Sunday 28 December 2014

5 Keys to a Happy New Year (Rev. Tongsmang T. Dasbak) 28-12-2014

SUNDAY SERVICE
★ MY SERMON NOTES
@ Jesus Revelation Assembly (JRA)
Tudun-Wada Ring Road,
Jos, Plateau State
28th December, 2014

* Speaker: Rev. Tongsmang T. Dasbak
* Topic: 5 Keys to a Happy New Year

→ INTRODUCTION
- In Philippians Chapter 3, Paul used the power of imagery and illustration to portray himself as three (3) different persons:

(a) In Philippians 3:1-11, Paul portrays himself as an Accountant.
- Key words: "I have new values"
- If you do not have any godly values, you have nothing to live for

(b) In Philippians 3:12-16, Paul portrays himself as an Athlete
- Key words: "I press towards the goal"
- In other words, Paul is saying "I have a new vigour"
- Without the discipline and the vigour of an athlete, you cannot pursue your values in order to attain your goals

(c) In Philippians 3:17-21, Paul portrays Himself as an Alien
→ Key words: "I look"
- This world has everything that you need to become what God wants you to become, but you have to look for them diligently
- If you do not look, you will not discover

The 5 Keys to a Happy New Year
Key #1: Dissatisfaction
Philippians 3:12-13
"It’s not that I have already reached this goal or have already become perfect. But I keep pursuing it, hoping somehow to embrace it just as I have been embraced by the Messiah Jesus. Brothers, I do not consider myself to have embraced it yet. But this one thing I do: Forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead."
- Paul was satisfied with Jesus as his Lord, but he was dissatisfied with his life & achievements
- You must be careful of entertaining a false estimate of your own spiritual condition
- When you become satisfied with your present condition, you will not grow
- If you want more out of life, You must be dissatisfied with your present condition
- Whatever you are doing, try to be the best that you can possibly be
- Stop comparing Yourself with others
- Do whatever you can to improve your lot in life
- Regardless of what you have achieved so far, there is always room for further improvement and growth

Key #2: Devotion
Philippians 3:14
"I keep pursuing the goal to win the prize of God’s heavenly call in the Messiah Jesus."
- You need to have a definite Focus for your life
- Your focus must be defined
- You must be determined to avoid anything that may distract you from your goal(s) is life
- Set time aside everyday to prayerfully evaluate your life's purpose
- If you aim at nothing, you will achieve nothing
- You need to persist and focus on your goals

Key #3: Direction
Philippians 3: 13b
"But this one thing I do: Forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead."
- In order to forge ahead in life, there are some past experiences that you must forget
- Do not allow yourself to be controlled by your past experiences of failure, discouragements, betrayals, weaknesses and rejection
- Do not be weighed down or discouraged by the many times you have failed at achieving your goals
- Have a genuine direction for your life
- "Do not cry over spilled milk" - if you fail at succeeding at something, ensure that you recover as fast as you can and try again
- There is a greater future ahead of you than your past (unpleasant) experiences

Key #4: Determination
Philippians 3:14:
"I keep pursuing the goal to win the prize of God’s heavenly call in the Messiah Jesus."
- The two (2) extremes you must avoid in life while pursuing your goals include the misconceptions that:
(a) "God must do all"
(b) "I must do all"
- You must not achieve all that you have set out to achieve all at once
- Aim at 'winning' small territories at a time, gradually
- Use the resources at your disposal to do the best you can possibly do
- You don't have to be a 'great person' to make it in life.
- You must realise that greatness is in categories and levels. Do not despise the days of little (small) beginnings
- Don't be jealous of anybody, but work hard on your goals
- Be satisfied with what God is about to do in your life

Key #5: Discipline
Philippians 3:14-15
"I keep pursuing the goal to win the prize of God’s heavenly call in the Messiah Jesus. Therefore, those of us who are mature should think this way. And if you think differently about anything, God will show you how to think."
- Without discipline, an athlete can be disqualified from a sporting event
- You can learn from others, but don't argue with them
- If you want to be great, you must make friends with great people and seek great ideas
- Work gradually towards getting to where you want to be and God will Surely bless you
- You must be consistently diligent and disciplined at maintaining focus on your life's goals
- Without the discipline of diligence, it would be impossible to achieve anything meaningful in your life
- Discipline will enable you to overcome any weakness that may potentially hinder you from reaching your goals in the coming year(s)

SUMMARY
The 5 Keys to a Happy New Year
★Key #1: Dissatisfaction
★Key #2: Devotion
★Key #3: Direction
★Key #4: Determination
★Key #5: Discipline

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