300 - The Beginning of the New Year - January#
300 - The Beginning of the New Year - January
(JP Text Group - Organized by the Little Prince of Heaven)
Exodus 12:1-2,
1 The LORD said to Moses and Aaron in Egypt, 2 “This month is to be for you the first month, the first month of your year.
Let us pray together:
Heavenly Father! Thank You and praise You! Thank You for preparing such a wonderful time for Your beloved ones to share Your words, to supply each one of us, and to let us see Your grace during the festival. This is the beginning of the New Year, and it is January. We thank You, Your grace is also new, and today You will especially supply us. Bless this time, in the name of the Lord Jesus, we pray. Amen!
January is coming soon; why is it not called the first month? In China, we have the lunar calendar and the solar calendar, and there is another country in the world that also distinguishes between the two: Israel. In the beginning, God designated this month as the first month for them. When you go home for the New Year and ask them, “Why is it the first month?” very few people know. Many people say, “It’s one of the 24 solar terms…” God has given us these days, which are meaningful to everyone. The Israelites did not leave Egypt in January, but between March and April, which is the month of Nisan in the Jewish calendar. The Chinese Spring Festival also roughly falls within this month.
Sharing the first point: January 1, a New Beginning
There is a tradition in China: after a busy year, regardless of the circumstances, on New Year's Eve, everyone must return home to reunite with family; and there is one more thing to do, which is to settle accounts for the past year. The new year is a new beginning. Why not do these things before January 1 but during the Spring Festival? New Year's Day does not have such grand celebrations, but everything changes during the Spring Festival. The Israelites leaving Egypt is equivalent to our current Spring Festival; New Year's Day does not have this atmosphere. When did the Israelites leave Egypt? It was on the night of the 14th of the first month, and God designated this month as the first month, and then God brought them out of Egypt.
Did they prepare things before this, just like we do for the New Year? Another important point is putting up couplets. The origin of putting up couplets can be found in the Bible. God told the Israelites, “Put the blood of the lamb on the doorposts and lintels.” That was the original way.
People began to get busy, preparing the lamb, slaughtering the lamb, and applying the lamb's blood…; when we celebrate the New Year, we also prepare meat. In the past, when we were poor, it didn’t matter whether we could eat meat regularly, but during the New Year, we had to eat meat. I especially looked forward to the New Year when I was a child because I could eat meat, regardless of the family situation. On New Year's Eve, we had to eat meat, and we had to eat dumplings. Now, I no longer feel that way.
Reflecting again, is there a source for this in the Bible? The night before the Israelites left Egypt, they were at home with the doors shut, holding unleavened bread in one hand and lamb meat in the other, along with bitter herbs, eating them together. One can imagine that scene: one hand holding unleavened bread, the other holding lamb meat and bitter herbs, eating them together. We are so clever; we cooked everything together, which is very similar. You can look for the sermons given before.
Today, we are not talking about this; we want to tell everyone: what is January, and what does January 1 mean?
As mentioned earlier, January 1 is a new beginning. When does the first mention of the first month appear in the Bible? It is not during the Exodus but during Noah's time. Let’s take a look,
Genesis 8:13-17,
13 By the first day of the first month of Noah's six hundred and first year, the water had dried up from the earth. Noah then removed the covering from the ark and saw that the surface of the ground was dry. 14 By the twenty-seventh day of the second month, the earth was completely dry. 15 Then God said to Noah, 16 “Come out of the ark, you and your wife and your sons and their wives. 17 Bring out every kind of living creature that is with you—the birds, the animals, and all the creatures that move along the ground—so they can multiply on the earth and be fruitful and increase in number on it.”
Thinking of the flood in Noah's time, what comes to mind? God's judgment had ended, and a new heaven and a new earth began. This is the first mention of “January 1.” Brothers and sisters, why did God use the flood to destroy the world? Genesis 6:5 says, The LORD saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time. God found that the times had become corrupt, and people's thoughts were all evil. So what did God do? He destroyed all living things on the earth. Some say, “How could God be so cruel?” Don’t forget, He is the Creator, the Sovereign of the world. Does He not have the right to judge? Is He not a just Lord? Where is justice manifested? For good deeds, God must reward; for evil deeds, He must punish.
