A Time to Look Back; A Time to Look Forward

Would you pray with me? Our Lord as we come to your word and we think upon these things Lord your great wisdom not only in your your wisdom and power in your creation of these magnificent things that cause us to stand in awe but also your wisdom in the fact that you created them for us not for yourself for you didn’t need them at all but you created them for us. So Lord let us take the hint that you give to us by your your creative acts and what we see in scripture. Lord help us to be encouraged help us to be thoughtful and meditative over what you have done and so Lord we commit the service to you in the time in your word in Jesus name amen. So you notice in verse number in you can say in verse number one and two God creates time verse number three the first kind of evidence or measurement if you will of time is mentioned in verse number five the evening and the morning so even though time is not measured there’s no way to measure time at that point yet time exists because we see as we’ve as we so we’re so eloquent to study in Sunday school right when we tried to define what time is and one one definition was the succession of events and that’s what you see here you see events happening so you know the clock is ticking if you will after God has created the world and brought it into existence but then down in verse number fourteen the Lord creates the sun and the moon specifically the sun and the moon and verse number fourteen says this that the sun and the moon are lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and years so the sun and the moon had multiple purposes number one they divided the day from the night right obviously the sun’s out now if you ask if you were to ask me how where was the light before God created the sun in verses one and two or verses three four and five I don’t know the answer to that but God is light so I assume he he made it and then maybe after he created the sun and the moon he probably I don’t know merged the two or something I don’t know that’s my theory and but in verses 14 through 16 we see God created the sun and the moon and they were divide the day from the night and verse 15 says the sun and the moon were to be the to give light upon the earth that was their purpose both in the day and in the night and then and then we see one other purpose in verse 14 for the sun and the moon and that is to be for signs and for seasons and for days and years okay so time is already in motion right time is already happening by the time we get to these verses but in these verses the Lord gives us a way to measure time right did you know that you can you can exist without having any way of knowing how much time elapses in fact some people that go into like solitary confinement or different kind of situations in prison where there’s no there’s no reference point for time it drives them crazy it literally drives them crazy it’s it’s like a form of torture you keep them up and they have no way of knowing if it’s day or if it’s night and how much time has elapsed and because God has hardwired the God has hardwired this earth and we who live on it to live by those things by the measurement of time and so you see here that the sun and the moon both the sun and the moon mark the day and then you also have is for seasons for days and for years so you think about the sun and the moon and how that they are the measurement or the marks of the different periods of time so the sun obviously marks the day because obviously it’s bright and it’s dark but then and it rises and it sets but also it the sun also is the marker for the year which is what it says in verse 14 and then the moon also has a purpose because although the moon does not necessarily mark the day although it does in a way its primary purpose is it marks the month right if you never did know that the reason we have months is because of the phases of the moon and so God created the moon and as the moon changes every about 29 days the moon goes through all of its phases from new moon to new moon and that’s where we get a month and so that’s why we call it a month the moon m-o-o-n-t-h a moon alright and so you have the sun and the moon both are marking periods of time and this is just interesting information if you were to take if you were to you know go go way back in time before there were scientific measurements like we think of and you’re just with your naked eye observe the sun and observe the moon if you if you stood in one place on the earth the same spot maybe where your house is and you look off in the distance say in the west and you see you know some hills and mountains like you might see if you you know if you lived in a place like that you see a hill and a mountain you see a particular hill and you can watch the sun every evening when it sets every evening it’ll set in some at some distance in relationship to that that far off marker in the west and if you every day go out to that place and you look at that spot with that mountain is and you kinda measure the distance from the sun when it’s at the horizon each day you’ll see it move when it hits the horizon and it’ll go distant over the year and then six months time elapses it’s far away and then six months time more it’ll be right on the same spot because the sun is the marker for the year and that’s one reason we have the year it’s the cycles that God has created now think about these cycles if you would God gave us cycles in mankind in his creation and