BELOVED
PRAYING GOD’S COMFORT AND
PEACE OVER YOU THIS YEAR!
YOUR LOOP FAMILY
Purpose, Living the Vision God Set You Apart For (How Do I Do This?) pt.1
All Scripture taken from the New Living Translation
We are starting a new sermon series today, and it will be a seven-part series…
This series will be about finding our purpose in God’s Kingdom…
How we can live the vision God set each of us apart for…
Long before we were born God knew who we were… And if we so choose to believe in Jesus and accept Him, we will then join Him in the vision God set us apart for…
Psalm 139:16 – You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in Your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.
Ephesians 2:10 – For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things He planned for us long ago.
As we head into a new year… With all the unknowns ahead of us… God has specific plans for each one of us…
And He has specific plans for us as a church…
And today, we are going to look at how we join Him in the vision for those plans…
How do we grab hold of the vision God has for each of us and successfully live it out?
As a sidenote, throughout this series I am going to share some of the new things we have planned here at Vineyard Community for 2025…
I am going into 2025 with the faith that this is going to be a breakout year for VCC!
Not just as a church, but also individually, for me, for you, as kingdom minded people in a church family…
That this will be the year we partner with God and what He’s doing like we’ve never partnered with Him before!
So, how do we do this… How do we believe in so that it becomes a reality?
Philippians 3:12-14 – 12 I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. 13 No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it,[a] but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.
A lot of people live the same year over and over again… The same week, the same month… The same year… Nothing significant happening, nothing changing…
How do we press into what it is God has for us? How do press into and take hold of what it is God is calling us to do…
None of us have, nor will we ever reach perfection here on earth…
However, our faith walk with Jesus should be a constant move toward that…
An adventure in the Kingdom here on earth as we keep in mind the end goal of the heavenly prize for which God, through Jesus, is calling us to…
How do we continue to move forward in this adventure and not grow weary… Not grow stagnant…
We must ask the right questions… And it starts as a constant evaluation process…
We are heading into a new year, so let’s keep it simple and narrow it down to a couple ways we can evaluate our spiritual lives that will help us dial in all the other questions that will follow…
First question to ask (And invite Jesus into this process when we do this) is what do I need to put off and what do I need to put on?
Seems like the classic new year’s resolution question to ask…
What needs to change in my life to live the vision God set me apart for?
Ephesians 4:22-24 – 22 throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. 23 Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. 24 Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy.
This ought to be the first question we ask when evaluating ourselves…
Especially, when we are trying to move forward in life, and in the Kingdom…
“Jesus, what has gotten in the way of becoming who You see me as?”
This is a two-fold process that I think many of us only do the first part…
We stop doing what we ought not be doing, and we think we’re good…
But then we find ourselves back at it again… And it becomes an endless cycle…
The power of God comes in this process when we stop doing what’s holding us down… And start doing something new… Something Kingdom minded!
This is where the wisdom and power of God’s Holy Spirit comes in…
Criticizing, tearing down others, gossiping… These are things people think will elevate them in front of others… People find power in this…
These things can be replaced by encouraging others… Start finding ways to encourage others… Lift people up… Help others succeed…
A judgmental attitude can be replaced with finding the good… Encouraging.
Maybe it’s jealousy and envy… Do you know what replaces jealousy and envy?
Generosity… Start tithing or giving… Instead of wanting what others have, or thinking you are not where you think you should be in the world…
Find ways to give… Giving back to the Kingdom what God has already poured into your life builds a sense of purpose in the Kingdom…
You will feel better, and God will begin to instill in you how valuable you are to those on the receiving end of your generosity.
Maybe it’s immoral thoughts or actions, maybe addictions… Find someone you can trust as an accountability partner.
Part of this process is what the Apostle Paul wrote in Philippians 3:13 when he said to press into what Jesus had for him was that he had to forget about the past and look forward to what lies ahead…
When we recognize what’s holding us back, lay it down, and fill it with a new character trait…
As we forget about the past… In other words, don’t focus on the mistakes, the bad habits, the bad memories, or experiences…
But look forward to, and focus on the new… On what lies ahead…
This is a process, and will take time, but it is an ongoing process we will be doing while we slowly move out of the struggle of our sinful nature…
How many here are familiar with the original Karate Kid movie?
Wax on wax off… Paint fence up/down… Breathe in through nose/Out mouth…
The more we know the Word of God, the more our spiritual muscle memory will come into play when we lay things down…
As we put bad habits down… And then as we press into something new…
Before we know it, the Holy Spirit is renewing our thoughts and character to be more like Jesus.
