https://www.bible.com/events/49190325

Church of the Nazarene – Harrisonburg

A New Wind

Allow His Spirit to be the power that you need.

As we prepare to journey into another new year, we consider this specific question:

What will make the biggest difference for you in the year 2024?

Today we will consider what would happen if you asked the Holy Spirit of God to blow through you in a fresh way in 2024.

John 3:5-8

Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”

I wonder how many of us consider the work of God’s Spirit in our lives?

Do we believe it matters?

According to Jesus, it is essential, but do we treat it that way?

Is it just an ‘add on’? Something for the more ‘radical’ or ‘committed’ believers?

The Holy Spirit has many roles in our lives, but there is one specific role that I want us to consider today. The Spirit is how God imparts power to you in your everyday life.

The Spirit gives believers power, power to live the life God calls us to, power to use our gifts to serve and sacrifice for others, and power that is far beyond what we can do in our own strength.

Quite simply, too many believers are relying too much on their own power when we have been given this incredible gift: the gift of God’s power.

Acts 1:8

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

The Botton Line:

Allow His Spirit to be the power that you need.

Verses for Further Study & Reflection:

John 14:26

1 Corinthians 6:11

Galatians 5:25

Updates on the new Waynesboro campus

God is inviting us to step out in faith to plant a Spanish-speaking campus in the Waynesboro community. Join us on the journey!

Check out the link below for more information and for frequent updates throughout the journey.

Waynesboro

Giving at COTN

If you ever have questions or need help with online giving, please let us know: finance@cotnaz.org Thank you for your partnership in building the Kingdom of Christ as you impact others!

Giving

Happy New Year!

Many of you will participate in the common traditions of attending parties tonight and eating special New Year’s food.

Then at 11:59 p.m. more than one billion people from all over the world will tune in to see the sparkling Waterford Crystal Times Square New Year’s Eve Ball drop and welcome in 2024

There are some things I already know about the coming year:

· If you are in Christ, God will be in your 2024.

· You will change. We all will change in the coming year.

o The you sitting here this morning will be new in the coming year.

But here’s the question: Will that change align with God’s plan for you?

“New Year, New You” isn’t just a catchy slogan; it’s an invitation to embrace God’s plan for your life.

There are three types of people here today:

· The Christian who is walking with Jesus

· The person who has fallen away from Christ

· And the person who has never accepted Jesus as Lord.

God loves you! He has a plan for your life. You can make a difference in this world when you trust in the Lord.

As we get ready for the new year, are you willing to be made new?

A new beginning means that you are allowing yourself to accept changes; that reflect HIS plan and not yours. GOOD changes.

The old self, the old life, has failures that are in the past. The things of the past do not have to define who you are today.

I love God’s word as it is filled with truth for you, and you,

and you, and for me.

The Bible says in Ephesians 3:20, He is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us.

Wow! More than we might ask or think. That sounds impossible, right?

How can that be when we are people who constantly ask, and think about the things that we want?

A lot is going to happen this year; some you’ll expect, and some you won’t.

God is sovereign. He knows all things, and He has a promise for you and for me, and it’s worth repeating,

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

Jeremiah 29:11

That is a promise for you and for me.

PUT YOUR NAME in that scripture. It is a promise for you!

God has good plans for you. God desires a brand new you, in a brand-new year. God desires to transform you from the inside out.

But it is a choice YOU MUST MAKE.

The Bible says, 22 to put away your former way of life, your old self, corrupt and deluded by its lusts, 23 and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, 24 and to clothe yourselves with the new self, created according to the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness. Ephesians 4:22-24

The Apostle Paul wrote the book of Ephesians during his imprisonment in Rome, approximately A.D. 60.

It is a letter written to the church at Ephesus, and to all believers today to strengthen the church.

Ephesians is a letter of encouragement.

The Bible states that there is an old self that people have which needs to be done away with.

We are to throw off the old self.

And put on the new self.

