A Brand New Year, Is it the Same Old You?

Introduction

If I went about picking them, that might have been one of my favorite songs. But if I just named everyone, that was my favorite song, that would be the length of my sermon this morning. If you want to open your Bibles with me to Matthew chapter 25, Matthew chapter 25. As we consider this new year, I hope everyone had some good festivities and enjoyed time with family and friends. We realize that we make these things like resolutions where we decide that we’re going to be certain ways or act a sort a certain way. I’d like you to consider, am I like Christ this morning? It’s a pretty basic question. It’s a question that we all realize we should be. We should be like Christ. After all, we take the name, many of us, Christians, and so we want to be like him.

He was perfect, and that’s what we are to strive to be. So we’ll read in Matthew chapter 25. Let’s note this lesson that Jesus teaches. And then, after we discuss the lesson itself, move into some particulars about Jesus and how he acted, and how we can be like that in this new year. Well, you read with me beginning in verse 31. When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. Then the king will say to those on his right, Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.

For I was hungry and you gave me food. I was thirsty and you gave me drink. I was a stranger and you welcomed me. I was naked and you clothed me. I was sick and you visited me. I was in prison and you came to me. Then the righteous will answer him, saying, Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you drink? When did we see you as stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you? And the king will answer them, Truly I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these, my brothers. You did it to me. Then he will say to those on his left, Depart from me, you cursed into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.

For I was hungry and you gave me no food. I was thirsty and you gave me no drink. I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and imprisoned, and you did not visit me. Then they will also answer, saying, Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty, or a stranger or naked or sick, or in prison, and did not minister to you? Then he will answer them saying, Truly I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me. And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.

1. Are We the Sheep or the Goats?

Is it the same old you? And my question would be, Well, which of these groups are we in? Are we one of the sheep or one of the goats? Jesus makes it clear that these are the groupings. And the way to identify who was in which camp is clear. Did you see that they both asked the same question? After they were sorted, when Jesus explains why they are where they are, what did they both say? Do you see it in your text? They said, When did we see you hungry? When did we see you thirsty? When did we see you sick and in prison? When did that happen? But what was the real difference between the two? Well, you see it in that first group. Will you look with me back at verse 34?

Well, he’s identifying them as the blessed by the Father, those who are going to inherit the kingdom. Well, who were they? Well, verse thirty five, they were those who provided. He said, For I was hungry and you gave me food. I was thirsty and you gave me drink. I was a stranger and you welcomed me. Do you see that the group, the sheep, those who are on the right, those who would inherit the kingdom, were those who were there for Christ? But you know what’s really interesting about that? Is that first and foremost, everyone was there. Did you see it in verse 32? Yes, the group, the sheep, yes, they were good, and they deserved their moment in the sun, so to speak. But note in verse 32.

Before him will be gathered all the nations. And he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. Now, when it says in verse 32, before him will be gathered all the nations, this isn’t necessarily some roll call like we might have Russia come and America stand. And it’s not even really in churches. We won’t have the South Bumbi group meet. We won’t have the former Par Street group meet. We won’t have all these different congregations meet. Who is it that will be separated? We see as the verse continues, it is the people. The sheep will go towards eternal life in verse 46, and those who are the goats into, do you see it in verse 46? I really want to draw our attention to this verse this morning.

Into eternal punishment. Now that’s pretty straightforward, and it makes a lot of sense. We know that those who are not there for Jesus will not be there with Jesus for all of eternity. But do you know who it was that they helped? Well, we see that there were only two groups in verse 33. And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. The sheep on the right and the goats on the left. There were just those two groups. There was no third grouping. What’s interesting about that is that those sheep cared for Christ. But who did they really show their concern for? They showed their concern for those who Christ loved. You see in verse 40? And the king will answer them.

