Happy New Year

Russell Kemp discusses the significance of the Hebrew calendar and the various feast days of God that are observed throughout the year. They emphasize the importance of these days in relation to God's plan for humanity. Russell also touches on the concept of being born again and starting anew. Mr. Kemp suggests that we embrace God's plan and remain unspotted from the world. Good evening, everybody, and certainly welcome. I have a pleasure to have the opportunity to come and talk to all of you. I did give Steve a title, but it's a little bit different, and the title actually came about because I've received a couple emails from some of the brethren wishing me a Happy New Year. So, if you want a title, call it Happy New Year. Now, we all know that the 9th of April was the first day of God's calendar, the calculated Hebrew calendar, and what a stark contrast with what the rest of the world celebrates for New Year's. So, I thought I would take a look at that and go through that a little bit today, because most people in the world do celebrate New Year's, beginning on January the 1st, and most probably spent New Year's Eve partying and celebrating until the wee hours of the morning, and then waking up with a severe headache, many regrets. Now, and most will wake to the same old burdens that they had the day before. Everything is going to be different. Now, I can speak to some of these issues, because I've been there and I've done that, and I've got the t-shirt. Let's be clear about one thing. There is no magic hour at midnight that suddenly ushers in utopia. That just doesn't happen. However, we see the world a lot different. As we begin another year of God's holy day calendar that unfolds God's plan for humanity in clarity and in detail. Now, today, actually today, if it's dark now here, I'm not sure if it is, but we're keeping God's commandment, the fourth commandment, as God instructed Moses in Leviticus 23, and in verses 1 through 3. He said, speak to the children of Israel and say to them, concerning the appointed feasts of the Lord, which you shall proclaim to be holy convocations, even these, my appointed feasts. Notice that again. He uses that term, my appointed feasts. Six days shall work be done, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of rest, a holy convocation. And he said, you shall do no work, it is a Sabbath of the Lord in all your dwellings. And notice the two things we're told here. It is not only to observe the seventh day Sabbath, but we're to work on the other six days. Then we're looking at April 22nd, we will attend the Passover ceremony, once again, taking the body and the blood of Christ in remembrance of Christ's sacrifice and a recommitment. A recommitment. This is what we're getting ready to do of our calling for the year ahead. Anyway, Israel was instructed to keep the Passover in Leviticus 23 and in verse 5. And we're told in 1 Peter 1, I'm not going to go to Leviticus 23 and verse 5 for that, but we're told in 1 Peter 1 and in verses 18 and 19 that Christ became the sacrificial lamb of the Passover. And we'll look at that in a little different, knowing that you were not redeemed by corruptible things, by silver or gold, from your futile way of living inherited by tradition from your forefathers, but by the precious blood of Christ as of a lamb, and this is important, a lamb without blemish and without spot. Christ gave his life so that our death penalty, our death penalty, yours brethren and mine, would be removed and the sins of the world would get forgiven, the entire world. Now following that, and again this is just a brief overview, but following that we observe the seven days of unleavened bread representing our commitment, your commitment and mine to putting sin out of our lives. And once again in Leviticus 23 and in verse 6, Israel was told, and on the fifteenth day of the same month in the feast of unleavened bread to the Lord, you must eat, and notice that word, you must eat unleavened bread seven days. In 1 Corinthians 5 and in verses 7 and 8, we are again told to keep the days of unleavened bread because of Christ's sacrifice. Again, therefore purge out all the old leaven so that you may become a new lump, even as you are unleavened. And why? Why? Because through Christ our Passover was sacrificed for us, and for this reason let us keep the feast not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. Now these are the things that just lead up to what we're heading into this new year. And then on June 16th, we will assemble for the feast of the firstfruits, or Pentecost, and again Israel was instructed to keep the feast of the harvest of the firstfruits of your labor. Again, in Exodus 23 and verse 16, and in the book of Acts and chapter 2, we see that the church was established by giving of God's Holy Spirit to Christians on Pentecost, and we know there's a lot more to Pentecost. I'm not going to go into all the details there, and we're told in James 1 and verse 18 of James 1, according to his own will he begat us by the word of truth that we might be kind of the firstfruits of his created beings. And brethren, that's you and I. We are the firstfruits. Now following that, and again a lot of this is an overview, but following that, and again this is all part of this new year, this whole year that we're going into, we will continue with the fall festivals of which are found in Leviticus 23. First, the feast of trumpets, picturing the return of Jesus Christ as King of King and Lord of Lords. Next, and again this is why this is just a summary of the whole year, next the Day of Atonement, which teaches us that Christ gave his life