On the first Sunday morning of this month, I gave you ten resolutions for the New Year. Allow me to refresh your memory.

(1) I will read the Bible daily.

(2) I will begin making lasting footprints.

(3) I will set some life goals.

(4) I will begin witnessing for Christ.

(5) I will become a thankful person.

(6) I will become a forgiving person.
 
(7) I will become a consistent person.

(8) I will take Jacob’s Pledge.

(9) I will be a stronger family member.

(10) I will begin writing my epitaph.

What epitaph would I prefer? “Godly husband, father, grandfather, pastor, patriot and Christian educator.”

On the first Sunday evening of this month, I told you to make today the first day of the rest of your life… in other words… start a new life today with the score zero/zero.

Revelation 2:4-5, “Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. 5 Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.”

Three verbs: Remember… Repent… Do.

(1) WE MUST “REMEMBER” THE JOY OF DOING THE FIRST WORKS.

1. The joy of sins forgiven.
2. The joy of a personal relationship with Christ.
3. The joy of fellowship with other believers.
4. The joy of witnessing to others.
5. The joy of commitment to my local church.
6. The joy of Christian service.

(2) WE MUST “REPENT” FOR LEAVING OUR FIRST LOVE.

(3) WE MUST “DO” THE FIRST WORKS AGAIN.

1 A fresh commitment to Christ.  

1. Daily Bible reading and prayer.
2. Select a good daily devotional.
3. Practice faithful church attendance.
4. Choose a personal ministry.
5. Learn how to share Christ with others.
6. Dedicate at least a tithe to the Lord.

2 A renewal of your vision.

3 Take some new steps of faith.

Today, I want to give you a simple formula on how to make today the first day of the rest of your life… how to start all over again!

Zechariah 4:10, “For who hath despised the day of small things?”

YOUR FAMILY.
When we married in 1958, Macel and I paid $62.50 monthly rent. $15 monthly utilities. I earned $65 weekly… she earned $85. We were 24 years old.

YOUR MINISTRY.
Charles Spurgeon preached to thousands in London each Lord's Day, yet he started his ministry by passing out tracts and teaching a Sunday school class as a teenager. When he began to give short addresses to the Sunday school, God blessed his ministry of the Word. He was invited to preach in obscure places in the countryside, and he used every opportunity to honor the Lord. He was faithful in the small things, and God trusted him with the greater things. "I am perfectly sure," he said, "that, if I had not been willing to preach to those small gatherings of people in obscure country places, I should never have had the privilege of preaching to thousands of men and women in large buildings all over the land. Remember our Lord's rule, "whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted." (Wycliffe Handbook of Preaching & Preachers, W. Wiersbe, p. 221)

On June 21, 1956, TRBC was founded in the Donald Duck Bottling Co. with 35 adults. God gave me a plan… 100 doors daily. Numbers are important.

Acts 5:42, “And daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ.”

YOUR BUSINESS.
Proverbs 24:27 (KJV), “Prepare thy work without, and make it fit for thyself in the field; and afterwards build thine house.”
 
Proverbs 24:27 (TLB), “Develop your business first before building your house.”

BE WILLING TO START ALONE.
I Corinthians 15:58, “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.”

REGENERATION AND RENEWAL ARE PERSONAL.
Romans 10:13, “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
 
I John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

A man drove here from Idaho this week to get saved. He drove alone in his truck with only his dog. He is terminally ill and wanted to get saved.
 
BE WILLING TO START OVER WITH A BROKEN HEART.
Romans 8:35-39, “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. 37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. 38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, 39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Dr. Rebecca Carwile died Friday morning. We all face death everyday. How do we deal with it?

When Tomorrow Starts Without Me
 
When tomorrow starts without me, and I'm not there to see;
If the sun should rise and find your eyes all filled with tears for me;
I wish so much you wouldn't cry, the way you did today;
While thinking of the many things we didn't get to say.
I know how much you love me, as much as I love you,
And each time that you think of me, I know you'll miss me too.
 
But when tomorrow starts without me, please try to understand;
That an angel came and called my name, and took me by the hand;
And said my place was ready, in Heaven far above;
And that I'd have to leave behind all those I dearly love.
 
When I walked through Heaven's gates, I felt so much at home;
When God looked down and smiled at me from His great golden Throne;
He said, "This is eternity, and all I've promised you;

Today your life on earth is past, but here it starts anew.
There is no past or future here, but one eternal now,
For in My Presence, precious child, this day will always last.”
 
So when tomorrow starts without me, don't think we're far apart;
For every time you think of me, I'm right there near your heart.
And I, knowing now, as God knows me;
Will joyfully watch you serving Him,
Till we are  joined together in this wonderful place, for all eternity.
(Author unknown)

BE WILLING TO START OVER WITH A BROKEN FAMILY.
Matthew 19:5-9, “And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh? 6 Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. … 9 And I say unto you, Whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery: and whoso marrieth her which is put away doth commit adultery.”

Fact #1: Millions of Americans are divorced and millions more will be divorced in the immediate years ahead.  

Fact # 2: God hates divorce but God loves divorced people.  

The fact is that scripture permits divorce and remarriage on certain conditions.  I read to you a text a moment ago which makes this very clear. Our Lord said "except it be for fornication". Obviously, the purpose for biblical grounds for divorce is to create biblical grounds for remarriage.

Fact # 3 - The church must offer forgiveness and acceptance for all God’s children.  

The Christian counselor, in most cases, must work very hard to get estranged marriage partners to forgive one another and effect reconciliation.

Our primary calling is to teach youth to marry in the will of God and to avoid divorce by all means.  

But, the church must also reach out lovingly to all divorced persons. Our ministry is to mortals. And mortals make mistakes. All mortals.

Fact # 4: Divorce and remarriage in the Lord do not result in perpetual adultery.