Truly I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers. You did it to me. Do you see that that’s who the sheep were? The sheep were those who saw somebody in need. And it wasn’t just in the physical flesh, Jesus the Christ. It was those who saw the least of those who were the brethren of Christ. And who was it who were part of the goats? Well, they were those who saw those. They didn’t see Jesus there. But they saw those who were hungry. They saw those who were thirsty and sick. But what was the difference among these people? Well, they too didn’t recognize that it was Jesus. But they did not help. They did not minister then.

Do you see in verse 44? Then they will also answer saying, Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison and did not minister to you? You see, we would be a lot different if we could minister to Jesus. You look at this grouping and we say, okay, I know I’m going to be judged. I know that there is heaven and that there is hell. I know that Jesus cares for his people, and I care for Jesus. But do we really? As we consider the past year for just a moment this morning. How much have I done for those who would be the brethren of Christ? Who I might consider the least of them? Who have I aided?

2. Jesus Was Compassionate Towards Others

Have I aided anyone? Or do I realize that perhaps maybe even if I did aid others, I could do a lot better? And perhaps if we’re honest, all of us could say we could do a lot better. And perhaps, if I’m honest, I could say I could do something this new year. And that might qualify at all. But we know we want to be a part of those who are on his right in verse 33. That are those who are the sheep. But I want to consider this morning. Am I going to be different this year? And if so, how? I think if there’s any resolution that’s good, it’s going to be to be like Christ. So what do we see from this verse? Well, we see Jesus was compassionate towards others.

We open your Bibles to Matthew chapter 14. We know this about Jesus. He certainly cared for those who he was separating, those who had been helped, those who had been aided. But you see in Matthew chapter 14, we note something about Jesus. And I wonder if we feel the same way. In Matthew chapter 14, beginning in verse 13. Now when Jesus heard this, he withdrew from there in a boat to a desolate place by himself. But when the crowds heard it, they followed him on foot from the towns. When he went ashore, he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them and healed their sick. Now when it was evening, the disciples came and said, This is a desolate place, and the day is now over.

Send the crowds away to go into the villages and buy food for themselves. But Jesus said, They need not go away. You give them something to eat. They said, Then we have only five loaves here and two fish. He said, Bring them here to me. Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass, and taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and said a blessing. Then he broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. And they all ate and were satisfied, and they took up twelve baskets full of the broken pieces left over, and those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children. But did you see verse fourteen?

When Jesus is looking at these people who were listening to him, what did he see? These five thousand men besides women and children. Well, he saw the great crowd, and he had compassion on them, and healed their sick. There was a very physical aspect to Christ’s compassion. Absolutely, Jesus came to seek and save the lost, but Jesus most assuredly cared for his followers. He cared for those who are listening. At this time, he provided for their meal and he healed their sick. Now, the question for me then is if I am like the Christ, what have I done? Well, perhaps I find myself not being too loving towards those who aren’t Christ. I think, I think I can say with great certainty, if I saw Jesus on the side of the road, I would be the first person if I was the first one there to stop and help him, wouldn’t you?

If we saw Jesus needy and needing food or clothing or shelter, would we not be the first person there to help out our Lord and Savior? I certainly hope so. I think there’s something about New Year’s resolutions, though, that we don’t always follow through with. And the best I can tell, there’s about three groupings of reasons why we don’t meet our goals. Have you ever set a goal? Raise your hand if you’ve set a New Year’s resolution. Now keep your hand up if you have never once failed to keep your resolution. Good. We don’t have to talk about lying this morning. Now, if there are three goals, now why would something not get done? After all, we want to fulfill the resolution, otherwise we wouldn’t have said it.

The first one is, well, frankly, sometimes we don’t get things done because we have no interest in doing them. You know that. That’s the dreaded laundry, the dreaded dishes, the dirty diapers. That’s the fun tasks in life. We just have no interest in doing them. So what happens to them? Well, they get pushed down, pushed to the side because somebody else can do it, certainly. And then we see the second reason I think New Year’s resolutions don’t always get fulfilled, or even any tasks that we may have, because there are more important things to do first. After all, I want to do a ton of things. I would love to be fluid in French. I would love to be able to fly and travel the world, but after all, I have other things to do.