as an atonement for our sins and giving us access to God the Father through Jesus Christ as our High Priest. Now we find this in Hebrews 4 and beginning in verse 14, Hebrews 4 beginning in verse 14, saying, having therefore a great High Priest who was passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, and we should hold fast the confession of our faith. Verse 15, we do not have a High Priest, and he is our High Priest. We do not have a High Priest who cannot empathize with our weaknesses, but one who was tested in all things according to the likeness of our own temptations, who had to suffer and deal with the same things that we're tempted on, yet he was without sin. Therefore we should come with boldness to the throne of God so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in our times of need. And of course, following atonement is the feast of tabernacles where Christ will return as the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. This is a summary of where we're going this year, to set up his kingdom on earth, assisted by you and I and the resurrected saints. Now at this time, Satan will have been bound for a thousand years, finally, finally allowing peace on earth. Now many scriptures, many scriptures relate to this event, but it does tell us in Revelation 19, Revelation 19 and verse 11. It says, And I saw heaven open, and behold, a white horse, and he who sat on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he does judge, and he makes war. Now drop down to verse 14, down to verse 14, and it says, And the armies in heaven were following him on white horses, and they were clothed in fine linen, white and pure. Again, kind of a summary. The final event on God's great calendar is the last great day, completing God's plan for humanity, where all human beings who have died in the past will be given an opportunity for salvation. Now in Revelation 20, that again is in Revelation 20, and beginning in verse 11, Then I saw a great white throne, and the one who was sitting on it, from whose face the earth and the heavens fled away, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, the small and the great, they were standing before God, and the books were opened, which is the book of life, and the dead were judged out of the things written in the books, according to the works, according to the works. Important thing to take a look at as we go through this here. And the sea gave up the dead that were in it, and the dead and the grave gave up the dead that were in them, and they were judged individually according to the works. Now this, ladies and gentlemen, in a nutshell, is God's plan for humanity, and it's all spelled out for us on a yearly plan. It's a yearly plan. So I ask you, does this not represent a happy New Year? Would you trade it for all the traditions and celebrations that the world does on New Year's Eve on January 1st? Now as we begin the day, let's take a look at what makes this a happy New Year. Now we live in a very difficult world, rapidly changing, and I'm not going to make a test of the situation of the world we look at today and things going on, but we need to take a look at the positive side here. I remember many times when I just wanted to have the world stop and let me get off. Let me get off and have a new start in life, and I'm sure many have dreamed of that same opportunity of starting over again. You know, we've been given that opportunity of a new birth and a new beginning. We've been given that opportunity. Let's turn to John 3. Let's turn to John 3 and beginning in verse 1. John 3, verse 1. Now there was a man of the Pharisees, Nicodemus by name, a ruler of the Jews. He came to Jesus by night, and he said to him, Rabbi, we know that you're a teacher. Who has come from God because no one is able to do the miracles that you do or are doing unless God is with him. Anyway, it's pretty interesting. Jesus answered and he said to him, he said, truly, truly, I say to you, unless anyone is born again, that's an interesting statement when you're talking to somebody, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Now Nicodemus said to him, how can a man who is old be born? Can he enter his mother's womb a second time and be born? And Jesus answered, and he said, truly, truly, I say to you, unless anyone has been born of water and of spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, which all of us are today, and that which is born of the spirit is spirit. Now let me just interject here that to be born of water refers to being born in the flesh, but being born in the spirit refers to the resurrection from the dead to eternal life as a glorified being, not some emotional conversation as so many teach today. Then Jesus continues in verse 7, where he says, do not be amazed that I said to you it is necessary for you to be born again. We must be born again spiritually. Now we know, as Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 15 and verse 50, very familiar Scripture, we know it well, 1 Corinthians 15, verse 50, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God. You and I are flesh and blood. However, if we have repented and we have been baptized and we've received the Spirit of God through the laying on of hands, we have been given the opportunity to be those firstfruits we just talked about as God's children in the kingdom of God. Not in this flesh where we currently abide, it will not happen while we're in the flesh, but in a new glorified spiritual body given by God. And we're told in John 1 and verse 12, but as many as received him, to them he has given authority to become the children of God, even to those who believed