New Beginnings
I know of people who are looking forward to this new year in 2019. Some are hopeful to get away from drugs or alcohol addictions. Others are looking forward to graduating this year and getting full-time jobs. There seems to be a lot of hope and people looking to reinvent themselves with new beginnings.
When I think of new beginnings I think of the Israelites when God rescued them out of bondage in Egypt. The Egyptians held the Jews as slaves for over 400 years. That length of time is hard to wrap your mind around. Four hundred years as slaves, as a nation, forced to labor all day under rigorous conditions.
Yet God, in His great mercy, freed the Israelites. He sent the 10 plagues on Egypt and Pharaoh finally let the people go. Then God even parted the Red Sea and the Israelites crossed on dry ground and then God released the waters and Pharaoh and his army drowned in the Red Sea as they pursued the Israelites.
Then the Jewish people worshipped God on Mount Sinai. That’s where God gave Moses the 10 Commandments. This was new to the Israelites. They also celebrated their exodus from Egypt with a new calendar year. It became the first month of the year for them. God also required that the Israelites offer new sacrifices for their sins.
Israelites And New Beginnings
Yes, when I think of new beginnings, I think of the Israelites leaving Egypt and heading toward the promised land. But when I personally think of new beginnings, I think of my salvation found in Jesus Christ my Lord. When God revealed my sinfulness to me and His Holiness, I cried out for God to save me and He did. Just like God rescued the Israelites from Egypt, He rescued me from my own Egypt, my sinfulness, my selfish, sinful life.
God saved a wretch like me. It truly is amazing grace that God sheds upon those that He saves. Yes, God took me, a spiritually dead man and made me alive. I became alive in Jesus. Talk about a new beginning. Passing from death to life. There’s nothing like it. Since God granted me repentance and faith in Jesus, I now have eternal life. I’m saved and my new life began when I became alive in Christ Jesus, when I was born again.
The Lord Jesus said you must be born again. There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews: The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that you do, except God be with him.
Except A Man Be Born Again
Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus said unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born?
Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto you, You must be born again (John 3:1-7).
Talk about new beginnings! You must be born again or you cannot even see the kingdom of God. Then Jesus said that except you are born of water (physical birth) and of the Spirit, you cannot enter into the kingdom of God. You must be born again. How can a person be born again? Only by the Spirit. No one comes to Jesus unless the Father draws them. No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day (John 6:44).
God Draws Lost Souls To Himself
You cannot be saved unless God the Father draws you. Salvation is of the Lord (Jonah 2:9). Salvation belongs unto the Lord: your blessing is upon your people. Selah (Psalm 3:8). But the salvation of the righteous is of the Lord: he is their strength in the time of trouble (Psalm 37:39).
Salvation cannot be earned. You cannot work your way to Heaven. None of us are good enough to go to Heaven. We have all sinned against God. We have all rebelled against Almighty God. There is none righteous, no not one. We’ve all gone astray, we’ve all gone our own way. None of us seek after God.
What then? are we better than they? No, in no wise: for we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin; As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that understands, there is none that seeks after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that does good, no, not one (Romans 3:9-12).
God Made Us In His Image
God made each and every one of us in His very own image, yet, just like Adam and Eve we have all eaten the forbidden fruit of sinfulness. We have looked upon the fruit of disobedience and said we will not obey you God. No, we will go our own way. We will not have you tell us what to do. Oh folks, unrepentant sinners trample all over God’s righteous laws. Sin is the transgression of the law.
We have all done this. Each and every one of us have broken the 10 Commandments. None of us have worshipped God above everything else, all our lives. Anything or anyone that you love more than you love God, is an idol. Do you worship sports, movie stars, singers, cars or money? What consumes your thoughts and desires? What has your heart? Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. What do you treasure above all else in this life?
Still not convinced? Well, we haven’t even talked about disobeying our parents, lusting, hatred, stealing or coveting. When the Bible talks about there not being a righteous man, it speaks the truth. For there is not a just (or righteous) man upon earth, that does good, and sins not (Ecclesiastes 7:20).
A New Life
We have all sinned and fallen woefully short of God’s glory. It’s essential to realize that you have sinned against God and there’s nothing that you can do on your own to make things right. You can’t clean yourself and make yourself spotless or presentable to God. Salvation is of the Lord. New beginnings, a new life only happens when God saves you.
So first off, you need to understand that you are a sinner and that God is Holy. Then you need to recognize that salvation is of the Lord. Jesus is the only savior. Jesus did what you and I couldn’t do. He lived a perfect, sinless life and then He took the punishment that guilty sinners deserve. He was beaten beyond recognition and God poured His wrath over sin out upon His only begotten Son. Jesus died on the cross and then rose from the grave three days later.
Come Alive In Christ
God offers eternal life to all who repent and put their trust in Jesus. Don’t trust in yourself or anyone or anything else. Trust in Jesus Christ alone. Oh, come to Jesus today through repentance and faith in the Lord. He is the only way of salvation. When you do this, when you truly repent from your sins and surrender your life to Jesus, then you come alive. For the first time in your life.
When you are saved by God’s grace alone, when you completely and utterly submit to King Jesus, you are truly born again. You become alive in Christ. You are made alive through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Earlier I quoted Jesus telling Nicodemus that you must be born again. Please listen to John 3:14-21: And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: That whosoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believes on him is not condemned: but he that believes not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
Light Has Come Into The World
And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that does evil hates the light, neither comes to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. But he that does truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.
Don’t just begin a new year, begin the rest of your life (and the next life – eternal life). The Israelites had a new beginning after escaping from bondage in Egypt. Christians have become alive in Christ for over 2,000 years. You too can experience new beginnings. Come to Jesus tonight and be saved. Repent from your sins and believe on the Lord Jesus.
Oh, if God is convicting you tonight over your sins and revealing His Holiness to you, do not reject such a great salvation. If this all sounds like gibberish to you, then I implore you to read the book of John in the New Testament and ask God to open your eyes. If God is reaching you through the Holy Spirit, repent and believe the Gospel. Today is the day to be saved. Today is a good day for new beginnings.