New Year, New You
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Have you made a New Year’s resolution? I have heard some good ones, bad ones, ridiculous, amazing resolutions over the years. A favorite one that I heard was “I wanna take naps on boats”. I asked about where or if they had a harbor in mind. They said “nah, just wanna be more like Jesus.”
The #1 is resolution is diet. “I gotta eat better.”
A diet will change how you look, but a fast will change how you see.
This is the first message of the year in our Change Your City series – “New Year, New You”. We are talking about sight – well – more about lack of sight.
Matthew 9:27-3127 As Jesus went on from there, two blind men followed him, calling out, “Have mercy on us, Son of David!”28 When he had gone indoors, the blind men came to him, and he asked them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?”“Yes, Lord,” they replied.29 Then he touched their eyes and said, “According to your faith let it be done to you”; 30 and their sight was restored. Jesus warned them sternly, “See that no one knows about this.” 31 But they went out and spread the news about him all over that region.
We are starting this year by asking Jesus to heal our blindness.
Areas that can blind us from the Kingdom of God
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blind from denial
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things have changed but you have refused to adapt and follow Jesus into the new season.
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covid has shaken up the world, and a chunk of believers have refused to move and follow Jesus.
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blind from selfishness
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I don’t like that. Jesus didn’t ask about whether you liked it. He asked you to follow Him.
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blind from bitterness
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someone or something hurt you, now your bitter.
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blind from isolation
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the more alone we become the less community we have. we lose the vision of the kingdom of God
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blind from disobedience
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Psalm 119:29 – Keep me from lying to myself; give me the privilege of knowing your instructions.
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Doing Life Together –
What has tried or even made you blind to the Kingdom of God?
What blindness tries to sneak into your life to prevent vision?
Reading our verse 1 more time
Matthew 9:27-31
27 As Jesus went on from there, two blind men followed him, calling out, “Have mercy on us, Son of David!”
28 When he had gone indoors, the blind men came to him, and he asked them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?”
“Yes, Lord,” they replied.
29 Then he touched their eyes and said, “According to your faith let it be done to you”; 30 and their sight was restored. Jesus warned them sternly, “See that no one knows about this.” 31 But they went out and spread the news about him all over that region.
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Pursue Jesus
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Know the authority of Jesus
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First time in New Testament the title of Jesus was called out. They knew the position Jesus held as Messiah.
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Have some Faith
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It’s, “Because you have faith,” not “In proportion to your faith.” Jesus did not provide healing according to the amount of faith the blind men had.
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Next Steps – Verse 31 – Spread the news about Jesus to your city. Seriously pray about methods of sharing the news of Jesus to your city this year. Half the vision of Lighthouse is the light that shines outward. How will you be a lighthouse that works and shines?