Romans chapter 12 if you will. I just want to give a short thought here tonight. And then I want to just go around and allow us to share how the Lord has worked in our lives throughout this year. And how the Lord is continuing to work in our lives. And it has been a great year. The Lord has done a lot of great things. And I'm looking forward to sharing more about that in the weeks to come. But here in Romans chapter 12, I want you to notice verse 1. The Bible says this, I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. Now as we look towards this year, I was going to say next year, but we're looking at this year now, amen? And it's 2025. Me and my wife were going down the road today and we were talking about how time just flies by. I know there are some in this room that have been married a lot longer than me and my wife have, but it's just hard to believe how time flies by. But as we look at this year to come, these days and weeks and months, God has a plan for us. God has something for us to do. But more importantly, God has a plan for me. God has a plan for you. From the oldest to the youngest in this room tonight, God has something for you to do for Him throughout this year. And in order for us to do exactly what God wants us to do throughout this year, we have to do His will every single day. New Year's Day, of course, today, last night, the clock went from 1159 p.m. of 2024 to 12 a.m. 2025. How many saw the clock change last night? Amen. Some of us. All the ones with bags under our eyes, that's us, amen? You know, this nation and this world started what is known as New Year's Day with all sorts of resolutions this morning, all kinds of them. This is what I'm going to do through this year. It's believed that nearly 50% of Americans made New Year's resolutions. 48% of that 50% said they were going to improve their fitness this year. 38% said they were going to improve their finances. 36% said they were going to improve their mental health. 34% said they're going to lose weight. 32% said an improved diet, whatever that means. Less popular resolution said this, traveling more. 6% people said they wanted to travel more. I think all of us would say, I'd love to travel more. There's just this thing called money. Amen. There was a 3%, and this is astonishing here, 3%, only 3% said they wanna do better at their job this year. Boy, we need some help in that area, amen? And I'm not standing here this evening saying that resolutions are wrong. There are things that we can all do better in. There's things that we can all improve on. And I'm not saying that allowing a new year to help kickstart that resolution or that new journey is a bad thing. But what I'm saying is this, if you have to wait until the calendar hits a certain date to start something, you're probably procrastinating. Procrastination is your motivation, amen? Many times, that's what Americans live by. But while health goals, and exercise goals, and weight loss goals, and financial goals, and even career goals, even though they're great things, and I believe there is value in those things, and we're told to be good stewards, and I'm not discounting any of that, but those goals that I just mentioned, they are going to equate to absolutely zero in eternity. Many believers set a target. spiritual resolution each year. Some would say that they're going to read through the Bible, and that's a wonderful thing to do. It's about four chapters a day, and you can read through the Bible in a year. Some want to pray more, and they say, this is what I will do. I'm going to read through the Bible. I'm going to pray more. I'm going to witness more. And those are great things. I'm not discounting them. Some want to be more thankful throughout the year. That's a great thing, especially in this world we live in today, a pride-filled world. Some say, well, I want to be more helpful. I want to help those around me. But there's a crucial ingredient in decision making, especially spiritually, that many times we leave out. And even when it comes to, well, I'm going to read my Bible more, or pray more, or be a witness, whatever it may be, that crucial ingredient is this, the power of God. Many times we say, well, this is what I'm going to do. There's a problem there. We cannot please him without the help of the Holy Spirit. We need the Lord to grow our faith. We need to lean upon him. And I wanna get into the word of God tonight and just deal with a couple of things here and then we'll get into some testimony time in just a little while. But something I want us to consider tonight as it relates to serving God this year is this thought, changing the I will into God will you help me. will you help me?" We need God's help. We cannot function without God. All throughout the Word of God we see that mankind they made vows one to another. They made vows with God. And when God made a vow or a covenant with man God kept that. And God made conditional covenants. God made unconditional covenants. There were Covenants all throughout the Word of God. There were promises. A conditional covenant was God saying, if you do this, then I will do this. But an unconditional covenant, it wasn't reliant upon man's behavior, it was reliant upon God's Word. God said, I will. I'm so thankful for the many times where God said, I will. The Bible is filled with promises from God. Everything that we do is dependent upon God giving us the strength and the wisdom to do so. Everything. There are many things that I believe the Lord is leading us to do. And of course, we've discussed things over the few years that the Lord has allowed me to be the