If God cannot distinguish between good and evil, He is not a just God. In Noah's time, the people thought only evil all day long. Did God have the right to judge? If evil people were around you, would you not also hope that God would reach out to judge them? This perfectly reveals God's love, mercy, and justice. The people of that era had already become corrupt, and God executed judgment.
After Noah and his family came out of the ark, the judgment had passed, and it was a new beginning. Noah was six hundred years old when he entered the ark and six hundred and one years old when he came out. This day is not Noah's birthday, but the Bible says it was the first day of the first month. Why was the day counted anew? God wanted to tell Noah and his family: the previous days do not count; no matter how much suffering you have endured in the past or how others have mocked you, that is all in the past; everything has ended. The Chinese Spring Festival is meant to tell you: after New Year's Eve, your past successes or failures have become history; January 1 begins a new beginning.
After Noah and his family came out of the ark, God gave them commands again, many of which were the same as the commands given at the beginning of creation. 17 Bring out every kind of living creature that is with you—the birds, the animals, and all the creatures that move along the ground—so they can multiply on the earth and be fruitful and increase in number on it. After God created the heavens and the earth in six days, did He not hope that all living things would live this way? However, among them, a part of the people He valued most had fallen, so God executed judgment and punishment. Now, only eight people remained. Were they righteous? Let me ask you a question: Was Noah called a righteous man because he never sinned? No, it was because he believed in God's words and was willing to live according to God's words, so he and his family were saved.
God said, “Make an ark and go in.” In that era, no one was willing to do such a thing; no one believed. After the flood, was a new world born? God repeated the original command: bring out the living creatures on the earth to multiply and greatly prosper, including Noah's family. Now, no matter which segment you are from, you are all descendants of Noah.
As mentioned earlier, the reason God used the flood to destroy all the people of that era was that humanity had become corrupt. So where is our hope? This year our theme is a year of hope. Where is the living hope? Many people say, “Business is hard to do; people are deceitful and cold-hearted…” Many people say, “I wish I could go back to heaven now.” I tell them: there is living hope there, and there is also hope here on earth; this place is good, and that place is the best. Since God has not let us go back, we should live happily in this world and live out His likeness. Although the world is getting darker, you are not in darkness; you are the light in the darkness.
Matthew 24:37-39
37 As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 38 For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; 39 and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.
When feeling despair about the relationships and affairs around you, do not lose heart; in Jesus Christ, you always have hope. This era is the same; although people’s thoughts are indeed evil, thinking of how to deceive others and turn others’ possessions into their own, this is a characteristic of this era. But we must have living hope, just as Noah had hope. What was Noah's hope when he was building the ark? “Once it’s done, our family will go in and be saved; this is God's word, and I simply believe Him.” When living in darkness, where is your hope? It must be in Jesus Christ; if you compare yourself with the world, you will become disheartened and disappointed.
The author of the Psalms also expressed: Lord! I truly do not understand; look at the wicked who eat well and die without pain, and what about me? Every day I am like a bird caught in a net, hiding and dodging all day long; I do not understand. But until one day, I entered Your sanctuary and saw their end; indeed, You put them in slippery places…
Where did they slip to? If these people are unwilling to accept Jesus and think evil all day long, and God lets them live well, dying peacefully, do not envy or be jealous; our God is a gracious God. Where is this grace manifested? They can live these decades; can’t You let them live a little better? How long is your life? Even if you suffer a little in this world, can it add up to several decades? But your future days have no time limit, lasting forever. Hallelujah!
In Noah's one hundred and twenty years, he may not have lived as well as the world; they married and drank, while his family worked hard every day, living what seemed like a terrible life. But when all this passed, Noah's family triumphed, and they saw God's words fulfilled with their own eyes. Do you believe that in the future, in the new heaven and new earth, you will see with your own eyes? You know that when that day comes, the world will be completely renewed. Before Jesus Christ left, He left us with hope, saying, “I go to prepare a place for you, and when it is ready, I will come back to take you.” Now you do not need to build an ark; Jesus has already built it. What you need to do now is to enter it, which means to believe in Jesus for salvation. Jesus is that ark; you say you are already inside, just waiting for that time to come.