it was all done before the fall that’s what the sun and the moon are about there’s a daily cycle measured by the sun and the moon which I mentioned a minute ago there’s a monthly cycle measured by the moon and then there’s an annual cycle now what is a cycle and just in case you you’ve not studied this out with other cultures the whole idea of a a cyclic repeating patterns is a big thing in some cultures it’s a big thing they have symbology and you know they almost worship it in some ways but this is this is a fact of God’s creative creative wisdom God has God made us and put us in a place and in a world that has cycles now a cycle is just a span of time that repeats the span of time they repeat it begins that’s the beginning mark it proceeds through its span of time and then it resets back where it started and so for each cycle certain things reset and the cycles that God has created benefit God’s supreme creation it not just us but also most importantly God’s supreme creation and so and these cycles remember the cycles in in this case what we see in verse 14 what are the cycles the cycles are days the moon indicates years although it’s not mentioned and then you have the cycle of the year of the the moon indicates the months and then you have the Sun giving us the cycle of years each cycle now follow me I’m going somewhere with this I promise each cycle starts proceeds and ends and at that point the next cycle begins right that that break point where one cycle ends and the next one begins you know what that is that is a God given break point in your life and in my life it’s hardwired into the world into the earth into the cosmos and it’s hardwired into us you think about the daily cycle of prayer or your daily the daily cycle from the Sun right the Bible talks about in prayer Matthew 6-11 talks about praying that God would provide daily bread and then you sleep and then wake back up and you’re fresh and it starts over and it does you it does you do that hundreds of times a year hundreds of times a year the Lord’s intention is for that is for that to be a break point for us that’s where our rest comes it’s good for our bodies it’s good for our mind it’s good for our heart it’s good in so many ways you break that cycle you mess up a lot of things in your life but it was the year it was the year that was the the the cycle of greatest length in you that you see in verse 14 so if you think about the year which is the cycle of the Sun that is the longest human observed cycle that God has created it’s the longest measurement of time now you can you can put a bunch of years together like a thousand years you can get a larger period of time but that’s all based upon the unit of a year which is the largest cycle that God made think about this all the festivals of the children of Israel whether they were the Passover the Feast of Unleavened Bread the Feast of Weeks the Feast of Tabernacles the Feast of Trumpets the Day of Atonement all of those all of those festivals of the children of Israel were repeated each each year you see that cycle so it’s not only a an astronomical event but it’s also something that the Lord integrates into the way he deals with his people now look at look at if you would at Hebrews chapter number nine Hebrews chapter nine Hebrews 9 Hebrews 9 verse number seven says this speaking of the Day of Atonement says this but into the second that is the second holy place behind the second veil went the high priest alone once every year not without blood which he offered for himself and for the errors of the people so even in this even in these festivals which in this case is the Day of Atonement it’s renewed every year you see this this cyclic pattern look at verse 25 says it again nor yet that he should offer himself often as the high priest entereth into the holy place once every year with the blood of others look at chapter 10 verse 1 for the law having a shadow of good things to come and not the very image of the things can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect for then would they not have ceased to be offered because that worshipers once purged should have no more conscience of sins should have had no more conscious of sins but in those sacrifices there is a notice this remembrance again made of sins every year what is that what is that cause that’s the cycle that’s the cycle so this day represents the end of a cycle in our in our life right in our existence this day the last day of the year and tomorrow is going to represent a new day a new cycle a new yearly cycle and that is not that’s not by accident that’s not insignificant it’s it’s important with the the the Day of Atonement you see those sins were atoned for every year in a cycle but they were atoned for until Christ you notice that the cycle stops in Christ you know it’s understandable that the the children of Israel would have yearly feasts and yearly holidays because you know the children of Israel were the earthly people of God and by earthly what I mean is most of the promises God made to Israel related to earthly things God promised them land God promised them material prosperity he promised them physical blessings he promised them an earthly posterity all those things relate to this world so it’s understandable that attached to the earthly cycles of the sun and the moon would be festivals and holidays that they observed and that is all true and that is all right however the Church of God has no yearly feasts have you ever thought about that?

