From the Beginning of
       the Year until the End of
       the Year

       1981 January Issue

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth . . . God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good…” (Gen 1:1,31).
“You shall therefore keep every commandment which I am commanding you today . . . the eyes of the LORD your God are always on it, from the beginning even to the end of the year” (Deut 11:8-17).

The dark night of the old year has passed and a new morning full of hope has arrived with its glorious sun rising in the east sky. You are truly beautiful! Praises that flow from the heart. Hope that rises with the new morning. The sounds of creation. It is the resonant beginning of the new morning that came through God’s power and might with which He created the universe; no one knows when that was.
What foolishness and childishness it is for man to present before God’s vast providence, his measuring tools made with human wisdom and calculations. Why does God tell us not to forget that a day is like a thousand years and a thousand years like a day (2 Pet 3:8; Heb 1:12)? God’s years in which “a day is like a thousand years!”
It would be foolish for us to calculate the “day” as in “first day” and the “second day” in Genesis 1:3-5 according to the solar calendar since the “day” was made before the creation of the sun, the moon, and the stars. However, the truth is that there was a new morning, a prelude to creation, in this universe.

Although people do not believe in or study the Bible, do not receive the work of the Holy Spirit, deny the recorded years and the miracles and wondrous works performed in the Bible, or criticize the Word of the living God with their shallow knowledge, they will not be able to deny the resounding proclamation, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”

None of the non-Christian scientist?including De Vries with his mutation theory and Darwin with his theory of natural selection?will be  able to solve the mystery of the origin of existence if they deny this proclamation which summarizes the origin of all creation.
Believers, seeds of the Word! There is no result without a cause. There is no end without a beginning. Then, today, as long as our existence is definite, and creation exists before our eyes, we cannot deny that there was a new morning when the creation of all things began (Rom 1:20).

Deuteronomy is the fifth book among the books of the Pentateuch. Moses recorded all the events that had occurred from Mount Horeb until the Israelites arrived in Moab as well as God’s laws and commands and gave teachings of blessings. Among the books of the OT, the book of Deuteronomy is a book overflowing with emotion. It is the book that King Josiah discovered while he was repairing the temple, and he was so moved by the book that he reformed the affairs of the state and revived the religion of the Lord. Prophets such as Amos, Hosea, Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel were also moved by this book. Jesus also chased Satan away using the Word written in Deuteronomy (Matt 4:4; Deut 8:3).



Believers, seeds of the Word! As we look forward to the Canaan in heaven and walk the wilderness of this earth, we can hear God’s sincere voice from today’s message as we send away the old year and bring in the new.
“You shall therefore keep every commandment which I am commanding you today, so that you may prolong your days on the land which the LORD swore to your fathers to give to them and to their descendants, a land flowing with milk and honey” (Deut 11:8-9).
I pray in the name of the Lord that we embrace in our hearts hope in the spiritual Canaan as we greet in the new blessed year.
I pray in the name of the Lord that on this day that we greet in the New Year, the living God watches over us and protects us like the apple of His eye from the beginning of the year until the end, and that we are always full of grace. There is only one way to receive this blessing, and it is through obedience to God’s command, “You shall therefore keep every commandment which I am commanding you today.” There will be blessings if you obey God’s commands and laws, but great punishment if you disobey them. This is a truth that we have experienced through the account of the Israelites as well as in our own lives. Thus, we must obey the Word of God and put on the abundant grace that God gives us from the beginning of the year until the end.