in his name, who were not begotten by bloodlines, in other words, a physical body, nor by the will of the flesh, but by the will of man, but by the will of God, by the will of God. Now I ask you, should this not give you cause for a happy New Year? What we've been offered, what the chances that we have, we've been given a new beginning. We've been given a new life. We've been given hope through Christ. Secondly, when I look at this, prior to our conversion, we were slaves to sin as a way of life. Don't kid yourself, we were slaves to sin. We now have the opportunity of walking in a newness of life. We can turn to Romans 6, turn to Romans 6, and we can begin in verse 1, Romans 6, verse 1. What then shall we say? Shall we continue in sin so that grace may abound? Notice Paul almost shouts this when he says, may it never be. We who died to sin, how shall we live any longer therein? Or are you ignorant that we, as many as were baptized into Christ Jesus, were baptized into his death? Therefore, we were buried with him through the baptism, all of us that have been through that baptism, into the death, so that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, is this not good news in the same way we also could walk in newness of life? Then in verse 6 we're told that, knowing this, knowing this, that our old man was co-crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be destroyed, that body of sin, so that we might no longer be enslaved to sin. Is that not good news? Brethren, what a wonderful opportunity we have been given by the Spirit of God to put away that old man and overcome the lusts of the flesh. We're not perfect. We're never going to be perfect in the flesh, but we've been given that opportunity with God's Holy Spirit. And I won't turn there, but we know that the things of the flesh, or in Galatians 5, were clearly, clearly delineates the works of the flesh where we once walked in. And just as a brief summary, such as adultery. We see a lot of this in the world today, by the way, a lot of these things we're talking about, fornication, uncleanliness, licentiousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, strife, jealousies, envy, murder, drunkenness, this is the way of the world. But let's turn to Ephesians 5 and look at how we should be walking, should be walking in the newness of life. In Ephesians 5, and beginning in verse 1, beginning in verse 1, he says, Therefore, be imitators of God as beloved children. Imitate God and walk in love, even as Christ also loved us, and he gave himself for us as an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling savor. I'm going to drop down to verse 8. It says, For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. And then we're told to, do what? Walk as children of light, because the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth, proving what is well-pleasing to the Lord. Then dropping down to verse 14, we're told, You who are sleeping, and this is so important here, you who are sleeping, wake up, wake up and arise from the dead. We were all once dead, and Christ shall shine upon you. So then, take heed that you walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as those who are wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. The days are evil. Brethren, the difference between the way the world walks and our new calling is stark. It is so stark and different. Look at Romans 13. Look at Romans 13, and beginning in verse 11. Verse 11 of Romans 13, it says, Now consider this, knowing the time, knowing the time, that it is already the hour that we should be roused out of our sleep, because our salvation is nearer now than we first believed. And I believe that's very true. Notice that, once again, we're to arise out of this sleep that we're in. That night is almost over, and the day is drawing near. Therefore, let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us walk decently, as in the day, not in reveling and drunkenness, not in sexual promiscuity and sensuality, not in strife and emulation. But let us put on the Lord Jesus Christ and not make any allowance for the flesh to fulfill its lust. Now, see, it's a two-way thing with us here. We've been given a new life. We start a new year every year, but there are requirements. Brethren, as we begin this new year, let us be happy and rejoice, knowing the truth of God, and given the opportunity to start over, to live a new life, to be part of those firstfruits of God's kingdom, and having the joy of being part of God's family. However, God's plan is not complete, and we have not received what God has planned for us in the future. Not yet, not yet. But let's be like Paul. Let's be like Paul, as he tells us in Philippians 3. In Philippians 3, and in verses 13 and 14. Again, Philippians 3, verses 13 and 14. Paul says, Brethren, I do not count myself as having attained. He had not yet attained. But this one thing I do, forgetting the things that are behind, we should all be doing that, forgetting the things that are behind and reaching forth to the things that are ahead. I press toward the goal for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. That's our goal. That's our goal. So, brethren, let us count the blessings we've received from God as we begin this new year. Now, many people use New Year's Eve to make resolutions, to change things in their life. And I'll be honest with you. I've done that in the past, and I can probably guess some of you have done the same thing. I'll just hit a few of them there. I'm going to give up smoking. Well, I was, believe it or not. As a young man, I was a very happy smoker. I gave it up. Now, whether I did it