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Attitudes for a New Year
December 28, 2019
The new year is arriving on January 1st. Each and every year is a year full of events and the one event that we know with certainty looking forward in time is that we are one year closer to the return of Jesus Christ than we were at this time last year. The end of the calendar year as man counts time means the end of tax reporting periods. With the end of 2019 many people will soon be filing income tax returns for the tax year. Many people will also be paying different kinds of taxes associated with their home or their property, property taxes, school taxes, city taxes. Last week we considered how the sun, moon, and stars were given to us by God to establish days, months, seasons, and years. With the new year looming, we'll look a attittudes for a new year. Today's Bible study is joined by a companion sermon and sermon transcript.
Looking forward to the new year as Christians who understand God’s Holy Days, we also need to be mindful of the fact that God’s Calendar is different than man’s calendar. God’s new year on the calendar begins with the spring time of the year. Living in a world where as Christians we are accountable to man’s civil years, it is very normal and common that we would consider the civil years as also a time of reflection. Biblically within God’s calendar and within God’s Holy Days, those are times for reflection in our life as well, and those are Biblical times for us to do that. There is nothing wrong with us looking and reflecting on our life and where we are in our life during this civil time of new year as well. It’s also a time to look forward to optimism with the new year, just like the optimism that was present when David had the temple dedicated in Jerusalem.
1 Chronicles 16:1-11
So they brought the ark of God, and set it in the midst of the tent that David had pitched for it: and they offered burnt sacrifices and peace offerings before God. And when David had made an end of offering the burnt offerings and the peace offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the LORD. And he dealt to every one of Israel, both man and woman, to every one a loaf of bread, and a good piece of flesh, and a flagon of wine. And he appointed certain of the Levites to minister before the ark of the LORD, and to record, and to thank and praise the LORD God of Israel: Asaph the chief, and next to him Zechariah, Jeiel, and Shemiramoth, and Jehiel, and Mattithiah, and Eliab, and Benaiah, and Obededom: and Jeiel with psalteries and with harps; but Asaph made a sound with cymbals; Benaiah also and Jahaziel the priests with trumpets continually before the ark of the covenant of God. Then on that day David delivered first this psalm to thank the LORD into the hand of Asaph and his brethren. Give thanks unto the LORD, call upon his name, make known his deeds among the people. Sing unto him, sing psalms unto him, talk ye of all his wondrous works. Glory ye in his holy name: let the heart of them rejoice that seek the LORD. Seek the LORD and his strength, seek his face continually.
Moving into the new year, we think of a new year as a time of new beginning. It’s common for people entering a new year to have new year’s resolutions. Typical among new year’s resolutions are things such as losing weight and gaining better control over personal finances. Those tend to be the big new year’s resolutions, or some variation thereof. But new year’s can be a time of new beginning, and Paul alluded to a new beginning in his second letter to the Corinthians.
2 Corinthians 5:8-17
We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord. Wherefore we labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad. Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men; but we are made manifest unto God; and I trust also are made manifest in your consciences. For we commend not ourselves again unto you, but give you occasion to glory on our behalf, that ye may have somewhat to answer them which glory in appearance, and not in heart. For whether we be beside ourselves, it is to God: or whether we be sober, it is for your cause. For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead: And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again. Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more. Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
As we come to the end of one physical year, calendar year, under the civil calendar and move into another, it’s a time when we consider the need to pay different kinds of taxes, income taxes, if they are levied in your country, or state, or territory, are typically done on that civil calendar year from January first through December thirty-first. The same is true of many kinds of property taxes, that may be used to pay for local governments, schools, whatever the local property taxes might be used for. What should our attitude be towards taxes? As citizens of a country, we always have an obligation to pay taxes, and Paul writes about this in Romans 13:1-7 which you can read for yourself.
Beyond paying taxes, as human beings, we also have this war with our body because we are physical. The physical part of our nature is in constant battle and warfare with the spiritual part of our body. And, verse fourteen tells us that we are not to make provision for the flesh so that we can fulfill the lusts. Instead, we are to make provisions spiritually, so that we can put on Lord Jesus Christ and allow the spiritual part of our life to grow and expand so that we can become better tools and instruments in service for Jesus Christ. Each and every new year is an opportunity for us to reflect where we are in that battle, and like a new year’s resolution, to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ by adding to our faith.
2 Peter 1:1-10
Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ: Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord, According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins. Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall:
Even though in each year we review God’s plan of salvation for mankind through the observance of the Holy Days, the beginning of the calendar year is a wonderful time for us to consider and for us to review and to reflect where we are in our spiritual struggle.
The time of new year, whether God’s new year or man’s new year is a time for us to reflect on what’s recently happened in the past year, and to consider what is going to happen in the future year. It’s a time for us to consider our obligations as it’s a time when taxes are typically due and calculated, whether it is income tax or property tax. It’s also a time for us to consider our Christian calling and faith.
All verses are from the King James Version.
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