What Does The Bible Say About New Beginnings?
Video Timeline
WELCOME
0:00 - Welcome with Matt & Anna
TALK with Matt Edmundson
08:42 - What Does The Bible Say About New Beginnings?
09:33 - What Does The Bible Say About Beginning Again?
10:28 - #1 Everything Has A Beginning
11:48 - #2 You Cannot Change Your Past
12:20 - #3 Your Future Doesn't Have To Be Defined By Your Past
13:52 - A New Creation In Christ
15:18 - How Do I Know If I Am In The Family Of Christ Jesus?
16:26 - God's New Work In Us
17:25 - Living With The Consequences Of Our Past
18:26 - Forgetting The Past
19:04 - Living A Life Of Meaning
22:00 - What Is A Second Chance?
24:17 - #4 What You Do Today Matters A Lot
WORSHIP
27:27 - King Of My Heart with lyrics
CONVERSATION STREET with Matt & Anna
31:49 - Conversation Street
CLOSING WORSHIP
1:00:03 - O God Be Our Guide with lyrics
Podcast:
What does the Bible say about New Beginnings?
— Matt Edmundson
What does the Bible say about new beginnings? At the start of every year, we all make our new year's resolutions. It's what we do. The clue is the title - it is a new year. New year, new you, a new self.
What are your hopes for 2022?
What was 2021 like for you? What are your hopes for 2022? What resolutions have you made? Where do you want to change? We get to write the next chapter of our life - so what will you write as you stare at the blank piece of paper?
What does the Bible say about beginning again?
Before you put pen to paper on your next chapter, it's worth asking a few questions - what does the Bible say about beginning again? Does it have examples of new beginnings? What does God's word say about starting over? It turns out it has a lot to say about it! So here's a quick spoiler alert: we will look at four key things that the Bible tells about new beginnings:
Everything has a beginning.
You cannot change your past.
Your future doesn't have to be defined by your past.
What you do today matters a lot.
So with those things in mind - let's dig into this:
#1 - Everything has a beginning
“In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.”
The very first chapter, the very first verse of the Bible, talks about what happened at the beginning of our time. God created the heavens and the earth. And this is important because it signifies the start of time. It tells us that everything has had a beginning. You have had one. Every situation you are in has had a genesis, a beginning.
When I moved to Liverpool, that was the genesis of many things for me. If I hadn't moved here, I would have never met Sharon, who later became my wife and then the mother of my children. I wouldn't have joined Frontline church, and so it would probably be someone else sitting here writing this Crowd church blog.
Everything has a beginning. The Earth had a beginning. Time had a beginning. God had plans for the earth and for the people that inhabited the planet. He had nothing but good things planned. And history tells us that it didn't take long for man to screw this up.
#2 - You cannot change your past
But notice that God didn't go back in time and redo that bit. He let it run its course. That's point number two - the past cannot be changed. God doesn't change the past - and neither can you. God didn't go back in time and start again. He sent Jesus to redeem our future and forgiveness at the heart of this story.
#3 - Your future doesn't have to be defined by your past
Whilst you cannot change the past...your future doesn't have to be defined by it. You see, ultimately, the Bible tells us that God will redo the whole earth thing; it will, in effect, have a new beginning:
“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the old heaven and the old earth had disappeared.”
At the start of the Bible in Genesis, time begins, and God creates the heavens and the earth. Yet, In Revelation, which is a book at the end of the Bible, God creates a new heaven and a new earth, and it seems - a whole new measurement of time. It's the ultimate new beginning. It's all pretty exciting stuff. But that is heaven and earth and all things God. What about man? What about us? Let's make this a bit more personal.