First comes judgment, then comes the new heaven and new earth. The order is exactly the same as in Noah's time. The darker it gets, what does it mean? The day of our Lord is near. When Noah was counting the days, it was almost one hundred and twenty years. Although the people of that era lived very well, Noah knew that a new beginning was about to come. So when Jesus comes again, He will take us back. Although the Book of Revelation records several years of great tribulation, some say it is seven years; in fact, it is not seven years; three and a half years is enough for people to suffer. But no matter how many years it is, believe that you are not in it, just as Noah was not in the disaster. Although the flood was great, he was in the ark. No matter how the world changes in the future or how many disasters there are, you are in Jesus Christ.
There have been movies about Noah's ark, and people bought tickets to get in… you do not need to do that; you are under God's protection, just like Noah. Once all this is over, we will be in the new heaven and new earth, and that will also be a new beginning. The past will no longer be remembered by God; no matter what Noah's family did in the past, God does not remember it. So many people have said things about you in the past; that has all passed. Can you view your past like this in the new year? Some say, “No, I still remember how that person treated me; even after January 1, this matter is still in my heart…” You need to learn to welcome the new beginning, to view your current life with a new beginning; God does not remember the past.
Revelation 21:1-4
1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. 2 I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them; they will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4 ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.’”
This is the place we will go to in the future. When you open your eyes again to see the new heaven and new earth, the new Jerusalem, will you still bring up the past? The pains of our past, God has wiped away, leaving only beautiful memories. What does the fourth verse say? God will wipe away every tear from their eyes. People have tears for two reasons: one is overwhelming joy, and the other is pain and sorrow. But the Bible says there will be no more mourning, crying, or pain, which proves that when we arrive in the new heaven and new earth, your mind will be filled only with good things and beautiful memories.
At that time, although Noah had passed from the era of the flood and started a new life in the new heaven and new earth, their memories were not updated. They would remember how people treated them in that previous era, and those memories could not be erased. Some say, thinking about it makes them angry, even though those people have already died.
How many people are still arguing with the dead? They cannot let go of the dead, and thinking about it makes them hate it so much. But in the future in heaven? God has done one thing: He has wiped away all your past pains and cries, leaving only beautiful memories. In heaven, we will not be unrecognizable; we will still be able to meet. Why do we not cry out in anguish like the world when our loved ones in Christ pass away? Because they have left, and one day we will meet again. When we arrive in heaven, what will we do? We will not need to preach the gospel and work anymore; the six thousand years on earth were your time to work, and there, it will be eternal rest.
Yesterday, I was chatting with a sister from another place. She said, “Teacher Ren, I have never met you, but I have been collaborating and working with you online. I think we are too busy and too far apart. When we return to heaven, we can have a good chat.” I said, “Good!”
These memories still exist; thinking back, isn’t it quite interesting? Brothers and sisters, all those evil things and sins, God has wiped them all away, no longer remembering them, leaving only beautiful memories. When were these beautiful memories accumulated? Now, while you are alive. Now you should do more happy things, do more things that will leave a mark on God in the future. What kind of things? Encourage others more, encourage yourself, bless others, bless yourself, and use Jesus' words to comfort people; these are the things you will remember in the future. When we chat again, you will say: “You are great! It’s wonderful to have you in our church…” Thinking back on that will bring joy.
But what if not? If we started knowing each other in a church and ended up fighting, in heaven, we might think, “Oh! Why do I feel so familiar with you?” But there would be nothing to say because there are no beautiful memories. So brothers and sisters, while you are alive, do more meaningful things. The beginning of the new year is very important; do not live like the past anymore.
Sharing the second point: January 1, a New Worship, a New Vision Begins
Exodus 40:17-21 also mentions a January 1, let’s take a look,
17 In the first month of the second year, on the first day of the month, the tabernacle was set up. 18 Moses set up the tabernacle, and he put its bases in place, erected its frames, inserted the crossbars, and set up its posts. 19 Then he spread the tent over the tabernacle and put the covering over the tent, as the LORD commanded him. 20 He took the tablets of the covenant and placed them in the ark, and he put the poles in place and attached the atonement cover on top of the ark. 21 Then he brought the ark into the tabernacle and hung the shielding curtain over the ark of the covenant, as the LORD commanded him.
Many people do not like to read these things, especially in Exodus, where it mentions how many bowls and silver plates were offered, how the tabernacle was set up… what does this mean? Here is an important time point, January 1. When they left Egypt, they missed January 1, leaving on the night of the 14th, but the following year, did they commemorate January 1? Yes, they did.
