THE YEAR 2021:

It’s Finally Here

Victor M. Eskew

 

INTRODUCTION

 

A.     2020 is gone.  Yeah!!!

 

B.      2021 is here.  Yeah!!!

 

C.     What is really different right now?

1.       Things that are the same.

a.       We are the same people.

b.      We are still living in the crisis of the corona pandemic.

c.       We are still dealing with the Presidential election.

d.      The church continues to face the same challenges that we did last year.

2.       What is different is our hope.

a.       Hope is defined as desire plus expectation.

b.      In essence, all of us desire and expect things to be better in 2021 than in 2020.

 

D.     The question, however, is:  “Will it be better?”

1.       Will the vaccines work?

2.       Will the new President be better than the last?

3.       Will business open back up?

4.       Will churches start meeting and doing the Lord’s work again like they used to?

5.       NOTE:  The answers to these questions are unknown.  Maybe.  Maybe not.

 

E.      The fact is:  “The New Year is finally here.”  Are there things that you and I can do to make 2021 a very good year?  Absolutely.  Let’s look at some of those things.

 

I.                    WE MUST TRUST GOD COMPLETELY

 

A.     Most people trust themselves, but they do not put much trust in others.

1.       We have seen hypocrisy.

2.       We have experienced lies and deceit.

3.       We have been hurt.

 

B.      Sometimes this carries over into our spiritual lives. 

1.       We say we trust God.

2.       We trust God to a point.

3.       But, we do not trust God enough to put all things into His hands.

4.       NOTE:  Real trust is seen when we have to let go of everything thing (Ex., being belayed down a 100’ cliff).

 

C.     The Bible exhorts us to trust God completely.

1.       Proverbs 3:5a

 

Trust in the Lord with all thine heart…

 

2.       Jeremiah 17:7

 

Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is.

D.     When I think of man who trusted in God, it was Job.

1.       His life took a turn for the worse that does not compare to the things we have experienced in 2020:  finances were stripped from him, ten children taken from him, he was inflicted with boils all over his body, and his wife ceased to be an encourager to him.

2.       Job 13:15-16a

 

Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him:  but I will maintain mine own ways before him.  He also shall be my salvation…

 

E.      How do we develop complete faith in God?

1.       We must drink deeply from His Word (Rom. 10:17).

2.       We must patiently endure while we obey His Word (James 5:11).

3.       We must never worry, but cast all our care upon Him (Phil. 4:6; I Pet. 5:7).

4.       We must keep in mind others who have trusted in God:  Noah, Abraham, Esther, Shadrach, Meshech, and Abednego, Daniel, the apostles, and Jesus Himself.

 

II.                 WE MUST BE DILIGENT IN ALL WE DO

 

A.     The word “diligent” is used 15 times in 14 verses in the KJV.

The word “diligence” is found 10 times in 10 verses in the KJV.

 

B.      The two words come from the same Greek root word, “speudo.”

1.       The word means “speed.”

2.       It involves making haste, putting forth effort, and laboring to get things done.

a.       Women laboring to get a meal prepared for someone who lost a loved one.

b.      Preparing facts and figures for a budget meeting that your boss told you about today and that will be in the morning.

c.       In the movie, “Hidden Figure,” John Glenn wanted calculations regarding the re-entry point done by a woman named Katherine (Goble) Johnson, one of the “computers” at NASA.  John Glenn was about to board the Mercury rocket when she was given the assignment.  She did the calculations by hand, got them to Glenn, and the rocket took off.

d.      At 2:30 p.m., I was asked to speak on the man named Matthew.  The sermon was to be delivered at 7:00 p.m. that night.

 

C.     Several passages address the idea of diligence.

1.       Hebrews 6:10-12

 

For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have shewed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister.  And we desire that every one of you do shew the same diligence to the full assurance of hope unto the end:  that ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises.

 

a.       Do shew the same diligence

b.      That ye be not slothful

2.       Peter’s second epistle has several admonitions to be diligence.

a.       II Peter 1:5

 

And besides this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge…

 

 

b.      II Peter 1:10

 

Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure:  for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall.

 

c.       II Peter 3:14

 

Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless.

 

3.       My favorite on diligence is found in the Old Testament book of Proverbs, chapter 22, verse 29.

 

Seest thou a man diligent in his business?  He shall stand before kings; he shall not stand before mean men.

 

D.     There are many areas in which we all can be diligent:

1.       In our study of God’s Word

2.       In our worship

3.       In our giving

4.       In our evangelism

5.       In our practice of good works

6.       In our love one for another

7.       In our fight against temptation and sin

 

III.              WE MUST DEVELOP COURAGE/BOLDNESS

 

A.     Fear is one of the biggest hindrances to the Lord’s work.

1.       We fear doing evangelism:  knocking doors, handing a tract to a friend, inviting someone to worship services.

2.       We fear to expand ourselves in new growth areas of the Lord’s work:  teaching a class, leading a prayer, becoming a leader of the church.

3.       We fear trying to restore the erring.

4.       We fear combatting false teaching.

5.       We fear making friends with our brothers and sisters in Christ.

 

B.      When the children of Israel reached the Jordan River after 40 years of wandering in the wilderness, they had a huge challenge to face.  They had to conquer the land of Canaan. 

1.       In the past, they feared to go into the land (Num. 13:31-14:3).  This is why they wandered all those years.

2.       Now, it was time to go into the land, fight the enemy, and conquer the land.  They still had to face their fears.

3.       In the book of Deuteronomy, Moses addresses the children of Israel three times before they enter the Promised Land.  Often, he tells them not to fear (Deut. 3:22; 20:3; 31:6; 31:8).

 

Ye shall not fear them:  for the Lord your God he shall fight for you.

 

C.     We are still in a battle today.

1.       Our battle is not physical; it is spiritual (II Cor. 10:3-4).

2.       Even though there will be no bloodshed, we are still fearful at times.

3.       We, too, have to be admonished not to fear and to have great courage.

a.       Matthew 10:28a

 

And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul:  but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

 

b.      Proverbs 28:1

 

The wicked flee when no man pursueth:  but the righteous are bold as a lion.

 

c.       Psalm 27:1

 

The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?  the Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?

 

CONCLUSION

 

A.     2021 is upon us.

 

B.      Normally, on the first Sunday, we have our “Kick-off Sunday” lessons.  These have been postponed until we are back on our normal worship and Bible study schedule.

 

C.     Do we have plans and goals for this year?  Yes.  But, regardless of our plans and goals, we need the three things mentioned in this lesson to really make us successful.

1.       Complete trust in God

2.       Diligence in all we do

3.       Courage and boldness in the face of fear

 

D.     Remember:  Right now we view 2021 with hope.  If we will practice the things mentioned in this lesson, they will assist us in seeing our hopes turn into realities.