, our focus to Jesus, the things we face here on earth will "grow strangely dim." We are assured of fullness of life through Jesus; because He went before us - as pioneer of our faith. Because He is also the Perfecter of our faith - he is also the perfecter of us. As I said, Jesus will not leave us unresolved and unfinished. He alone will bring us to completion - His perfect completion.

Since Jesus has resolved to bring us to His perfect completion so that we will not be swayed by whatever comes our way, then it naturally stands to reason that our best New Year's Resolution needs to be to turn to Him and keep our focus on Him.