On January 1, they had to do one thing: set up the tabernacle. Brothers and sisters, what does the past tabernacle connect with now? The temple and the church. So on January 1, many people go to church to listen to the person on the platform talk for a few minutes. I was raised this way since I was a child. At that time, children also looked forward to January 1; besides playing, they could also go to church, which was a place of God's blessing.
On January 1 of the second year, the tabernacle was set up, representing the beginning of a new life for the Israelites. Do not forget, this is the first day of the second year; a year has passed. God wanted them to welcome this January 1 in a new way. In the past, they lived a self-centered lifestyle, but now, after the tabernacle was set up, the tabernacle was among them.
If you are a science student, I suggest you calculate a sum. The Bible has the arrangement order of the tabernacle; the tabernacle was in the center, with the twelve tribes surrounding it. Which tribe had how many people, and which tribe was in what position? If you list the numbers and their tents in a diagram, you will find that it forms a very standard cross, and the center of the cross is exactly the tabernacle. If there had been aerial photography technology at that time, looking down from above, it would have been a huge cross.
Balaam saw this; he went up to the mountain and looked down. He originally wanted to curse this group of people, but suddenly he was moved by the Spirit of God. He looked down and said, “Wow! This is not a solitary people; they have no sin.” Can you see their sins? Looking from above, it is a huge cross, and the tabernacle is in the middle. Can you see their sins? What does God see when He looks down from above? It is a huge cross.
Does the setting up of the tabernacle mean anything? Their life centered around the cross began. In the new year, the beginning of January 1, your life must have the cross, and this cross is not the painful one that makes you bleed and die, but one centered around the tabernacle. You are centered around the church, allowing God to bless you and supply your life. How did the Israelites live in the wilderness? They relied entirely on the supplies from God in the tabernacle. Whether it was manna or physical needs, or their sins being forgiven, it all started from God.
When celebrating January 1, think of eating meat and putting up couplets; it all relates to the blood of Jesus. January 1 also means a new beginning. This year, live a life centered around the cross and the church; that is what God wants to bless me with. My life will definitely be different from the world; even if I am in the wilderness, I will have daily manna supply. Amen!
After the tabernacle was set up, what happened? He placed the tablets in the ark, put the poles in place, and set the atonement cover on the ark. Brothers and sisters, many people may not like to read these things, but I want to tell you that this is particularly important. The things God did on January 1 are extremely significant. Reflect on the first time Moses brought down the two tablets, which are the Ten Commandments; the people were worshiping the golden calf at the foot of the mountain, and everyone worshiped. At that time, Moses broke the two tablets in the mountains. After going down, he did one thing; let’s take a look.
Exodus 32:25-28
25 Moses saw that the people were running wild and that Aaron had let them get out of control and so become a laughingstock to their enemies. 26 So he stood at the entrance to the camp and said, “Whoever is for the LORD, come to me.” And all the Levites rallied to him. 27 He said to them, “This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘Each man strap a sword to his side. Go back and forth through the camp from one end to the other, each killing his brother and friend and neighbor.’” 28 The Levites did as Moses commanded, and that day about three thousand of the people died.
Once the two tablets arrived, they would certainly bring death. There is no room for negotiation with God's Ten Commandments. “Lord, although I worship false gods, but…” Is there a “but”? Will God listen to your “but”? As long as you worship, the outcome is death. Therefore, before the Ten Commandments, no one can say, “Lord, I don’t want this; please spare me!” No, there is no grace before the Ten Commandments; there is no grace before the just law.
Where is God's grace manifested? As we just read, where were the two tablets placed? In the ark. This shows God's grace. If these two tablets were held up every day with a rod, not one Israelite would have lived to this day; they would all have died. Not to mention forty years; they wouldn’t even last four days.
What does it say here? Moses saw that the people were running wild (Aaron had let them get out of control and so become a laughingstock to their enemies). That is, the law revealed their injustice, showing that they deserved to die. Did it wrong them? Even if this group of people were all killed, they deserved it because they had already violated God's words. Were the Levites not among those who worshiped the golden calf? They were too; the Bible does not say the Levites did not worship; it was Aaron who led them to do this.
But here, a grace appears. Let’s take a look. Moses stood at the entrance to the camp and said, “Whoever is for the LORD, come to me!” Did Moses have the two tablets in his hand? No, where were the tablets? The first time, they were broken by Moses in the mountains. Moses did not have the two tablets in his hand and said, “You who belong to the LORD, come to me.”