Our old way of life before Jesus living in our heart is completely in the past.

Paul uses the metaphor of ‘throwing off the old self’ just like taking off old clothes that should be thrown away.

Paul is speaking to the believers. The nature of the old self is sometimes associated in scripture with the term ‘sarx’ or ‘flesh’.

Sarx is used to describe the weak, frail, mortal flesh of the sinful nature of the old self.

It is a self that is focused on this world as its top priority.

Although God is a priority, He is not the top priority.

Unfortunately many people who call themselves Christians get wrapped up in the affairs of this world and lose keeping a heavenly focus on Christ.

What kind of Christian are you?

Are you wrapped up in the affairs of this world OR are you focused on Christ?

We are told to put off our former way of life, the old self. The Greek word that the English translations render “put off” is a word that is used for setting aside clothing.

We can all agree that in this world clothing matters.

We have heard the sayings:

· Dress for success

· Clothes make the man or clothes make the woman

Our clothes make a statement about us. Clothes often reflect your profession, your values, and even your social status.

Paul tells us that we have to lay the old self aside because it is corrupted by deceitful desires. Our desires are lying to us.

They are telling you that you will be happy if you obey your desires. They are telling you:

· If it feels good, do it.

· If you could just do what you feel like doing, it would fix everything.

I am sure you have heard the saying:

“Sin will take you farther than you want to go, keep you longer than you want to stay, and cost you more than you want to pay.”

Putting off the old self is not just changing a few things in your life or changing a behavior or two.

Putting off these clothes means getting rid of the whole way of how we use to do things.

Within the last 3 weeks, Thomas and I have had vehicle problems.

· First the radiator went out of my car.

· Second the brakes went out of his car.

· Third the alternator went out of my car.

These were long hard jobs that required hard work, and Thomas’ clothes got extremely dirty and greasy.

Thomas took a shower after working on the vehicles each day. And when he got out of the shower, he put on clean clothes. Then he sat down to eat dinner with clean clothes on.

Putting on clean clothes goes without saying. Right?

Seriously, would you work on a vehicle all day, get greasy, take a shower and afterwards put the same dirty, greasy clothes back on?

I DON’T think so.

Nor should a Christian put on the old ways.

‘Life is short’.

As followers of Christ living the Christian life is:

· Both a onetime decision – some of you have already made that decision. Others may not have.

· But it is also making a decision for Christ in the ordinary seconds, the minutes, hours, weeks, and years. It is always a conscience commitment to serve Jesus.

o He will unfold the new in you – if you are willing.

My hope is that as you begin this new year of 2024, rather than making New Year’s resolutions, stop and think about a new you in Christ.

New clothes are sometimes stiff. They do not feel as comfortable. But Paul is giving us a picture that we need to get rid of the old clothes.

Two questions that you should ask yourself for the new year:

1. What do I need to put off?

2. What do I need to put on?

Make the choice that you are going to get rid of how you think about life.

· Stop doing things because that is the way you have always done it.

· Stop doing things because that is the way your family or friends do it.

Commit to putting off the old way of life, taking off the old clothes and throwing them away.

Leave the past behind!

Put on the new you in the new year!

Verse 23 says “and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds,”

It is important that we have an attitude change. We need to have a new way of thinking about things.

We can’t just put on a new set of clothes without a new renewing of your mind,

a new way of thinking about things.

It is impossible to change our behavior without changing our thoughts and

the way we think about things.

A transformation takes place from the inside out, it is the renewing of our heart, mind and soul, and it is a constant process.

When transformation takes place inside of us:

· Rather than laughing about an unclean joke, we run it through the filter of Christ. WWJD? What would Jesus do?

· Rather than listening to what folks are saying about someone and participating in gossip, we run our words of response through the filter of Christ. WWJD? What would Jesus do?

Start asking the question, “What would Jesus do?” and then let that be your answer.”

Our old clothes feel good.

They feel comfortable.

And so often it is easy to justify putting on the old self because of our circumstances.