A New Creation In Christ
Have you heard the phrases, "I am a new creation in Christ", or "I am born again"? Christians often use them to describe that they have had the most radical of new beginnings. They decided to spend their future living out God's plans and purposes for their lives through Christ Jesus. This whole idea comes from a passage that St. Paul wrote to the Corinthian church:
“...if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”
So Paul tells us that if you are in Christ, you are a new creation. In Christ is an interesting phrase; it is all about identity. If you haven't yet seen it, check out the talk on "What does the Bible say about Me?", where we talk about identity and this phrase in Christ.
So if you're identity is in Christ, if you have joined the family, so to speak, you are a New Creation.
How do I know if I am in the family of Christ Jesus?
Honestly, it is as simple as just saying a prayer - acknowledging that you need Jesus and asking Him to help you walk in His ways. But as simple as that is, it also requires a lot from us because you are, in effect, orienting your life around the things of Christ moving forward. Christianity is not a title; it is a lifestyle. You know if you are a Christian because you are trying to live a life that pursues God's plans and purposes. It's simple and complex all at the same time! You start your Christian journey in an instant, with a simple decision and prayer, and you develop as a Christian every day following that decision.
God's new work in us
It is a radical new beginning. Because at that moment, Jesus deals with all the past mistakes, failures, sin, anger, bitterness, jealousy, betrayal, rejection - the list goes on and on, and He nails it to the cross, and you get a fresh start.
“...God made you alive with Christ, for he forgave all our sins. He cancelled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross.”
I love the imagery here! It's incredible. He forgave all of my sins and nailed the charges to the cross. If you want to know more about why this is essential, check out the talk one why did Jesus die by Pete Farrington - he did such a great job explaining that.
Living with the consequences of our past
It's worth pointing out that whilst we might have been forgiven of all our sins, that doesn't mean that we might not have to live with the consequence of our sin. If you rob a bank, you can be forgiven, but you still need to serve jail time. It's the consequence of committing a crime.
It can be challenging for us as humans to live knowing that God has forgiven us. We often carry around a lot of baggage due to our past. And that shame and guilt can either be turned inward, and we live as a victim of it, or we can turn it outward and blame everyone else for how we live.
Forgetting the past
But that chap that wrote about being a new creation, who understood that God nailed his record of charges to the cross, also wrote this:
“... I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.”
That's a pretty remarkable statement.
Living a life of meaning
Paul focused on forgetting the past and living a life of purpose and calling. He wanted to live a life of meaning. That is what we are all about here at Crowd church. We are pursuing a life of significance in Christ.
What to put behind?
So what parts of your past do you need to forget? What do you need to put in the past and leave there? When you read Paul's story, you find out that this guy had a whole lot of baggage, former things that he needed to leave in the past. He was a Jew but incredibly zealous and a real stickler for the rules. He was involved in the killing of Stephen - a Christian who was stoned to death because of his faith. He persecuted countless Christians, and yet he is now one of them. He had a lot of shame and guilt to leave in the past. A lot!
Through the forgiveness and grace of Christ, Paul was able to leave his old self behind and start over to find that new beginning. And after Paul did that, his life changed radically, he changed history, and he found meaning and purpose.
Other examples of new beginnings in the Bible
The woman who got a new life
Paul is not the only example of fresh beginnings in the Bible. There's a beautiful story about a woman brought to Jesus to be sentenced for her crime. She was caught in adultery, and according to the law, she needed to be stoned to death. So Jesus tells the crowd, "Let he who is without sin cast the first stone". Everyone in the crowd realizes that they can't throw the stone, and they disperse, so Jesus asks who is left to condemn her:
““No one, sir,” she said. “Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.””
What is a second chance?
Again, we see that forgiveness is at the start of this second chance. She got her second chance, her new beginning - but notice she had to leave something behind. Too often, with our second chances, we live the same way; we do the same things but hope for different results. To quote Dr. Henry Cloud, the author of Boundaries,
"A second chance is not a repeat of the first chance".
- Dr. Henry Cloud
Things have to change. You won't lose weight eating the same food that caused you to put it on. It's illogical. Whenever we approach God for a fresh start, there may be something that He, or common sense, tells us that we have to stop doing, and there are things that we have to start doing.