pastor of this church. And even this year that we're in now, I believe there's things the Lord is going to lead us to do as a church. We must follow the Lord. We must follow God's plan. There's new ministries and outreach areas and things like that that the Lord is burdening my heart about. And as much as I want to follow the Lord and as much as the Lord has allowed us to see his hand at work and we've seen his protection and his provision and his mercy thus far. Can I help us here tonight? We need the protection, provision and mercy more today than we ever have before. We need it. Why? Because I will is nothing without God, will you help me? Nothing at all. And it takes all of us to keep the ministry moving forward for God. We need to be serving. Something I've personally experienced is that when an individual is sold out to God, boy, they're looking for everything they can do to serve God. How can I serve even more? Not looking for what is simple, but asking this question, What's needed? You know, when you read the Bible, what you find is that God was looking for a man, looking for someone to make up the hedge and stand in the gap. Someone. And there was no one. And then one stood up and said, here am I, Lord. Send me. Use me. It doesn't say that everything was laid out. This is everything you're going to have to do. It was someone that stood up and says, God, whatever you want me to do, that's what I'm going to do. Can I challenge us tonight that as we embark on this new year, that that be our prayer, that that be our motto throughout this year as individuals, as God, I will go. God, I will do this for you. God, with your help, Lord, I will move forward for you. But Lord, I need your help. We're told in scripture that we are to present our bodies as a living sacrifice, wholly acceptable unto God, which is our reasonable service. But somewhere along the way, we've convinced ourselves of this. I do enough for God. Lord, help us. Or we've convinced ourselves of, well, I don't necessarily want to do that. I have the right to run my life. No, you don't. It's God's life. Listen, you can live the way that you want, and if you want to live your life being a sorry excuse for a believer, you can, and no one's going to stop you. But if you desire for God to bless your life, you must be all in for Him. Remember I mentioned on Sunday, God is a jealous God. He's not going to share the glory, and all the glory belongs to God. Can I deal with each age group tonight and whatever age group you fall into or whatever section you fall into? Of course, we can learn from all of these here tonight, but I wanna start out with the teenagers. Understand tonight, this is a great year, 2025. It's going to be a year, no doubt, that is filled with fun times. There's going to be highs, there's going to be lows, there's going to be times that you look back and you say, well, I remember that year. I had to take such and such test in school or I got my first job or I got my driver's license. That's a scary thought, amen. Or I did this and I was able to do these things. You look back on this year, no doubt there's going to be great memories, but can I challenge you tonight, teenagers, to live in such a way this year that when you look back on 2025, you say this, God did such a miraculous work in my life that year. I'll never forget how he helped me. What's that going to take, preacher? Every day. Not I will, but God, will you help me? Every day. You shouldn't serve the Lord because someone else is serving the Lord. You shouldn't stop serving because your friends aren't serving the Lord. Well, I just wanna be cool. I'm a man, I do what I want. Until you pay the bills, you aren't a man, amen? You're a mouse, that's what my dad told us. Amen. You know, things like that, and I was guilty of the exact same thing when I was a teenager. Things like that, boy, they sound tough. You know what helps me to, Keep my mind straight and the way that I act sometimes, something the Lord reminds me of when I think I have the right to do something or to make some decision. The Lord puts into my mind that someday I'm going to stand before Him. And everyone that I'm trying to please on this earth, I'll have no idea where they are. I'll have no idea what they're thinking, and can I help you here tonight? Nor will I care. Because it's me and God. Me and God. You see, if your friends, so-called friends, are looking for ways to get out of serving God, they're not your friends. They're not your friends. Every man will give account of himself unto God. Everyone. See, I'm not saying that, well, if someone is trying to get out of ways to serve God, that we should be rude to them. That's not what I'm saying at all. We are to seek to help one another. We are to encourage one another, and we should encourage. But the reality is this, if they are not drawing you closer to God, They're pulling you away from God. And that's not only true for the teenagers. It's true for us as adults as well. Who are we going to allow to influence us throughout this year? Teenagers, you have more opportunities to serve God now than you will ever have. Right now. Right now. And every single adult in here can attest to this because once you have bills to pay, once you have a career, once you have a, a, a, a time, a card to punch, once you have a family, once you have a house, once you have vehicles that need maintenance, you have all of these things, your time's in the middle and all of these things are doing this. All of those things. Understand they will be fighting for your time. And you have no excuse to not serve God now. And if you're not