2015 NEW YEAR’S MESSAGE: TEACH US TO NUMBER OUR DAYS

I. INTRO Read Ps 90:4, 12.

II. A BRIEF THOUSAND YEARS Read Ps 90:4.

III. THE NUMBERING OF OUR DAYS Read Ps 90:12a.

IV. A HEART OF WISDOM Read Ps 90:12b. William Brown Keer: “In both the

Scriptures of the Old and New Testament, the term ‘heart’ is applied alike to the mind that thinks, to the spirit that feels, and the will that acts. And it here stands for the whole mental and moral nature of man, and implies that the whole soul and spirit, with all their might, are to be applied in the service of wisdom.”

As a person reflects on how brief time actually is, he begins to give wholehearted and serious attention to things eternal.

~ C.H. Spurgeon: “[Men] become humble as they look into the

grave which is so soon to be their bed.”

~ A man that realizes that his heart would soon stop beating would

seek to live his life a little bit more wisely.

That’s why as we step into this New Year, it is the time to re-apply our hearts to wisdom with regard to the numbering of our days.

~ But you see, we can never do that until we number our day as

the last day.

~ How would you spend today if it were your last?

But to be able to see things through the eyes of wisdom can be the case only when Christ is our teacher.

~ He alone can teach to real and lasting profit.

Now, the way to get wisdom is to apply your heart to it, as if that were your calling in life.

~ From the day that a man begins to apply his heart to wisdom he learns more in a month than he

did in the year before.

Where do we get wisdom?

~ From God’s word and from our experiences and the experiences

of others. So to apply knowledge and wisdom that

would do us good, we need to apply this not to our ears, nor to our tongues, BUT TO OUR HEARTS.

~ And the heart will apply it to the ear and to the tongue (Matt 12:34b).

Notice the implication in Moses’ words here: WE WILL NOT APPLY OUR HEARTS TO WISDOM UNTIL WE ARE BROUGHT TO THE NUMBERING OF OUR DAYS.

~ And how are we brought to the numbering of our days?

~ The most surprising thing in the text is that Moses does this not just

by way of meditating and reflection but through prayer.

~ How necessary it is for us that God should interfere to make us number our days!

~ EACH DAY, EACH YEAR THAT PASSES BRINGS US CLOSER

TO ETERNITY.

 

V. CONCLUSION So there are 5 things we can note in

this passage.

1) That death is the destination of every man.

2) That man’s time is set, and that he cannot go beyond the bounds appointed to him.

~ Acts 17:26

3) That our days are few.

4) That we are apt to forget or take for granted death more than anything else.

That to remember how short a time we have to live will make us apply our hearts to that which is good, to that which is God’s.

~ Are we going to allow another year slip pass us again, wasted and

not lived to the full for God? What are we giving our lives to? To what are our passions most directed? May we all live the 365 days of 2015 in

the way that God has numbered each of it.