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Living Hope SDA Church

Christian Martin

Eyes on the Harvest

And the answer is yes, worthy is the Lamb.

And today as we gather together, we want to open the Word of God and let the Lamb who is worthy speak to our hearts.

Father in heaven, we just want to pause, not to invite you to come into our presence because you have been here from the very beginning.

What we do ask, Lord, is that you would now speak to us through your word.

We wanna open the living word and ask Lord that you would clear our minds and hearts from any distractions and Lord speak to us.

We are here and we want to hear word from you.

So we thank you for answering in Jesus name, Amen.

We're 1 day closer to the coming of Jesus.

You know, in the start of a new year, usually comes with a sense of excitement and anticipation for new experiences.

We don't know what 2025 is going to hold, but we are eager to find out.

We wanna know what God has in store for us.

You know, we get a sense, I don't know about you, but at least for me, every time we come to the new year, I get this new sense of new beginnings.

It's an opportunity to turn a new page in certain areas of our life.

It's an opportunity to start a new chapter in the story that we're living.

You know, there's a sense of motivation to have a renewed sense of purpose and mission.

And The start of a new year seems to be a very fitting context.

It's not mid-year, it's not near the start or the end.

After all, we often remember a significant event in time by what year it took place.

Our memories are labeled and categorized in our minds by what year it took place.

For example, you know, I was baptized in 1986.

It's a year that I I took a new turn in my life.

And it was in 1993 when I moved as a teenager with my parents to the Philippines.

It was an experience that impacted the rest of my life.

It was in 2001 when Heidi and I got married.

It was in 2006 when we had our first child.

It was in 2008 when I ran my first marathon.

And I know you have events in your life that were notable, that were significant, that are remembered by the year they took place.

And so it is, so it is, memorable events that is in the church.

After all, we're family and we go through a journey and experience ourselves.

It was in 2020 when Living Hope courageously faced the pandemic head on, and by God's grace, we endured well.

It was in 2021 when Living Hope doubled its starting membership and we had a reason to rejoice.

It was in 2023 when Living Hope adventurously experienced its first mission trip to Antigua, Guatemala.

And by God's grace, we were able to plan a church, which today is Living Hope Antigua, and God is blessing in amazing ways.

And it was in 2024, just last year, when Living Hope faithfully, faithfully, for the glory of God, surpassed $1 million in tithe giving, for the glory of God.

That's just an indication that we want to be faithful to God, we want to be faithful stewards.

And again, memorable things happen in the storyline of our church family that we remember as we do in our personal lives.

Things happen in which we remember and the memory of it inspires us.

But we also long for new beginnings because of a painful past.

Things in our lives that we wish we could simply forget about.

Things in our lives that we wish they could just be gone.

I'm thankful though that the Word of God offers some encouragement.

In fact, the apostle Paul offers some sound advice on how to begin a new year.

And he writes in 2 Corinthians 5, verse 17, these words.

In fact, why don't we read them together?

Join me as we read Paul's sound advice on how to start anew.

Therefore if anyone is in Christ he is a new creation.

Maybe, maybe, just maybe it's dishonesty or lying and you want for it to pass away.

Maybe it's substance abuse that no 1 else knows about and you want it to pass away.

Maybe it's gossiping or speaking negatively about others.

Maybe it's emotional pain and you want for it to pass away.

Maybe it's a lackadaisical attitude towards the Great Commission to make disciples and you want for that to pass away.

Maybe you've been in the church for a long time and like the scripture tells us, It is possible to lose your first love.

And you know it's been like that for way too long.

Well, there's only 1 way for all these things to pass away.

It's a new year, it's a new beginning, and how can the things of old pass away?

Paul, Paul tells us very clearly, there is only 1 way, only 1 way for things of old to pass away.

You know that phrase in Christ, that expression in Christ would be 1 of the top 5, 10 expressions that we hear about or hear so often in church, in Christ.

What does it really mean to be in Christ?

You know, the expression in Christ and in the Lord or in him occurs 164 times in the writings of Paul alone.

To be in Christ, I'll begin with what it's not.

To be in Christ does not mean that it's it's being inside of Christ.

Like tools in a box, or clothes in a closet.

And by that I mean like a limb is in the body, like a branch is in the vine.

It's an intimacy, a relationship with Christ that brings 2 beings together as 1.

It's a unity of the heart and of the mind.

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Eyes on the Harvest

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