serving God in every way that you can, and only you know what those ways are. I'm not the Holy Spirit. He is. you're not serving God in every way that you can, listen to me, you're living in active rebellion to God and His Word. A lot of times we look at that verse and we say, Him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin." Well, I know that I shouldn't be drinking so I'm not doing that because if I did that would be sin. We're also told to present our bodies a living sacrifice, wholly acceptable unto God which is our reasonable service. That is a good thing to do? Him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not? If we're not performing in our reasonable service? We're in rebellion to God. I was a teenager once. It wasn't that long ago. I may look old to you teenagers, OK? But I'm not. All right? I'm not that old. Depends on the day, how I feel. But I'm not that old. What I can tell you is this. There were ones who were bad influences on me. And there were ones who were great influences on me. And there were ones that I was a bad influence on. And there were ones that, by God's grace, I was able to influence in the right way. But the ones that were bad influences on me that did not allow God to get a hold of their heart, their lives are destroyed today. absolutely destroyed. But the ones that were there to encourage me and to tell me to keep going, and when I messed up, they were there to slap me around, if you will, and say, what are you thinking? Why are you going against what the Word of God says? Why are you bad-mouthing such and such an authority? Why are you back-talking your parents? And all of those things. The ones that were there to point me down the right path, as they allowed God to continue to work in their life. You know what's happening today? By God's grace, they are thriving, spiritually speaking. Why? Because they allowed God to help them. They allowed God to help them. Let me ask you this question, teenagers. Which side of that coin do you want to land on? My best friend growing up, I've told this story before. He was a great friend, if you will. No one could convince me otherwise. He was always getting into trouble, but to me, he was my friend, he was my buddy, and he was a pastor's son. Except today, he's sitting in the penitentiary in Kentucky for attempted murder and drug possession. All over the place, lives that are wrecked simply because they did exactly what this so-called friend of mine did. He lived how he wanted. And back home, his mom and his dad and his six brothers and sisters, their lives were crushed. Crushed. And if you were to look at a picture of him today, And a picture of him from when we were growing up. Oh, you can see resemblances, but you see the curse of sin all over him. Why? Because he didn't present his body a living sacrifice. Holy, acceptable one to God, which is his reasonable service. Well, preacher, is it too late for him? No. says, if you confess your sins He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. That young man can get right with God, but he will always have these scars to bear. Always. And every single adult in here would tell every teenager the scars are not worth it. They're not worth it. What side of the coin do you want to land on? Parents here this evening, you cannot lead your family in greater service for the Lord in 2025 by yourself. You can say, well, I will raise my family for the Lord, but what we need to say is, God, will you help me? God, this world is pulling at my children. God, the devil is trying to do all he can to break things up and to tear down these strongholds. Lord, I need your help. I need your guidance. And Lord, I need you to help me to raise my family for you. Lord, will you help me? And he will. He will. Have your family in church. Have them be busy in the church. Make them serve the Lord. Well, they're going to resent God if I make them serve the Lord. The world's making them serve their flesh. We are commanded as parents to train up a child in the way he should go. Not one time are we commanded to be their friend. Not one time. Boy, as a young person, I didn't like that. I didn't like the things that, well, my dad told me to do this and my mom told me to do that. You know, when I look back on now, I say, how foolish was I? I thank the Lord for my parents and training me even through rebellion and all of those things. But parents, can I help us here tonight? If we aren't living for God, if we're not right with God, and if we're not taking steps to follow the Lord actively, then our children will follow in our footsteps. Lord, I can't do this. Lord, will you help me? See, it's just changing the I will into Lord, will you help me? God, I need you. And we need God more today than we ever have. Some single individuals in this room tonight, some never married, some widows, some widowers, some young adults, other situations that are represented here. It's easy to feel as though you are alone and it's easy to feel as though you don't have much to answer for. But the reality is just as anyone else, you'll answer for yourself. Don't allow the devil to convince you that you've done enough for God. And please don't allow the devil to ever convince you that you don't have an influence on others around you. You know, it's easy to serve the Lord in a family that's serving the Lord. It's easy. Why? Because you have people around you. Because you have cheerleaders, if you will. You have ones that are there to keep you going. It's easier to do right when you're with other people that do right. You know when it becomes hard to serve the Lord? When