Pastor Wayne Cordeiro
December 29, 2002 - W0252

How many of us are grateful for second chances and new beginnings? Yes, most of us are because most of us know how many times we've needed a second chance. And God knows that we need many new beginnings. In fact, He made sure we would have one every day. How? Well, first of all He took the whole of eternity and broke it down into hundreds of incremental pieces: 24 hour periods that we know as a ìday.î Then, every 365 days we start a whole new year. Thereís also a new season four times every year. So many chances for a new start. But always, every 24 hours, the sun sets and rises again with a new dawnóanother chance at a new beginning.

As we end 2002, we again have an opportunity to start afresh again in 2003. Some people may have a few victories with trophies this past year and thatís wonderful. There are others who may be living with guilt or a sense of failure, not sure if they have the strength to finish strong. There may even be some who would do things differently if they could live this year over again. Humorist Erma Bombeck who wrote an article entitled, ìIf I Could Live this Life Over Again.î In it she states, ìGiven another shot at life, I would seize every minute, look at it and really see it. And then live it fully and never give it back till I squeezed every bit of life out of it.î Isnít that wonderful?!

However, the question for us isnít, ìWhat if I could live this year all over again?î Rather, the question is: ìWhat am I going to do with the year that lay ahead?î This past year is irretrievably gone, but today and tomorrow are within your grasp. You face important decisions because you donít want to make the same mistakes. And in order for God to write a new chapter on your life, you must turn the old page and give that to Himóall of it. That way you allow Him to give you a brand-new start and that is the gift of closure.  

ìForget the former things; do not dwell on the past. For I am about to do a brand-new thing. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness for my people to come home. I will create rivers for them in the desert!î (Is. 43:18-19) That is not just a scripture, itís but a promise to this church. Take it and commit it to memory; imbed it in your heart. I believe that this next year many people (who have been away from the Lord) will have a homecoming and thatís a promise for all of us.

Q1: Is there any unresolved issues, situations or relationships that you need to close as you enter this new year? What is it and how can you give the gift of closure by resolving it well?

Where would you possibly start? How will you make it all work? It can seem overwhelming, at first, but here are a few steps to help you begin the process of finishing this year strong.  Here are key ìresolutionsî as we give the final gift of closure:

1.     DEDICATE EVERYTHING TO BE USED FOR GODíS PURPOSES.

First and foremost in our endeavor to bring closure to the old year and begin the new year right, is to make sure that every area of your lifeógifts, talents, work, family, everythingóis dedicated to God. If we dedicate everything to God for His purposes, then it is guaranteed that everything will turn out for good. We want God to convert all that we give Him for His good. For instance, He can redeem a mistake into a miracle, or a trial into a triumph!

?        TRIALS

Author Ralph Waldo Emerson gave excellent advice about trials. In a letter about a past mistake, his daughter made it clear she was terribly troubled and was left with a guilty conscience. He wrote back, ìMy dear daughter, finish every day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Surely some blunders and absurdities have no doubt crept in, but get rid of them! Forget them as soon as you can because tomorrow is a new day. And you should never encumber its potentialities and its invitation with the dread of the past. Get on the solution side of each problem as quickly as you can for you should not waste a moment of today on the rottenness of yesterday.î 

ìAs is your day, so shall your strength beî (Deu. 33:25). Thus today is yours. Invest and steward it wisely and He promises you enough strength for today. If you and I carried more loads than weíre designed to carry, we would indeed collapse under the weight. God designed us to carry only one load at a time: ìTherefore do not be anxious for tomorrow, for tomorrow will take care of itself. Each day has enough trouble for itself.î (Matt. 6:34)

When we do so, only handling todayís concerns as God asked, then we can rest assured that God will make everything work out: ìAnd we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose for themî (Rom. 8:28 NLT).

The alchemy of Godís ability takes what is junk and turns it into something wonderful, something that can then be used for good in your life. Grudges, offenses, and hurts will turn into resentment if you hang on to them. Thus replaying the memory of past hurts and mistakes will cut again and again and in time destroys you from the inside. Hereís a good guideline, a deadline for dealing with trials: ìDonít even let the sun go down on your angerî (Eph. 4:26). Bottom line: Let your trials go as you choose to dedicate everything to be used for Godís purposes.

Q2: Recall a trial from this past year. Do you feel any resentment building because of it or have you resolved it and given it over to the Lord? What might you need to do to resolve it?

Hereís one of the best secrets in life: Give daily to God the things of your past. Then He can put it into His divine recycling program and transform it to be used for His purposes. And here is a good starting point in dealing with your trials:  

ß        START BY FORGIVING THOSE WHO DONíT REQUEST IT.

Forgive, even if the offender doesnít ask for it or deserve it. That doesnít matter. Forgiveness is a gift for you because it sets you free from that mistake.  

