It’s a very interesting trip. Thankful to the Lord for the time of reunion and fellowship with my family. But to live in Manila, it’s not the same anymore. Changes have occurred in every aspect. I felt like a stranger sometimes. Nonetheless it’s a good break. Now we’ve come into the New Year.

For so many people it’s a time for new beginnings, new resolutions, new commitments. People will start dieting again, exercising again, “trying” to be disciplined again. I’m reminded of a man who, after thoroughly enjoying his holiday meals and snacks, got on his bathroom scale and sucked in his stomach. His wife saw him, laughed, and said, “Sucking in your stomach doesn’t help.” Ralph said, “Sure it does. It’s the only way I can see how much I weigh! It’s the only way I can see the numbers.”

As the calendar changes, we’re reminded that time changes things. A few seconds is enough time for an accident or earthquake to shatter one’s life. A day or two is enough time for a stock market to plunge, a job to be lost, a flood, tsunami, or earthquake to bring ruin. A year is more than enough time for conflict to wreck a marriage or for cancer to end a life. Time changes things, and not all of the changes are favorable.

The good news is that, amid so many changes, there is one unchanging reality you can always count on. Hebrews 13:8Hebrews 13:8
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8 Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.  

WP-Bible plugin says, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” Jesus never changes, and His faithfulness to those who believe in Him never changes. “His faithfulness will be your shield and rampart (Psalm 91:4Psalm 91:4
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4 He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.  

WP-Bible plugin). Have you ever had a rough ride in an airplane? Turbulence tosses the plane this way and that. An air pocket makes the plane drop suddenly, and your stomach jumps into your mouth. As you near your destination and come in for a landing, the plane shakes and sways in the wind. When it reaches the runway, the plane bounces a few times before screeching to a stop. After such a wild and bumpy ride, what a relief to be on firm ground! It feels great to have both feet standing on something solid.

So too, if you’ve been blown this way and that by turbulence and changing times, it feels great to have both feet standing firmly on the rock-solid reality of Christ. Faith in Jesus brings security and stability you can’t find anywhere else. Your health can change, your relationships can change, your finances can change, weather patterns can change, economies can change, technology can change, governments and national boundaries can change, but “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” Changing times don’t change the Lord. All other things, even the very earth and sky, are changing. The Bible says earth and sky are like clothes that eventually wear out and must be changed. “But,” says the Bible of Jesus, “you remain the same, and your years will never end” (Hebrews 1:11-12Hebrews 1:11-12
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11 They shall perish; but thou remainest; and they all shall wax old as doth a garment; ¹² And as a vesture shalt thou fold them up, and they shall be changed: but thou art the same, and thy years shall not fail.  

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So in this New Year, with all its challenges, trials and battles (it may sound repetitive, or a cliché), PUT YOUR HOPE IN THE ROCK SOLID THAT IS CHRIST! He’s return is soon. Look up! For your redemption draws near!

Announcement:

Our Visayan Service resumes next week, Jan. 8.

ATTN:  Elders’ and Ministry Leaders’ Prayer/Fasting and Year-long Planning is scheduled on Jan. 20-21, 2012 at CCTC. Please mark your calendar.

Holidays are the most lonely time of the year.  People are told everywhere they’re supposed to be happy and they realize they’re not.  They see everybody else acting happy, and they feel so lonely.  Success can make you lonely.  You often hear it’s lonely at the top.  Old age makes you lonely.  You can be lonely in a big crowd.  You can be lonely in a mall.  Loneliness, one of the chief maladies of our age, but Jesus has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” (Heb.13:5)  When I am discouraged, His presence sees me through.  When I am lonely, His presence cheers me up.  When I am worried, His presence just calms me down. And when I am tempted, His presence will help me out. We need just to practice the presence of the Lord this new year.  And when the devil comes and knocks at our heart’s door, we can just simply say, “Jesus, please go answer the door.”  The Lord is there with us to take care of us.

When God has already given you the best, His Son, He will willingly give you everything you need in life!

