Carrying Christmas into the New Year | 12.28.25

Devotional

Day 1: Old trust for a new year

This in-between week can stir both hope and anxiety, as your body still holds the year’s highs and lows while your mind imagines what’s next. Instead of hunting for the next plan or hack, return to the old place of trust—Jesus Himself. He is not asking you to perform your way into His favor but to lean your full weight on His faithfulness. Let the pressure to reinvent yourself give way to the peace of remembering who holds you. In the confusing middle, you are safe to rest because He is steady. [00:51]

Galatians 2:15–16 — We may come with all sorts of spiritual credentials, but we are made right with God only by placing our trust in Jesus the Messiah. We have staked our hope on Him so our standing rests on His faithfulness, not on our rule-keeping, because no one is put right with God by the law.

Reflection: Where do you feel the strongest pull to start fixing yourself this week, and what would it look like instead to consciously hand that very place to Jesus in prayer?

Day 2: Jesus, Not Systems: Freedom From Try-Harder

It’s tempting to add something to Jesus—one more rule, a stricter plan, a tighter system—to feel secure. But rebuilding old ladders of self-salvation only tightens the knots of shame and anxiety. Real freedom comes as you stop propping up what Christ already tore down and let His grace be enough. Faith is not mental gymnastics; it’s daily trust, even mustard-seed small, in the One who already rescued you. Stand in the simple, scandalous relief: Jesus, period. [12:44]

Galatians 2:17–19 — If, while we seek to be right with God through Christ, someone calls us guilty for not clinging to the law, that doesn’t make Christ a promoter of sin. We become transgressors when we rebuild what He set us free from. Through the law I came to the end of the law, so I could live fully for God.

Reflection: What “Jesus plus” expectation do you keep reaching for to feel okay, and how could you lay it down this week in a concrete way?

Day 3: Crucified with Christ, alive by His life

Your old self—its failures, defenses, and exhausting self-justification—was nailed to the cross with Jesus. The truest thing about you now is Christ alive in you, giving you His life moment by moment. You don’t have to fuel this year by sheer willpower; you get to live by trusting the Son of God who loves you and gave Himself for you. Let that love become the oxygen of your day and the strength under your steps. New year, new you is real—because Jesus already made you new. [22:34]

Galatians 2:20–21 — I have been crucified with Christ; my former self no longer runs the show. The life I now live in my body, I live by trusting the Son of God who loved me and gave Himself for me. I will not empty God’s grace of its meaning; if the law could put us right, Christ’s death would have been pointless.

Reflection: If you truly believed Christ lives in you today, what is one pressured area where you would choose trust over striving, and how would that change your next step?

Day 4: Resting in Presence over perfect plans

God didn’t give guidelines to crush you but to guide you toward love—love for Him and love for your neighbor. Still, life hacks and flawless systems cannot heal a hurried soul; only the presence of Jesus can. Freedom is not the absence of boundaries but the gift of living unchained, led by the Spirit and anchored in grace. As you look at the coming months, let love, not perfectionism, be the measure of success. Rest first, then act from communion rather than compulsion. [27:24]

Galatians 5:1 — The Messiah set us free so we could truly live in freedom. Plant your feet and don’t step back into the yoke of slavery again.

Reflection: Where are you relying on a plan to do what only God’s presence can do, and how could you make simple space this week to be with Him before you do for Him?

Day 5: The God who delights and invites rest

God does not merely tolerate you; He delights over you with singing. He knows your quirks, your worries, and your weariness—and He gladly meets you there. When the calendar crowds in, it’s okay to take a machete to your schedule, breathe, and pray the simplest prayer: “Jesus, help.” Notice where chaos churns, and bring it into His loving gaze. You are not alone in the in-between; He is mighty to save and tender to quiet your heart with His love. [33:07]

Zephaniah 3:17 — The Lord your God is right here with you, strong to rescue. He takes joy in you, calms you with His faithful love, and sings over you with delight.

Reflection: What specific moment of chaos could you carry into a brief “Jesus, help” prayer today, and what small boundary might you set to make room for His calming presence?

Sermon Summary

In the strange in‑between week between Christmas and New Year’s, the call is not to find something new to do but to return to an old place to trust. Galatians 2:15–21 anchors weary hearts in the truth that no one is made right with God by effort, improvement, or spiritual performance. The culture’s “new year, new you” momentum exhausts, because it keeps the spotlight on personal strength. Scripture draws that spotlight back to Jesus—his cross, resurrection, and ongoing presence—and says the way forward is faith: a daily, concrete trust in the Son of God who loved and gave himself.

Set amid a divided first‑century church, Paul rejects any version of “Jesus plus,” because adding to Jesus subtracts from grace. Faith, biblically, is not merely thinking the right thoughts; it is trusting a Person. It is the difference between trying to climb a ladder to God and collapsing into the arms of the One who has already come down. The law was never meant to be a treadmill of worthiness; Christ fulfilled it so love could be the fruit. Sin is more than breaking rules; it is rebuilding the old systems that promise security apart from God—systems that inevitably become our nooses.