And so sometimes we don’t do things because we have more important things to do. But I think the third reason that goals don’t get met is because we don’t set specific goals for those goals. You see, what’s interesting about the Bible and being like Christ is we should have interest in doing it. So the first reason that goals don’t get done as saying no interest in doing it should not apply. We should have intense interest in being like Christ. Amen. We need to be pushing towards him all the time. So why aren’t I doing that? Well, is it maybe because I put other things first? Certainly that could have been the case of those in Matthew chapter 25 who did not tend to the hungry or sick.

Perhaps they were very busy people. And with it not being the Lord Himself, maybe they just decided I have other things to be doing. Perhaps that’s why I haven’t served as many as I should, and perhaps that’s why you haven’t served as many as you could have this past calendar year. But consider this third reason. No specific goals. That should not be a reason. If I’m going to be compassionate towards others, I need to know that Jesus was compassionate towards others. And if he is, that should be sufficient for me to say, this is what I should do. So let’s forth some, let’s set forth some specific goals this morning. Is there anything that you can do to help others? Well think. Maybe you can cook some meals for those who are in need.

Now that sounds great, but you know what’s interesting about cooking for others is if you’re a good cook, even, you want to cook for other people too. Or perhaps you get busy because life just gets in the way. You know, being a Christian isn’t always just living on autopilot. So if I want to cook for others, here’s an example of a specific goal. I want to cook meals for 24 people this calendar year. You know why I picked 24? Because it’s easily divisible by twelve. See that? If I decide I want to help twenty-four people this year by cooking them a meal, how could I do that? Perhaps I make it a goal to do two times a month. I try to help someone with a meal just two times a month.

And what I can do is as I’m going through this calendar here, I can say, I have helped at least two people each month. Wouldn’t that be a whole lot better than helping no one because I don’t have a target to aim at? You see, when you think about the Good Samaritan story in Luke chapter 10, turn over there. You consider that Jesus was answering the question, who is my neighbor? And certainly we have plenty of need around us if you read the conclusion of the Good Samaritan, who was their neighbor. Well, in Luke chapter 10 and verse 25, we see the lawyer who put him to the test. He said, Good teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? Jesus said, What is written in the law?

How do you read it? You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself. But verse 29, after Jesus says, Do this and you will live, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, and who is my neighbor? And of course we have the great story of the Good Samaritan when you see the Levi and the priest pass by the wounded man on the road. But who is it that stops by? Oh, that dreaded Samaritan man. You see, everyone is our neighbor. Who was it that showed mercy? The Samaritan man. Who was it that we would have expected to show mercy? The Levi or the priest. Who is our neighbor?

Everyone is our neighbor. There is plenty of good for us to be doing this year. We can help others, and we must. We look at Galatians chapter 6. Turn with me to Galatians chapter 6. We need to realize that just because the church helps others does not make me no longer responsible. In Galatians chapter 6, you see in verse 10. So then as we have opportunity, who is the weak? Let’s go back to verse 1 before we finish. Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted. Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. For if anyone thinks he is something, then he isn’t when he is nothing, he deceives himself.

But let each one test his own work, then his reason to boast will be in himself alone and not in his neighbor. For each will have to bear his own load. Do you see that this is to the individual? So we come down to verse 10. So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone. Especially to those of the household of faith. Now there are a lot of people here this morning. Not everyone here this morning is a member of the South Bumby Church. But consider that there is a great number of people who are in need. In fact, you know what’s interesting about looking around is you see who isn’t here this morning. In fact, at this congregation, the groups after each Sunday morning, at least most of them, they gather together and we pass out these things called orange cards that make known who which people were absent, which people were sick.

And perhaps that’s a perfect opportunity for me to realize Jesus was compassionate to others. I need to be compassionate towards others. Maybe I make it my goal that I will take every orange card that I can and make sure that I follow through with it. Absolutely, we may miss some. If you set a group, if you set a goal, excuse me, of making meals for two people each month, you may fall short. But if you just fall short two months, you’ve still helped 20 people this calendar year. And I’ve got to tell you, sometimes when I aim at nothing, you know what I often hit? Nothing. Just about every time. It’s time that we set specific goals in being like Christ. Not just saying, He’s perfect and I should be like that.

