A New Beginning 全新的开始
05 Jan 2019 | 5 min readsermon2019singapore | startagain
As we passed through the new year, we would’ve received many new year greetings from our friends. The speaker liked this message he was sent: “Today’s the first blank page of this 365 page chapter. Write a good one.”
If our life is a book, a new year marks a new beginning of a new chapter. It is a fresh start. As per any new beginning, it brings new hope; new aspirations.
In line with the beginning of the year, and today being the first Sabbath of the new year, the sermon will discuss ‘A New Beginning’.
Exo 12:1-2
The Israelites were in Egypt. They lived in an era of a Pharaoh that didn’t know Joseph, and so lived in oppression of Egyptians who forced them into slavery. Their life in Egypt started off well but degenerated into slavery.
God raised up Moses and Aaron to deliver His people out of Egypt, and to punish the Egyptians for their sins. At this point when God spoke to Aaron and Moses, 9 plagues had been performed through their hands already. God had also already declared the final 10th plague. Not only this, God declared the Israelites’ release. This marked the start of a new beginning - deliverance from Pharaoh’s bondage. A new life under the direct guidance of God; a journey to the promised land of Canaan.
So God marked this critical juncture of Jewish history; He marked it as the start of the Jewish calendar - their new year. This remains a reminder to the Israelites of the deliverance of God.
Eph 2:11-16
What has the story of Moses, Aaron and the Israelites have to do with us? Like them, we were under the bondage of the evil one. We had no hope. But Jesus Christ through His death on the cross, the redemption of His blood, through baptism, has released us from the bondage of the evil one. We have now been brought near by the blood of Christ. We become members of the body of Christ; a part of church. This is the amazing grace given to us. This is our new beginning. We are very blessed to have received this salvation and have our shackles of sin loosened. From one lost and wandering in the world to one who knows the direction to eternal life. From one destined to the lake of fire to one with a heavenly hope.
As we begin this new year, let us remember this new beginning given to us. Let us thank Jesus Christ for this marvellous grace.
Since today is the first Sabbath of the year and month, a Holy Communion will be conducted. Let us prepare our hearts to come before God with a heart of thanksgiving, that we might truly praise Him from the bottom of our hearts.
Exo 12:21-24, 29-30
The first significant event for the new beginning of the Israelites was the Passover. God commanded them to prepare the Passover lamb, kill it, take a bunch of hyssop to be dipped in the basin of its blood, strike it against the lintel and doorposts, and to stay indoors until morning. If they did so, they Angel of the Lord would pass over them and spare their firstborn. The Egyptians who didn’t do this had their firstborn slain. While this was judgement to the Egyptians, it was deliverance to the Israelites.
The purpose of this was for the Israelites to give thanks for God’s grace.
Likewise, we must know the God we worship is the one true living God, and cherish the salvation given to us.
Jude 20-21, 24
Jude was written to defend the truth during the apostolic era. False teachings had crept into the church, causing confusion amongst the members.
How can we contend for our faith? Build ourselves up in the most holy faith. How? Read the Bible and pray. Pray in the Holy Spirit. This means it’s not just a superficial prayer. We must understand our beliefs. Keep ourselves in the love of God and look for the mercies of our Lord Jesus Christ.
v24 We can only stand firm when we have God on our side. Because God is the one able to keep us from stumbling; who presents us faultless. So we must build up this faith and personal relationship with God.
Indeed as knowledge abounds, as more and more false teachings creep into the church, we must make sure we understand and know what we believe - it must be according to the truth in the Bible. We must also practise the truth in the Bible. This can be built up with regular Bible Reading. Doing so will enable us to continue stand firm in our faith and cherish the grace of God; to cherish the new beginning God has given us.
Therefore as we begin this new year, let us be resolved to know our God better. Let us be resolved to cherish this grace of salvation. Pray daily, read the Bible daily, and attend services. The church encourages us to attend the Sabbath fully, because it’s the day God has blessed.
Exo 12:14-15
Another feast the Israelites have to keep with the Passover is the feast of Unleavened Bread.
v15 Seven days they shall eat unleavened bread. Remove all leaven from your houses. Anyone who eats leavened bread during this period shall be cut off from Israel.
From here we can see God is very serious about the eating of leaven during the feast of Unleavened Bread.
1 Cor 5:6-8
Leaven is linked to false teachings, malice and wickedness. These are things contrary to the truth. These things cause us to sin and weigh us down. The feast of Unleavened Bread teaches us to remove all leaven from our lives, and to eat unleavened bread is sincerity and truth.
Jesus Christ our Passover lamb has died on the cross for us. He has redeemed us from our sins; washed our sins away by His blood. We hence need to remove sin from our lives.
Rom 6:1-11
These verses say that those who have been baptised in Christ will also be raised together with Christ. We have put on the new man after being baptised. As a new man, we should have the newness of life. As a new man, do we present our bodies as an instrument to sin? Or instruments for righteousness? In our daily lives, are we sensitive to sin. We probably won’t kill people or purposely harm others. But what about sexual sins? How about following after other religions’ superstitious practices? How about lying? Are we sensitive enough to acknowledge these are detested by God?
In this new beginning, God wanted the Israelites to keep the feast of unleavened bread by removing all leaven from their house. Have we kept this feast? Have we removed sin from our lives?
Exo 12:31-32
At the new beginning, the Israelites departed from Egypt; the clutches of Pharaoh. And made for the promised land of Canaan. Egypt can represent the riches of this world. On the journey, the Israelites complained when things got tough. They’d compare their current situation to what they had in Egypt (e.g. food). This was of course displeasing to God.
Jas 4:4, 7-8
When we baptise, we begin our journey to the promised land. Elder James reminds us friendship with this world is enmity with God.
Heb 12:1
The things of this world and sin will ensure us. It’ll inhibit our journey to the Kingdom of Heaven. Therefore we must lay aside all things of this world, and have God is the first priority in our lives, and focus on moving towards the promised land.
When we draw near to God, we draw further away from the world. In so doing, we’ll truly be able to leave Egypt behind and live a life of a true Christian - a life that pleases and glorifies the name of God.
When we are baptised, we have left Egypt. But have our hearts departed from Egypt? Or do we still long for its riches and comforts?
In our new beginning, let us resolve to truly depart from Egypt.
5 days of our new chapter have been written. Are they different from chapter 2018? Or is there no difference? Let us look on the Israelites as a reminder for the marvellous grace we have been given. Let us give thanks in both our words and actions. Let us cherish this grace by building ourselves up in this most holy faith.
May God guide us to write a beautiful chapter of spiritual victories in 2019.
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1 Thess 5:11 Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.
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