Today the Holy Spirit will be leading us into: The God of the Year - The LORD of Times and Seasons. Who is God? He is the God of the year, and He is the LORD of times and seasons. We will start by looking at Genesis 1 verse 3-5. I believe it’s more of a teaching this morning, so we will open a lot of Scriptures, please let’s be prepared and go along.

 

“Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. ⁴ And God saw the light, that it was good; and God divided the light from the darkness. ⁵ God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night So the evening and the morning were the first day.”

 

This is the first mention of morning and evening, day and night in the entire Bible. And it started with God. God said “let there be light and there was light and He commanded the light to be called day.” God called the light day and the darkness He called night.” We are looking at the God of the year, the LORD of times and seasons. So, time started with God, God commanded it so and it was so. Let there be light and there was light. God commanded the times and it started existing. Day and night was not a product of man. It was a product of God. Day and night, evening and morning, is not orchestrated by scientist or man, it is made by God. So, God is the LORD of the times. He made times, morning and evening. Let us see Genesis chapter 1 again verse 16 to verse 18.

 

"Then God made…" making it clearer now, God said let there be light, verse 16; “Then God made two great lights: the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night. So, God made the times and God gave rulership over the times to His creations. Please follow the Holy Spirit this morning because this is so important and crucial for us as sons of God. Remember the LORD declared this year to us as the year of the manifestation, the year of the revealing, the year of the unveiling of sons. Sons are manifested in times and seasons and the LORD God is the Lord of the times and seasons. And it said He made the lesser light to rule the night. He made the stars also. Verse 17, I want you to see it. God set them, the greater light and the lesser light in the firmaments of the heavens to give light to the earth. So, if ever you have been confused that; is the sun in the heavens or on the earth? This Scripture made it clear. God set them in the firmaments of the heavens to give light to the earth. Now it didn't stop there, verse 18: “and to rule over the day and over the night”

 

God set them in the firmaments of the heavens to give light and to rule. Over the day and over the night and to divide the light from the darkness and God saw that it was good. “So the evening and the morning were the fourth day” Until God created the times, day and night, evening and morning, there was nothing like it. What divides the day from the night God created it. The sun and the moon ruling and giving light to the earth. They rule the times; so you keep sleeping until the sun comes out. Why the sun rules the day, God sets it. You don't feel like sleeping until there is a division between day and night. So they rule as God said it. So, God is the LORD of the times, He created the times. You may want to ask, what about the seasons?

 

I want us to see a Scripture on Psalm 104:19. "He…" talking about God, “appointed the moon for seasons - God appointed the moon for seasons, the sun knows it's going down, verse 20. “You make darkness, and it is night, God makes the darkness and it is night in which all the beasts of the forest creep about.” He is the LORD of the times and seasons. David had this revelation he said; He appointed the moon for seasons. Let us see Genesis 8:22, God is the LORD of the times and seasons and this understanding is crucial for our manifestation as sons. Genesis 8:22. Permit me to read from verse 20;

 

“Then Noah built an altar to the Lord, and took of every clean animal and of every clean bird, and offered burnt offerings on the altar. ²¹ And the Lord smelled a soothing aroma. Then the Lord said in His heart, “I will never again curse the ground for man’s sake, although the imagination^[a] of man’s heart is evil from his youth; nor will I again destroy every living thing as I have done. While the earth remains, as long as the earth last, as long as the earth exist, seed time and harvest, cold and heat, winter and summer and day and night shall not cease."

 

God commanded it so. So, He is the LORD of times and seasons. "While the earth remains…" He created them. David had that revelation, he said “He appointed the moon for seasons.” In the olden days, when people were not exposed to the clock, the calendar, they knew the time by the sun and the moon. I remember my husband used to talk about his grandmother, that she was not educated, in fact she didn’t have a clock, but she knows that when the shadow of the roof of her house moves to a certain degree, she knows the time - that it is 1:00pm. God has set the sun and the moon, the sun ruling the day. So in the setting of the sun in place you can determine the time in the flesh. I know some regions that do full moon festival. They believe that when the moon is full, it may be the end of a season or the beginning of season or the completion of the month.

 

So, God appointed it to mark seasons. So, before we came out with our calendar, our clock, God has set what will mark the difference between day and night, what will mark the difference between seasons. “While the earth remains”, that is what God said. Seed time and harvest is a season. There is a seed time season, there is harvest season. There is cold season, there is heat season. There is winter season, there is summer season. There is day and night time. So, God said as long as the earth remains there will be seasons, there will be times because I made them. They will not cease; they will keep happening. It will keep happening, it will keep reoccurring.

 

Why is this important for us as sons? If God made the times and the seasons, He is the LORD of it. Who told you that there is not something about this year? I want to see Ecclesiastes 3:1, this is so important for us, at a point Jesus was speaking to some people and He said If you people in the flesh can be marking time and signs, how comes you don't know the season you are in? How come you don't know the season that is upon you? That the kingdom of God is upon you, this is the season. Ecclesiastes 3:1. "To everything there is a season” Who is the LORD of the season? God! When you see the word ‘every’, it means nothing is excluded. To everything - everything you can see both seen and unseen, there is a season and a time for every purpose under heaven.