3. Jesus Was Judgmental of Right and Wrong

I’m going to be compassionate because Jesus was compassionate, and I’m going to set goals to get me there. But you see something else in Matthew chapter 25. What’s interesting about this judgment scene is that Jesus was judgmental of right and wrong. Now, when you say today, I’m going to be like Christ, you know what people think about? Oh, Christ just loved everybody. You know, being like Jesus means it doesn’t matter what you say, as long as you really believe in God and believe that he exists, that’s pretty much all you got to do. We’re all the same. I mean, you may do it your way, I may do it my way. But you know what’s interesting about that opinion of Jesus is that is foreign to the New Testament understanding of who Jesus is.

In fact, not only in Matthew chapter 25 is does Jesus separate the sheep and the goats into just those two groups, but all throughout the scripture, Jesus constantly speaks of one way or the other way. Do you see in Matthew chapter 7? Look at two examples here with me. In Matthew chapter 7 and verse 13 and 14. Now, note how many different ways there are to go. In Matthew chapter 7 and verse 13, Jesus says, enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide, and the way is easy that leads to destruction. And those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow, and the way is hard that leads to life. And those who find it are few. So how many ways are there?

Well, not surprisingly, there are just two ways. Well, in verse 13, there is the broad way, and where does that lead? To destruction. But where does that narrow way lead? To life. How many find it? Few. If I’m going to find or be a part of that narrow way, I need to realize that there is a narrow way. That starts by realizing that Jesus is, as he says in 14 and verse 6 of the book of John, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. Brothers and sisters, we must teach that Jesus is the only way unto salvation. We cannot compromise that bedrock principle of Christianity. But it doesn’t just stop with realizing and acknowledging that Jesus exists.

It means that I follow a path that Christ has laid out. I will seek and find the narrow way. But there’s a little bit more to it. In Matthew chapter 7 and verse 24. Again, we see just two types of groups here. But note with me this one. As we think about goals for this calendar year, note who is comprised of the story in verse 24 through 27. Everyone who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house. But it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand.

And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house. And it fell. And great was the fall of it. Now you see, once again, there’s just the two builders. There’s the wise man and the foolish man. Now I could ask, which one are you? Which one am I? And it’s defined. Do you know in verse 24? Who’s the wise man? Well, it’s he who hears these words of mine and does them. Okay, well, that makes sense. Well, who’s the foolish man in verse 26? And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like the foolish man who built on the sand. And so we think about am I like Christ when it comes to knowing and discerning right from wrong.

See, it’s pretty easy nowadays to sit back and say, you know what, people can kind of do what they want to do. You know, just as long as we believe in Christ, you know, I mean, that’s the important thing, isn’t it? Go where you want to go, do what you want to do, just stick with Christ. But that’s not what Jesus teaches. What were Jesus’ words? Well, he says the wise man is he who hears the words and does them. We want to be wise men. So that means we need to read the words of Christ and do them. Now there’s two challenges there. Do you see that? First of all, we have to hear. Romans chapter 10 and verse 17 says, faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God.

So do I consider the words of Christ? Well, first of all, that means I have to put myself in a position to hear the words of Christ. I think there’s a couple easy ways to do that. First and foremost is to be here with the assembly of Christians. Now we talked in our Bible class this morning as we were covering the very passage in Hebrews chapter 10, that we you may know in verse 25 says, not forsaking the assembly, as is the habit of some. There are three at least reasons to come together. First of all, the Bible clearly says, do not forsake the assembly, which implies that there is an assembly, and that as Christians we should be there. But do you notice what verse 24 says?

