What Now?
Sermon • Submitted • Presented • 34:25
0 ratings
· 230 viewsFiles
Notes
Transcript
We have survived 2020.
We have survived 2020.
This is good news as we are just days away from turning the calendar to a new year. The Lord has seen us through this year, as He has in every year prior.
The world is different.
The world is different.
2020 has changed the world in many ways. Some of which we will only realize as we look back in 10plus years.
Technology
Education
Religion/Faith
Government
Healthcare
Economy
We may be asking, what now?
We may be asking, what now?
In the midst of these changes what are we do to now? Now, how do I share my faith with others? How will I grow in knowing Jesus? the list could go on.
Now what will God do? Is the end really near? We are in between the two advents/comings of Christ and this can be a disorientating time. Yet, we are not alone in these times.
Take a look at this video as we turn our thoughts toward our Scripture text this morning. (Show video Dear 2020)
God is still active.
God is still active.
I believe this to be true even though there have been times in 2020 I wasn’t sure what He was up to, and still not sure I understand. When Jesus was born the world had been changed dramatically by the Roman Empire. The Jews were living in the years of silence since the end of the time of Ezra/Nehemiah. God had not done a great thing, or so it seemed, in many years.
But God was still working. Here in our text we see that the Holy Spirit was still active and alive in those days, just like he is today. Simeon and Anna are two examples of God working in the midst of a changing world. Simeon has received a promise and God is faithful.
We must patiently endure.
We must patiently endure.
This is one of the lessons of Simeon. He patiently endured waiting on the Lord. This is one of my hardest tasks each week, to patiently endure whatever is before me.
Continue in the Word.
Continue in the Word.
Simeon was well versed in the prophecies of Isaiah. If we want to see God show up in 2021 we must be in the Bible in order to see what He is doing.
We must allow the Spirit to reveal our hearts.
We must allow the Spirit to reveal our hearts.
As we move into the new year we must allow the Spirit to do what He wants to do. We must be willing to allow Jesus to pierce our heart to reveal what is in it. Then we must allow him to heal our hearts through forgiveness. I hope sometime in the beginning of 2021 to lead us in a series on forgiveness. I think 2020 has revealed some of what is in our hearts and one of the areas we need healing is in forgiving one another.
Continue in prayer.
Continue in prayer.
Not only must we be people of the Word, we must be people of prayer. How will you deepen your commitment to prayer. How will you join with others to pray? How can prayer be baked into every ministry we do? Though I believe this is something we as a church are good at, we must persevere in prayer. I wonder, and I am just thinking out loud, if we could “plant” a few more prayer gatherings in our community?
We pray so we can go/act.
We pray so we can go/act.
Simeon and Anna didn’t just pray so they could be filled with goodness. They prayed so they could know when and where to go. The same is true for us.
In 2021, may we be filled with wisdom.
In 2021, may we be filled with wisdom.
Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.
For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light.