you're either alone or you're around a group of people that have no desire to serve the Lord. Boy, that's tough. Because then not only Do you have to make that decision? But you have to make that decision for those people to see. You have influence. There's children and teens and young adults, young married couples and older individuals, they look up to you and you know what they need to see? They need to see you living for God and serving the Lord with gladness, not because someone else is serving the Lord, but because of your love for the Lord. That's what people need to see. And you can't do that by yourself. I can't do it by myself. It can't be, well, Lord, I will do this. No, Lord, I can't do this. Lord, my heart is deceitful and desperately wicked like everyone else's. Lord, I know you have me in this position. I know you've placed me here for such a time as this. I know I'm to have a good influence on these people around me. Lord, I can't do this. Lord, I need your help. Would you pray that? or some grandparents in this room living for and serving the Lord is your responsible or your reasonable service as well. Listen, there's a dearth of service for the Lord and all around this world. And our church is not immune to that. We can all do more, myself included. And this year, it is my desire to serve God in a greater way. But can I help us here tonight? I need God's help. I do. I wanna encourage everyone to take a look at your life and ask the Lord where else he would like you to serve. Lord, what's my next step? What else can I do for you? How else can I be involved in your work? We as a church, yes, as individuals, yes, as families, but as a church, we should be presented unto God as a living sacrifice. Our church should be holy and acceptable unto God. It is our reasonable service. You may say, well where does it say in the Bible that God looked at the church as a whole? Look at the churches in Revelation. Which one of those do you want to fall into the category of? He wasn't just looking at an individual there, He was looking at a group of people that were either serving God, or in rebellion against God. When you look at the kings of Israel, you find one of two phrases. They either did that which is right in the sight of God, or they did that which is evil in the sight of God. And this year, where do you wanna be? You see, we cannot stop at the service aspect of this verse. We're gonna look at verse two, and then we'll be done here this evening. But how many here have ever started something and didn't finish it? Yeah, all of us. How many have ever started a New Year's resolution and didn't see it through? Hopefully, that's not this year. You're only a day in, right? But you know why we don't see things through? Because it was debatable to us. It wasn't important enough to us. It was something, well, you know, it sounded good. Romans chapter 12 and verse 2, of course we just read about our reasonable service. Verse 2 says, "...and be not conformed to this world, but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God." Why should we serve God? Why should we present our bodies a living sacrifice wholly acceptable unto God? Why should we do that? Simply for this reason, so that we may prove what is that good and and acceptable and perfect will of God. If we refuse to serve God, we will not have a renewing of our mind. These things go hand in hand. Our reasonable service will only be a necessity in our lives if we are transformed. about the renewing of our minds. Why aren't teens living for the Lord? Well, because their mind isn't renewed by the word of God. Why aren't families serving God together? Because minds are not renewed. Boy, we know what the latest game was and the stats and all of those things, but aren't doing a thing for God, not soul winning, not serving in ministry together. Why? Because there is a lack of renewing going on in our minds as believers. Every one of us, myself included, you know what we need tonight? We need a renewing of our mind. We need a renewing. We need a cleansing. We need a refresh. We need a restart. In 1999, the computer designers had no idea what would happen when that clock changed from 1999 to 2000. The great Y2K. There were stickers on the front of computers that said this, turn the computer off before midnight. and started up the next day. Whether they turned it off before midnight and started up the next day, or if they fell asleep and it just stayed through. You know what happened that night? Nothing blew up. There wasn't some, a rage of computers that took over the world or something. It all worked out. No one was hurt. Everything continued. And computers have continued to advance. But you know what we need tonight on the first day of a new year? We need to ask the Lord for His help. That's what we need. You see, every one of us fall into some category. Explain tonight. Every one of us. And every one of us need God's help. It doesn't matter if we are closer to God than we've ever been, or further away from God than we've ever been, we need His help. Because Satan's gonna keep coming. In this world, we battle not against flesh and blood. You see, there are things that are going to pull at you throughout this year and pull at your family and pull at this church. And we need God's help. It would be easy to stand up here and say, I'm going to stand up against the devil. But then I remember how many times I've allowed the devil to get me down. Rather, we need to say, God, I need you. God, will you help me? God, will you help this to be a year in which I grow closer to you than I ever have? Lord, I need you.