Look over in Hebrews chapter 10. Notice what Hebrews, the Hebrew writer says in chapter 10 and verse 24. We are to consider to do what? How to stir one another up to love and good works. Now, how can I do that if I’m not here with my brothers and sisters? If I’m going to set a specific goal this year, it’s going to be if I am going to be like Christ, I am going to put his words first. I’m going to make knowing what Jesus has said for me to do the top priority of my life. I will study, I will learn, I will pray. But here is a specific one that we will not miss. Being with fellow Christians. Don’t we see that that’s Christ’s plan for us?

How are we going to hear the words if we never open the book or listen or attend a class where we teach or are taught? See, it’s pretty hard to do that. But there’s another way to do that, of course, and that is personal study. If I’m going to be like the wise man, I have to hear the words. How often do I open the words of God? I think it’s a great blessing that we have the word of God. Amen. We have a great blessing just in our hands, on our phones. The Bible is accessible everywhere in this country. But do I take advantage of it? It’s kind of a shame when I realize that perhaps in this age I have more access to translations, to commentaries, to editions of the Bible than ever before.

And it might seem to me that maybe we might care less about what the Bible says than ever before. We need to be in the book. So how do I do that? Why do you set specific goals? Can I add a fourth reason why sometimes goals don’t get met here, though? We make them unrealistic. You know what’s kind of difficult? To go from not being a Christian or to not reading my scriptures ever to reading the New Testament every day all year. That’s a pretty lofty goal. Now, I don’t know if you aren’t paying attention, but that was pretty funny.

If you read the New Testament every day, that’d be wonderful. But I don’t think you do anything else in that day, if you could fit it in in a 24-hour period. But what can we do? Set a specific goal. Say, I am going to read through the Gospels of Christ. I’m going to read Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. At whatever scale you need to, but set a goal. Say, this month, I will read Matthew. Next month, I will read Mark. The following month, Luke, the following month, John. I am a Christian. If I want to be like Christ, I need to know what Christ has said for me. That means opening the book. But it doesn’t stop there, of course. We know that that foolish man heard the words, but he did not do them.

4. Jesus Taught About Heaven and Hell

Sometimes there are no goals for just being like Christ. And when it comes down to it, brothers and sisters, we’re going to reach a point, a fork in the robe where we have to decide, not because it’s easy, not because it’s simple, but because it’s right. I will serve the Lord. That takes a commitment. Perhaps if we made it a goal to where in all things and all ways this year, I will put the Lord first. I will put others first. I would be consistent with Christ and my Lord’s teachings. Think of another aspect. Is Jesus taught about heaven and hell? Now this one’s interesting, I think, to the Christian who reads the New Testament, this is pretty plain. You go back to Matthew chapter 25 quickly.

In Matthew chapter 25, at the conclusion of identifying who the goats were, they were those who saw the brothers of Christ in need, but did not do anything about it. What does he say in verse 46? And these will go away into eternal punishment. But the righteous into eternal life. I have to tell you, I get a bit of a kick out of this verse because pretty much every Christian I know, every organization that believes in God, acknowledges that there is eternal life. But what’s interesting is not every religion, not every system that believes in God or Christ that I know, believes in eternal punishment. I find that interesting. Because Jesus is clear on his teaching. Will you look at Mark chapter 9, look with me in Mark chapter 9.

You want to set goals, you want to realize the depth of commitment to Christ, what it brings, what it necessitates even. In Mark chapter 9 and verse 42, we begin to get a picture. In Mark chapter 9 and verse 42, Jesus says, whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him if a great millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea. And if your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. Well, why so extreme, Jesus? Why is this so important? Why would I cut off my hand? It is better for you to enter life crippled than with two hands to go to hell. The unquenchable fire. And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off.

It is better for you to enter life lame than with two feet to be thrown into hell. And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into hell. Where the worm does not die and the fire is not quenched. Can we see that Jesus is serious about his followers? It’s not just about being called wise or foolish. It’s not just about walking down a certain path. It’s about doing what is right. And what is right is what Jesus has commanded. It is better to be a Christian and to be lame, crippled, and blind, than it is to have all our parts, all our faculties, and might I even add all the fun that this life can offer.

