NEW YEAR SERMON FOR 2022
Psalms 90:12; “12 So teach us to number our days, That we may gain a heart of wisdom. 13 Return, O LORD! How long? And have compassion on Your servants. 14 Oh, satisfy us early with Your mercy, That we may rejoice and be glad all our days! 15 Make us glad according to the days in which You have afflicted us, The years in which we have seen evil. 16 Let Your work appear to Your servants, And Your glory to their children. 17 And let the beauty of the LORD our God be upon us, And establish the work of our hands for us; Yes, establish the work of our hands.
We want to thank God for another new year. If Jesus tarries, we celebrate many more New Years in good health. And in every year there will be new births, new marriages, new buildings, and many new things will happen in every year. There will also be anniversaries; birthday anniversaries, weddings anniversaries, there will be naming ceremonies, memorials, relocations etc. will always come. My prayer is that we will always have joyous situations and celebrations throughout this year IJMN.
I want us to know that every day of our lives is an anniversary, in fact every minute, hour is an anniversary, we don’t spend one day two times, we grow older every day, and there is no day exactly like the other
The plateau years of 30, 40, 50, 60 come too fast and if care is not taken, one may be wondering that after 70 years and may say “Where has my life gone?” The book of James 4:14 says 14 How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? Your life is like the morning fog—it’s here a little while, then it’s gone.
Psalms 90:5 also says “You sweep people away like dreams that disappear. They are like grass that springs up in the morning. 6 In the morning it blooms and flourishes, but by evening it is dry and withered.
One way or the only way to avoid anyone to say “Where has my life or years gone on getting to 60 and above is what the Psalmist wrote in verse 12; God teach us how to number our days.
From this verse alone we could see that
1. The world that we are in is a school.
The world is a learning center. It is a school, an institution where we learn. We are in the world to learn. A school is a place of leaning. When Moses wrote “teach us”, he was living on the earth. He wanted to learn as student from a teacher; “teach us”, because it is obvious that we don’t know, it is obvious that we are ignorant.
So it means that if you are living on this earth, like Moses and others during his time, you need knowledge, you are in a school, you are supposed to learn, you are supposed to be a student. Proverbs 12:1; says “12 Whoever loves instruction loves knowledge, But he who hates correction is stupid.
Wherever you find yourself, that is your classroom, your own learning center.
If the world is a learning center, it means we need to know three (3) things.
a. We must be teachable.
We should please be teachable. We must have a teachable spirit. In a school there are students and there are teachers. The teachers impact knowledge, they teach while the students receive knowledge and learn. If you don’t have a teachable spirit, if you a disobedient student, you may find yourself in a place where you don’t like. Students must possess the spirit of obedience, humility and love. Let people see the fruit of the spirit manifesting in every area of your life.
If the world is learning center.
b. Know your grade/class;
In a school ever body is not in the same grade or class. There are different grades in schools. So don’t compare yourself with another individual because you may not be in the same grade. One of the major problems that we have in the world today is comparing ourselves with others because we forget that we are all students and we cannot be in this same grade. If you are looking at people that are richer than you today, also remember that you are richer than some people as well. Different people different grades.
If a pastor that is just starting his ministry wants to be like some pastors that have started years ago, he wants to have the same number of people in his congregation, he wants to build the same type of church building, use the same cars, have protocols like them! There will be problems!
In the church, don’t compare yourself with another, it brings envy and jealousy. Someone who is just starting out should not compare himself to someone that has been on the journey for some time. Don’t envy anyone; you cannot become what you despise!
Remember that promotion comes not from the east, west or south but promotion comes from God. It is only God that promotes.
Remember that the higher you go, the cooler you are expected to be. To whom much is given, much is expected. The more promotion God gives you, the more levelheaded you should be, the more impactful you should be, the more blessing you should become.
If the world is a school, then you should also
c. Know your course:
It is not only good to be teachable, know our grade, it is also good to know your course. Know who you are. Identify your discipline, make it easy for yourself. Where do you excel most? Even if it is in talking, do it right, that is why you don’t have money. What is Oprah Winfrey doing? The so-called bloggers that are destroying people up and down on Youtube, Facebook etc. What are they doing?