Rom.8:32 says, “He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?”  When God has already given you the best, His Son, He will willingly give you everything you need in life! Can you imagine a husband giving his wife a beautiful diamond necklace maybe for Christmas or Valentine’s Day or for a birthday or anniversary and she opens the box and there is this beautiful diamond necklace. She says, “Oh, sweetheart! Thank you so much. I know this is expensive. Thank you…and you know what, dear, I love the box too.” And he says, “Oh, you can’t have the box. I want the box for myself. The box is mine.”

That would be ridiculous, wouldn’t it? When he gives you something as expensive as a diamond necklace, sure he’ll give you the box. God has already given us the precious diamond of His Son, and now, anything else He could ever give to us is just like the box the diamond comes in. Everything else is so much less valuable than His Son; He willingly and graciously gives us all things.  So why be afraid?

Knowing we belong to the Lord is a wonderful answer to fear. We can know that He holds us, protects us, guards us, and cares for us. We can know that He would not have created, redeemed, and called us unless He intended to finish His work in us. How can we be afraid when we know this God is for us, is looking out for our interests? The issue is not what you have or don’t have, but to whose you belong!  So, why fear…when you belong to Him?

So, why fear…when you belong to Him?

Beloved, put it down big and put it down plain and put it down straight, you can go into a new year with this kind of a promise.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

• For those who ordered our 25^th Anniversary and Hope For You Concert DVDs, they are now available at the back after the service.
• H4U T-SHIRTS are now available at P250 each!  For orders please approach the Youth table at the back after the service.  This is a fundraising for the upcoming Youth Camp next year.
• PRAYER MEETINGS resume this Tuesday, Jan. 4, 2011Jan. 4, 2011
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• BEREAN “GETTING DEEPER” CLASS and IBS CLASS resumes on Jan. 18, 2011Jan. 18, 2011
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Automobile drivers know that the rear view mirror is an important part of a vehicle…but they don’t fix their eyes on it, always looking at what’s behind. It’s going to be disaster if they do! And do you notice that it’s so small compared to the windshield in front of you? What is it saying? That we’re to look ahead more than we look back! As we enter into the new year, I have a Word from the Lord for all of us: THE LORD SAYS, `Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I’m doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland.” (Isaiah 43:18Isaiah 43:18
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18 Remember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old.  

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God is saying, …”don’t think about the past. It’s over. If you can learn from it, learn well, but the book’s closed on it.”



Listen to what God is saying in this verse. Forget about what’s happened before. He says don’t think about the past. It’s over. If you can learn from it, learn well, but the book’s closed on it. We need to understand that God is far more interested in our future than He is in our past. Some people think that God is stuck on their past. That all He wants to do is remind them of the things that they have done wrong. God is more interested in your future than He is with your past. That’s where you’re going to spend the rest of your life. He says, “Forget about your past. Forget about the former things. Don’t think about it. Look at the new thing I’m going to do.”

Israel was being punished for their sins and rebellion against God. God wanted to give hope and encouragement to His people. He wanted them to know that even though they were being punished they were not being forsaken. God wanted His people to understand that the punishment that they were experiencing would not be the end of them. The fact is that God want to give them a fresh start in life, a new Beginning in life. Israel no doubt was discouraged because they thought this was the end of them. They had gone too far, they had sinned and rebelled against God to the point that He would no longer be their God. Maybe they thought ‘God would not deliver us again, it’s over’. They could remember the former things, but they couldn’t see their future. That is why God said; “ I am going to do something new.



Every new day His mercies are fresh and every day is an invitation to receive afresh His mercy, His forgiveness.

Maybe that is where you are this morning! You feel that you have made so many mistakes, you have failed God so many times and you have sinned it all away. That God doesn’t want anything to do with you. You feel and believe that you have no future with God. The good news is, God is saying, “ It’s not over, I have plans for your life. I am about to do something new for you. ” And you don’t have to wait for a new year to do that. Every new day His mercies are fresh and every day is an invitation to receive afresh His mercy, His forgiveness. God wants to do a new thing in your life. Come to Him with humility and repentance today, with heart wide open to receive His healing grace and with your mouth ready to declare His goodness and faithfulness!

A SPIRIT-FILLED, CHRIST GLORIFYING NEW YEAR TO ALL!