It is not based on your actions; what is it based on? “Are you belonging to the LORD? Then come to me.” Now God is also calling the world in this way, “If you are willing, you can come to me. I do not care what you have done in the past, I do not care if you have sinned or worshiped idols; if you come to me, you belong to me.”
“Whoever is for the LORD, come to me!” Did God say, “Those who just worshiped the golden calf should not come to me”? Who went? The Levites. Now do you know why the Levites can serve full-time in God's temple? It is not because of their good behavior, but because they listened to God's words and believed in God's words. You come to God's temple, believe in Jesus, not because you behaved well in the past, but precisely because you believe in Jesus, you can come to serve Him. Amen!
This is God's grace. If Moses had the two tablets in his hand, no one would dare to come before him; they would all die. God would execute His justice. At that time, under the law, it was said, “Take your sword and kill your brother.” That day, three thousand people died. So having the two tablets is not a good thing. Today, many people insist on preaching the law, wanting to obey the Ten Commandments, wanting to hang the Ten Commandments in their homes, wanting to read them every day. Do you know what that means? It means bringing death into the people.
Looking further, the current situation is different. On January 1 of the second year, God commanded Moses to go up the mountain and receive the two tablets again. But this time, he did not bring them down to show the people; instead, he placed them in the ark. God did not want people to take them out because taking them out would result in death; therefore, God said, “Do not look at this ark.”
But the high priest has the opportunity to enter the Most Holy Place once a year, and they will see the atonement cover. The verses we just read say that the tablets were placed in the ark, meaning in the ark, the poles were placed in the sides of the ark, and the atonement cover was set on the ark. So even if the high priest enters the Most Holy Place, what he sees is the atonement cover, not the two tablets. Anyone who sees the two tablets will die; now the two tablets are under the atonement cover. As long as the atonement cover is not opened, they will not die. Is grace higher or is the law higher? Because the atonement cover is above, and the two tablets are below.
The current issue is that we must worship according to God's way, we must live according to God's way. God will speak to you and bless you from the atonement cover; all the blessings of the Israelites came from the atonement cover. Reading Exodus, Numbers, and Leviticus, you can see this point. The high priest goes before the atonement cover, sprinkles blood on the atonement cover, and God speaks to him. He goes out to bless the people, and the people are blessed.
The problem now is that some people insist on looking at the two tablets. What do they get by not living according to God's way? Even if you believe in Jesus today, if you do not live according to God's way, what comes upon you is a curse. Some say, “It is God's curse; if you do not listen to His words, He will curse you…” It is not God cursing you; it is you who chose the path of cursing. At the end of Deuteronomy, Moses called to heaven and earth, saying to the people, “I set before you life and death, blessings and curses, but I hope you can choose life.” God does not force us; He lets us choose how to live. If you live according to God's way, you will be blessed; if you leave God's blessing, you will certainly be under a curse. It is not God who wants to curse you; it is you who have left the blessing.
In life, there are only two choices: either death or life; either blessing or curse; it is a matter of which one you choose. If you say you do not want Jesus and do not live according to Jesus' words, it is not God cursing you; it is you who chose to live under a curse, away from God's blessing. There are indeed some people who do not accept this, do not understand, and do not listen. In the past, was worshiping God something anyone could do at will? How did the 250 people of Korah die? “Why must I listen to Aaron? I can offer sacrifices too…” As a result, they were killed by God. So those 250 people who acted without thinking and did not obey God's regulations, can God accept you if you do not follow God's way? Is the ark something anyone can touch? Touching it means death; what if you push it aside? That would mean even more death.
1 Samuel 6:19-20,
19 God struck down the people of Beth Shemesh, putting seventy of them to death because they had looked into the ark of the LORD. The people mourned because of the heavy blow the LORD had inflicted on them. 20 And the people of Beth Shemesh asked, “Who can stand in the presence of the LORD, this holy God? To whom will the ark go up from here?”
Do you know the background of this story? At that time, Eli, the old priest, no longer listened to God's words, and the temple was in chaos. As a result, the enemy invaded. They had heard, “Our ancestors carried the ark and defeated many enemies; let’s do the same.” But one problem they did not consider was that they did not listen to God's words; what use was it to carry the ark? If you do not listen to God's words, what use is it to hold the Bible every day?