I will say it again, always stop and ask the question, “What would Jesus do?”

Rather than collapsing to what our desires tell us to do, stop and run your desires through the filter of Christ.

Listening to what you think and your emotions, without running things through the filter of Christ is what the world tells you to do, and it is putting back on the old self clothes.

Doing this will ruin our lives and go against the ‘good plans’ and the ‘purpose’ of what God has promised for your life.

What is good and holy is only seen through the filter of Christ.

Verse 24: 24 and to clothe yourselves with the new self, created according to the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.

Truly knowing Jesus only comes to the new self. There is a distinct difference between knowing about someone and truly knowing someone.

Similarly, there are many people today who know a lot about Jesus without having a relationship with Him, without being transformed from the inside out.

A transformed heart brings new thinking. It is the new thinking that allows the new clothes to be put on.

When we run everything through the filter of Christ, our life changes.

· We begin to see others through the eyes of Christ.

· The choices we make, and the words we speak will be totally different as we run things through the filter of Christ.

I know that when I put on new clothes, I always stop to see what they look like in the mirror.

Paul is talking about the new clothes that are created in the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.

We are to be imitators of Christ to the world through our thinking and actions.

34 I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” John 13:34-35

The point in putting on new clothes is so we may be imitators of Christ.

Jesus is calling for a specific decision by everyone in this room. As a believer, He is calling you to take off the old and to put on the new.

I want you to meet, Nick Viujicic.

I met Nick over 10 years ago at our Harrisonburg Campus.

All Nick wants is God’s plan for his life. And, as you’ll see. That hasn’t been easy.

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/6qhtn9850f4an5c9hizit/God-s-Plan-For-Your-Life-4_30.mp4?rlkey=9s914ale0ualc8wk2x11gripv&dl=0

As you prepare for the new year, ask yourself these questions:

· What do I need to put off?

· What do I need to put on?

Today you can throw off the old self and put on the new.

If you know Jesus, this is about where He wants to take you in the coming year – how you can grow closer to Him and more like Him.

But perhaps you don’t know Him…

There is no easier time than now, in this place to make your decision to live your life trusting God that He has good plans for your life, and He has a future of hope and not disaster for YOU.

Today you can ask Jesus to forgive you for wearing the old clothes.

You can ask Him to come live in your heart.

And to help you to have a change by putting on the new clothes, with a change of your thinking and behaving.

Jesus will meet you exactly where you are. Choose Jesus to help you change your thinking, values, and your motives.

When you are transformed, He is continuing to form you in His image.

· The liberation of the Holy Spirit living in you begins to change the world of all those around you.

· You become contagious. People want what you have.

When you turn to God in obedience, the world’s influences diminish.

Have you trusted Jesus for your salvation? Have you experienced the mercies of His love?

Are you trusting God that He has a good plan for your life with a future of hope and not disaster?

Let us pray: All eyes closed.

“Dear Lord You are calling everyone in this room to a life of transformation. You desire for us to have a closer walk with You. We are here today not by accident. Father, we desire to do more than say New Year’s resolutions. Please help us Lord. Today we have heard words of Hope.

Father, You are calling us to throw off the old self, and put on the new so that we may be imitators of You to our family, to the people we work with, to the person that cuts us off on highway 33, to everyone. You desire for us not to look and act like the world, but to be transformed by the renewing of our minds.

Help us to trust You. Lord, not our will but Your will be done. Your ways are best even when we do not understand. Lord help believers not to be afraid to say “Yes Lord.” Help us to be imitators of You.

I am speaking to three groups of people:

1. Today, you are a Christian and you are thankful for your salvation. However, today, God has spoken to your heart about something that you need to throw off, something that belongs in the past, God desires a new you. If that is you, surrender it to Jesus and say, “I am taking off this old self, and I need Your help to keep it off” please slip up your hand now.

