Here is the text of the message I will be preaching in church on the last Sabbath of 2007:
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Out With The Old & In With The New
by Daryl Fawcett
Opening Hymn: Go, Tell It on the Mountain No. 121
Scripture Reading: Numbers 15:37-41
Closing Hymn: More About Jesus No. 245
Let’s have a moment of silent prayer that the Lord will speak to us all through this message.
As another year is about to end to become an Old Year, and another year is about to begin to become a New Year, I have titled this message, “Out With The Old & In With The New”.
It’s during this time of the year that we hear people saying “Happy New Year!”
· In fact, our landlord said this to me yesterday, even after learning that we will be moving away from there by the end of March.
It wasn’t that many days ago that we heard people saying “Merry Christmas!”
A sub-title to this message could possibly be, “Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!” simply for the reason that the “Merry Christmas” greeting has come and gone and the “Happy New Year” greeting now being said in relation to a soon coming event.
Another Christmas has come and gone, another year is about to end, and another new year is about to begin.
What happened during the year that is about to end?
· Did we have a “Happy 2007”?
· Did we make any mistakes in 2007?
· Did we have a prosperous 2007?
This being the last Sabbath of 2007 is a time to look back and remember.
When we look back over 2007 and any other year, how do we look back, and what do we remember?
· Do we look back at our material gains or losses, or do we look back at our Spiritual gains or losses?
Is it important for us all to do this?
Open your Bibles to Genesis 9:8-17 (READ & COMMENT)
Genesis 9:8 And God spoke unto Noah, and to his sons with him, saying,
Gen 9:9 And I, behold, I establish my covenant with you, and with your seed after you;
Gen 9:10 And with every living creature that is with you, of the fowl, of the cattle, and of every beast of the earth with you; from all that go out of the ark, to every beast of the earth.
Gen 9:11 And I will establish my covenant with you; neither shall all flesh be cut off any more by the waters of a flood; neither shall there any more be a flood to destroy the earth.
Gen 9:12 And God said, This is the token of the covenant which I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations:
Gen 9:13 I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth.
Gen 9:14 And it shall come to pass, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow shall be seen in the cloud:
Gen 9:15 And I will remember my covenant, which is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh.
Gen 9:16 And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth.
Gen 9:17 And God said unto Noah, This is the token of the covenant, which I have established between me and all flesh that is upon the earth.
In these verses we see God setting a rainbow in the sky as a sign of remembrance.
· In this case it is God who will do the remembering, however, it is there for us to also remember the covenant God gave to Noah and his family.
· Every time we see the rainbow in the sky, we should remember why it is there.
· But, whenever we see a rainbow, how often do we remember the reason for the rainbow?
Let’s look at another text by turning to Exodus 13:1-16 (READ & COMMENT)
Exodus 13:1 And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying,
Exo 13:2 Sanctify unto me all the firstborn, whatsoever openeth the womb among the children of Israel, both of man and of beast: it is mine.
Exodus 13:3 And Moses said unto the people, Remember this day, in which ye came out from Egypt, out of the house of bondage; for by strength of hand the LORD brought you out from this place: there shall no leavened bread be eaten.
Exo 13:4 This day came ye out in the month Abib.
Exo 13:5 And it shall be when the LORD shall bring thee into the land of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites, which he swore unto thy fathers to give thee, a land flowing with milk and honey, that thou shalt keep this service in this month.
Exo 13:6 Seven days thou shalt eat unleavened bread, and in the seventh day shall be a feast to the LORD.
Exo 13:7 Unleavened bread shall be eaten seven days; and there shall no leavened bread be seen with thee, neither shall there be leaven seen with thee in all thy quarters.
Exodus 13:8 And thou shalt show thy son in that day, saying, This is done because of that which the LORD did unto me when I came forth out of Egypt.
Exodus 13:9 And it shall be for a sign unto thee upon thine hand, and for a memorial between thine eyes, that the LORD's law may be in thy mouth: for with a strong hand hath the LORD brought thee out of Egypt.
Exo 13:10 Thou shalt therefore keep this ordinance in his season from year to year.
Exo 13:11 And it shall be when the LORD shall bring thee into the land of the Canaanites, as he swore unto thee and to thy fathers, and shall give it thee,
Exo 13:12 That thou shalt set apart unto the LORD all that openeth the matrix, and every firstling that cometh of a beast which thou hast; the males shall be the LORD's.
