You are the New Day
This morning I woke up, knowing what lies ahead. I feel the weight of preaching (proclaiming) one of the greatest events in all of human history . . . the birth of Jesus Christ. If you doubt the significance of this event, consider the fact that mankind divides all of history by “The Day of our Lord.” Both this Sunday and next, Christmas Day, our church will focus on the Miracles (please note miracles is plural) of Christmas. My family has personally invited over 50 people to come hear about this event. I have studied, prayed, and asked God to send The Holy Spirit to speak through me, focus our attention, open our eyes and ears, and ultimately change hearts. I am still praying. So, why the sense of heaviness this year? I have preached about the birth of Christ before. Why do I have such a burden? I think it is the result of a couple of recent events that have occupied my mind. One event is personal and the other is very much removed from me. Some might say an international news story, but it still captured my attention.
Let me address the personal issue first. I love Christmas. It is by far, my favorite time of the year. I know this time of year has its “stresses,” but that topic is for another blog. Friday, I had several things I wanted to get accomplished. I had errands to run, studying to accomplish, a sermon to complete, and then a party with one of our Sunday School classes. Needless to say, it was a busy day. Believe it or not, I was looking forward to the entire day, but then it happened . . . I let sin creep in. I was frustrated because of a situation. You might think, “Paul, we all get frustrated, no big deal.” Sure we do, but I allowed my frustration to begin to percolate and turn to anger as I drove from point to point running my errands. A day I was looking forward to was turning into a day of anger.
By the way . . . did I mention that Christmas is my favorite time of the year, because one thing I love about Christmas is Christmas music? I am not talking about “Frosty the Snowman” or “Santa Clause is coming to town” although it is all good fun to sing along with my kids when these songs come on the radio. But what I am talking about is that I love to hear choirs, really good choirs, sing classical Christmas music. I know . . . I’m getting old. So, I am frustrated, I am angry and now I am frustrated that I am angry . . . AND THEN I HEARD THIS SONG. I’ll get back to that in a minute.
So, what about the international event? Some of you reading this will not even know who this person is, while others perhaps idolized him. I woke up Friday morning and read the news that Christopher Hitchens had died. You might think that is the last thing a Christian minister would be concerned about. If you are not aware, Hitchens was known as one of the “Four Horsemen” of atheism. There is no doubt that Hitchens was a very intelligent man. I had read several things he had written and I had seen him in several debates. Believe me, there was never a doubt where Hitchens stood on issues . . . he would tell you and this included his ardent view concerning the nonexistence of any God, much less the God that I worship. Although he came across as very harsh or brash, I liked that political correctness was not part of his agenda. Plain and simple . . . He spoke his mind. So, let me recap.
I heard about the news of Christopher Hitchens’ death when I woke up.
I became frustrated about a situation in my life
I allowed my frustration to turn to anger towards that person
I was now disappointed in myself as I realized that sin was creeping in – and I was allowing it.
AND THEN I HEARD THIS SONG:
The song??? “Born on a New Day” You can hear the Cambridge Singers sing this piece at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9gtwHH8d18
(Joelle – I am sure you will love it)
The opening line is simply . . . “You are the new day.” Immediately, I thanked God because I knew that message was for me. It has been years since I had heard the song. It was buried beneath the over 1000 songs on my IPod. It is listed under the genre, classical, and since I know the album is Christmas, I don’t listen to it during the year. Lastly, that particular song is the last song out of 25 songs on the album. I’m never in the car long enough to listen to 25 songs!!! My heart was full of joy as I was reminded . . . Christ is the New Day. On that day when Christ was born, all of life was different. He was the New Day. Thank God . . . He sent the New Day. When I look at my life, the sin, the selfishness, the anger, the deception, and not only the deeds I have done, but the thoughts I have thought . . . I am so grateful for The New Day. Today . . . December 18th 2012 – I get to preach about The New Day. May many come to hear and many see for the first time, Christ, the New Day.
I know what it is to have darkness in your heart. It was for me that the Apostle Paul wrote in Romans 7:
15For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. 16Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good. 17So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. 18For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. 19For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. 20Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me.
21So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. 22For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, 23but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. 24Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? 25Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin.
Not too long ago, I remember the incredibly long night of riding out Hurricane Ike. The storm seemed to go on forever. I stayed up the entire night, watching over my family, cleaning up leaks from around windows, and listening as things broke, trees came down, and objects were thrown around the neighborhood. I remember twice, because of the intensity of the wind and noise, I thought the roof was about to come off the house, but then finally the storm left . . . the sun came up . . . it was a new day. Everything was OK. Sure, there was a lot of damage, but it was alright. We had made it through the night. My friend, that is what it is like to come out of the darkness of this world and the darkness that resides in your heart and mind when you meet Christ. He is The New Day.
