FBC Morning Light – December 31, 2022

Good Saturday morning, people of faith. For the second Saturday in a row, we have a special Saturday.

Last week was Christmas Eve. This week is New Year's Eve. And it's also the last day of our two -year

Bible reading plan, and it's just an exciting time for me to be able to be here with you.

So thank you for watching today. So as would be appropriate, we'll be finishing our

Bible reading plan in the book of Revelation chapters 21 and 22. And there's something

I want you to see and notice about chapter 21 and 22, and we're going to notice it by looking back at some other passages.

And as we look back at these things, what I'm hoping we will be able to do is look forward to what

God is going to do in this coming year. So back in Daniel chapter 2, we have

Nebuchadnezzar's dream. And Nebuchadnezzar's dream has an interesting thing that happens at the end of it.

And in verse 45, it says, "...inasmuch as you saw that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it broke in pieces, the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold, the great

God has made known to the king what will come to pass after this.

The dream is certain, and its interpretation is sure." And so that the gold and the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold, those were representations of the different kingdoms that were all going to be destroyed by the stone cut out from the mountain without hands.

Notice that without hands, and if it's without hands, who is it that's doing this, that's cutting this stone out of the mountain?

And that's what I want you to see here. And hopefully in that question, you see the answer to that question is obvious, that it is

God. Well, in the New Testament, in Colossians chapter 2, in verse 11, we see something else that's done without hands.

It says, "...in Him you were also circumcised with the circumcision made without hands by putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ."

And in the Old Testament, circumcision was a ceremonial ordinance for the men to be part of the

Jewish kingdom. And now, in Christ, as a believer, you have a circumcision of the heart done again without hands.

Well, if it's done without hands, who is it that is actually doing the circumcision?

It is God. Now let's look at Hebrews chapter 11, and starting in verse 8 and going through verse 10.

This is going to be about Abraham. It says, "...by faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance.

And he went out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he dwelt in the land of promise as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise.

For he waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is

God." Now it doesn't use the phrase made without hands here, but the idea is who is the builder and maker?

It is God. And God doesn't have hands like you or I that He would need to make them with His own hands.

He can speak things into existence as He did in the six days of creation.

So how does that relate to our passage in Revelation? Well let me read to you the first few verses of chapter 21.

"...now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away.

Also there was no more sea. Then I, John, saw the holy city,

New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be

His people. God Himself will be with them and be their

God." We see here a city made without hands whose builder and maker is

God. This is what Abraham was looking forward to in Hebrews. And this is what we can look forward to in the new year.

I am not saying that the Lord is going to return this year. I know enough to not try and name a date.

But what I'm saying is this, as you think about the things that you want to do in the new year, the things you want to do with your hands, and this church is blessed with many people who are very good with their hands.

And I'm thankful for each and every one of them. But what we need to be looking for in this new year is what

God is going to do. Look for what He's wanting to do in you, as well as what

He's doing through you, all right? Let's look forward to those things that are done without our hands, that are done by the

Lord Himself in converting the soul, in building His church, in edifying the body of believers.

Let's pray. Heavenly Father, we come to You on the basis of what

Your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, has done for us. We have no one else to whom we can turn.

You are the only one. You are the builder and maker of so many mighty and glorious things that are done without hands, and they are done in the power of Your name.

Help us to walk accordingly to what You have done in our lives, that our lives might reflect

You in this upcoming new year. It's in Your Son's name, Jesus, we pray, amen.