It’s not about becoming the perfect person to live out the vision God set us apart for…
It’s about doing our best and allowing God’s Holy Spirit to transform us into His likeness…
Putting off the old and putting on the new is a constant in the Christian life…
We’re constantly pressing into the transformation process that forms our character into the likeness of Jesus…
And the more we become aware of this transformation process…
The more available we make ourselves when it comes to joining God in the vision He has for us…
Romans 12:2 – Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.
It’s a spiritual discipline just like we see in the Karate Kid…
Everything Mr. Myagi had Danielson doing was in preparation for when the times come to use what he’s been learning…
The more we read God’s Word, the more we understand how He operates, and the closer our relationship becomes as we transform more and more into the likeness of Jesus…
The more this transformation process becomes a part of who we are… The easier it will be to put off the old… And put on the new..(This is not a one and done process)
God’s will for us is the vision we’re talking about…
Galatians 5:24-25 – Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to His cross and crucified them there. Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives.
Again, this is a process… So where are we with the sinful desires that keep us from fulfilling the vision God has for us?
Are they nailed to the cross? Have we given them to Jesus? Or are we carrying them with us like old dirty clothes?
That’s the first part of our evaluation process, and questions to ask…
Then we move into the area of open doors… As we ask God what it is that He has for us we look for the “Open doors” of opportunity…
As we move into a new year, with new plans, and new vision, and new everything…
What is the path that God has laid out for us, and how do we successfully follow it?
Unfortunately, God doesn’t email or text us with all the plans clearly written out…
It’s a process of moving forward, trusting Him, and following His lead…
And yes, mistakes and missteps will be made… But that’s part of the process… And so is opposition…
In Paul’s letter to the Corinthians, he tells them he plans on visiting, but that he has things to do where he’s at for the moment, and many are against him…
1 Corinthians 16:5,8-9 -I am coming to visit you after I have been to Macedonia… In the meantime, I will be staying here at Ephesus until the Festival of Pentecost. There is a wide-open door for a great work here, although many oppose me.
An open door is anywhere we sense God is calling us to join Him…
God may be opening doors in your life with your marriage… Maybe it’s a job opportunity… Maybe God wants to work through you in certain areas of ministry…
Sharing the Good News that brings great joy to people that nobody else can reach but you…
Maybe God is calling you to start a life group… Join a life group… Become more involved at the church… Go on a mission trip… Serve more, help more, become more available…
Maybe there’s an open door with your finances God wants you to join Him in… Maybe it’s an open door with personal growth…. The opportunities are endless…
Here’s what I love about this passage in 1 Corinthians…
Paul was coming to Corinth… But he knew God wanted him to do some work in Ephesus first… For how long we don’t know…
But what we do know is that the door was wide open, and many were opposing him
Opposition, or problems does not necessarily mean the door is closed…
There’s another story in the book of Acts chapter 16 where Paul and his team were heading to the province of Asia to preach the good news, but the Bible tells us that,
“The Holy Spirit prevented them from preaching in Asia at that time.”
They understood that God closed the door…
Then, that night Paul had a vision of a man from Macedonia begging for Paul’s help…
Paul and his team concluded that God was opening a door for the Gospel to be preached in Macedonia, so they changed their plans and headed that way…
It was not the right time for Paul to go to Asia, but Macedonia was ready for the good news of Jesus… There was clear confirmation in this!
This is where prayer, wisdom, discernment and confirmation from others comes into play…
If we are not constantly evaluating ourselves and putting off the things we ought not be doing… Not entertaining our sinful nature… And putting on the likeness of Christ Jesus…
If this evaluation is not part of who we are as followers of Jesus…
It becomes much harder for us to discern what doors are open, and what doors are closed…
What is opposition, and what is a closed door…
In both these cases the Apostle Paul did not stop what he was doing…
He kept moving… He kept his eyes open to see where God was moving… Where God was leading him… He made himself available and he moved in that direction…
What does that look like? It means he prayed… He prayed with his team, with others… He sought God’s wisdom… He used discernment…
And trusted the confirmation of others…
Most of all he trusted God and followed God’s lead…
Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.
1 Corinthians 15:58
Many of us have been banging on a closed door and we don’t know why God isn’t opening it…
It could be that’s not part of His vision for our lives…
I may not like the fact that God didn’t open a door for me… But it all comes down to trust…
I must trust that He has something more beneficial for the Kingdom that He wants me to join Him in…
I must trust that a closed door means God knows what’s best for me, as I make what’s important to Him, important to me!
In closing…
As we start this series… And as we close out another year, and look forward to a new year ahead…
Let’s together as a church commit to making this a year of putting off and putting on.