The Apostle Peter
Another example from the Bible would be the apostle Peter. His whole life seems to be full of new beginnings. He denied Christ three times despite swearing that he wouldn't, yet God used Peter to be a part of building the church. As the church grows, it becomes clear that Peter is not all sunshine and rainbows in his behavior towards those who aren't Jews. God needs to radically intervene in his life with a crazy dream as well as a stern rebuke from the apostle Paul. Peter didn't always get it right, and he spent more time with Jesus than any man. That's good news for me.
#4 - What you do today matters a lot
Sometimes we all need a fresh start; to reset the counter and go again. Maybe that is turning to Christ for the first time? Perhaps, like Peter, God is working on something in our lives. The Bible tells us that
“The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning;”
You can have a new beginning in Christ because His mercies are new every morning. But that new beginning needs a beginning. It needs to start - so start today! As you read through the Bible, you read about Paul and Peter, you read about the woman caught in adultery - they all experienced those new mercies, they all experienced new beginnings - but that all had to start today. New beginnings can start right now because what you do today, what decisions you make today matter a lot!
One thing is for sure, this year, we will face times when we need a new beginning. We will face times of uncertainty and change. Some of those things will be in our control. Some of them won't. I do know for absolute certainty that whatever we face, whatever challenges, whatever change that comes, whatever new beginnings we may need, no matter how hard - God is with us during those times. He never leaves nor forsakes us.
And today, right now, we can trust that. We can put our faith in Christ, that He is with us, that He is for us, that we can be set free from the past, and that we can chase the goal of the calling of the Lord Jesus Christ.
I don't know about you - but for me - it is great to remember that as we start the new year!
CONVERSATION STREET
With: Matt Edmundson & Anna Kettle.
What is Conversation Street?
Conversation Street is part of our live stream, where the hosts (in this case, Matt & Anna) chat through Matt’s talk and answer questions that were sent in through the live stream. To watch the conversation now, click here.
Matt: So Anna, What does the Bible say about new beginnings? What's the default that pops into your head?
Anna: Oh, it's a good question. And I think the first thing that pops into my head is that they're available, and they're available for everyone. I mean, that's the heart of the Christian messages. And so yeah, just that new beginning is possible. And, yeah, it doesn't matter who you are, you can have a new beginning.
Matt: Yeah. It's fascinating, isn't it? When you think about new beginnings, I think there are severities of new beginnings aren't there? There are some things, you know, like New Year's resolutions. We talked about that. But it's not as severe as saying, I have lived this particular life, say, a life of crime. Let's go the opposite direction. And I want to start again, I want to start afresh, and I want a new beginning from this point on where I don't do that. And so I think there are severities on there, different degrees of new beginnings that people want. But I like what you said and I think is true, it doesn't matter where you are on that spectrum. They're available and they're available to all.
One of the questions that came through from Jeff says,
Starting again and doing things differently, not letting your past define you sounds a bit like a self-help book. How is the message of the gospel different from other try again, messages of the world?
Anna: I mean, for Me at the core, the main difference is the way they happen. If they're based on the work of Jesus rather than self-effort, that's the difference. New beginnings with Jesus are all based on what He does, on His work to do what you can't, which is changing yourself. And yeah, that's the defining difference. I think all of the self-help is about trying harder, different versions of trying harder, do it yourself. I mean, it's literally in the title, isn't it? Self Help. But, when you talk about faith, it's not about self-help. It's about God's help. Having tried various forms of self-help, I think I prefer God's help every time.
Matt: I think with a lot of the principles of Christianity, you can take God out of the principles, but the principles remain the same, right? You can have a new beginning, you can have a fresh start. But like you said, self-help, trying to do it yourself. This is why coming back to the New Year's resolution conversation, 80% of them failed by the end of the first month, right? Because it's all down to your willpower, isn't it? It's all down to your staying power to do it.