In a school, some people are gifted in science, some in arts, some in technology, business, music, etc. Which one are you good in? Don’t force yourself to go and read a course simply because someone else; probably your hero; read or is reading the course.
What are you good at? Make use of it, pray over it and God will bless you abundantly over it in Jesus mighty name.
We must be teachable, know our grade, know our course and
d. We must strive to progress in our learning.
Proverbs 1:5; “A wise man will hear and increase in learning,
And a man of understanding will acquire wise counsel
It is not good if you are not making progress in this world. When a student enters a school, they move from first grade to second to third, until they graduate from elementary, to middle and then high school. Then from there to University, colleges etc.
The same with trade schools, technical schools, and any other learning center. There must be signs of progress. To progress in school, it requires some level of discipline. We must be disciplined.
If the world is a school, we are expected to progress in doing things that are worthwhile, things that will add value to lives, things that will impact humanity and generations. Not things that are mundane, irrelevant, not gossips, wasting of time. We should not indulge in things that will not take us to heaven. Irrespective of how you start, I believe that there must be a day when you will change for the better. If not, you are going to end very badly.
If the world is a school, then
2. Let God be your teacher
Specifically, the psalmist is saying “God teach us”. God, be our teacher, be our leader to lead us through the difficult ways of this life. Br our guide as we navigate through the confusing journeys of this life. Why God?
Because there are so many other teachers, leaders, guides and there are so many ways to learn, to gain knowledge apart from allowing God to teach us. There are so many other leaders to lead us if we refuse the leadership of God. There are so many other guides apart from God that can lead us astray.
Moses knew that apart from God, no one else could teach a man about this life. That is, in other to successfully navigate through the difficulties of this world, we need the assistance of God. I employ everyone here to please turn yourself to a student of the Holy Spirit. Let God be your Teacher, Leader and Guide. Matthew 11:29; “29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
Please let us allow God to teach, lead and guide us in this journey of life.
We have heard of people teaching themselves. People who believe in their own misunderstanding. Pride and arrogant people. They will eventually lead themselves to their own destruction.
People allow others to teach them, they follow the examples of others; let me tell you quickly, that
Psalm 146:3 says “Do not put your trust in princes, Nor in a son of man, in whom there is no help.
Psalm 108:12; “Give us aid against the enemy, for the help of man is worthless.
Psalm 118:8; “It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in man.
Psalm 118:9; “It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in princes.
Jeremiah 17:5; “This is what the LORD says: "Cursed is the man who trusts in mankind, who makes the flesh his strength and turns
his heart from the LORD.
There are many teachers, but the best teacher is the Almighty God; that is why Moses said “teach us”
3. It is never too late to learn
While we cannot say exactly how old Moses was when he wrote this hymn, he was definitely more than 80 years. In fact he would be more than 100 years.
If a man above 100 years is asking for knowledge, it means that it is not too late for anyone to learn. I have seen several older people enrolled in school and they graduated with good grades. So it is never too late to learn from the Almighty God.
4. So many things to learn in this world, but one of the most important topics to learn on earth is how to number our days.
In school, there are courses that we call electives, these are courses that are not all that relevant to our major. We can choose to do them if they interest you. They are outside the required curriculum that you are required to do. We are free to choose them or not. But there are also courses that are Core or Compulsory courses. These are mandatory courses you must do to meet the requirements of your program. You have to do them whether you like them or not. You cannot graduate without doing those courses.
The Scripture is saying that there is one compulsory course that everyone that will graduate must offer on this earth; it is called “How to number Your Days” You can call like PSA 9012. (Psalm 90:12). As you can see, it is a level 9 course.
NLT says Teach us to realize the brevity of life, so that we may grow in wisdom. To know how brief our lives are.
PSA 9012 is about “Teaching us to live well because our days are limited on earth, to recognize how few our days are. We will not live forever on this earth. At times I wonder if we all have to live forever! What would this earth be like with people like Idi Amin, Abacha, Mobutu Sese Koko, Babangida, what would life be? Despite the fact that people know that there is death, can you imagine how they live their lives?
PSA 9012 is about asking God to help us to spend our days as we should. If you know God and allow Him to be your teacher, this would not be a problem. You will not live like Abacha and others that I have mentioned.