through a resolution or the fact that I knew it wasn't good for me, I'm not sure. Another one, I'm going to lose some weight. Well, I can tell you, when I retired from the military, I did not need to lose any weight. I could probably lose a couple pounds now. Or how about, I'm going to get more exercise. Here's a good one here. I'm going to get out of debt. I kind of laugh at that because my wife and I made a conscious decision back in the early 1990s, I think it was 91 or 92, that we were not going to use debt anymore. And we spent about two years working at it and paid off all our debt, and we've never borrowed money since, a long time ago. So, I could say, I got a resolution, I'm going to be a better husband. My wife might like that. I'm not sure what she would say. Or I'm going to be a better wife. How about if I'm going to watch less TV? Look at all the garbage that's on TV today. Or how about if I want to spend more time with my children? Now, I can't do that much anymore. I don't have children at home. I don't have grandchildren at home. I have great-grandchildren that I go visit. Now, we could go on and on and on. And some people probably do carry out and live through some of those resolutions. But more likely, most stop after trying after a month or two. And I probably did the same with some of these resolutions that I did way back in my past. Now, I don't have a problem with resolutions. You know, a resolution is simply the act of being resolute. Being resolute. And being resolute is having or showing a fixed, firm purpose or determined resolve, unwavering resolve to do something. And we all need to be resolved in our calling this year. We know what our calling is. And we need to set goals. This is one reason why prior to PASO, we examine ourselves to see what we need. What do we need to do? You know, resolutions are just a form of goal-setting. That's how they work. They're just a form of goal-setting. And it's always good to set goals. I am not knocking anybody by setting goals. If we set goals and write them down, we're more likely to achieve them than just saying, I had a habit for many, many years of sitting down at night and writing out what I was going to accomplish tomorrow, what I was going to accomplish next week. I even had a five-year plan. I lived through all that kind of stuff. And hopefully we'll accomplish them. If I don't forget them, that's why I write them down. So I would like to suggest to the people listening tonight, a few resolutions we should consider for our new year. Number one, and I want everyone to understand that Russell Camp is the eye in these resolutions, and I would hope that some of you would look at it as well. I want to ensure that this year, my tithing and my offerings are in keeping with God's will. Now, I bring this up because when I look back, when I look back, I realize I wouldn't be here today in God's Church if it weren't for the tithes and the offerings of others. Someone threw tithes and offerings to the Worldwide Church of God many, many, many years ago, provided me booklets on God's truth. And I'm sure many of you could say the same. And I'm sure many of you could say the same. I had the good news and the plain good news magazines, plain truth magazines. Just recently, my wife found two full boxes full of those things, and she said, Russell, can we finally start getting rid of some of these things? And I took and gave them to somebody I knew in another Church of God, and told them, help yourselves. You want any of that stuff, read them. I also had my old Bible correspondence course completed, done, threw it away. But, you know, the radio broadcast, the TV broadcast, we had ministers to teach us and guide me through the years. We had buildings where we could fellowship with brethren. These things all cost money. Now, let's look at a few biblical examples of resolutions on tithing. Let's turn to Genesis 28, let's turn to Genesis 28 and verse 22. Now, this is the time when Jacob, Jacob was actually fleeing from his brother Esau, who wanted to kill him because he was defrauded out of his blessings. That's in chapter 27, by the way, in chapter 27 and verse 41. However, anyway, in Genesis 28 and verse 22, Genesis 28 and verse 22, Jacob says, "...and this stone which I have set for a pillar shall be God's house, and all that you shall give me I will surely give a tenth to you." Now, Jacob didn't have much to offer at that time, quite frankly, but he made a resolution to tithe all that he was given. All that he was given by God. And we all know that Abraham tithed well prior to Jacob, well prior to Jacob, which we can see in Genesis 14. Genesis 14, you don't need to turn there, and verse 20 where it says, "...and blessed by the Most High God, who has delivered your enemies into your hand, and he gave in tithes of all." The tithing is an important part of what we do. Now, we've all been blessed with the truth of God, there's no doubt about that, and his Word. But he also promises to bless us in abundance if we faithfully tithe. And I think most of us are familiar with this, but God tells us in Malachi 3, in Malachi 3 and in verse 10, he tells us to bring all the tithes into the treasure house, so that there may be food in my house. And prove me now with this, says the Lord of Hosts, to see if I will not surely open the windows of heaven for you, and pour out a blessing for you, until there is not enough room to receive it. Now, I can tell you that there have been times where my wife and I, dealing with stressful situations, and God has blessed us. Do we want others to get the Word of God and come into the Church, whether it's with all the Bibles