Now the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying, “This month shall be your beginning of months; it shall be the first month of the year to you. . .” Exodus 12: 1, 2, NKJV.
Our Savior and LORD, we come to You in no other name but that of Your Son Jesus Christ, the Lamb that was slain that we might celebrate newness of life in Him. Please accept our thanks for Your love and mercy. In the holy name of Jesus Christ we pray. Amen.
It is amazing how swiftly 2010 went by! Three hundred and sixty-five days have now become a part of history. How was your year? If it was like that of most people, then there were more valleys than usual. But thank God, you made it over to the other side!
Our text for today is from a very familiar Bible story: The Exodus – the liberation of the children of Israel from Egyptian bondage. When God brought them from under the hands of Pharaoh, and made them His special people, time began anew for them. And so it can be for us – each new year can be seen as a new beginning. The confessed sins, the failures and shortcomings, should be left behind, as we go forward with great expectations, not in ourselves, but in God’s divine providence – into the year 2011.
Some of you are already standing before the Red Sea of your life. God’s Word to you is: “[G]o forward” (Exodus 14: 15b). Remember, He made the Red Sea and He has complete control over it. The waters cannot “sweep over you” (Isaiah 43: 2b, NIV), because He is with you, and the waves know His voice.
Some of you have dragged a big load of guilt to the very edge of 2010, which is making it difficult for you to enter the New Year. Our Heavenly Father is saying to you: “Do not remember the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing” (18, 19a). He has a brand new future planned for you (Jeremiah 29: 11). But you must give him the old, in order to accept the new.
Some of you have left Egypt, but Egypt still has a hold on you. You are finding it hard to forget your old diet, that of a slave (Numbers 11: 5). You need to remember that Christ Jesus has set you free! You are no longer a slave of Pharaoh, but a child of the Sovereign of the universe. And “if the Son sets you free you will be free indeed.” So walk in freedom, and into even greater freedom, in the year 2011!
When it dawned on Pharaoh that the children of Israel had left Egypt and were no longer under his control he decided to go after them. “Your adversary, the devil, as a roaring lion” will also be coming after you seeking to “devour” you (2 Peter 5: 8). He will try to intimidate you with his roar. But if you are in tune with the Savior, this is what you will hear: “But now, this is what the LORD says— he who created you, Jacob, he who formed you, Israel: Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine” (Isaiah 43: 1, NIV). No one can take you out of My hands (John 10: 28)!
With this thought in mind, you can begin this journey with the full assurance that, you will have a, Happy New Year!