In is while taking PSA 9012 that you will learn that you will learn that there is life after death. That man has soul that cannot be destroyed. That there is a difference between a man and an animal.
PSA 9012 will let you know that man is a product of God’s creation and not evolution. That you did not evolve, you are created in God’s image. How do you explain features of man if they are products of evolution? Why has nothing evolved since all these years? Why have we not changed to another thing since?
It is in taking this course; PSA 9012 that you will learn that nothing is more important than making it to His Kingdom. You must not miss the feast of the Lord’s Kingdom.
It is in this course that you will learn that it is possible for a man to lose his soul. The Bible says “What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his soul.”
What happens when we realized that we are students, we allow God to be our teachers, and learn how to number our days;
1. We gain a heart of wisdom.
2. God will have mercy on us.
3. Our suffering would come to an end. Verse 13 and 14
4. We will rejoice and be glad all our days. Verse 14
5. Our work will be established; our work will not be wasted. Verse 17.
Will you fail or graduate?
When you attend a school, you either drop out, graduate and fail, graduate or pass.
When graduate from school, you become a blessing not just to yourself, but to the society. God wants us to be blessings to ourselves and to the society wherever we find ourselves.
So I want to encourage you not just to be blessed, but to also be a blessing and to continue to be a blessing, let your life continue to be a blessing to as many people that you have the opportunity to meet and bless
The more people you bless with your life, the more you have to celebrate, however, the more people you make miserable, especially members of your household, the less you have to celebrate.
Don’t use your live to hurt people around you even if you can, that is gentleness, strength under control. You are very happy today, that is celebration, let it continue, let the celebration continue in every aspect of your life, be happy as a man or as a woman.
Some people are not happy with their sexuality, they will go and change their sexuality. They have forgotten that their bodies are temples of the Almighty God and that it is borrowed. They need to take PSA 9011. Will you be happy if you give someone a white Mercedes Benz and returned it with several colors, those that like to use tattoos, take note, or return it with a Ford engine, another car’s engine entirely, that is the way God feels when you begin to change you sexuality.
If God has created you as a man, be happy as a male and a man, if God has created you as a female, be happy as a female.
Use the remaining part of your life to love God and to seek Him first.
Lastly, be happy to be a Christian, celebrate your life as a Christian, not as a pagan, let Jesus be the center of attraction in your life. Let every day of your life be a happy one for as many as you meet.
A lot of people do not know how to enjoy themselves without making someone else miserable, the only way they are happy is to make someone else sad. In Matthew 14:61 says “But when Herod’s birthday was kept, the daughter of Herodias danced before them, and pleased Herod. Whereupon he promised with an oath to give her whatsoever she would ask. And she, being before instructed of her mother, said, Give me here John Baptist’s head in a charger. And the king was sorry: nevertheless for the oath’s sake, and them which sat with him at meat, he commanded it to be given her. And he sent, and beheaded John in the prison. And his head was brought in a charger, and given to the damsel: and she brought it to her mother.
Some people also believe that to have more, someone else have to have less. Do not be like that, let your joy come from making others happy. My brothers and sisters, there is so much happiness, prosperity, wellbeing in the world, that you do not have to deprive anyone of his or her joy.
Today is a new day, it is God that has given you this day, it is your day, it is your year, please enjoy it and let every member of your family, every one that you know, every member of your church enjoy this year with you.
By this time next year you will be celebrating, you will be celebrating God’s goodness in your life, you will be celebrating God’s accomplishment in your life, you will be celebrating blessing, joy, happiness.
I want you to know that Happiness is a matter of perspective. Most of us decide whether or not we will be happy or miserable. I want us to know that
a. Life is worse than death if there is no purpose, direction or accomplishment
b. Death is worse than life if there is no hope in eternity
c. Life is miserable to those who live it selfishly
d. Life is miserable for those who live it godlessly.
e. Life is better than death if we allow God to bless our lives.
f. Life is better than death if we are serving the Lord
g. Life is better than death if we are bringing other’s to the Lord
h. Life will be better than death when we meet the Lord in the air.
As I conclude, I pray that all that you are believing God for, He would do before this time next year in Jesus name. Your joy will be full IJN.