that Fred's been giving, and so many other things? Do we take God and his Word? Do you count your blessings? Were you born in the United States of America? I've said this over and over and over again, my generation has been blessed tremendously, I think, of any generation in the history of the world. Unfortunately, I see it crumbling right now. But would you want to compare that to being born, say, right now in Haiti? Do you appreciate your home, all the luxuries that you may have? I know some of us, we struggle, some do not. But anyway, all the luxuries that accompany the standard of living that we've had in this country. Now, I pray that we haven't forgotten what God told us to the Laodiceans in Revelation 3. We're all familiar with this in Revelation 3 and in verse 17, where he said to them, For you say, I am rich and have become wealthy. I've been there to a degree. I'm certainly not a Bill Gates or one of those, but I've done fairly well, and have need of nothing. And you do not understand that you are really, you're wretched, and you're miserable, and you're poor, and you're blind, and you're naked. Brethren, we have been given a much greater gift than all the gold and the wealth of the world. God has given us a truth that is so few in the world have, so few people. Furthermore, we know that our tithing is required for God's work to continue. Fred does a wonderful job, by the way. Fred does a wonderful job, by the way. I mean, so many of the documents, the stuff he sends out, again, is such a tremendous blessing to people that get to see it and read it. Paul gives us an example in 1 Corinthians 16, and beginning in verse 1, where he instructs the Corinthians when he says, Now concerning the collection that is being made for the saints, as I directed the churches in Galatia, so you also do. Every first day of the week, each one of us to put aside food at home, storing up whatever he may be prospered in, so that there need not be any collections when I come. I mean, we have a responsibility to help others in the Church, and to be able to spread the Word of God to the rest of the world. We have been blessed with the truth and the knowledge of God because of the tithes of others. No question. Let's not neglect the work of God and faithfully tithe this year, so that others will have the same opportunities that we have been blessed with. We've been truly blessed. Number two, second resolution. And once again, I put Russ Kemp in the I in this statement, and I hope some of you would take the same thing. I will be faithful in reading my Bible, in studying, and in meditating on the Word of God this year. I slip up. There's times I fall aside and I don't know what to do with myself. There's times I fall aside and I wake up and realize, you know, like Paul says, wake up. You need to wake up. Now, King David made his resolution to study and meditate on the Word of God. We find that in Psalm 119. In Psalm 119, in verses 15 and 16, David said, I will meditate upon your precepts and have respect to your ways. I will delight myself in your statues, and I will not forget your word. Brethren, the Bible is God's instruction book for mankind. There's no question of that. It tells us how to live, what our relationship should be with God, what our relationship should be with each other, and it tells us what to do. It tells us what not to do. It reveals God's plan for us, which we basically went through at the beginning of this, for us now and in the future. And Christ tells us in Matthew 4 and in verse, I'm sorry, Matthew 4 and verse 4, that man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God. If we neglect to study and meditate on the Word of God, how can you and I, how can we live by the Word of God? You know, the hard drive, when we look at a computer, is the brain of a computer. It's the brain. It has to have stuff programmed into it, and as it's programmed, and as it's programmed, so it is. Our brain is the hard drive of the human body. What we put into that hard drive is what is bound to come out of it. And it tells us in Proverbs 23, in Proverbs 23 and in verse 7, that for as he thinks in his heart, so he is. Brethren, if we're to become like God and develop the very character, which is our basic prime goal in life, the character of God, we need to be filling our brain with the Word of God. King David says, I will delight myself in thy statutes. Do we, you and I, do we have that attitude? Studying our Bible should not be drudgery, it should be a delight. God loves us so much, he gave us his Word for our benefit, for yours and mine. We need to know his Word when challenged by others. I've been challenged, I'm sure many of you have been challenged. We need to know God's Word. How can we answer others if we don't know the truth? And perhaps we should resolve to read the entire Bible for the year. I do that sometimes, and I'm a little bit behind this year, to be honest with you. If we were to just read four chapters a day, we will get through the entire Bible in a year. If we draw closer to God, we must meditate and study on God's Word, the Bible. It's a must. Resolution number three. Once again, I'll put my name here, I'll use Russell Kemp again. I intend to clean up my life and ensure I stay unspotted from the world. You know, currently, we should be examining ourselves prior to Passover. Currently, we should be examining ourselves prior to Passover. That's one of the things we're told to do every year. But what about the rest of the year? Passover is only the beginning. Do we let our guard down after Passover and stop growing and correcting the sins that we've become aware of? I'm sorry, we're