Changes For the New Year

Happy Sunday!

It's been an action packed week! We enjoyed our Fresh Rain Conference! So much good preaching and music. Pastor Kerwin B. Lee was our daily Lecturer, Pastor Jackie McCullough preached Wednesday and Thursday nights, and Bishop Brian Moore preached Friday night. It was difficult to decide which message to share with you today.

Pastor Kerwin B. Lee, Pastor of Berean Christian Church in Stone Mountain, Georgia preached, "Changes You Should Desire To See This Year". He used 2 Kings 25:27-30 as his reference scripture.

January is always a time for a fresh start. We make resolutions, set goals, and determine to live more productive lives. We look forward to change.

2 Kings 25:27 says, "In the thirty-seventh year of the exile of King Jehoiachin of Judah, Evil-merodach ascended to the Babylonian throne. He was kind to Jehoiachin and released him from prison on April 2 of that year."(Message Translation) God allowed the Israelites to be taken into captivity by King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon because of their continual sinning. After Nebuchanezzar died his son Evil-merodach became king. Jehoiachin the King of Judah lived in the Babylonian prison for 37 years. After 37 years in prison, Evil-merodach freed Jehoiachin. Verses 28-30 say, "He spoke kindly to Jehoiachin and gave him a higher place than all the other exiled kings in Babylon. He supplied Jehoiachin with new clothes to replace his prison garb and allowed him to dine in the king’s presence for the rest of his life. So the Babylonian king gave him a regular food allowance as long as he lived." (Message Translation)

In this new year you should desire to see changes in your...

POSITION - After 37 years, Jehoiachin may have believed he would never see freedom. He may have thought his life was over. But no matter what our circumstance or situation as long as we live there is always a possibility for change. Nelson Mandela said, "“It always seems impossible until its done.” Tony Robbins said, "“What we can or cannot do, what we consider possible or impossible, is rarely a function of our true capability. It is more likely a function of our beliefs about who we are.” You should desire to see changes in your position this year!

POSSESSIONS - The King gave Jehoiachin new clothes and better food to eat. If you visit a local prison or jail, you should have no problem determining and identifying three groups of people. You will see those who work there, those who are there just visiting, and those who live there. How? Their clothes! Jehoiachin had been stripped of his kingly robes in prison, and had been forced to eat prison food. Now in his new position, he received new clothes and was able to eat the sumptuous meals that kings eat. Psalm 84:11 says, "The Lord will withhold no good thing from those who do what is right.' (New Living Translation) You should desire to see changes in your possessions this year!

POCKETS - The King James version of this scripture says, "And his allowance was a continual allowance given him of the king, a daily rate for every day, all the days of his life." In one day, Jehoiachin's life changed! He was no longer in prison, he had new possesions, and now his pockets were blessed. 2 Corinthians 9:8 says, "God can pour on the blessings in astonishing ways so that you’re ready for anything and everything, more than just ready to do what needs to be done. As one psalmist puts it, He throws caution to the winds, giving to the needy in reckless abandon. His right-living, right-giving ways never run out, never wear out. This most generous God who gives seed to the farmer that becomes bread for your meals is more than extravagant with you. He gives you something you can then give away, which grows into full-formed lives, robust in God, wealthy in every way, so that you can be generous in every way, producing with us great praise to God." (Message Translation) You should desire to see changes in your pockets this year!

I know what your thinking! What did Jehoiachin do to receive all these great blessings? Was he a good man falsely accused and imprisoned. I'm glad you asked! Jehoiachin did ABSOLUTELY NOTHING! If you read the whole story you will see it! 2 Chronicles 36:9 says, "Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he became king. But he ruled for only three months and ten days in Jerusalem. In God’s opinion he was an evil king." (Message Translation) What? He was an evil king? Yes, he was an evil king! Jesus Christ our King did the same thing for us that Evil-merodach did for Jehoiachin, "Christ arrives right on time to make this happen. He didn’t, and doesn’t, wait for us to get ready. He presented himself for this sacrificial death when we were far too weak and rebellious to do anything to get ourselves ready. And even if we hadn’t been so weak, we wouldn’t have known what to do anyway. We can understand someone dying for a person worth dying for, and we can understand how someone good and noble could inspire us to selfless sacrifice. But God put his love on the line for us by offering his Son in sacrificial death while we were of no use whatever to him." (Message Translation)

The song says, "Your Grace and Mercy, brought me through! I'm living this moment,because of you!" We can never be good enough or do enough good works to deserve the blessings. But when we accept the NEW KING, JESUS...he changes our Position, our Possessions, and our Pockets!

Love and prayers, Cynthia