And I think whilst maybe you can change with effort, how many times you go to the gym, what you can't change is what Paul talked about, that inward person where Christ takes your sin and nails it to the cross, you can't change that need inside of you to be this new creation, you can't give yourself new life or new birth, which is like you say, the heart of the Christian message. You can't give yourself forgiveness that can only come from God. I mean, you can forgive yourself, but you can't. It's not like you can play God and extend forgiveness. All of those things come from Christ. And so I think if you are planning on starting again, it's not about willpower, necessarily, it's not about self-effort. It's about the grace of God and the life of Christ in you doing stuff in and through you that you don't have the power to do by yourself.
Anna: And actually, Matt when you talk about things like getting a bit more buff at the gym at the start of the year, but actually who you are as a person and how you want to change, like I want to become a more loving, selfless wife and mother and I can't do that for myself. It's about those things that only God can do for you. Because however hard I try, I can't be a different person from who I am, I can maybe change like 1-2%. But I'm never fundamentally going to change from being someone who just always defaults back to my self-centeredness because that's how we all are as human beings. And we can't change our human-ness and our weaknesses very much. We can improve ourselves a bit. But there's such a limit when you get to the really deep stuff, that you can't change yourself.
Matt: Yeah, it's very true. And I'm reminded, where Paul talks about the one thing that I do, one of my favorite verses. Let's just distill this down to it,
“I forget the past, and I press on towards the upward call of Christ Jesus.”
It's like, I refuse to be defined or held back by my past. And Paul's past wasn't filled with good stuff. Let's just put it that way. But my whole life, my whole purpose now is to press on for this goal, the upward call of Christ. In essence, what he's saying is, Christ has a plan. Jesus has a plan for me, and my life is to now pursue that and I can't do that if I'm tethered to my past. And the only person according to Paul, who can break the tether from your past is Christ Jesus. And good luck trying it without him. That's all I'm saying. It is self-help but it becomes problematic because you're limited in your power. You're limited in your capabilities. And there are some things that only God can do. And there are some slates that only He can wipe clean. So I hope this answered your question, Jeff. I feel It was a very good question.
So Anna, what do you think the Bible says about change and transition? So we've got new beginnings. And the obvious one that we talked about is a new beginning as in becoming a Christian, starting again, a new creation.
But what about as a Christian? Have you ever had to manage change and transition of things? And how have you done that?
Anna: Yeah, I think whether you're a Christian or not, we all constantly manage change and transition. Life is just full of changes. And we're transitioning to a new season, a new year, at the moment, we're hopefully transitioning out of a period where we've just been quite limited and not socializing for a long time because of COVID. And hopefully, we're starting to transition out of that now. I think life is just full of seasons. We're constantly transitioning.
Last week, I transitioned back to work after two weeks off for Christmas, my little boy transitioned back to school for another term. I think life is just constantly full of small transitions. And then obviously, there are some bigger ones, like a change of job or moving to a new area, and lots of bigger changes that we go through as well. Yeah, life's full of new starts, New Beginnings, transitions, and I think God can support us and help us with all of those.
Matt: Yeah, I think it's a great question. I was talking to Dan Prior early on, we went for a walk, which was lovely. And we were talking about, there are some people he knows who are having a hard time managing change, they don't like change. And I've heard this phrase a lot that people don't like change. And I understand it, you know, there's comfort in security and things not changing.
But then I'm always reminded of that phrase, that stagnant water stinks. And that, life comes when water flows, and it moves. It seems like God's created it that way. There has to be movement and not just resting where we are. When I think about Paul forgetting the past and pressing forward, that whole idea of pressing forward just implies change. There's this constant changing, adapting, this sort of movement going on. And so I think you're right, there are many periods of change and transition. And I think that's a good thing, it's a godly thing.