still going to indeed deal with sins from time to time. Do we let our guard down after Passover and stop growing? Do we continue to examine ourselves? You know, and I've said this many, many times, that this is Satan's world we live in. And I certainly believe that as we get closer to the end of this age, Satan will increase the intensity to deceive us and cause us to sin. There is no question in my mind that that's coming. Do we take Satan seriously? Satan seriously? Do we take him seriously? Or is he just some red devil with horns in the tail? You know, Satan would like us to believe that he is just a joke. He doesn't want us to take him seriously. John tells us that if we say that we do not have sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us. That's 1 John 1.8. And we're told in 1 Peter 5, 1 Peter 5 and verse 8, we are told, and he almost shouts this out, he said, to be sober, to be vigilant. There should be an exclamation mark at the end as he expresses a strong emotion. He says, for your adversary, the devil is prowling about as a roaring lion, seeking anyone he may devour. This is not a joke. This is true. This is true. Don't fool yourselves into believing you can be, you can't be pulled into Satan's web of deception. Don't think that you can't be. We need to be sober. We need to be vigilant to ensure that we don't fall into that deception. Do we take these words seriously, Peter's words, or does it just make a nice read? You know, in the book of Daniel, we're told that Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, when he conquered Jerusalem and Jehoiakim, king of Judah, Daniel, along with others, were brought to Babylon as captives. We know these stories. There was a foreign power whose ways were, they were sinful and significantly different than the way of the Jews. different than the way of the Jews. Daniel was selected, among others, to be trained by the king. Daniel was a young man. I don't know exactly, but the assumption is he was maybe about somewhere around 15 years old. And it would have been very easy for Daniel to just go along with the crowd and become part of that society. But Daniel made a resolution to not depart from what God would have him do. And in chapter 1 and verse 8 of Daniel, we're told, Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the king's food, nor with the wine which he drank. And later, we see the same attitude from Daniel when he was ordered not to pray to any other god other than King Darius for 30 days or be thrown into the lion's den. We're all familiar with that. That's found in Daniel 6. And in verse 2, we're told that King Darius placed Daniel in a very high position of authority over the members of the kingdom. Then in verse 5, we find the men that were placed under him making this statement. We shall not find an occasion against this Daniel unless we find it against him concerning the law of his god. So they plotted, and King Darius put out the decree in verse 7 that whoever shall ask a petition of any god or man for 30 days except for you, O king, he shall be thrown in the lion's den. Now, we know the outcome of all this. This would have been similar to Daniel taking captive, for example, in Saudi Arabia or some place today where Christians are not allowed to pray, even privately. What would you do in that situation? But Daniel chose the way of God and not the way of the world. And in verse 10, we find that Daniel, that Daniel, went to his house and went to his house. His windows were wide open in his upper room toward Jerusalem, and he nailed upon his knees three times a day, and he prayed, and he gave thanks to God as he did before. Now, keep in mind, Daniel was a very young man, but he made a resolution to follow God and not man. Let's not forget and let our guard down after Passover and after the Days of Unleavened Bread and conform once again to this world. Let us do, as Peter said, to be sober and vigilant, continuing to examine ourselves throughout the new year, throughout the whole year. Resolution 4, once again, I put Russell Kemp in this statement as well. I intend to stay positive in this negative world. I have a hard time with this. I will be honest with you and tell you right up front, Christ, when talking with the apostles, he told them what they, as well as us today, would be facing. He told them in John 16, John 16, John 16 and verse 33. John 16, verse 33, Christ tells them that these things I have spoken to you so that in me you may find peace. Wonderful. But in the world, you will have tribulation. That's a promise. And no doubt today, today's world as well, we will face tribulation. However, then Christ tells them, but be courageous because I have overcome the world. And I will tell you, brother, I have a bad habit of staying up on current events. Bad habit. I don't think I watch anything on TV anymore except for news. And when I'm driving, what do I listen to? Talk radio. And most of what I hear, I hate to tell you, but most of it you hear is negative. When I watch TV, like I said, most of it's the news. Do we usually get a lot of good news? What I read, what I used to read, even when I was reading a lot out of a newspaper, and I used to read the Wall Street Journal, I can't get it anymore where I live, I used to read the Wall Street Journal, I can't get it anymore where I live, that other current events and magazines along with non-fiction books. That's me, non-fiction, non-fiction, I don't know. My wife reads novels. I hope she gets good enjoyment out of them. But do you realize how negative the news is? What does it usually contain? Violence? War? Wars everywhere. Crime. Abortions. Home breakups. People