But that song, as I rejoiced that God, reminded me that while I have that New Day, Hitchens no longer even had that possibility. I told my wife this thought on Friday.
“I have listened to Hitchens debate and I have felt such anger towards him. He has painted me and others that have faith in Christ as irrational and foolish, but today . . . today I only feel pity for him.”
Although his intelligence and wit were always on display and many found him to be unpredictable concerning the various issues of this world, I can, without a doubt tell you exactly what the topic would be and the message he would give if he only had a moment to come back and write or speak. It would simply be:
“The Bible . . . it’s all true.”
In 7 days it will be Christmas Day. As you and I look forward to friends, food, lights, the warmth of a home and good company, gifts, and good memories, think for just a moment. Christopher Hitchens will be on day 10 of an eternity of no hope. Hitchens wrote in June 2011,
“My chief consolation in this year of living dyingly has been the presence of friends.”
I wish I had the vocabulary and the gift of communication that Hitchens possessed. We must understand that as Hitchens lay in the hospital just 30 minutes from my house, he, like all of us during this life, had hope. That is now gone for Hitchens. There is no consolation, but for you . . . today could be a New Day.
Perhaps you are going through a rough time . . . a dark time. Maybe you have experienced the loss of a loved one. Maybe you are sick, lost your job, went through a divorce, or struggling with any one or multitude of sins. Perhaps you are at the point that you don’t believe you can press on. Even if you are at death’s door, there is hope. You can experience The New Day. It is a day when you will truly see, for the first time, the damage that has been done . . . but it’s a new day and all will be well. For those who experience Christ, even upon death itself, there is a new day.
YES, thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord. May you find Him and experience The New Day.
James Hamilton Jr.:
Paul Copan:
R. Albert Mohler Jr.:
J.C. Ryle:
Dr. Martin Lloyd-Jones:
Paul–
The song was beautiful, both in dynamics & harmonies, but mostly through lyrics. Thanks for sharing and I’m glad God used it to point you to Himself.
On Christopher Hitchens…I had a friend that wrote “RIP Christopher Hitchens” on his FB account. I had to write that, that statement is an oxymoron. If Christopher Hitchens was right in his atheistic beliefs, he could not possilby be “resting”, because when he took his last breath he just ceased to exist. He was decaying matter; worm food. And it is not possible for something that doesn’t exist to “rest”, since resting is a verb and a non-existing thing can’t “do” anything. But even more so, if Christopher Hitchens was WRONG in his atheistic beliefs (which I believe he was)…REST was the last thing he was experiencing. And peace is found in knowing Christ alone! Know Christ = Know Peace, No Christ = No Peace. My hope is that those that would align themselves with Christopher Hitchens beliefs would have a pause about what they believe. I pray that God reveals Himself to them and shows them that He deeply loves & cares for them. And that God has already made THE way to be reinstated into His family through Jesus. Yes, one of the most remarkable miracles of Christmas. That God would lay aside ALL His glory and come as a baby to save the likes of us. Praise the LORD!
Thankfully, my brother in Christ, Jesus came for all of our shortcomings. Repent of your anger and ask God to forgive you, then preach the truth that God is laying on your heart. It is not surprising to me that you are being attacked when something so big is coming. But be on the lookout, my friend, and do not give satan a foothold.
Lastly I’m so very grateful for my LORD and Savior, Jesus Christ. For He has “made me a NEW CREATION. The old has passed away and the NEW has come!” (2 Cor. 5:17) And “it is because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is His faithfulness.” (Lam 3:22-23)
Blessings & Merry Christmas,
Joelle
Interesting blog. However, it seems as though you think Christopher Hitchens is now in hell. I would like to point out that you don’t know where Hitchens went after he died. In fact, nobody but Hitchens and God know that. There is no pastor on the face of this earth that can judge perfectly the state of any particular human soul. Only God can judge with perfect accuracy. How do you know that at the last possible nanosecond in Hitchens’s life that he DIDN’T finally accept God as his savior? Take this example: Jesus: “Mr. Hitchens, do you reject me or accept me?”
Hitchens: “I accept you.” Jesus: “Come and enter into the eternal kingdom prepared for me by my Father.” We say “atheism will land you in Hell, but God’s mercy is also not something that we can say we know how God will go ABOVE AND BEYOND what he has laid down as law.” Remember, God isn’t just a bigger version of us. He is God. His ways are above our ways.
Bob,
Thank you for your post. I feel that I need to clarify a few things. You are correct, I do not know for sure . . . 100% . . . that Hitchens is in hell on this day, but I do not believe what I wrote was inappropriate. Let me explain.