Exo 13:13 And every firstling of an ass thou shalt redeem with a lamb; and if thou wilt not redeem it, then thou shalt break his neck: and all the firstborn of man among thy children shalt thou redeem.
Exodus 13:14 And it shall be when thy son asketh thee in time to come, saying, What is this? that thou shalt say unto him, By strength of hand the LORD brought us out from Egypt, from the house of bondage:
Exodus 13:15 And it came to pass, when Pharaoh would hardly let us go, that the LORD slew all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both the firstborn of man, and the firstborn of beast: therefore I sacrifice to the LORD all that openeth the matrix, being males; but all the firstborn of my children I redeem.
Exodus 13:16 And it shall be for a token upon thine hand, and for frontlets between thine eyes: for by strength of hand the LORD brought us forth out of Egypt.
In the first text, it was God who would set up the rainbow for Him to remember, however, in the second text, God set up an ordinance for His people to remember.
· God had never forgotten, however, His people didn’t remember, and by not remembering they had sad results and consequences.
We then come to the saddest text of all found in Exodus 20:8-11 (READ & COMMENT)
Exodus 20:8 Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.
Exo 20:9 Six days shalt thou labor, and do all thy work:
Exo 20:10 But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates:
Exo 20:11 For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.
Most of God’s people have also forgotten this and we see the results all around us for one consequence of forgetting this is ‘The Theory of Evolution”, and another one is the change from Sabbath to Sunday, which the majority of the Christian world follows.
· Whenever God says “remember” the devil says “forget”.
Here is another instance in Numbers 15:37-41 when God asked His people to do something so they would remember and not forget. (READ & COMMENT)
Numbers 15:37 And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying,
Num 15:38 Speak unto the children of Israel, and bid them that they make them fringes in the borders of their garments throughout their generations, and that they put upon the fringe of the borders a ribbon of blue:
Numbers 15:39 And it shall be unto you for a fringe, that ye may look upon it, and remember all the commandments of the LORD, and do them; and that ye seek not after your own heart and your own eyes, after which ye use to go a whoring:
Numbers 15:40 That ye may remember, and do all my commandments, and be holy unto your God.
Num 15:41 I am the LORD your God, which brought you out of the land of Egypt, to be your God: I am the LORD your God.
Well, how did God’s people do here?
· They did as the devil asked and forgot.
God gave them the 70 Weeks Prophecy, 490 years as the time frame in which they were to remember, but when the time came, they didn’t even remember the timing of the birth of their Messiah, but rather rejected their Messiah by sending Him to the Cross!
· Even then God gave them a little more time, which they used to seal their rejection at the stoning of Stephen!
This was the end result of all their forgetting.
· They are still waiting for their Messiah to come.
Are they in for a sad surprise!
We now come to words which the Christian church has basically forgotten as found in Rev. 2:1-5 (READ & COMMENT).
Rev. 2:1 Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write; These things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks;
Rev 2:2 I know thy works, and thy labor, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars:
Rev 2:3 And hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name's sake hast labored, and hast not fainted.
Rev. 2:4 Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love.
Rev. 2:5 Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.
· Rev. 2:5 says to remember, or else!
And also in Rev. 3:1-3 (READ & COMMENT)
Rev. 3:1 And unto the angel of the church in Sardis write; These things saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars; I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead.
Rev 3:2 Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain that are ready to die: for I have not found thy works perfect before God.
Rev. 3:3 Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee.
· Again, in Rev. 3:3 Christ says to remember or else!!!
We definitely shouldn’t forget the next text found in 1 Cor. 11:23-26 (READ & COMMENT)
1 Cor. 11:23 For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, That the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread:
1 Cor. 11:24 And when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me.
1 Cor. 11:25 After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me.
1 Cor. 11:26 For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do show the Lord's death till he come.
And yet how many have forgotten the significance of the Communion Service, as evidenced by fewer in attendance in many of our churches on Communion Sabbath?
I am reminded of the following written words of EGW (READ & COMMENT):
We have nothing to fear for the future, except as we shall forget the way the Lord has led us, and His teaching in our past history.-- {LDE 72.1}
· What are our fondest memories in 2007, both as a church and as individuals?
· What are we looking forward to in 2008, both as a church and as individuals?
· Did we have a “Happy 2007”?
· Will we have a “Happy 2008”?
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