Looking for the doors God has opened for us, and discerning what is opposition and what is a closed door…
All with the understanding that this is going to be challenging… There are going to be mistakes, and there are going to be missteps…
But there will also be victories, and successes as we learn to make the most of every opportunity, making this a year we live out the vision God set us apart for!
Proverbs 16:3 – Commit your actions to the Lord, and your plans will succeed.
Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings. 1 Peter 5:8-9
Ancient New Year’s Celebrations
History.com Editors, February 16, 2010
The earliest recorded festivities in honor of a new year’s arrival date back some 4,000 years to ancient Babylon. For the Babylonians, the first new moon following the vernal equinox—the day in late March with an equal amount of sunlight and darkness—heralded the start of a new year. They marked the occasion with a massive religious festival called Akitu (derived from the Sumerian word for barley, which was cut in the spring) that involved a different ritual on each of its 11 days.
In addition to the new year, Atiku celebrated the mythical victory of the Babylonian sky god Marduk over the evil sea goddess Tiamat and served an important political purpose: It was during this time that a new king was crowned or that the current ruler’s divine mandate was symbolically renewed.
Did you know? In order to realign the Roman calendar with the sun, Julius Caesar had to add 90 extra days to the year 46 B.C. when he introduced his new Julian calendar.
Throughout antiquity, civilizations around the world developed increasingly sophisticated calendars, typically pinning the first day of the year to an agricultural or astronomical event. In Egypt, for instance, the year began with the annual flooding of the Nile, which coincided with the rising of the star Sirius. The first day of the Lunar New Year, meanwhile, occurred with the second new moon after the winter solstice.
January 1 Becomes New Year’s Day
The early Roman calendar consisted of 10 months and 304 days, with each new year beginning at the vernal equinox; according to tradition, it was created by Romulus, the founder of Rome, in the eighth century B.C. A later king, Numa Pompilius, is credited with adding the months of Januarius and Februarius.
Over the centuries, the calendar fell out of sync with the sun, and in 46 B.C. Julius Caesar decided to solve the problem by consulting with the most prominent astronomers and mathematicians of his time. He introduced the Julian calendar, which closely resembles the more modern Gregorian calendar that most countries around the world use today.
As part of his reform, Caesar instituted January 1 as the first day of the year, partly to honor the month’s namesake: Janus, the Roman god of beginnings, whose two faces allowed him to look back into the past and forward into the future. Romans celebrated by offering sacrifices to Janus, exchanging gifts with one another, decorating their homes with laurel branches and attending raucous parties.
In medieval Europe, Christian leaders temporarily replaced January 1 as the first of the year with days carrying more religious significance, such as December 25 (the anniversary of Jesus’ birth) and March 25 (the Feast of the Annunciation); Pope Gregory XIII reestablished January 1 as New Year’s Day in 1582.
New Year’s Traditions and Celebrations Around the World
In many countries, New Year’s celebrations begin on the evening of December 31—New Year’s Eve—and continue into the early hours of January 1. Revelers often enjoy meals and snacks thought to bestow good luck for the coming year. In Spain and several other Spanish-speaking countries, people bolt down a dozen grapes-symbolizing their hopes for the months ahead-right before midnight.
In many parts of the world, traditional New Year’s dishes feature legumes, which are thought to resemble coins and herald future financial success; examples include lentils in Italy and black-eyed peas in the southern United States. Because pigs represent progress and prosperity in some cultures, pork appears on the New Year’s Eve table in Cuba, Austria, Hungary, Portugal and other countries. Ring-shaped cakes and pastries, a sign that the year has come full circle, round out the feast in the Netherlands, Mexico, Greece and elsewhere. In Sweden and Norway, meanwhile, rice pudding with an almond hidden inside is served on New Year’s Eve; it is said that whoever finds the nut can expect 12 months of good fortune.
Other customs that are common worldwide include watching fireworks and singing songs to welcome the new year, including the ever-popular “Auld Lang Syne” in many English-speaking countries. The practice of making resolutions for the new year is thought to have first caught on among the ancient Babylonians, who made promises in order to earn the favor of the gods and start the year off on the right foot. (They would reportedly vow to pay off debts and return borrowed farm equipment.)
In the United States, the most iconic New Year’s tradition is the dropping of a giant ball in New York City’s Times Square at the stroke of midnight. Millions of people around the world watch the event, which has taken place almost every year since 1907. Over time, the ball itself has ballooned from a 700-pound iron-and-wood orb to a brightly patterned sphere 12 feet in diameter and weighing in at nearly 12,000 pounds. Various towns and cities across America have developed their own versions of the Times Square ritual, organizing public drops of items ranging from pickles (Dillsburg, Pennsylvania) to possums (Tallapoosa, Georgia) at midnight on New Year’s Eve.