None. We only have two ordinances in the church you know what they are baptism and the Lord’s Supper neither one of them are on a schedule the church has no yearly feasts it has no holidays that are prescribed in scripture you say what about Christmas what about Easter those are not prescribed in scripture we a lot of that has as much to do with culture as it does with like the events they’re supposed to commemorate but there is no there is no place in scripture where the Lord says you should celebrate Easter Resurrection Sunday on the whatever it is the last Sunday before the vernal whatever brother David or Holly knows that has literally nothing to do with the resurrection of Christ is just like it’s something historical but look at Galatians chapter 4 real quick Galatians chapter 4 this is just kind of a proof text of what I’m saying here that the church has no yearly feasts or holidays as Israel did Galatians 4 verse 10 now Paul is chiding these these Gentile believers because of their attempts to observe the law of Moses and he says in his in his reproof of them he says ye observe days and months and times and years you know what the Galatians were trying to do they were trying to observe those holidays and Paul saying what are you doing those yearly cyclic holiday what are you doing these aren’t your things you’re not under the law you’re not required to observe them what are you doing again it reaffirms this idea that the church has none of these why not I don’t know that I can answer that definitively but I have a theory you know it is no wonder to me at least that that the church does not have any yearly feast or holidays prescribed that are attached to the to the years of the sun the the sun and the moon like the children Israel do because we unlike the children Israel we are heavenly people or at least we’re heavenly people as it concerns our relationship to the Lord at this moment listen now at this moment we enjoy everlasting life at this moment and so what is a year what is a cycle of a year to someone who has everlasting life and you know and that that doesn’t mean we detach from this earth of life because of course we we don’t you know we are we are heavenly people the Bible says that we are seated are seated present in heavenly places in Christ right now we are heavenly people but nevertheless we abide in an earthly tabernacle and as such we have this earthly tabernacle and so we have these times and seasons in other words we have break points in our life in our in our earthly existence that’s what today is today is the end of a is a is the marking of a break point in your life now if you go to Revelation 21 we won’t go there I’m just gonna I’m just gonna kinda go past that you’ll see in Revelation 21, 23 and 25 you’ll see that that in the new heaven and the new earth there will be no sun or moon right now Genesis 1 the sun and the moon measure measure what they measure the months and the days and the years so absent sun and moon and the sun and the moon in the new heaven and new earth although there will be time there’ll be no measurement for it the Bible says the gates will not will not will will the gates will be will be open they’ll not be shut they’ll be open all the time because there’s no night interesting little tidbit little piece measurement of a a little factoid if you will the last reference to time in Scripture is in Revelation chapter 20 verses 2 through 7 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 in these six verses 2 through 7 the Lord references 1000 years six times in each of the verses 2 through 7 the 1000 year millennium some people think that that’s not literal that that’s figurative I challenge you to read it for yourself but that is the last time in Scripture that time is is mentioned outside of Revelation 21 about about no sun or moon so once we once there’s a new heaven and a new earth and we are with the Lord time will become timeless time will be timeless will live with him and do things and serve him but there’ll be no measurement for how long we’ve been there as far as I can tell by understand the Scripture will be no measure for how long we’ve been there or how long we’re going to be there or anything like that it’s just one long moment with the Lord time is timeless and so we come back to where we live now because we’re not there yet which is December 31st 2025 the end of a cycle and the beginning of a new the end of the year the beginning of a new the end of this cycle marks the end of one thing and the start of something new I think to be honest I think this is why the Lord has given us the cycle of the year in his creation I think it’s on purpose to serve us and to help us be wise from his creation every end of the year you’re finishing one thing and you’re starting something new and because you finish one thing it provides an opportunity to look back on what has happened as well as to look forward to what we hope will be that’s what this day marks the end of the cycle beginning of a new so think about that with me as we as we kind of come to the end so at the end of the cycle we call this 2025 that’s the cycle that we’re ending tonight here’s what we know in 2025 we know some things that have happened for certain right in other words we can we can look back and as a matter of historical record certain things have happened you know what’s happened in my family as an example you have things in your family what’s happened in my family is two people have gotten engaged and two people have gotten married one person has gotten a driver’s license and a car right of course you have the birthdays all all of those things I mean those are those are significant yeah three I left out Abby don’t tell Abby three I must be losing my mind I let three of my kids get engaged in the same year so you know those are those are matters of historical record that we can when we get to the end of this this cycle the year we can look back and say those things happened those things