being hospitalized. Including, by the way, brethren, in our church that we're asked to pray for. We read about deaths. People being in prison. Now, occasionally, we might get some good news, but most is overwhelmingly negative. And when you get a steady diet, when you get a steady diet of this, it's hard, it's very hard to stay positive. Add to that news on the internet, TV, movies, computer games, I've never played any of those. Sure, some of my kids do. And it seems today we always have the radio or TV on. I don't. Very little. I go to my kid's house sometime and the TV's on all the time. Are we on the computer all day? And as a result, are we just saturated with negative information? Anytime an earthquake happens, we have that news immediately anymore. We get violent storms. We get that immediately anymore. If there's a fire somewhere, we get that note immediately. If there's flooding, we're told instantly. In all these events, God did not intend for you and I to be negative. We're to focus on positive. If we turn to Philippians 4, if we turn to Philippians 4, and let me begin in verse 7, and the peace of God, which shall surpass all understanding, all understanding, shall guard your hearts and your thoughts in Christ Jesus. Then Paul goes on to tell us that, finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are honorable, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are a good report, if there be any virtue and if there be any praise, what does he tell us? Think on these things. You know, we at times, as Christians, are negative, and we complain, but this is not what we're to focus on. We need to focus on the love of God, God's love of us. God loves us in spite of the circumstances in the world. God's love is shown in his very creation. We may screw it up, but what a wonderful world that God has created for man, and God's love has revealed it to us in all the pages of his Bible. God clearly demonstrates his love to us with the sacrifice of his Son, Jesus Christ, for our inequities, not his. Not his. And God demonstrates his love to us in answered prayer. And brethren, I can't speak for any of you, all of you, but God has blessed my wife and I with answered prayer, and I could go through some of them with you, and there's no doubt that he's blessed us. Very grateful, very thankful. The downside of today's world is that we have instant communications. Any event that happens in the world is instantly broadcast on the news, and we are bombarded constantly with negative messages, and it begins to affect us both psychologically as well as physically. It'll drive you down. Instead, we need to be focusing on our Bible study and our prayer. Do you ever forget to thank God every day for the blessings he's poured out on this nation and its people, including you and I? I do sometimes. We can complain about all the bad things that happened in our life, or we can count our blessings and be thankful to God. We can recognize the fact that this is not a perfect world we live in. There is no perfect people. We all have flaws. We all have faults. There is no perfect church. There is no perfect pastor or minister. However, there are positive things that we can focus on. Some people are true and honest and just. There are some that have good reputations and are spoken well of by others, and there are some that do praiseworthy things. Look at all that Paul had to go through in life. Let's go ahead and turn to 2 Corinthians 11 and look at the few things that Paul had to face in life. Let's begin in verse 24. This is amazing. When you read this and you think about Paul, verse 24, 2 Corinthians 11, verse 24, he says, Five times from the Jews I received forty stripes, less one. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked, a night and a day. I spent in the deep. I have been in journeying often in perils of rivers, in perils of robbers, in perils from my own race, in perils from the Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in the desert, in perils of the sea, in perils among false brethren. And he goes on about being cold, naked, as well as other things. That's quite a life. That's quite a life. Yet he stayed positive. He still could see the good in people, and he longed for the salvation, and he counted all the negative things not worth the joy of Christ. In Philippians 1.3, Philippians 1.3, Paul makes this statement, Philippians 1.3, I thank my God, I thank my God on every remembrance of you. Always remember me. On every remembrance of you. Always making supplication with joy in my every prayer for all of you, for you all. What a wonderful positive attitude Paul maintained in a negative world. Perhaps a great way to begin developing positive attitudes would be to make a list of all the blessings and give thanks to God for them. And our faith in Christ alone should help us sustain a positive attitude in this negative world. I'm going to try and wrap this up if I can here. Resolution number five, I, Russell Camp, will increase my effort to serving God, my family, the church, and my brethren whenever possible. There's times I think, I'm getting old, maybe I don't want to do this. Christ came to serve and we should be serving. We need to be involved in the church. You know, we should volunteer in any capacity we can. I think about this when I was doing the feast over and over again in Destin, Florida. You know, somebody needs to set up chairs, volunteer to do it. Offer to give opening and closing prayer. I used to have a struggle sometimes to get people to give opening and closing prayer. I definitely had a terrible time trying to get somebody to help me with the sound system