What to Know to Be New

“Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.” ISAIAH 43:19 ESV

“And he who was seated on the throne said, ‘Behold, I am making all things new’“. REVELATION 21:5 ESV

“The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness”. LAMENTATIONS 3:22-23 ESV

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” 2 CORINTHIANS 5:17 NIV

There is no NEW you until you KNOW you

TO GROW YOURSELF YOU MUST KNOW YOURSELF

We Tend to Elevate Ourselves more than We Evaluate Ourselves

“God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.” 1 PETER 5:5 NIV

If you’ve gotten anything at all out of following Christ, if his love has made any difference in your life, if being in a community of the Spirit means anything to you, if you have a heart, if you care—then do me a favor: Agree with each other, love each other, be deep-spirited friends. Don’t push your way to the front; don’t sweet-talk your way to the top. Put yourself aside, and help others get ahead. Don’t be obsessed with getting your own advantage. Forget yourselves long enough to lend a helping hand. Think of yourselves the way Christ Jesus thought of himself. He had equal status with God but didn’t think so much of himself that he had to cling to the advantages of that status no matter what. Not at all. When the time came, he set aside the privileges of deity and took on the status of a slave, became human! Having become human, he stayed human. It was an incredibly humbling process. He didn’t claim special privileges. Instead, he lived a selfless, obedient life and then died a selfless, obedient death—and the worst kind of death at that—a crucifixion. PHILIPPIANS 2:1-8 MSG

To Be New: Embrace Humility

“Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” EPHESIANS 4:32 NIV

“He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins. He has showered his kindness on us, along with all wisdom and understanding.” EPHESIANS 1:7-8 NLT

You can’t live in harmony with Jesus and live in hostility with others

Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other. ROMANS 12:9-10 NLT

Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone. ROMANS 12:18 NLT

To Be New: Practice Empathy

Empathy doesn’t excuse behavior; it seeks to understand it

There is much more we would like to say about this, but it is difficult to explain, especially since you are spiritually dull and don’t seem to listen. You have been believers so long now that you ought to be teaching others. Instead, you need someone to teach you again the basic things about God’s word. You are like babies who need milk and cannot eat solid food. For someone who lives on milk is still an infant and doesn’t know how to do what is right. Solid food is for those who are mature, who through training have the skill to recognize the difference between right and wrong. HEBREWS 5:11-14 NLT

Oh, the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners, or join in with mockers (shallow thinkers). But (INSTEAD) they delight in the law of the LORD, meditating on it day and night. They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season. Their leaves never wither, and they prosper in all they do. PSALM 1:1-3 NLT

It’s not enough to be Near Jesus, you need to Know Jesus

To Be New: Choose Consistency

Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you. 1 PETER 5:7 NLT casting all your cares [all your anxieties, all your worries, and all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares about you [with deepest affection, and watches over you very carefully]. 1 PETER 5:7 AMP

This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin. 16 So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most. HEBREWS 4:15-16 NLT

My Notes

Personal Reflection Guide

Find a quiet space to spend some time with God. Take a few deep breaths or go for a walk to calm your thoughts and emotions. When you sense you are ready, invite God to guide your time together. How well do you know yourself? What words come to mind to describe you, and what feelings do those words surface in you? Where in your life are you struggling to understand why you do what you do? Ask God to help you see the real you–the person He created you to be. Embrace humility for a moment to allow God in His deep love to reveal an area of your life that He wants to make new. What is one practice you could do more consistently to grow in your relationship with Jesus and become who God created you to be? Now think about your relationships with people (at home, work, school, church, etc.). How healthy are your relationships? How might others describe how they experience you? Invite the Holy Spirit to reveal what needs to shift in your thoughts and desires in order to have more healthy relationships. What is something you need to start or stop doing to practice humility, empathy, or consistency this year? Close your time by thanking God for His compassion and grace toward you, and ask Him to help you become like Jesus in your relationships with people.

Discussion Questions

Choose a couple of the following questions from each section that best fit your group. Or have everyone read the questions, choosing which one(s) from each section they feel led to respond to.

  1. 1. START HERE: What excites or motivates you most about starting a new year? What are you hopeful for?
  2. 2. START HERE: If you could describe yourself in three words, what would they be?
  3. 3. START HERE: What situation or people bring out the real you–for better or worse?
  4. 4. KEEP GOING: How would the people closest to you describe your relationship with God?
  5. 5. KEEP GOING: Read 1 Peter 5:5 (NLT). Where in your life do you tend to elevate yourself and need to evaluate yourself?
  6. 6. KEEP GOING: What is a recent decision you’ve made that reflects what you want most in life?
  7. 7. KEEP GOING: Read Revelation 21:5 (NLT). How does it encourage you to know that God is making all things new?
  8. 8. KEEP GOING: Read Ephesians 4:31-32 (NLT). How has holding onto conflict cost you?
  9. 9. LIVE IT OUT: Read 1 Peter 5:7 (NLT). What are you carrying into this new year that you need to lay down?
  10. 10.LIVE IT OUT: What is one practice you could do regularly this year to grow in the love and knowledge of Jesus? (humility, empathy, consistency)