The turning point is identity: “My old self has been crucified with Christ.” The cross takes care of the past—both the wrong we’ve done and the wrong done to us. The resurrection secures the future. If Christ has covered the past and secured the future, then he can be trusted in the confusing in‑between. Life in this earthly body becomes a matter of re‑aimed trust—less obsession with perfection, more spaciousness to be made loving by grace. This is not apathy; it is freedom to live for God without the chokehold of self‑justification.

So enter the new year differently. Name where chaos is loud. Notice where the instinct is to try harder instead of trust more. Choose practices of resting in Jesus—perhaps as simple as the prayer, “Jesus, help.” Remember that he doesn’t only love; he delights. He sings over the same you he’s redeeming. Carry Christmas forward: stop chasing perfect systems; rest in the presence of a perfect Savior. Not about being perfect, but about being with the One who is.

Key Takeaways

1. Choose trust over self-improvement pressure The calendar shouts for plans, hacks, and new disciplines, but Galatians insists that rightness with God never starts with human strength. Trust turns the weight from “make it happen” to “receive what’s been given.” This is not passivity; it is a wiser posture that lets grace do the heavy lifting. Freedom grows where the burden to prove fades. [00:51]
2. Faith means trusting, not achieving Biblical faith (pistis) is relational reliance, not mental gymnastics. The power is not in the size of faith but in the One it clings to—even mustard-seed smallness can move mountains when Christ is the source. Daily trust is how we breathe grace into real life. It’s how anxious striving loosens its grip. [13:32]
3. Die to the law, live for God Legalistic systems promise control but condemn in the end; they tighten the noose of perfectionism and isolate the heart. Dying to the law is not moral laziness; it’s abandoning self-justification so love can flourish. The less we fixate on being perfect, the more room there is for the Spirit to form Christlike love. [17:34]
4. Your old self is crucified with Christ The cross addresses both your sins and your wounds; the resurrection secures your future. If Christ has covered behind and before, he can be trusted in the middle. Identity shifts from “I must measure up” to “Christ lives in me,” and that changes how we face uncertainty. Grace is no longer theory; it is oxygen. [21:56]
5. Rest in the presence of a perfect Savior Stop chasing flawless systems and come to the One who delights over you. Rest may look like honest questions, pared-down schedules, or the simple prayer, “Jesus, help.” In his presence, the year’s chaos doesn’t dictate your hope; his love does. Formation happens best from a place of delight, not demand. [33:07]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:34] - Galatians 2:15-21 Read
[00:51] - New Year needs old trust
[03:19] - Prayer for fresh grace
[03:50] - Void week anxiety and expectations
[06:27] - The weight of “try harder”
[08:32] - Galatia’s divided church context
[10:51] - Jesus plus anything is minus Jesus
[13:32] - Faith as daily trust
[17:34] - Die to the law, live to God
[19:34] - Our self-made systems condemn
[21:56] - Old self crucified; Christ lives
[26:16] - Grace for past, future, in-between
[33:07] - The “Jesus help” prayer
[34:14] - Song of response: trusting Jesus

Bible Study Guide

Bible reading

- Galatians 2:15–21

We who are Jews by birth and not sinful Gentiles know that a person is not justified by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no one will be justified.

But if, in seeking to be justified in Christ, we Jews find ourselves also among the sinners, doesn't that mean that Christ promotes sin? Absolutely not! If I rebuild what I destroyed, then I really would be a lawbreaker.

For through the law I died to the law so that I might live for God. I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!

Observation questions

In verse 16, what phrases are repeated, and what contrast is Paul making between “faith in Jesus Christ” and “obeying the law”? What does that repetition highlight?
According to verses 18–19, what makes Paul “a sinner,” and why? What does he mean by “rebuild the old systems” and “died to the law”?
In verse 20, list the past-tense and present-tense realities. How does Paul describe his identity and daily way of living now?
What “extra requirement” was pressuring the Galatian believers, and why does that turn the good news into something else? ([10:51])

Interpretation questions

If adding anything to Jesus subtracts from grace, what are some common “Jesus plus” messages people feel today (appearance, discipline, politics, culture, productivity), and why do they quietly drain joy rather than grow it? ([10:51])
How does “dying to the law” (letting go of self-justification) actually free a person to “live for God” with more love, not less? What changes practically when the goal is no longer proving worthiness? (Gal 2:19; [17:34])
Biblical faith is relational trust, not just thinking the right thoughts. What might “waking up to trust” look like on a normal Tuesday—especially when strength feels small? ([13:32])
“My old self has been crucified with Christ… Christ lives in me.” How does that identity speak to both past wounds and future fears? What shifts when facing the confusing in‑between of a new year? (Gal 2:20; [21:56])