and the video. And of course, we know the Bible tells us that we are to visit the widows and those that, for a reason of health or other problems, cannot attend the regular Sabbath services. We're told in James 1 and verse 27, James 1, verse 27, that pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this, to visit orphans and widows in their afflictions and to keep oneself unspotted from the world. A lot of you people, and it's a good thing to do. You send your cards and things to those that are in the need. And if you have a talent and you can provide special music at the feast, it's great. And I don't know if you know somebody that doesn't have a ride, don't know how to get, can't get to a church somewhere. Do you express appreciation for what your loved ones do for you? Do you hug your children? And do you tell them that you love them? I had a little difficulty with this, and I'm sorry, I hope I don't go over too much here. But when I was a young man, my dad was not a hugger. My dad was not a hugger. He was a wonderful father. I'm telling you right now, I wouldn't trade him for anything. And God, I wish he was still around. But I will tell you, that generation of men were not huggers. My kids have forced me to learn to be a hugger. So now I'm a hugger. If you have parents alive, do you call them? I miss my parents. I wish I could. Nevertheless, I can tell you that I get upset when I haven't heard from my children for a while. Stop griping and give compliments to your family. Are you having family Bible study, Bible prayer? I hope so. Now, Paul gives us a pretty good example of what our attitude toward one another should be after baptism in Colossians 3, beginning in verse 12. Beginning in verse 12 of Colossians 3. He tells us, put on then as the elect of God, holy and beloved, deep inner affections, kindness, humility, meekness, and longsuffering. He then goes on to tell us in verse 13, he says, forbearing one another and forgiving one another. If anyone has a complaint against another, even as Christ forgave you, so also you forgive. And we've certainly been taught to pray like Christ in what is commonly called the Lord's prayer to ask for forgiveness. But we are also to forgive others. And above all things, put on love, which is the bond of perfection. Christ says, all the law, all the law hang on two commandments, to love God with all your hearts, all your mind, all your soul, all your being, and to love one another. How important is it to put on love? And let the peace of God rule in your hearts to which you were called into one body and be thankful. And then we're told how to portray this love in verse 16, when it says, let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and monitoring one another in psalms and in hymns and in spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. Then Paul gets really clear on what our relationship should be to our family in verse 17, when he says, and in everything, not just part time, not just sometimes, not just when we feel like it, but whatever you do in word or in deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him. And then he tells the wives, he says, wife, submit yourselves to your husbands as it is fitting in the Lord. And you notice he didn't say to submit to someone else's husband, like so many believe today. Then he goes on to the husbands in verse 19, and that's an admonition to us when he says, husbands, love your wives and do not be bitter against them. And children are not left out of this either. In verse 20, when he says, children, obey your parents in all things, for this is well pleasing to the Lord. And fathers, you're next. You fathers are next. Fathers, do not provoke your children, lest they be discouraged. And lastly, servants, and that actually could be our attitude toward whoever we work for, servants, obey your fleshly masters in all things, not with eye service or pleasing them, but with singleness of heart, fearing God. And here's the bottom line. Here's the bottom line. And whatever, whatever you do, do heartily as to the Lord and not to them. What an inspiration, what an attitude. If this is not what we are doing, we need to pray for guidance in these matters and be resolute, be resolute, like I said, in changing. There are so many resolutions that we could and should make, but the bottom line boils down to continuing, examining ourselves continuously throughout this year, not just a one-shot at Passover. When I started today, I wished you a happy New Year. I gave you a few reasons why this should be a happy New Year. God has indeed blessed us with the knowledge of his kingdom and the opportunity he has given us to be a member of his family as the first fruits of his kingdom. What a blessing. God has put our past behind us and given us a new start. Again, to be forgiven, what a blessing. He gives us his Holy Spirit every year as a reminder of his plan for humanity. God offers us more love and joy than we could ever imagine. But we do have our part in God's plan, and it should require us to set goals, resolutions, if you would. Call them what you want, but goals are only a useful way if we put them to practice in our life. Faithing appropriately, studying the word of God, meditating throughout the year, examining oneself and purging our sins, managing a positive attitude as well as serving God and others is only a small part of doing God's will. But if we set goals and are resolute in following through with those goals, perhaps we might just be a little better Christian this year. The only thing I can say to all those brethren is, s'il-ah, s'il-ah, think on these things. Have a great week. Thank you.