They carried the ark to the battlefield, but the Philistines captured the ark. Wherever the ark went, the people of that city began to suffer from tumors. They realized that this was an ominous object; being with their god caused their god to fall down and break. They had to send it back; they could not let it stay in their territory, or it would bring disaster to the people.
At that time, they chose a cart and sent the ark of the LORD to the land of Israel, to Beth Shemesh. This group of people had never seen the ark and did not know what it looked like. They all gathered to take a look. At that time, there were fifty thousand and seventy people. There were always those who were not afraid of death and wanted to see what was inside: in the past, our priests worshiped before the ark, bringing blessings to the people; let’s take a look inside… Their curiosity led to their death. Just because they looked into the ark of the LORD, fifty thousand people died.
After this group of people died, they said, “Who can stand in the presence of the holy God, the LORD?” Today, many people use this phrase to scare believers: our God is a holy God; how do you have the qualification to serve Him? Did this group of people die because of God's holiness and unwillingness to be served? No, they died because they worshiped and served God in their own way!
They asked, “Where can we send the ark?” They thought that whoever received the ark would be doomed. Later, when it was sent to the house of Abinadab in Kiriath Jearim, why did that household receive abundant blessings because the ark of the LORD was in their home? It was because they served, worshiped, and lived according to God's way. Amen!
Later, David thought: this is not good! Initially, he did not want the ark because of this incident, but later he heard that the ark was in that household, and his household was so blessed that he had to bring the ark back. David later brought the ark back to the City of David. Everyone has read this story, right? What does the ark signify? It signifies the covenant between us and God! What they could see was the atonement cover; the Ten Commandments were placed in the ark. God does not want us to fall from grace. Brothers and sisters, where do we fall from grace? Is it into hell?
Galatians 5:4-5,
4 You who are trying to be justified by the law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace. 5 For through the Spirit we eagerly await by faith the righteousness for which we hope.
Here, falling from grace refers to another kind of person who wants to be justified by the law. Is the law here the Ten Commandments? Wanting to be justified by Moses' Ten Commandments means abandoning another path, which is to be justified by Jesus Christ. You can only choose one of the two paths. If you choose to be justified by the law, it is said that “you must strive to obey the Ten Commandments for God to be pleased with you, accept you, and bless you.” This leads people to rely on the law for justification, and then you fall from grace. If the atonement cover is above, you can understand it as grace. If you fall from grace, it means pushing the atonement cover aside, and you will certainly fall into the law. Under the law, what you receive is a curse; this is the reason.
In verse 5, Paul immediately tells us that we rely on the Spirit; we do not live by the Ten Commandments. We await God's righteousness by faith; we have eternal hope in Jesus Christ.
Let’s review the verses we just read, Exodus 40:20-21,
20 He took the tablets of the covenant and placed them in the ark, and he put the poles in place and attached the atonement cover on top of the ark. 21 Then he brought the ark into the tabernacle and hung the shielding curtain over the ark of the covenant, as the LORD commanded him.
Why did God have to hide the ark? God does not want people to see the ark. It says to bring the ark into the tabernacle and hang the curtain over it. Under the law, there was a thick curtain separating the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place. Not just anyone could enter the Most Holy Place and come before the atonement cover; this was the rule set by God under the Old Testament law.
Why? Because the issue of sin had not yet been resolved, so it had to be separated. It was only through the blood of bulls and goats that one could enter the atonement cover to receive blessings. If any high priest entered the Most Holy Place without bringing the blood of bulls and goats, the outcome would also be death. Therefore, every year, the high priest had to bring the blood of bulls and goats into the Most Holy Place.
One day, on the day Jesus Christ was crucified, all this changed. This can also be understood as the day Jesus was crucified, which was a new beginning. That month happened to be January, during Passover. When Jesus said, “It is finished,” the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. From then on, the way to the Most Holy Place was completely opened. Today, you can come boldly before the atonement cover to pray to God, and He will give you grace and mercy. Amen! He is your ever-present help.
But at that time, it had to be covered; this was commanded by the LORD. If you do not listen to God, then it must be death. Now I want to say that the atonement cover is extremely important in the Old Testament and is also extremely important for us in the New Testament.
