“The Mandate For The New Year”

 “The Mandate For The New Year”

“And the LORD said to Moses, “Why do you cry to Me?
Tell the children of Israel to go forward.” - Exodus 14:15 (KJV)

As we enter a new year, many people make commitments called "New Year resolutions" which more likely fail to uphold. Many love to look back at the past year for different reasons. Maybe is to recall struggles or accomplishments. Maybe is to look back to celebrate successes or gripe about failures. Many raise the hope on what the New Year may bring to their lives. They asked themselves whether in the New Year, their lives would be better or worst.

Today message, “The Mandate For The New Year” reflects on what is God’s mandate for His children and His Church. 

Let’s begin by taking a moment to look and reflect at the critical point in which the people of Israel found themselves in Exodus 14:5-15 (KJV).  

• It is in that instant that God orders the march forward into the waters of the Red Sea.
• In front of them the fear of the unknown and
• There was an opportunity to conquer it by means of the faith and action.

A message we can use for the New Year.

~ Let's see what we can get out of all this ~

 I. Tell the people “not to look back”.

1. Sometimes is good to look back at our past:

• To prevent committing the same mistakes.
• To continue with our successes.
• To expand our capacities

2. Cases in which we should not look back to our past:

• "No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God." –Luke 9:62 - The ones that continue the work of God with a distracted mind and with a divided heart can not reach the salvation.
• The expression "to look back", truly doesn't’t meant to return to the life we were living, but there is reluctance to disengage from it.  
• This manifest with reference to Lot’s wife – Sodom was about to be destroy by God. Angels came to get Lot, his wife and daughters out of the city. As soon as they had brought them out, one of them said, "Flee for your lives! Don't look back, and don't stop anywhere in the plain! Genesis 19:14-17,29 

3. In Israel situation –

• What advantage was there to look back at the Egyptians?
• What advantage was there to look at the desert surroundings?
• Get away quickly of everything that they could remember from slavery in Egypt.

4. In our situation –

• What are the advantages to look back to our past chained lives?
• To look back at our grudges, resentments, and weaknesses?
• What advantage there is to look at the desert of our lives? Past difficulties?

II.  “Why are you crying out to Me?”

1. Is it bad to claim our petitions to God?

• No, only when the attitude is correct we can claim on Him.
• Actually He wants us to ask Him - “I tell you the truth, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name”. – John 16:23
• If He is our Father, then to whom we should claim our petitions.

2. What was God’s reason –

•  Three principles:  

1. The cry of Israel – was not a prayer, it was a mere critic of Him and Moses – Exodus 14:11
2. They only remember God in times of desperate need and here they were facing the danger of falling into Egyptians hands.
3. Even if their cry may be justified, is a mere contemplative attitude of waiting for a miracle, which does not help anyone. There was one thing more urgent for this moment. (Often, our prayers are lamentations and our lives is all a bitter criticism).

The Psalmist asked himself in Psalm 42:9 – “Why must I go about mourning”.  Precisely, that was what the people of Israel were doing on that crucial moment – mourning! complaining! criticizing! 

Can we answer to these questions?

• Can you find any reason on why you regret often instead of rejoicing? 
• Who told you that the night never ends at daytime?

Apostle Paul advice us in Philippians 4:6 - "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God".

The author of Hebrews said – “let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us”. Hebrews 12:1

There are weights that are not sins in themselves, but they become stumbling blocks and obstacles in the progress of our Christian life. One of the worst is discouragement.

Let us not ever doubt God with His love and faithfulness for all of us and forever. It is very easy to fall into the habit of doubt, anguish, and ask whether God has forsaken us and if after all, our hopes will end in failure.

We must refuse to be unhappy – “Let’s us count all our joy” when we can not feel the emotion of happiness. All things work for good to those who love the Lord, who have been called according to his purpose (Romans 8:28).

Each one of you have been call to His purpose, The Church – the Body of Christ to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ – The Good News.  We delight through the faith of the spirit and we consider the joy as a reality, and we will speak with certainty that God will make our consideration real.

The devil has mastered two traps for us.
Be aware! Don’t let yourselves be fool by one of these traps.

1. One is to discourage us - Then for a time, at least we are useless to others, and are defeated.
2. The other is to make us doubt – In order to break the faith which united us to our Heavenly Father.

Psalm 46:10 – "Be Still and know that I am God"

III. Tell the children of Israel to go forward.

1. People of Israel faced an urgent extreme moment – of life or death.  Behind them the Egyptians army was tailing them. On both sides, were the open desert plains – no place to hide.  They only can expect to die if they get caught by the Egyptians. Every passing moment, the threat increased No escape! Only in front of them was the deep Red Sea and behind them the ferocious Egyptian Army. (What would you do? How would you react?).  In front of them the Red Sea “Let’s conquer it” – Faith.
2. There is always a place to exercise the faith.  In front of us a New Year “Let’s conquer it”.  It is about trusting God’s Word and His power.  It is a mandate to march forward, to move, to do our part in the divine plan of the Lord.

What is Faith? - The Author of Hebrews said - "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see" - Hebrews 11:1

Today, many Christians live an intermediate Christian life, because they have come to be occupied with exterior things, and to depend on their circumstances instead of depending on God.  They are capricious people!

God wants us to see Him in all things, and not to call anything small, if it is a carrier medium of his message. (Remember what He did with five loaves and three fish, to feed a crowd).

The Israelites did not believe in the Lord until they saw Him doing His works. Exodus 14:31 
How many of you doubt? Do you want to see the results of God’s works in your life, family, work, and including in the church before believing in His power?

The Israel's people lived a life of "back and forth", because of their kind of faith, was a faith that had depended on the circumstances. This is not the kind of faith that God wants us to have.
God’s mandate for Israel at that crucial moment was to move forward and don’t look back until they reach the other side of the Red Sea.  Just as the mandate He gave through His Angels to Lot and family to escape Sodom and don't look back until they reach safe ground. 

Make a mental effort to visualize what their eyes were witnessing when they saw the Red Sea being divided to make a clear a dry passage for them to escape the wrath of the Egyptians. Afterward, seeing the sea closed and drowning the Egyptian army.  (Probably, you have seem the movie "The Ten Commandments")

The Exodus and the Red Sea Crossing  (A video of proof researchers found of the crossing of the Red Sea)

God’s mandate for us is “to go forward” as we enter the New Year – 

Move forward to the unknown things to come in the New Year.  Leaving behind all the troubles, failures, doubts, the enemy who is chasing you to keep you trap no where to go but to move forward – Don’t look back saying – “If I only could have done …” “If I only could have ..."  NOT "Ifs" - Just move forward and put your trust in God! 
 
In Matthew 11:28 – "Come to me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest”. 
 
Finally, God’s New Year mandate for His church is also to move forward –
 
In Mat 28:19 –“Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.  And surely I am with you always, to the very end of age.”
 
- As Christians, this is our "Mandate for the New Year" - Go and make disciples of all nations!

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

"Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."

Wishing you a Happy and Prosperous New Year

May God Bless You

Your Brother in Christ

Moises Miranda

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