The blessings that God pours down on those who obey are as follows:
First, it is the grace of strength (Deut 11:8). If you receive the grace of strength, then your spirit will become strong and courageous. Obedience to the Word of God is the first step for a believer; it is a duty. Thus, if you live according to God’s Word, then your spirit will become strengthened. Only thanksgiving will flow forth if you realize what great blessings come when you believe and act according to faith. Proverbs 28:1 states, “The wicked flee when no one is pursuing, but the righteous are bold as a lion.” Your heart is strengthened by faith. The author of the Psalms loved the Word of God very much. He joyfully kept the laws of God, obtained wisdom through the Word and courageously praised the Lord.
Believers, seeds of the Word! Let us also live by the Word of the living God. The strength of the inner man comes from arming ourselves with the Word of God. Ephesians 6:10-11 states, “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil.” In addition, Ephesians 6:17 states, “And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” Acts 20:32 states, “And now I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified.” The Word of God is spiritual food and thus it strengthens the spiritual man. Thus, the Word of God can surely build us up.
In the New Year, put on the power of God and receive the grace of strength. In Joshua, it repeatedly states, “Be strong and courageous” because only those who receive the grace of strength can enter the Promised Land. So, let us receive the promise by receiving the grace of strength from the beginning of the year to the end.

Second, it is long-standing grace. The secret to preserving our blessings from God is to wholly trust in Him and obey Him. In order to please God, we must do the things He tells us to do and refrain from doing things He prohibits, but this kind of obedience is only possible through faith. Hebrews 11:6 states, “And without faith it is impossible to please Him,” so obedience through faith is the only way to preserve your blessings. In the New Year, let us become people of faith who live by faith. If we live by faith, then God will look especially after us throughout the year and we will enjoy long-lasting grace. The Israelites suffered unspeakable pains during slavery in Egypt. For example, when the Egyptians farmed, because there is no rainfall in Egypt, the people had to get water from the Nile River. It was the Israelites who were enslaved to transport the water for farming. However, the land of Canaan is a fertile land with rain, so there is no need to transport water. They were able to live by the special grace from God that fell from the sky.
Believers, seeds of the Word! What a difficult and laborious task it is to draw water with manpower! The land of Canaan, however, is a land where grains grow through the rain that falls from heaven. It is a land which God cares for, a land of grace where God’s eyes rest from the beginning to the end, so each day is so full of grace. These days of grace are also not short-lived; God said that our days in the land flowing with milk and honey will be prolonged. A person whose hardened heart has turned away from God’s Will and struggles to live by his own will is living a life of slavery much like the ones the Israelites lived, drawing water from the Nile. A life of faith and obedience to God’s Will is a life that enjoys long-lasting and overflowing blessings. Thus, a life of faith is long lasting and continues on for eternity.



Third, it is grace full of the Holy Spirit. “It shall come about, if you listen obediently to my commandments which I am commanding you today, to love the LORD your God and to serve Him with all your heart and all your soul, that He will give the rain for your land in its season, the early and late rain, that you may gather in your grain and your new wine and your oil (Deut 11:13-14).” We have to listen to God’s Word and love it, and if we serve Him with all of our heart, mind, and soul, then we can live a life of grace and full of the Holy Spirit. Thus, in the New Year, let us live a life of grace full of the Holy Spirit.

The foremost way to receive the blessing of the Holy Spirit is to love God and to serve Him with all our hearts. The Bible tells us that all believers must serve God with all our hearts. Second Chronicles 16:9 states, “For the eyes of the LORD move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His. You have acted foolishly in this. Indeed, from now on you will surely have wars.” Jeremiah 29:13 states, “You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.” It is a blessing to seek God with all your heart. The powers of the Holy Spirit will be given to those who seek with all their hearts. God gives to us proper rains according to the times so that we may bear fruit. The early rain is for sowing seeds and the latter rain is necessary for the harvest. This is proof of His love, which gives to us the rains of grace and Holy Spirit according to the proper times.
May this New Year be the time when we receive God’s love. Those who love with the zeal of God and serve only God will receive the spiritual grace of the Holy Sprit.

Lastly, with us is the God of the Alpha and the Omega, the God of Immanuel. We have Jesus’ command, “teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matt 28:20). We also have today’s message, “the eyes of the LORD your God are always on it, from the beginning even to the end of the year.” So arm yourselves with these and receive the blessing of strength and courage.
Let us obtain true peace from Jesus who said, “These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). Let us receive the courageous faith that He gives us. I pray in the name of the Lord that just as the Lord has overcome the world, may this year be a blessed and victorious year.

Senior Pastor Abraham Park