Putting Things Away

Happy Sunday. I hope you had a merry Christmas. We'll take our tree down today or in the next 48 hours or so. Yes, I help. It wasn't always that way.

Genie had surgery 25 years ago this week, or the week before Christmas, and she was told to take it easy for several weeks, and I learned many things. One of the greatest lessons I learned is that it's a big pain to put up Christmas tree all by yourself. So since then I have tried to do better and help. If you fail to put your Christmas tree away, you'll be one of those families that is talked about in your neighborhood.

There come the time when things need to be put away, and I want to talk about that today: putting things away. You know, pacifiers are cute in the mouth of infants, but you, when you begin elementary school, it's not secured. There comes a time when things need to be put away. When singles become couples and they're married, it becomes time to erase some old phone numbers. It used to be the little black book.

There comes a time when things need to be put away. When we become Christians, we learn that it is time to put some things, some old things, away. First Corinthians 13:11 puts it this way: "When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became an adult, I put an end to childish ways."

What kind of things am I talking about? Ephesians chapter 4, verses 25 to 32 give us quite a list. Here it is: "So then, putting away falsehood, let all of us speak the truth to our neighbors, for we are members of one another. Be angry but do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and do not make room for the devil. Thieves must give up stealing; rather let them labor and work honestly with their own hands, so as to have something to share with the needy. Let no evil talk come out of your mouth, but only what is useful for building up, as there is need, so that your words may give grace to those who hear. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with which you were marked with a seal on the day of redemption. Put away from you all bitterness and wrath and anger and wrangling and slander, together with all malice, and be kind to one another, as God in Christ has forgiven you."

That's quite a list. Here we are told to put away lying and anger and stealing and evil talk, bitterness, wrath, slander, and malice. Today I want us to look at a few more things that we should put away. If the events of the last two years have caused you to have fear and doubt, I sure believe those should be put away.

There's a great example of this in John chapter 11. As the chapter begins, we find out that Lazarus, the brother of Mary and Martha, is seriously ill. In fact, he had died. Mary and Martha sent for Jesus. They wanted him to hurry to Bethany to heal their brother.

Jesus delayed a couple of days. That's when Lazarus died. And finally he said to his disciples that they needed to go and check on Lazarus. Now Bethany, where Lazarus and his sisters lived, was in the territory of Judea. The last time Jesus and his disciples were there, they were in great danger.

A crowd tried to stone them. The disciples tried to stop Jesus from going back to the region. They were scared. Finally Thomas, the one you know is Doubting Thomas, said to the other disciples, "Let's go too and die with Jesus." You'll find those words in the 16th verse of John 11.

I admire Thomas's devotion here. He was ready to die for Jesus. I am, however, concerned about his doubt and his fear and his low expectations. Thomas's vision of the future was clouded by one bad experience in the region.

Think about all he had seen. He had seen Jesus change water into wine. He'd seen Jesus heal many who were in bad shape. He saw Jesus feed over 5000 people with one boy's lunch of bread and fish. He was in the boat when Jesus walked on water.

He saw Jesus restore sight to a blind man, and now all Thomas could think about was a group of rock throwers that missed them the first time. Thomas forgot lots of miracles because of one bad experience. His faith was obscured by fear and doubt. Aren't we the same way?

We can look back at 2021 and forget what God has done for us year in and year out. As I look forward to 2022, I pray that I will put away any doubt and fear and that I will have great expectations. So that's something you can put away: fear and doubt.

Something else that people should put away, Christian people, is guilt. If you're a believer and you're focusing on your failures from years past, you need to know that God has moved on, and you should too. Second Corinthians 5:17 tells us, "If anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; everything has become new." First John 1:9 teaches this: "If we confess our sins, he who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

Not convinced? I love the words from Psalms 103:12: "He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west." I pray you can put away the guilt of sins from your past that God has already taken and put away himself.

There are many other things to talk about today that need to be put away: prejudice, habits, grudges, toxic relationships. You can fill in the blank. Over the years I've seen people put away addictions and adultery and bad language and hatred and self-doubt and lack of discipline. You name it.

A new year starts next week. May God bless you as you put away the old and run towards the new. I'll see you next week in the new year, and I so look forward to our time together.

Let's pray together. Lord, 2021 is over, and lots of folks are glad. And help us to have great expectations for 2022. Number one, no matter what happens, you will be with us, and Father, we are thankful for that.

We pray that we will make plans for you in the new year and put you at the top of our list. Help us to put away those things that, well, we maybe should have put away a long time ago. Give us new starts. That's biblical; that's what you have for us. Let us accept it. In Jesus' name, amen.

God bless you. Happy new year.