APPROACHING YOUR YEAR-II—Exodus 12:1c(:1-13)
•God’s people must approach their ‘New Year’ within the confines of an exclusive worldview.
Need:
For all that this New Year will hold, God’s people should & can approach it with Confidence! Even when we cannot know all that our future holds, we can live in peace & certainty thru it all, because our confidence rests in the absolute faithfulness of Almighty God!
God established a novel way for His people Israel to approach their calendar year.
Today God’s people, Christians, should have a particular approach toward understanding their calendar year.
How are we to approach our new year?
5 paths/trajectories for approaching the new year.
Rom. 14:7-8—“For none of us lives to himself, & no one dies to himself. For if we live, we live to the Lord; & if we die, we die to the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s.”
We’ve previously found that
A proper approach toward your year is found in...
1. Your GOD(:1a)
2. Your SPOKESMEN(:1b)
3—A proper approach toward your year is also found in...
Your EGYPT(:1c)
Explanation:(:1c)
:1—“Now the LORD spoke to Moses & Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying”
*Both Moses & Aaron were “in the land of Egypt” when the LORD designated them & determined their beginning of months. They were not in their promised land, however it was promised that the old land(“Egypt”) must be left behind, for the sake of the new.
“Egypt”—Myrum— mits-rah'-yim —‘Land of the Copts.’ Egyptians = "Double straits" From —rwum—"Matsor", a name for Egypt; 2) (TWOT)-Siege, entrenchment. Siege-enclosure, siege, entrenchment, siege works, or besieged, bulwark, defense, fenced, fortress, siege, strong(hold), tower. Something hemming in.
Deut. 4:20—“But the LORD has taken you & brought you out of the iron furnace, out of Egypt, to be His people, an inheritance, as you are this day.”
*?What/Where is your land of slavery?...
Rom. 8:14-17—“For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, & if children, then heirs--heirs of God & joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.”
Argumentation:
*That Israel is destined to leave Egypt, implies that God has a different destination, in store a for them!
Lk. 4:17-21—“And He[Jesus] was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah. And when He had opened the book, He found the place where it was written: “The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives And recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed; To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD.” Then He closed the book, & gave it back to the attendant & sat down. And the eyes of all who were in the synagogue were fixed on Him. And He began to say to them, “Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”” in Christ!
Jn. 17:14-15—Jesus in prayer for His disciples—““I have given them[disciples] Your word; & the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one.”
2Thes. 3:3—“But the Lord is faithful, who will establish you & guard you from the evil one.”
2Pet. 2:19—“...by whom a person is overcome, by him also he is brought into bondage.” either Flesh, Satan, or God!
Rom. 5:6-8—“For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
•That is, while we were ‘bound to our Egypt’, “Christ died for us.”
Gal. 1:4—“who gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God & Father,”
Rom. 16:17-19—“Now I urge you, brethren, note those who cause divisions & offenses, contrary to the doctrine which you learned, & avoid them. For those who are such do not serve our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly, & by smooth words & flattering speech deceive the hearts of the simple. For your obedience has become known to all. Therefore I am glad on your behalf; but I want you to be wise in what is good, & simple concerning evil.”
1Cor. 6:9-11—“Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus & by the Spirit of our God.”
Php. 3:18-4:1—“For many walk, of whom I have told you often, & now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ: whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly, & whose glory is in their shame--who set their mind on earthly things. For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself. Therefore, my beloved & longed-for brethren, my joy & crown, so stand fast in the Lord, beloved.”
Illustration:
?Is your ‘Egypt’...
Alcohol(beer, wine, liquor, etc.)
Drug Addiction(illegal &/or legal)
Tobacco(cigar, cigarette, pipe, vaping, chewing, snuff, etc.)
Adulterous relationships
Homosexuality/Lesbianism
Hard-headedness/Stiff-necked-ness(your way or the highway)
Laziness/Unhealthy commitment to work
Lack of concern for your marital relationship
Harshness w/ Children, etc.
OR is your ‘Egypt’...
An Open Inattention to God...All sins are sins of sinful flesh....All sins shackle & enslave you, leading you away from God!
YOUR EGYPT can glorify God!...IF you ‘leave it’(AKA— ‘repent of it’)!
Application:
?Does Your ‘EGYPT’ provide a reminder, of how to properly approach Your year?
?Is Your ‘EGYPT’ an aid, to focus YOUR life on Christ!
?What is Your approach toward the upcoming year?
?Who is the Author of YOUR approach toward the new year?
CONCLUSION:
Visualization:
Concerning our entering A New Year—God’s people must approach it within an exclusive worldview.
The coming new year, should & can be approached with confidence!
Action:
A proper approach toward your year is found in...
1. Your EGYPT(:1c)
1. Your GOD(:1a)
2. Your SPOKESMEN(:1b)
Pt# 3 only! Presented 01/07/2024am to:
Salem Baptist Church
1618 Salem Rd.
Bennettsville, SC 29512
Pnt#s 1-3 Presented 01/03/2010am to:
Needmore Baptist Church
1620 Mt. Vernon Rd.
Woodleaf, NC 27054
Pt#s 1-4 Presented 01/01/2006am to:
Richland Baptist Church
40510 Stewart Rd.
Zephyrhills, FL 33544