It’s better to be a Christian in all those desperate straits and be with God forever. Than to have all that we’ve had, experience what we can, and be in hell. An eternal punishment. Jesus is clear on that teaching, and that means first and foremost, I’m going to accept him at his word. I will not fall for these doctrines that make light of sin. I will not fall for these religious groups that say death is just the end for those who are not Christians. Jesus says those who were not there for his brothers will enter eternal punishment. And that means that that is true because Christ has said so. Well, what does that mean for me? It means that I better be shaping up. I better be making goals.

Conclusion

I need to stop just continuing to exist. That’ll be a good time to end that. Consider with me in Matthew chapter 25, one more reading. Consider yourself in this place. Consider me. Consider with me in verse 41. Imagine if we were these who Jesus is speaking to. And Matthew chapter 25 and verse 41, consider. Then he will say to those on his left, then he will say to me, Depart from me, you cursed into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you, Greg, gave me no food. I was thirsty and you, Greg, gave me no drink. I was a stranger and you did not welcome me naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison, and you did not visit me.

Can you not see the desperation that seeps from them in verse 44? Lord, when did we see you hungry? When did we see you thirsty? When were you sick? When did we not visit you in prison? Truly I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these. You did not do it to me. The opportunity is around us. In fact, opportunity to help our brothers and sisters in Christ and everyone from Galatians chapter 6 and verse 10 is a constant need. The question is, will we fulfill it? Am I like Christ? If I’m like Christ, I am compassionate towards others. And I will set a specific goal to help me be like him in that way. I don’t know what your talent is.

Perhaps it is the baking example I gave. If you’re not a cook, maybe you can drive someone’s food there. If you’re not a cook, maybe you’re strong. Maybe you can help some people move this calendar year. Maybe you can help people do something. I guarantee you, if you ask the elders and the deacons of this congregation, they will find some work for you. We will find some help. Can I say that Christ was judgmental between right and wrong? I feel like if any, if anyone knows any verse in the Bible besides John 3 16, it’s that the Bible says in Matthew chapter 7 and verse 1, judge not. Jesus was judgmental. In fact, he was judgmental saying that there are two ways. There is the right way and there is the wrong way.

That’s what Jesus taught. Do you want to be a disciple of Christ? We need to realize that we need to not only be in the narrow way, but we need to teach others about it too. Maybe I need to set a specific goal. I will ask at least one person to a study. I will invite one person to an assembly each month. And perhaps maybe when it comes to considering that there is a heaven and a hell, I’ll take seriously the words of Jesus in Matthew chapter 7 that the wise man is he who hears these words of mine and does them. Maybe I will decide this year I will be at service every time the doors are open because I need to be encouraged and I need myself to stir one another up to love and good works.

Jesus has said there is heaven and hell. His word reveals to us that we are to not neglect the assembly. And so I need to be there. You see, being a Christian really, in theory, is easy, and practice, it’s very difficult. Let’s not let being a Christian, being like Christ become a New Year’s resolution that we throw by the wayside. We need to have interest in doing this. We need to make it the priority, not a priority. And we need to set specific goals to get there. If you need help with those, there are plenty of wise individuals at this congregation. I already named two groups of them to start with. Seek out the elders and deacons, whether how to help or what type of goals is set for your life.

We can do this together. Let’s stir one another up to love and good works this morning. Let’s realize we can be like Christ. We serve a great God. Amen. And it’s time to start serving out that confession. If there’s anything that we can do to help you this morning, please realize that this is an opportunity for you. That maybe you never were a Christian. Maybe you haven’t just not set a goal. You’ve never even begun the goal. You’ve never even started walking on the narrow way. Well, that narrow way leads to life. Leave the broad path that leads to destruction. Start the new year by believing in Christ, confessing that He is the Son of the Living God. Repenting of your sins and having your sins forgiven by the great sacrifice of Jesus our Lord.

If we can help you in any way, and you are subject to any invitation of help or assistance in serving Christ, come forward now as we stand and sing the invitation song.