Looking at the atonement cover, the original Greek meaning of kapporeth is to cover. For example, in Revelation, it is to open the lid; the atonement cover is to cover it. Isn’t that interesting? Kapporeth, the atonement cover, also means the seat of atonement. David once said, “Blessed is the one whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered.” This atonement cover was made of pure gold and placed on top of the ark, meaning grace is higher than the law. God's intention is absolutely not to give us the Ten Commandments but to give us more grace. Amen! From the beginning of creation to the end of the world, God wants to give us grace. Now I want to say that the atonement cover has another layer of meaning, which is atonement.
Leviticus 16 details how they offered sacrifices on the Day of Atonement. It first mentions the atonement cover. Through the blood of bulls and goats, sinners can be reconciled with God. Today, through the blood of Jesus, we have been reconciled with God. What is being highlighted here is that the Lord Jesus Christ is our atonement cover, also called the seat of atonement. Through the precious blood of Jesus, your sins are covered; more strictly speaking, your sins are wiped away. The blood of bulls and goats only has a one-year effect, but the blood of Jesus has a permanent effect, so your sins are completely wiped away. His precious blood frees you from the curse of the law; He completely became our atoning sacrifice. Therefore, Paul used another term.
Romans 3:25-26,
God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished— 26 he did it to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.
Here, the sacrifice of atonement is the same word as the atonement cover. Who did God establish as the atonement cover? Jesus is your atonement cover. Hallelujah! You only need to see Jesus; just like the high priest at that time entered the Most Holy Place, he only needed to see the atonement cover. There was no need to push the atonement cover aside to see the tablets inside; that would be looking for death. We should not give people the Ten Commandments; we should give people Jesus Christ. If you give the Ten Commandments to anyone, they will die; if you give Jesus to anyone, and they accept and believe, they will live. Therefore, we must believe that through the blood of Jesus and through faith in people, this demonstrates God's righteousness. You were originally deserving of death, but now Jesus has become your atonement cover, your sacrifice of atonement, so you do not need to die.
What you did in the past, God does not remember, but what you do after believing in the Lord, God begins to remember. Therefore, the Israelites relied on themselves; starting from January 1 of the second year, once the tabernacle was set up, they began to live a life centered around the tabernacle, which is a sacrificial life centered around the atonement cover. In this way, God does not look at their sins, and God dwells among them joyfully.
Now, for us, January 1 is also the beginning of our new life. Our country's custom is to settle everything before the Spring Festival; the accounts that need to be cleared are cleared, and the things that need to be done are done. During the New Year, people basically do not work. Perhaps this concept is becoming increasingly blurred now.
When I was a child, from January 1 to 15, the house was particularly quiet. No matter which relative's house you went to, the meal was already prepared, meaning God's abundant supply was already prepared. That was a life centered around the church. So during the New Year, believe in this matter, and also use the festival of the New Year to tell others what the New Year is. If you do not know, let me tell you; it is a hope, a new beginning, and you have new hope. Amen!
Hebrews 10:16-18
16 “This is the covenant I will establish with them after that time,” says the Lord. “I will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their minds.” 17 Then he adds: “Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more.” 18 And where these have been forgiven, sacrifice for sin is no longer necessary.
The moment you accept Jesus is the moment you accept Jesus dying on the cross for your sins. What does this mean? All your sins are cleared; the price of sin has been paid by Jesus. So when you see the blood of Jesus, you should remember that the price of your sins has been fully paid. During the New Year, all accounts are cleared; how should you meet people? In the past, because they owed me money, I nagged them every day to pay me back. When they paid me back before the New Year, how should we meet? We should bless each other.
But many times, people's hearts have become corrupt; during the New Year, they do not settle accounts, and when they meet, they are still quite angry. This is not in accordance with the Bible. What I mean is that before Jesus went to the cross, we could not pay the price of our sins ourselves, so we had to rely on the blood of bulls and goats to cover our sins. But when Jesus went to the cross and shed His precious blood, we believe in Him, and all the prices of your sins are cleared. In God's eyes, you are a new person, and God wants to bless you.
Just like when we greet each other on New Year's Day: Happy New Year! Wishing you prosperity. The world says this; it is a blessing, but they do not know where this blessing comes from. You believe that this blessing comes from Jesus. Those days after, what days are they? After the day Jesus was crucified, He made a new covenant with us.