First, Let me state that if you, or anyone, took what I wrote as an attitude of self-righteousness, then please read carefully. I am saved simply because of the grace of God. I was a rebel, an enemy of God, a slave to sin, and dead in my unrighteousness, BUT GOD, in his grace and mercy called me into a relationship and saved me. There is no boasting, except in Christ the Lord.
Secondly, are you and I only allowed to make claims that we are 100% sure of? If you only contemplate that for a moment, you will soon realize that very little in this life is 100% certain. Have you ever told someone that tomorrow you are going to ________ (fill in the blank)? If so, why? The Bible is clear that you and I are not guaranteed tomorrow. We might not live to see the next day or perhaps the next day will simply not arrive; and yet, we make these proclamations based upon our history, our health, our plans, and our outlook.
Thirdly, based upon what you wrote, it would appear that one could not state with confidence that someone is in heaven either. In reality, you and I cannot claim that we know . . . 100% . . . that anyone goes to heaven. We do not fully know anyone’s heart. But I would contend that if someone has professed faith in Jesus Christ and their life has been a manifestation of God’s grace and their faith, I feel confident and justified in proclaiming that upon his or her death, he or she is in heaven.
MY QUESTION: Why are we unable to proclaim the same thing, only the opposite, for someone like Hitchens.
Upon Hitchens’ death, Russell Moore (Dean of the School of Theology and Senior Vice-President for Academic Administration at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary) entitled his blog “Christopher Hitchens might be in Heaven.” I have much respect for Dr. Moore and I agree with him that if Hitchens put his faith in Jesus Christ, even at the very last moment, upon his dying breath, it would have been enough; Hitchens would have been saved; and today he would be in heaven. Dr. Moore even brought up the conversion story of the thief on the cross as a comparison. Certainly, God can save anyone. There is no sin that cannot be forgiven, BUT if one rejects Christ, God’s one and only Son, who died that we might live . . . then they are condemned. Are the stories of the thief and Hitchens comparable?
Just a few observations:
The thief, although a sinner, was not a man that lived his life actively denying God’s existence and degrading those who did believe. At least we are never told of that attitude in the thief. Hitchens had not only heard the gospel. He had contemplated it and rejected it. Hitchens not only rejected the gospel, he actively influenced others to reject the gospel as well. Hitchens not only influenced others to reject the gospel, he aggresively argued that God didn’t even exist. Hitchens was no more lost or dead than the thief, so . . .
Is it possible that Hitchens converted on his death bed? Sure.
The thief was put on a cross and suffered a relatively quick death. Hitchens had months, as he battled cancer, to reconsider the gospel over and over; and yet, still he held nothing but animosity toward not only a God that he believed did not exist, but especially toward those who prayed for him. Hitchens made it clear that he wanted to be known as an “antitheist” even more than an atheist.
Is it possible that God could still save him and he could have been converted on his death bed? Sure.
Read what Hitchens wrote before he died and after he gave Christians “permission” to pray for him.
“Suppose I ditch the principles I have held for a lifetime, in the hope of gaining favor at the last minute?” he wrote. “I hope and trust that no serious person would be at all impressed by such a hucksterish choice.” He told others that, if such reports did emerge, they should be attributed to the influence of drugs, and the loss of his mental faculties.
Despite all that he spoke and wrote against God, could Hitchens have had a deathbed conversion? Sure.
The thief was most likely convicted, sentenced to death, and then died in a very short timeframe. On the cross, racked with pain, the thief had and encounter with Jesus Christ, and was saved. It is my understanding that Hitchens was diagnosed with cancer in June 2010. That means for 18 months while he faced the possibility of death, Hitchens continually rejected the gospel and was adament that he would have nothing to do with Jesus Christ.
Do I believe that God could break Hitchens and call him into life despite Hitchens’ impending death? Sure.
I believe in a God that can do the miraculous. I pray that the miraculous happens for a man who comments on this blog quite often, Mr. Tarte. It is possible that even at the point of death, a person can have an encounter with Christ, and just like the thief, that very day he/she will be with Christ in paradise.
BUT, the fruits of Hitchens’ life, the words from his mouth, and the text from his pen pointed to an eternity apart from God, and if that is true . . . we should all be saddened. That is what I attempted to communicate. Am I 100% certain that Hitchens is in hell? No, I am not. Hitchens thought he wanted a life with no God. It is certainly possible that he now has that. There is a name for it . . . Hell. It would be great if Hitchens had been converted, but I do not believe, think, or imagine that was the case. Only God . . . and Hitchens know for sure. I was sad because all indication was that Hitchens went to hell, and there is/was no new day for him. Jesus Christ is The New Day.
May you know Christ Jesus. May you cry out for forgiveness and know salvation that is only found in Jesus Christ. That is my prayer for all that have taken the time to read this blog.
In Christ,
Paul