Application questions

Name where chaos is loud for you right now—at home, work, finances, health, or relationships. What are you noticing in your body and thoughts as the year turns? ([30:34])
Where are you most tempted to “try harder” instead of “trust more”? What are the telltale signs (speeding up, perfectionism, overcontrol, self-criticism)? ([31:01])
What self-made system do you tend to rebuild for security (perfect plan, strict rules, people-pleasing, constant productivity)? How does it end up becoming a noose, and what would tearing it down look like this week? ([19:34])
Pick one simple practice of resting in Jesus for the next 7 days. Options: a daily “Jesus, help” prayer at a set time, a 5–10 minute quiet sit with Him, or receiving His delight over you before you start your tasks. What will you choose and when will you do it? ([33:07]; [28:49])
What is one concrete change you could make to your schedule in January (cutting a commitment, a screen curfew, a Sabbath block) so being with Jesus comes before doing for Jesus? ([32:46])
Name one uncertainty you’re walking into. If “Christ lives in me,” what would trusting Him look like in that specific spot this week—one decision, one conversation, one next step? (Gal 2:20; [21:56])
What “new year, new you” pressure are you carrying (diet, budgeting, planner, home reset)? How can this group gently turn that pressure into a concrete act of trust in Jesus instead of self-reliance? ([06:27])

Sermon Clips

And so Paul here is writing to these people who are feeling the chains of slavery, the chains of perfectionism, the chains of try harder that are keeping them from experiencing the freedom that Jesus brings. Because there's some people in and around there who are trying to say, Yeah, but you also need to do this to be okay. But you need to do this as well to be good. You have to do this to be in God's good graces. And Paul will not have any of it. [00:12:09] (28 seconds) #FreedomFromPerfection

What Paul is saying here is he's kind of giving us a new way of thinking about sin. That sin is not so much bad, bad, bad, bad, bad. Sin is trusting in any other system to save you than the God of the universe who died for you. Look what he says here. I am a sinner if I rebuild the old system of law that I already tore down. Why? Because when I tried to keep it, it condemned me. [00:19:17] (28 seconds) #FaithNotLaw

When I try to live up to this or live up to that or do something based on my own strength, when I create a system of trust that is built on me giving all of my trust to myself or all of my trust into another that is not God, I'm dead in the water. I'm starting a journey with a broken car to begin with. We are so good at building systems around us to try to give us comfort, to try to give us hope. And the reality is is more often than not they lead us into more agony and anxiety and death. [00:20:08] (35 seconds) #BrokenSystemsFail

It's so upside down. It's so upside down. But the less concerned I am with being perfect, the more I have room to let God change me and make me more loving. Isn't that crazy? The goal is not that you just like stop trying to love your neighbor and then just like hide in a hole and never love them. No, no, no. The thing here that he's getting at is don't try to earn your way to God. Instead, give more of your life over to God to see what He can do. [00:21:36] (30 seconds) #GraceOverPerfection

There's something in this text that is looking back and saying Jesus took care of it. It's also looking forward and saying Jesus has taken care of it. And if He's taken care of that way and He's taken care of that way, why would He not take care of you and the confusing in between? I don't think that makes a lot of sense. [00:26:16] (21 seconds) #JesusHasYouCovered

I love this scripture so much because it is the gospel just beating you over the head with grace. It's just hitting us with grace after grace after grace after grace and it's reminding us, look, the law wasn't bad, but the law is not what's going to make you a better person. The law is not going to be what justifies you with God. The law is not going to be that thing that makes you able to look at yourself in the mirror. It is only going to be looking upon the Son of God who loved you, died for you, rose for you, and is inviting you into something new. [00:26:37] (34 seconds) #GospelOfGrace

I think as we sit in the tension of the here and the not yet between Jesus' birth and between His return, between a year ending and between a year starting, we desperately, desperately need this message of grace to remember that the old has gone away and it's no longer all on me, but Christ who lives in me. And my job, as long as I'm in this earthly body, is just making sure my trust is pointed the right way to the Son of God who loves me. [00:27:30] (33 seconds) #TrustInTheSon

It's not going to be about the life hack, it's not going to be about getting your bullet journal taken care of, it's not going to be about getting that frustrating person out of your life, it's not going to be these perfect things that are going to make life okay for you, it's going to be resting in the presence of a perfect Savior. It's not about you being perfect, it's about spending time with He who is perfect. [00:28:25] (24 seconds) #RestInTheSavior

Ask a question about this sermon

Chatbot

How is sin redefined as misplaced trust?

What does dying to the law practically mean?

Why is Jesus plus religion spiritually dangerous?

Carrying Christmas into the New Year | 12.28.25

Devotional

Day 1: Old trust for a new year

Day 2: Jesus, Not Systems: Freedom From Try-Harder

Day 3: Crucified with Christ, alive by His life

Day 4: Resting in Presence over perfect plans

Day 5: The God who delights and invites rest

Sermon Summary

Key Takeaways

Youtube Chapters

Bible Study Guide

Sermon Clips

Chatbot

Carrying Christmas into the New Year | 12.28.25

Share