• About Us
• Church Family
• Pathfinders
• Online Magazine
• Church Location
• Site Map

Basis for a New Year

5 Jan 2002, Pr George Porter

(George is Thornleigh's Church Pastor)

TITLE: BASIS FOR A NEW YEAR

THEME: God's Rights.

SCRIPTURE READING: Exodus 20:1-17

INTRODUCTION:

We have lived through a terrible 20th Century. War destruction, ethnic cleansing and untold diisasters in every land on the globe. Satan the evil one has used Communism, Spiritualism, Liberalism, Pentecostalism, New Age and many other isms to keep God from the people and people from God. He has even used religion and false Christianity to separate God from the people.

Last Century was a CENTURY OF PHYSICS - We remember Einstien and the theories of physics. Science was dominant and physics was the dominanrt science. It produced nuclear energy and space travel- to the moon and beyond. Einstein was named "Man of the Century." He changed all peoples lives and touched everyone.

Last Century was one of SOCIAL ENGINEERING - Totalitarian regimes ruled ruthlessly- Nazism, Communism and Moral Relativism. Liberalism, Situation Ethics and Ethnic Cleansing. Man made himself the measure of all things. God was declared dead. His word was denied and His rights ignored.

Hitler declared that the law of man takes precedence over the Ten Commandments of God.

Lenin believed that a revolutionary conscience was a surer guide than a conscience guided by God and His word.

Our twenty first century is set to be the CENTURY OF BIOLOGY. Physics is feared and not trusted. It is not the fashionable science. Modern genetic engineering has taken the supreme place. Man is set to play creator and evolution appears to under the control of the 21 st Century man. The 21 st Century has the genetic engineers meddling with crops, animals and humans. Man is playing God. Man appears to be in charge of evolution. We live when man claims to be on the verge of cloning healthy interlectual humans and designer babies.

I would like to suggest that Christ has been and always will be "The Man of the Century." He is "Man of the Centuries." Over against the combined disciplines of modern science and its laws and theories we have Christ. More than 2 billion Christians with a central message of submission to God, the Higher Being, give meaning to our New Century and New Year. The words of Jesus Christ created a body of faith and morality to defeat Social Engineering and it is our defence against the threats of extremist Genetic engineers.

We need not fear the transition into the New Century and this New Year. We need not fear the new challenges to God's word. Christ's teachings still remain relevant today. God not man is the final authority. In this New Year of Right's Activists - , Human Rights, Animal's Rights, Women's Rights, Children's Rights, Unborn Child's Rights and the latest- Prisoner's Financial Rights let us remember God's Rights.

May I suggest that God has rights. Humans have duties to honour His rights for their own blessing and benefit. We deny God's rights at our own peril and the risk of losing personal salvation.

GOD'S RIGHTS Genesis 1:1 is the basis of God's rights. He is our maker and creator and thereby has certain rights which we are bound to honour.These include worship of Him Revelation 14:6-7. His rights are the basis of our salvation and the basis of our New Year.

God is a Holy Activist for His Rights. In Exodus 20 we find the basis for a New Year. We find the Spiritual fuel for life in the 3rd Millennium. Our God deliverd a people to form Godly community with Him.. Deliverance is His Basis for rights and our duty to adhere to His rights.

GOD'S RIGHTS FOR HIM - ACTIONS FROM US.  First Four Commands.

1. You - Have no other gods. God has exclusive rights in all areas of our lives. We worship and obey noone else. It is priority worship, allegiance and devotion.

2. You are to have no idols . Do not control God or play God. Noone and no thing is to take the real God's place in our lives. Our God has the RIGHT to be jealous as well as loving, merciful and just. He does punish righteously and hate sin to the third and fourth generation. However, He loves the obedient to a thousand generations.

3. You do not abuse or misuse God's name. When swearing by oath in promises and pledges we are not to act for God for personal gain or personal advantage. His right is to protect His Good and Holy name.

4. You Remember the Sabbath Day. He has a right to expect us to remember and keep holy the Creator's memorial of His creation of us. We rest physically, socially, emotionally as a symbol that God does the important things in our lives. Deut 5 also mentions these rights to be "kept" in honour of deliverance from sin and a reminder of our redemption. 4.b God has a right to expect us to work for six days and be ready to rest and worship 24 hours with Him in special celebration of His Rights. Honour God in work and rest.

GOD'S RIGHTS FOR HIS PEOPLE/FAMILY - OUR ACTIONS

5. You are to Honour Your Father and Mother. We are to respect, care and esteem with deep affection our creators. With God they gave us life. With God this is their right. Longevity is not only our diet.

6. You Do Not Murder . Violence against another person of God's family is a violation of God's rights and the communities rights. Community rights and God demand that we have no violence hatred malice or deceit that challenges God's right for Himself and His community.

7. You do not Commit Adultery. Sexual intertcourse with another man's wife, fiancee, any woman or man for that matter is a direct sin against God and man and violation of the communities rights. This applies to the opposite sex as well.

8. You are not to Steal. Stealing is a violation of the rights of God and His community and their property.

9. You do not Lie against Your Neighbour. False legal testimony destroys God's reputation and the reputation of His people. We must not share fabricated meaningless, inconclusive and misleading testimony against our human kind.

GOD'S RIGHTS FOR HIS FAMILY- ATTITUDE FROM US.

10. You must not covet , yearn, long for or lust after and desire your neighbours wife or husband. We have no rights to harm others in God's family as it hurts Him and destroys His rights as well. God and Community have rights which demand that our personal relationships with all parties honour God's rights for Himself and every member of His community family. See Matt 22: 36-40

Exodus 20:20 Declares our duty to honour God's rights and receive the blessing. He proves us and asks us to sin not.

Duet 5:33 Declares that when we honour His rights and obey them we will have LIFE. We have experience with God, worship for Him and life interaction with a Holy community. His rights are our rights and they protect us from sin and engulf us in His love.

Remember His Rights see John 5:1-5 14:15 .

The Centuries may have men and women who have contributed significantly to mankind and the global community BUT NON have ever conquered death. Christ did. Jesus Christ is the Man of The New Year and the New Century. He has provided the biological key to the final mystery - death. see 1Cor 12&15. He has provided the antidote to death. Resurrection and a firm promise of life in the New World. His resurrection is our legacy and His right for our worship and allegiance. His rights are our only hope. He is our Hope for the New Year and our only hope for the New Millenium.

We are not afraid of the future or anything that it may bring to us.

Protect God's rights. Keep His Ten Commandments and you will protect your rights to eternal life in Christ. Happy New Year in Christ.

Copyright © 2018 Thornleigh Seventh-day Adventist Church