are what is known right because the past is fixed for good or for ill think about it now this is where it’s a little bit more philosophical but you think about it maybe it’ll be a benefit you can’t change the past can you once the cycle comes to its end you look back on the year there’s no way to alter it if it’s bad and there’s unpleasant things there sometimes there’s things you did that you you regret and you’re ashamed of there’s no way to change it it’s it’s etched in historical stone but then there’s good things too there’s things we savor and we’re glad for in the past etched in historical stone as well that also cannot be altered and by looking back at the end of the cycle by looking backward we learn from the past right when you’ve made mistakes you can look back at those mistakes and you can say this is what I did this is what I did this is how I messed up this is how I I was tempted this is what happened this this in other words in retrospect you look look back and you can say because this happened I was able to observe all of the bad things and now I’m wiser for that or we should be wiser for that right but that’s it’s not only the bad things that we look back and say well I don’t want to repeat that and that’s what that makes us wise now for the beginning of the new cycle the new year but also you think about the good things that have happened and you have cause to give thanks to God that’s why it’s important that we have a break point where we stop and on purpose we have a cause we have a time in history where the Lord says alright the son is back where it started stop look back what has God done in your life how is he shown himself faithful how have you failed and what have you learned from that failure in what ways can you praise God for what he has done but that’s not it that’s just the end of the old cycle with every new cycle with every new year is also the prospects of what’s in the future but the future in the past are far different unlike the past which is fixed unlike the past which is known the future is not fixed as far as we’re concerned of course God in his eternity it’s it’s a done deal but from from our perspective it’s not fixed and it’s also not known and that can cause us some trepidation and some fear the future is open so as we look into 2026 we don’t know what’s gonna happen we don’t know but here’s what we do have we do have because God gave us a break point so that we can look back in the past and learn from that then we use that to look into the future whether it be when we we made errors and we realize how dumb we were and so we’re gonna try our best not to make those same mistakes and again that that provides some level of hope right security in the future but what about the good things that God has done in the past that’s what that’s what the Bible all historical things in scripture that’s all it is it’s just a bunch of cycles of years of God doing things and then recording it so that we in the present can draw benefit from it so that in our future which is unknown we can we can we can learn from that to walk with God in the future but even for your own personal life look back in the past how has God helped you how has he led you now if you go back in the middle 2025 you can probably come you can probably find you should you should meditate upon the past in 2025 this that’s this is the God ordained break point so take a minute and think about alright what did the Lord do you could probably go back to some period some days when there were some things going on that caused you a great deal of anxiety and pain or or fear or confusion where you didn’t know to go to the right hand or to the left you didn’t know what the outcome of this thing would be and you remember if you can bring yourself back to that and ask yourself where was I you move forward a little bit it’s clear now is it not the things you what would the Lord answer your prayer would the Lord come through with the Lord help you with the Lord be there with the Lord instruct you and guide you with his eye like he promised now you’re a little bit further you know what you’ve you have the benefit of that that that cycle in the past because he did he did I prayed I was worried I was fearful and all these things but he did that’s from the past now you use that in the future he will right because you don’t know what kinds of fears and difficulties or decisions that you have in the front but here’s what you do have you have the benefit of of the testimony of a faithful God by looking at what he’s done this is the time the breakpoint in history the breakpoint in time that God has set the end of the year for us to stop and think what have you done and so that as we look toward the future we hope toward the Lord and ask him to do things for us that he that are not yet done and that’s built upon the past the Lord wants this breakpoint in our life so that we can look back to the past and see his goodness his hand his work his faithfulness though at the time we were unsure and fearful this breakpoint in life the end of the year gives us a moment to pause and to consider what we might what we might be looking at this time next year let me ask you a question take the things that you might be dealing with at this moment what will they look like this time next year think about it now you can look in 2025 you can think what was happening December 31st 2024 what was I thinking what was I hoping what was I dealing with and now a lot of those things if not all of them are resolved are they not? many of them are. you can see how the Lord did it now you’re at the same place it’s just to repeat we’re on repeat here but now you can look forward with hope if you take a moment and meditate upon what the Lord has done by looking back we take courage in the Lord for the future this is why the Lord gave us this divine breakpoint it is first and foremost and above all an opportunity to look back on what God has done and to hope toward him in the future