2. Today, you are someone that once was a Christian. You know that you have fallen away from your walk with God. You were once walking with clean clothes, and because of the things in the world, life circumstances, you have returned to what is comfortable, what is easy, you have put on the old clothes. You have returned to your old ways of life and it is hurting Jesus. Today you want to surrender to God and say, “I am taking off this old self, and I need Your help to keep it off” please slip up your hand now.

3. Today, you are someone who has never taken off the old clothes. You have heard this message today and it has spoken loudly to your heart. You want to take off the old ways and to live your life trusting God, that He has a good plan for your life, with a future of hope and not disaster. Today you are asking God to forgive you for the things you have done that have hurt Him. Today you are asking God to ‘Come live in your heart’. Conform me, transform my heart and mind. Please change me today and continue to change me to be like You. I need Your help. I want to change. If that is you, and you want to invite God to come live in your heart, to turn you from things that are wrong in your life, to take off the old clothes and put on the new, please slip up your hand now.

Today and every day for the believer can be a new start.

No matter what your past looks like – your future can be bright. And I’m living proof of that.

Father, we thank You for the decisions that were made this morning. Please help me, and my church family to be ‘Transformed by You so that I will, we will BRING hope to others through You.’ Please help us to share Your love with everyone we know and that we will meet. We love You Lord, In Jesus Name we pray. Amen.”

https://www.bible.com/events/49187894

Church of the Nazarene – Harrisonburg

God With Us – Always

He is always with you, so you are never alone.

Throughout this Christmas Season we have been seeking to understand the power and meaning of the name given to Jesus in the Christmas Story- Immanuel: God with us.

The Christmas story in a word is “Presence”.

The essence of Christmas is the presence of God with us in Christ. His presence changes everything. This is the amazing promise we find in the story of Christmas.

Matthew 1:20-23

But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”).

We need Christmas to be more than just traditions, carols, candlelight, gifts and gatherings.

We need Christmas to be about His presence because we’ve never needed the presence of God more than we do right now.

Loneliness is pervasive throughout our society today:

-At least a third of Americans say that they feel lonelier than ever before.

-20% more people report feeling lonely at Christmas as compared to other times of the year

-It impacts every generation, in fact, Gen Z (38%) and millennials (37%) feel the loneliest compared to other generations

-many have suggested a disconnected digital world is driving pervasive loneliness. We are “50% human and 50% technology.”

We are living in a world that is increasingly disconnected, anxious, and lonely.

The arrival of Jesus describes God’s presence in Matthew 1. But the final words of Jesus in Matthew 28 also points to the power of presence.

Matthew 28:18-20

Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

So the same one who began as Immanuel, ‘God with us’, now proclaims ‘I am with you always.’

Bottom Line:

He is always with you, so you are never alone.

For Further Study & Reflection:

Exodus 33:13-16

Deuteronomy 31:6

Joshua 1:5

Psalm 23:4

John 14:16

Hebrews 13:5

Updates on the new Waynesboro campus

God is inviting us to step out in faith to plant a Spanish-speaking campus in the Waynesboro community. Join us on the journey!

Check out the link below for more information and for frequent updates throughout the journey.

Waynesboro

Giving at COTN

If you ever have questions or need help with online giving, please let us know: finance@cotnaz.org Thank you for your partnership in building the Kingdom of Christ as you impact others!

Giving

https://www.bible.com/events/49186160

Church of the Nazarene – East Rock

God With Us – Always

Christmas Eve 2023

Throughout this Christmas Season we have been seeking to understand the power and meaning of the name given to Jesus in the Christmas Story- Immanuel: God WITH us.

If we wanted to try to boil down the Christmas story into just one word- it would have to be Presence.

The essence of Christmas is the presence of God with us in Christ. His presence changes everything. This is the amazing promise we find in the story of Christmas.

Matthew 1:18-23

This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”).

When the Angel instructs Joseph to name the baby Jesus- The mission of this child becomes clear-

“…and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”

Jesus came not because we needed a celebration, but because we needed a savior. We needed a rescuer from the power of sin and death.