Anna: Absolutely. And it helps me to think of life more as a journey rather than a destination. And actually, what I've realized is that whatever destination point I set myself, like, starting this business, or getting this job or getting married, or having a family or whatever it is, once you get to that destination, you realize it's just another stopping point on the journey. Like there's no endpoint. I just find that quite a helpful analogy of life. It's more of a journey than a race with a clear start and finish line.
Matt: I agree. And I think the thing for me about this journey is that God is with you through it and that you can rest in Him and you can pray and you can hear him and he does promise to guide you and lead you. And that takes the pressure off. Because I think God can handle my failure. I'm not going to get it perfect. And I think God's big enough to cope with it. And that's fine. Yeah. So the change and the transition, I can do it in the full assurance that God is with me, and that God keeps me and my family and that's awesome!
Transitions can take time. How can we as Christians help and support each other through different stages of our faith journey?
Anna: I think one of the best things for me is just meeting with a couple of other Christian friends and being able to talk things and pray together, just like in a small group, maybe three or four of us and just be able to say, Guys, this is going on, I'm thinking through these options, can we pray about this? I want to hear God. And can you pray for me to see if you can hear God for me as well? I don't feel like I'm trying to work it all out on my own. And that for me is one of the biggest things.
Matt: I can think of all kinds of examples of things that people have done for us when they saw a need and said what can I do here to help solve this problem?
But one of the things that I've learned having talked to a lot of people going through change and transition is I think I can see the answer. I know exactly what they need to do. I'm like, if you just did that, life would be fine. And I think you do this a lot, especially as a parent. You see kids processing stuff in and out. So one of the things I've learned when other people are going through change and transition is to keep my mouth shut, to not just offer the answer straight away. Because when a transition is happening, there's a real beauty in learning how to wrestle with God, and how to hear God in those situations. And it's biblical to seek the counsel of other people. But in the midst of that, there is something about hearing God.
Anna: Yeah and I think one of the really useful ways to do that is to ask questions. It's a technique that therapists use a lot with people to draw the answer out of them, rather than you giving them the answer. Probing questions is quite a useful way to start that conversation but get someone thinking.
Matt: So support people practically and ask those questions because sometimes we face situations that are hard and horrible and we need people to help us find God in amid those situations. And Matt Crew's put in here.
It can be difficult for people who are placed on the spectrum to deal with change. So a grace period is needed.
Anna: I think that's right. Some people do struggle with change more than others. And I don't think it's just about being on the spectrum. It's a personality thing as well because people are wired in different ways - some are doers and others think a lot.
Matt: Scripture talks about how there is safety in a multitude of counselors. So if you're going through change and transition, don't talk to people just like you but talk to several different people and see what they have to say.
I remember when I started my work career and my job was not paying very well. I was looking for better-paying jobs all over, even outside of Liverpool, and someone said to me maybe the first thing you should think about isn't the salary of the new job but is there a church there that you can serve if you're going to be moving out of the city. It's that kind of counsel because I would never have thought that. So, do talk to different people and get advice from those who don't think the same way as you. I think that's very helpful.
More Bible Verses About New Beginnings
John 13:34,35 - “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another”.
Isaiah 43:18,19 - “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland”.
2 Corinthians 5:17 - “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!”
Psalm 40:3 - “He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear the Lord and put their trust in him”.
Isaiah 62:1-3 - "For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent, for Jerusalem’s sake I will not remain quiet, till her vindication shines out like the dawn, her salvation like a blazing torch. The nations will see your vindication, and all kings your glory; you will be called by a new name that the mouth of the Lord will bestow. You will be a crown of splendor in the Lord’s hand, a royal diadem in the hand of your God”.
Isaiah 64:17 - “See, I will create new heavens and a new earth. The former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind”.
Jeremiah 31:31 - “‘The days are coming,’ declares the Lord, ‘when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and with the people of Judah’”.
Ezekiel 11:19 - “I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh”.
Ephesians 4:22-24 - “You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness”.
Colossians 3:9-11 - “Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. Here there is no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all”.
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