Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the old heaven and the old earth had disappeared. And the sea was also gone. And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven like a beautiful bride prepared for her husband. I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, “Look, the home of God is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them. He will remove all of their sorrows, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. For the old world and its evils are gone forever.” And the one sitting on the throne said, “Look, I am making all things new!” And then he said to me, “Write this down, for what I tell you is trustworthy and true.” And he also said, “It is finished! I am the Alpha and the Omega– the Beginning and the End. To all who are thirsty I will give the springs of the water of life without charge! All who are victorious will inherit all these blessings, and I will be their God, and they will be my children. But cowards who turn away from me, and unbelievers, and the corrupt, and murderers, and the immoral, and those who practice witchcraft, and idol worshipers, and all liars– their doom is in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur. This is the second death.”

Revelation 21:1-8

It’s hard to believe it’s been a year, isn’t it?  What a wonderful journey it has been!  We’ve read of grace and of justice.  We read of saints and of sinners.  We’ve read of sacrifice and of ultimate sacrifice.  And now that we are finishing our story, we read again of God walking among the people in the garden – just as we read in Genesis.

One of my favorite verses in all of scripture is Revelation 21:5 “Look, I am making all things new!”  In many ways this sums up the nature of God.  God is in the new making business.  He is looking to give us new hearts and new lives through His son Jesus Christ.  God’s desire is that we live a new life in Him!  And, ultimately, He wants to live a new life among us in the new creation.

As we begin a new year, know that God is making all things new – including you.  God can give you a new life if you let Him.  Turn your life over to Christ and become a new creation, and live the new abundant life that God has for you!

Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, that you and your descendants might live! Choose to love the LORD your God and to obey him and commit yourself to him, for he is your life. Then you will live long in the land the LORD swore to give your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

Deuteronomy 30:19-20

When it comes down to it, it is our choice.  We can choose either life or death.  We can choose either blessings or curses.  We can choose to live a life that honors and glorifies God or one that goes against the commands of God.  That’s the freedom we have.  We can choose.  But with that is also the requirement – we must choose.  What we do and how we live is our choice, but we cannot choose to do both.  We cannot serve God and serve ourselves.  We cannot follow Christ and follow our own desires.  We must choose one or the other.  And we will choose, daily, whether we will follow God or ourselves.

The freedom of choice is also the responsibility of choice.  By having the freedom to choose we also are responsible for our choice.  What we choose will bring us either a life of blessing or a life of hardship.  But it is our choice.  We choose it.  And we are responsible for the results of our choices.

Today, as we celebrate Christmas, we also choose who we will follow.  Will we follow ourselves or will we follow Christ?  It is our choice and our responsibility for how we live.

A few days later Felix came with his wife, Drusilla, who was Jewish. Sending for Paul, they listened as he told them about faith in Christ Jesus. As he reasoned with them about righteousness and self-control and the judgment to come, Felix was terrified. “Go away for now,” he replied. “When it is more convenient, I’ll call for you again.” He also hoped that Paul would bribe him, so he sent for him quite often and talked with him. Two years went by in this way; then Felix was succeeded by Porcius Festus. And because Felix wanted to gain favor with the Jewish leaders, he left Paul in prison.

Acts 24:24-27

When is a convenient time to hear the gospel?  Never.  There is always an excuse or a reason to not listen to the message of Christ.  People will always find a way to turn away from changing their lives and turning their hearts over to God.  ”I’m a good person.”  ”I’ve got to get some things right first.”  ”God couldn’t love me.”  ”I don’t want to become some religious crazy.”  These are the little lies the world whispers to itself to keep from responding to the gospel.

We can continue to make excuses, but that will never help us change our lives.  An encounter with grace is a scary thing – it means we must admit that we are wrong and need to change.  But it is only when we listen and accept the good news that our lives are transformed.  We can continue to make excuses, but that will never give us the life of purpose and peace that God has for us in Christ Jesus.  We must stop making excuses, stop putting it off, and respond to the grace of Christ.

A psalm of David, regarding his experience in the cave. A prayer.

I cry out to the LORD; I plead for the LORD’s mercy. I pour out my complaints before him and tell him all my troubles. For I am overwhelmed, and you alone know the way I should turn. Wherever I go, my enemies have set traps for me. I look for someone to come and help me, but no one gives me a passing thought! No one will help me; no one cares a bit what happens to me. Then I pray to you, O LORD. I say, “You are my place of refuge. You are all I really want in life. Hear my cry, for I am very low. Rescue me from my persecutors, for they are too strong for me. Bring me out of prison so I can thank you. The godly will crowd around me, for you treat me kindly.”

Psalm 142:1-7

David was depressed.  He was holed away in a cave being pursued by Saul, who was seeking to kill him.  The great blessings promised to him were nowhere to be seen.  He was all alone, it seemed, and with no where to turn.  Where do you turn when life is completely lost?  David turns to God.

I love that the Psalms show such a great range of emotion.  They are a reminder to us that no matter what is going on in life we can turn to God.  Even when it seems the world has abandoned us, God is still with us.  We can turn to Him and trust in Him.  We can cry out to Him and seek His rescue.

When life turns against us, where do we turn?  Truly in the most difficult of times, we can turn to God.

This is the message he has given us to announce to you: God is light and there is no darkness in him at all.

1 John 1:5

I love the image of God as light.  Why?  Because light is more powerful than darkness.  If some place is dark, you can shine light and make it brighter.  But if some place is light, you can’t shine darkness into it to make it darker.  There is no way to make anything darker except by diminishing the light.  Light can overpower dark, but darkness has no effect on light.

In our lives, if we have darkness it isn’t because the darkness has overpowered the light, but it is because we have moved farther away from the light.  If we struggle in darkness it is because we have moved away from the light.  But thanks be to God that we can turn again to Christ and He will shine anew in our lives!  God is light and He wants to shine His light into the darkness of our lives!