Matthew doesn’t leave his audience in suspense either- He makes it clear in telling the Christmas Story-This is Immanuel-This child is God with us.

These two names together express the real meaning of the story of Christmas. God is with us- present with his people. His actions are aimed at rescuing his people.

This is Christmas, this is the story of Jesus. His presence changes everything.

At Christmas we celebrate the coming of Jesus. There is great reason to celebrate and remember this event.

But Easter brings us the promise of His permanent presence in the hearts of those who are for Him.

This is the promise Matthew concludes his gospel with in Chapter 28. Literally the whole story of Jesus in Matthew is bookended by Presence.

After Jesus, that baby in the manger, grew up. He performed miracles. He showed us what it was to love like the Father, serve like the Father. And then he died, a criminal’s death on a cross. And after 3 days, he rose again. He conquered death and now, the resurrected Jesus is about to go back to heaven. And before he does, He tells his disciples – his closest followers – something that we need to remember today:

Matthew 28:18-20

Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

The promise of Presence

God with us at the beginning, God with us Always.

The beautiful thing about the Christmas story is that the ultimate gift that lasts forever has your name on it- It’s for you. Will you receive it?

Don’t let Christmas rush by this year without that reality taking root deep in your heart.

God Himself, is WITH us. And, if you choose, will ALWAYS be.

Updates on the new Waynesboro campus

God is inviting us to step out in faith to plant a Spanish-speaking campus in the Waynesboro community. Join us on the journey!

Check out the link below for more information and for frequent updates throughout the journey.

Waynesboro

Giving at COTN

If you ever have questions or need help with online giving, please let us know: finance@cotnaz.org Thank you for your partnership in building the Kingdom of Christ as you impact others!

Giving

https://www.bible.com/events/49183288

Church of the Nazarene – Harrisonburg

God With Us – In the obscurity

Christmas proves it: There are no invisible people.

Today we continue our Advent series entitled “God with Us”.

Christmas, in a word, is about presence. You can’t talk about the significance of Christmas, the most life-changing story in human history, without talking about presence.

One of the most extraordinary things about the Christmas story is how otherwise unremarkable the people and situations of the nativity are. For one of the most extraordinary events in human history the birth of Jesus is surrounded by the ordinary.

Long before the arrival of Jesus, the promise of God was of a Savior, but the picture we get is not what you might expect.

It’s the picture of a Savior who Himself seems insignificant, alone, invisible, and obscure.

Micah 5:5

And he will be our peace when the Assyrians invade our land and march through our fortresses. We will raise against them seven shepherds, even eight commanders,

So it shouldn’t surprise us, that as we learn the details of Jesus’ arrival, He arrives in obscurity.

Luke 2:1-14

In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) And everyone went to their own town to register. So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them. And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

Obscure town? Check

Obscure birthplace? Check

Then the most obscure of people – shepherds who were literally obscure out in their fields – are the ones who see the very Glory of God.

This is the story of a Savior arriving in the midst of obscurity

And the question is: why?

Because God knows you. And He knows how often we feel pretty obscure.

And if that’s you, if it’s ever felt like you, God wrote the story of redemption with you in mind.

This story is an emphatic declaration in the family of God, there is no such thing as obscure. In reality, you can make the case that it is the “unmajestic” He cares for first. That His eyes fall first on the obscure.

The bottom line:

Christmas proves it: There are no invisible people.

Verses for further study/reflection:

Psalm 138:6-8

1 Corinthians 1:27-32

1 Peter 5:5-6

Matthew 21:21

Updates on the new Waynesboro campus

God is inviting us to step out in faith to plant a Spanish-speaking campus in the Waynesboro community. Join us on the journey!

Check out the link below for more information and for frequent updates throughout the journey.

Waynesboro

Giving at COTN

If you ever have questions or need help with online giving, please let us know: finance@cotnaz.org Thank you for your partnership in building the Kingdom of Christ as you impact others!

Giving