Sometimes our issues seem like tangled up fishing line that you just canít untangleóyears of unforgiveness and circumstances all balled into a confusing mass. You donít know whoís at fault, but nevertheless you find yourself in a mess. Well, hereís a neat point from the Old Testament: They had many different sacrifices for sin and there was one in Hebrew called azazel. The equivalent word we have is scapegoat. Though itís been brought into our current nomenclature as something negative, it was an acceptable sacrifice to God. In those times, when they couldnít figure out how to resolve a problem, the people would bring a goat to the priest. The priest would then lay hands on this goat and remit both partiesí sins onto the goat. Next the parties involved confessed and the priest then released the goat into the wilderness. They would say, ìazazelî meaning they mutually agreed it was resolved. Thus the sins were removed.

ìThe goat will carry on itself all their sins to a solitary place; and the man shall release it in the desertî (Lev. 16:22).

We have much to learn from this sacrifice in allowing trials to be something you release. If you need to, then allow for ìazazel,î for it is indeed an acceptable sacrifice. Let the issues go and start fresh for this new year.  

Q3: Have you experienced a trial or hurt that seemed unforgiveable? Is there someone you would like to just say ìazazelî and have that sin resolved? How can you do so today?

We learned that the first step in offering the gift of closure is to dedicate everything to God. This includes trials and forgiving even those who donít request it. Because if you donít, you will surely collapse under its weight. Additionally, a second step in the process of dedicating everything to God is to not only commit your trials but also commit yourÖ                                               

?        TROPHIES

Polishing your trophies has the tempting danger of inflating your ego. Sure, we get to reap the rewards of hard work or exceptional effort but we can get so caught up in what has been accomplished that we fail to move on. Sooner or later, someone will top our achievements, our records will be broken, or someone more talented will overshadow us. Then what?

Trophies are nice, but do exactly as the Apostle Paul advised: ìÖOne thing I do; forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Let us therefore, as many as are perfect, have this attitude; and if in anything you have a different attitude, God will reveal that also to youî (Phil. 3:13-15).

You must have an attitude that reaches forward because thatís where your potential lies. Thatís where all Godís untapped abilities are that are yet to be realized, and His promises that are yet to be apprehended: in your focus on potential yet to be realized.

Q4: Of all your accomplishments, is there trophy that comes to mind that you are still polishing? Why? How can you ìfocus forwardî to potential God is developing in you? 

For God to write a new chapter on our lives, we must dedicate everything to Himóincluding both our trials and our trophies. Yield your trials, trophies and one more thingÖ

?        TAKE THE LESSONS LEARNED.

ìWe must pay more careful attention to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away.î (Heb. 2:1) 

Itís so easy to drift away from what we have learned, but pay attention! Worse than going through a trial is to not learning anything from it. We all make mistakes, thatís inevitable, but make sure that you take the lessons learned and improve your life! Godís goal for our lives is not comfort, itís that we develop character. Itís not for leisure; itís that we develop His likeness. God will be carving away things in our lives and we need to cooperate with Him. Extract the gem from your trials. Then allow it to develop a likeness and character depth.

The Bible says that God ìcreated us in His imageî and it will take a lifetime to take away the things that is not His image. And we get to cooperate with Him because Heís changing us from glory to glory.  

Q5: Can you recall a trial(s) from your past that God used in order to reveal His image in you a little more? With your group, share one trial and its resulting character gem.

Journal: List 5-10 lessons you learned from this last year. Include some of the character that was revealed in you and what gems you may be keeping for this next year.  

As we close the last year with the gift of closure, we must first dedicate everything to Godótrials, triumphs and lessons learned. The second step to closure is to: 

2.     HEAR HIS INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE NEW SEASON.

Please renew your commitment to the Word of God. I want to challenge you to read through the entire Bible in this year (please see our Bible bookmark or log onto our ìBible readingî page). And as you read be sure to also process what the Lord is saying to you by journaling. As He highlights something in the Bible, notate it and write about it. In doing so, youíre letting God know that you intend to do something with it. That honors Him. And He will mentor and tutor you in order for this change to take place. So you must the Word of God daily.  

ìO how I love Thy law! It is my meditation all the day. Thy commandments make me wiser than my enemies, for they are ever mine. I have more insight than all my teachers for Thy testimonies are my meditation. I understand more than the aged, because I have observed Thy precepts.î (Ps. 119:97-100)

Godís Word is available to you and to me. If you would just open up the annals of time and put your hearts into the Word of God, He will teach you from the pages of history. His Word is breathed to life. Itís converted, transposed into our lives through all of these centuries of guardians who will give us the wisdom through the ages. 

Q6: One of the core values of our church highlights the importance of daily devotions. Are you experiencing the wisdom of His Word? If not, make a commitment today to read His Word daily and see what His teaching reveals.

So commit everything you have to the Lord so He can convert it and use it for His purposes. Then hear His instructions for the new season by reading His Word daily. As we go into this new year, remember weíve not gone this way before. But He says, ìFollow Me; letís walk together.î Then as you sit here once again at the end of next year you will hear, ìWell done, My good and faithful servant.î Then you can enter into a new year for you indeed understand the gift of closure. 

Q7: What point most impacted you from this message & how will you apply it to your life for the New Year?

Go, Rhonda, Go! And again, we owe a worldwide, eternal thanks to the three faithful ladies who volunteer in this ministry, serving both their Lord and His people around the world. THANK YOU!