I have approached my preaching calendar a little differently this year. My plan this year is to preach through shorter thematic and expository series on Sundays, rather than doing an extended, sequential exposition of a book of the Bible. (I intend to pick up the exposition of Ephesians I began last year in April, during our midweek services.). This Sunday, I am preparing to begin a six-part series entitled, “Resolved! Taking Advantage of a New Beginning.”

During the new year, many people began to think about making changes in their lives. Often, the commitments they make to change are expressed in terms of “new year’s resolutions.” Unfortunately, many of these good intentions are not carried through to fulfillment. Furthermore, many of these resolutions target the wrong areas of life. They are about external things – money, possessions, weight, appearance, etc. – rather than on the thing that matter the most, what’s going on underneath the skin. So I would like to challenge the congregation at Mt. Sinai to take advantage of this new beginning by making some resolutions that address attitudes of the heart that need to be changed.

Each of these messages will come from one of the Gospel narratives. They will be miracles, parables, or other episodes from the life and ministry of the Lord Jesus. And I will try to examine what Jesus teaches us in these passages about taking advantage of a new beginning in a specific area of life. Please pray for me in the preparation and presentation of this series of messages. And pray for the membership and guests of MSMBC who will hear these messages. May our lives be changed to the glory of God, as we resolve to take advantage of the new beginning God has given us in 2007!

Here is the schedule for this six-week sermon series:

1/7 – Resolved to Give Thanks (Luke 17-11-19)

1/14 – Resolved to Really Change (Matthew 12:43-45)

1/21 – Resolved to Express Devotion (Luke 7:36-50)

1/28 – Resolved to Live Productively (Luke 9:1-9)

2/4 – Resolved to Forgive Others (Matthew 18:21-35)

2/11 – Resolved to Practice Obedience (Luke 17:1-10)