THIS IS OUR TIME
1-1-12 New Liberty Christian Church, Veedersburg, IN with Minister Rich McQuinn
TEXT; DEUTERONOMY 31:9-14
Happy New Year 2012 to each of you this morning! Some of you may be sleepy from staying up late last night to welcome in this New Year! I sincerely hope and pray that this is your best year. If we do not make it to the end of this New Year and our time on earth is finished, then I pray that all of us are prepared for that special time.
If you have your Bibles this morning then I am going to invite you to turn with me to the Old Testament to the 5th book from the front of your Bibles. You may remember that Moses is the author of all five books. The time for his departure is at hand and he is about to give his Hebrew family some long lasting advice. Pay close attention:
Moses wrote down the LAW and gave it to the priest, the sons of Levi, who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord and al the elders of Israel. Then Moses commanded them, “At the end of every seven years, in the year for canceling debts, during the Feast of Tabernacles, when all Israel come to appear before the Lord your God at the place he will choose, you shall read this LAW before all of the people. Assemble the people, men, women and children along with the aliens living in your town. So they too can listen and fear the Lord your God and follow carefully all the words of this Law. Their children who do not know this Law, must hear it and learn to fear the Lord as you live in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess.
At the time of this writing, Moses was 120 years of age. He had lived a long leadership life. At 120 he no longer had the same energy he used to have when he was in his 40’s
Moses leads off for our first sermon of 2012 with some pretty sound advice. READ THE WORD. Do not keep it from your children. Know that God knows what He is doing.
Baseball is made up of 9 players on each side. There is a rule book that every umpire has to follow and keep. The rules must be strictly adhered to. The umpire is the enforcer of the rules.
Basketball is made up of 5 players on each side on the floor at one time. The referees enforce the rules.
Football is made up of 11 players per side. They have a law enforcer of the rules as well. The games can not be played without the rules and someone to oversee the rules.
If it was important for Moses to have the entire Hebrew nation to come together to read the first 5 books of the Bible then in 2012 all of us ought to get back to some standards of Bible Reading. Perhaps you have not read your scriptures for a long time then now is the time to dust off the covers and begin to read and soak up the Word.
The Bible is divided up into two sections. Old and New, or Old Law and New Law. Each section together is made up of 66 books with the Old Testament having 39 and the New Testament having 27. Since God is our Creator and He knows what is best for us and He knows what would get us into trouble, then we ought to follow the reading of His Word to keep us in the right path.
I. READING THE WORD WILL BRING WISDOM!
Have you ever prayed for wisdom? Knowing the right decision to make! Ever wondered about the will of God for your life? What He wants you to do, what He expects of your life? Have you ever wondered what was the right way to raise a family or hold an office?
If you would make 2012 the year you read through the entire Bible I know that we would all be wiser and richer from the advice that we gleaned from it. Now I know that many if you might raise your hands and tell me that you are going to read the Bible all the way through in 2012. I know how human nature works. This week you might stay on track, then you get a little behind, then you get a little discouraged and then finally you might just quit reading.
What I am asking here is that you begin the reading of His Word for your own benefit. If you could read it out loud just to yourself that would be great. Not only your eyes would follow the Word but your ears would listen as well. The more you read, the wiser you become.
One grandmother was in her rocking chair most ever day reading her Bible. When one boy had a friend over, his friend said to his friend, “why is your granny always reading the Bible/” “I do not know said the grandson, maybe she is cramming for her finals!”
I do not want you to read for contest, although they have their influence. I do not want you to read the Bible so you can hold up your hands and tell how many chapters you have read during the week.
Today is January 1st, 2012. Let’s begin today to get wiser. Begin sometime today with the reading of Proverbs 1. It is about wisdom. Read it twice and soak up the meat. Tomorrow is the 2nd, and then read the 2nd Proverbs and so on for each day. You can at least do that. When February comes along then start over again. By the time December gets here every one of us will know exactly what Proverbs has to say in all 31 chapters. We will be wiser.
If you want to stretch a little then I would have you to read a chapter of Psalms each day and a chapter or two in Gospels of Christ—that includes Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John and the history of the church in the book of Acts.
II. THE READING OF THE WORD BRINGS COMFORT!
Think about this:
John 3:16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. Doesn’t that bring peace and comfort?
Fear not for behold I bring to you good tidings of great JOY, today in the city of David a Saviour has been born………
I am the way the truth and the life, no one comes to the Father but by Me
This is MY beloved Son in whom I am well pleased. Listen to Him!
I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me even though He were dead, yet shall he live again, he that believes not is condemned already.
Let not your hearts be troubles if you believe in God, believe also in me, for in my Fathers house are many mansions, if it were not true I would have told you, I go to prepare a place for you and as I go and prepare a place for you I will come again and receive you to myself, that where I am you maybe also.
Believe on the name of Jesus Christ and you will be saved!
Listen to me; I am going to be you always until the end for the age!
Neither do I condemn you go and sin no more!
Pick up your bed and walk; your sins have been forgiven!
God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved.
The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures. He leads me besides the still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, His rod and His staff they comfort me, He even prepares for me a table in the presence of my enemies, my cup even over flows. Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
If you do not know the sweetness of God during the good times of your life it will be hard for you to notice Him when you need Him the most.
Who do you go to when the bottom falls out of your world? When you get the 3’oo in the morning call, when your mate dies, when you are arrested, when you lose your job, family, finances, freedom, etc. Who do you turn to? How do you know where to turn unless you have a pattern of reading and hiding the Word in your hearts?
Every father here today needs to take the leadership of leading the way in 2012 of reading the Word to his family and holding accountable what the Word teaches.
So let’s all make up our minds today to be wiser, accountable, and more relaxed by reading God’s Word each day. Make a stand today to better serve God by reading what He has to say about our lives. I know we will be a better person, a better family, a better Church, a better Nation and certainly a much better Christian. May I count on you today to spend more time in God’s Word this 2012 year?
AMEN AND AMEN