Is there a difference between the New Covenant and the Old Covenant? Yes, otherwise, why call it a New Covenant? The Old Covenant is dominated by the law of Moses, while the New Covenant is dominated by the redemptive work accomplished by Jesus Christ on the cross. The Old Covenant is centered around the law of Moses, while the New Covenant is centered around Jesus Christ and the cross. Those days after, the covenant I will establish with them is this: I will put my laws in their hearts and write them in their minds. What law is this? This is no longer the Ten Commandments; the law here is the supreme law, the law of love, the law of the Holy Spirit of Jesus Christ.
The law of the Holy Spirit is within you. The moment you believe in Jesus, the Holy Spirit dwells within you. He will personally teach you to understand the Bible and see God through life. This is all the work of the law of the Holy Spirit within you, and He tells you, “Do not do this; it is not good for you.” You say, “Okay, I won’t do it.” He will help you, give you strength, and help you overcome the sins in your life, which is something they could not do under the Old Testament law.
In verse 17, because the Holy Spirit lives inside you, God says, “I will no longer remember their sins and lawless acts.” So this verse should be applied to ourselves: After Jesus was crucified, the covenant God made with me is this: He put the Holy Spirit in me, and He says He will no longer remember my sins and lawless acts; all sins have been forgiven. You should place yourself in this verse and meditate on it.
Some may ask, what is the meaning of such meditation? On January 1, you should think that it is a new chapter; all the past is no longer remembered by God, referring to your sins that God no longer remembers. The weaknesses that offended God in the past, God no longer remembers. So what does God remember? After you believe in the Lord, that day is your January.
The day the Israelites left Egypt was their January. You need to think about where your January is. The day you accepted Jesus is the beginning of your new life; that month is your January, and that year is your blessed year. From that year onward, every year is a blessed year. This is a very important truth. From the day you believe in the Lord, that is your January; God remembers that you believe in Him, so He does not record all your sins.
From that moment on, what you do for the Lord, what you offer, He will reward you on earth and give you eternal life in heaven. So from the day you believe in the Lord, God begins to remember your days. Before believing, does He remember? Even if you did many good deeds in the past, God does not remember because your sins have not been resolved. Similarly, even if you did many evil deeds, God does not remember because at that time you were a sinner, and sinning was natural; you did not feel guilty. But from the day you believe in Jesus, the Holy Spirit dwells within you; that is the dividing line in your life. From that day on, everything you do for the Lord, even the smallest things, God remembers. Amen! What does the Bible say? If you give even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones, you will certainly not lose your reward. God remembers these things. Hallelujah!
Do you know how much reward and blessing you will receive in heaven? You are not doing things for yourself on earth; you are doing things for the Lord's sake, forgiving others, loving others, being tolerant… as long as you do it, God remembers it. In the future, every single day, God will not let it go to waste. Of course, if you sin, God will not remember it. Therefore, I hope everyone understands this day. On January 1, I hope you remember this sermon and make a resolution for yourself: this year I will live a life centered around the church, with Jesus Christ as my Lord, the foremost in my life. His matters are the most important matters. I will live centered around Jesus Christ, and rest assured! After that, your other life will be much stronger than you imagine, and the blessings you will receive will be a hundredfold. Amen!
One must remember to live centered around Jesus and centered around the church; your life will be different. The changes and blessings of the Israelites also began at that time. I hope you experience the power of God's word in the new year. Hallelujah!
Everyone, let us pray before the Lord:
Heavenly Father! Thank You and praise You! Through Your words, I know I am favored by You. Jesus Christ shed His blood on the cross for my sins, and I am completely accepted by You. This is a new day; this is the beginning of a new year. I also believe that this year, You will abundantly bless me, and You will record every one of my days. I am willing to live a life centered around Jesus, not for my own glory, but to glorify Jesus Christ.
Please give me wisdom and revelation, so that I can live out the likeness of Jesus Christ in my life, and apply Your words in my life, bringing benefit to myself and those around me. I also pray for our church; we also believe that in the new year, You will greatly bless our church, making our church a bright light in this region, illuminating more people to know You.
Lord, thank You! Bless all Your beloved children; when they call upon You, You will listen, for we are Your beloved. When we pray to You, it is with You as our Lord. Lord, You will accomplish blessings that we have not even imagined, that our eyes have not seen. We receive this blessing, in the name of the Lord Jesus, bless all the brothers and sisters who hear the word. Hallelujah! In the name of the Lord Jesus, we pray. Amen!