Hindsight

This Sunday is like of an odd Sunday. We finished our series last week on Mary Christmas. Look at the Christmas story though Mary eyes.

Next Sunday Is the first Sunday of the New Year. So we will be looking at how to start off the New Year right with God.

What about this week? I guess you could say it a filler Sunday. I know some area church did not have church this morning because of yesterday being Christmas and all.

I thought for a moment about doing that same thing. Saying lets just not have service this morning. Lets spend this time focusing on family but has I was praying and think through this. I felt that we should go head with service this morning.

This morning we will be look back year to see what God can do in over the next year.

If you have your bible go head and turn to Deuteronomy 11:1–7, 18–20; and keep a finger on 1 Samuel 7:12. If you do not have your bible this morning the verse will be on the screen in a few moments. I will be reading this morning out of the ESV. These passage this morning are a little easier to understand with the ESV instead of CSB.

Before we look at today passage and why it’s good for us to look back on this year. I have a question for you. So think for a moment.

If you could give this year a review what would it be?

10 out of 10 or 1 out of 10

Would you give it a Five stars or a 1 star?

Was it a good year for you or a bad year.

We can all say that this year has had it up and downs. Some great thing happened this year. Some funny thing too. Then theres the not so good thing. The ugly stuff that happened this year.

If you Google year in review you can find a link by Google that goes over the whole year in review. If you really want to go down a rabbit hole dive into that and see all that happened this year and what you missed.

I watch a video this week that summed up this year. There are a lot of people that have been dealing with anxiety and depression this year. Worry about what is to come. When will covid need. There is some we can learn from this year even has a church family.

We have had our far share of up and downs this year. Let take a look at what the bible says about remembering that we have been thourgh.

Deuteronomy 11:1–7 ESV

1 “You shall therefore love the Lord your God and keep his charge, his statutes, his rules, and his commandments always. 2 And consider today (since I am not speaking to your children who have not known or seen it), consider the discipline of the Lord your God, his greatness, his mighty hand and his outstretched arm, 3 his signs and his deeds that he did in Egypt to Pharaoh the king of Egypt and to all his land, 4 and what he did to the army of Egypt, to their horses and to their chariots, how he made the water of the Red Sea flow over them as they pursued after you, and how the Lord has destroyed them to this day, 5 and what he did to you in the wilderness, until you came to this place, 6 and what he did to Dathan and Abiram the sons of Eliab, son of Reuben, how the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up, with their households, their tents, and every living thing that followed them, in the midst of all Israel. 7 For your eyes have seen all the great work of the Lord that he did.

Deuteronomy 11:2 ESV

2 And consider today (since I am not speaking to your children who have not known or seen it), consider the discipline of the Lord your God, his greatness, his mighty hand and his outstretched arm,

Consider translates to Yada

In Deuteronomy, yada‘ (translated here as “consider,” v. 2) is used forty-three times, often as a command for God’s people to reflect upon, teach, remember, and know what God has done.

God’s instructions demonstrate that this is a command to be taken seriously: they are to place this knowledge not only in their heart and soul but on their hands, in front of their eyes, on their gates and doorposts. They are to teach their children by talking of these things when they sit at home, when they get up, and when they walk. In other words, God wants us to consider the things he has done—and what he has taught us—all the time!

1 Samuel 7:12 ESV

12 Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen and called its name Ebenezer; for he said, “Till now the Lord has helped us.”

Samuel set up an alter

In 1 Samuel, we see the prophet Samuel taking this commandment seriously. When God heard the people’s cries for deliverance, Samuel erects a stone of remembrance, saying, “Till now has the LORD has helped us.” Building an altar was a symbol of worship that also acted as a powerful symbol and reminder of God had commanded, how the people had responded, and how God blessed or discipled them as a result. In either case, the memory was instructive, not only to that community but also to the generations to come.

Some versions of the beloved hymn “Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing” include this in the second verse: “Here I raise mine Ebenezer; hither by thy help I’m come; and I hope, by thy good pleasure, safely to arrive at home.” These lines express so well the purpose of tangible signs remembering God’s work in our lives and communities: in looking behind at what God has done, we find the courage to hope for his ongoing faithfulness in the future.

God is tell us to show what he has done for us.

So I have a question for you.

Has a church family.

How can we make a visible, audible telling of God’s work in our community?

This year we haven’t been able to do much with only being online. We haven’t had any baptisms, graduations, service projects, weddings, and other celebrations that we can look back onto.

What can we use to show our community that God is still moving? What can you do to show that God is still alive and he is not dead?

We do not have to do all the thing I listed above to show that God is moving. God is and will always be on the move.

Open Door 2021

This year we have cried with one other, loved on one other, fellowship online together. We have had a year of spiritual growth. I have seen this little church grow with love for each other. 2021 did not go has I had planned it. Has most of you know I want to have a relauch service something this fall. We started that prossess only to be pushed back to online. This was not my plan but God is in full control. God knows exactly what we need when we need it.

2022 is going to be a great year for Open Door. God has big plans for us. Has we start off the new year let us not forget what God has done for us this year.

1 Samuel 7:12 ESV

12 Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen and called its name Ebenezer; for he said, “Till now the Lord has helped us.”

“Till now the Lord has helped us.”

Lets remember what God has done for us this year. My hope is to get this part of the verse put on a sign. So we can have it up all the time.

there is a point to all this remembering the past year

Deuteronomy 11:18–20 CSB

18 “Imprint these words of mine on your hearts and minds, bind them as a sign on your hands, and let them be a symbol on your foreheads. 19 Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit in your house and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. 20 Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your city gates,

We must imprint God word on our hearts

We must teach our children

We must actively remember the goodness of God

God has given his people the joyful task of actively remembering what he has done for and through us—a chance to celebrate, give thanks, and teach our children.

Application Point: We have been changed in the past year by God’s grace, in both challenging and joyful ways; remembering these things will empower us to move into the future.