 

So, why do you think this year is one of those years? Why do you think that where you are now and this season that God has brought you into is just one of those times? The Bible says; to everything there is a season. This understanding is what will differentiate you in this year, the understanding of God as the LORD of the times and the seasons. To everything, there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven. There is an allotment of time for every purpose under heaven. So there are certain things you must be doing, because you understand the season you are in. In Genesis 8:22 God said “while the earth remains, “seed time…”

 

So, you want to ask yourself; is it my seed time or my harvest? Is it my cold or my heat? Is it my summer or my winter, is it my day or my night? Because every of these times and seasons there are things to do. And God is the LORD of the times and seasons. You must recognize the season you are in and the time. Failure to do so is failure to manifest. Failure to do so is failure to be unveiled and to be revealed. There is something to do. Because God commanded it so, and the times and the seasons came into being. Before we go into how to respond to the LORD of times and seasons, let us see this Scripture. Psalm 74:16.

 

"The day is yours. The “yours” is not David's, if you see the "Y" it’s in capital letter. The night also is yours, that's why we call Him the LORD of the times and seasons. It is His. When you see the word LORD in the Scriptures, it is talking about the ownership right and control of God. God owns it and He controls it. So, the day is the LORD'S, He has the ownership right and control of the day. And the night also is yours, you have prepared the light and the sun. verse 17, you have set all the borders of the earth, you have made summer and winter.” Who made summer and winter? God, the LORD. Summer and winter, seasons; are His, it's not man's. Why do rain makers call or stop rain during raining season and not in the dry season? Because they don't own it. The rain comes at the appointed time. Because the one that owns it controls it.

 

When Joshua was fighting a battle and it was going to be night, who did he call to? He called to the LORD the owner of the time. He said “God if the night should come, we will lose this battle”, in fact he gave God the location of where the sun should be. And the Bible says God made the sun to stay, to tell you that He owns it and He controls it. And that tells us something very strong. It is only in the purpose of God that the elements of the earth, the elements that God has set respond. And until we understand this as sons, we will be striving and competing for things that God has in His control. God is saying “I'm the Lord of it. Command Me concerning the works of My hands”, that is what God is saying.

 

“The day is Yours, the night also is Yours; You have prepared the light and the sun. ¹⁷ You have set all the borders of the earth. You have made summer and winter” I pray the Holy Spirit Will help us with these words because we need to understand this. Because this is the heart of God for us this season. As sons, understand that He is the LORD of the times and seasons. Psalm 136:7-9, the Bible says: “To Him who made great lights…”, this Scripture is confirming Genesis. “To Him who made great lights, for His mercy endures forever—⁸ The sun to rule by day, for His mercy endures forever;⁹ The moon and stars to rule by night, for His mercy endures forever.”

 

He made them, they rule at His command. So, that's why when the angels see the kind of things that God has set in place, and they now see that God is still mindful of you, they are amazed at the ignorance of men. That if only you know who you are. If you know why God has set you on the earth, you will not be without dominion. See the dominion of the sun, does the sun come out and shines apologetically? Does the moon come to shine apologetically? No! They come out as commanded by the Lord. So, if the LORD is your God, your Creator, the one that made you, then you must come out to the place the LORD has set you and shine as the light the LORD has made you and shine unapologetically. He made you and He set you. The Bible says “and God made the man He had formed and put him in the garden He has made to tend and to keep it and God blessed them and said to them; be fruitful and multiply, have dominion. Subdue, replenish the earth.”

 

God set you in place, made you, He is the LORD of the times and seasons, If He said to the sun “rule the day” and the sun is ruling the day, He said to the moon “rule the night” and the moon is ruling the night, what happened to you? What are you doing with what God said? It looks as if God did not give all His creatures a free will except man, and the same man that has free will of choice is the one that has problem. Let's look at it, when the wind blows the trees of the field have no choice they praise the Lord. When it is day, the sun comes out in its strength praising the LORD, when it is night the moon comes out praising the LORD, then what are you doing? If these elements, these creatures of God that God has set are doing what God commands, so will you. Because that's how truly you will manifest.

 

The sun does not manifest by hiding itself, the sun does not manifest by doing what it is not called to, the sun comes out doing what God has commanded it to do. Being where God has placed it. Imagine the sun says, "God I don't want to stay in the firmament of the heavens I want to be in the sea". Will the sun be relevant again? Will you say the sun is manifesting? Where God sets you, is where God needs you. Where God sets you, is where you must manifest. Where God placed you is the place of your dominion and that is the place where you must rule. The sun was to rule the day not the night, the sun will enter into issues with God the moment he tries to stretch beyond the boundaries of his relevance.

 

In Isaiah 45:7, this is God speaking; “I form the light and create darkness, I make peace and create calamity; I, the Lord, do all these things.’” He is the LORD, when God introduced Himself as the LORD, understand it. What God is talking about in the context of Him Been Lord, He has the ownership control and right of it. So, when He is the LORD God for you, He has the ownership right and control over your life. I Am the LORD who does all these things, I Am the LORD of the times and seasons. I want us to quickly see five things that we must do to respond to the God of the year, and the LORD of the times and seasons. We have read that in Genesis 8:22.

 

#1: GOD RESPONDS TO SACRIFICES OF WORSHIP.

In John 4:23-24, the Bible makes us to understand that God desire those that will worship Him in Spirit and in truth. He desires worshipers, He responds to worshipers. He said “from this one I will not look away, those that have a broken and a contrite heart, that trembles at my word.” So, for you to respond to the God of the year, this year; your response to the God of the year and the LORD of the times and seasons is that you must respond with sacrifices of worship. If we see that Genesis 8:20, something happened after the LORD had destroyed the entire earth and God saved Noah and his family, the Bible says; “and Noah built an altar to the LORD and he offered sacrifice of worship and God smelt the sacrifice and it has a soothing aroma. And God said I will not again destroy.” When you respond with sacrifices of worship, you can command God concerning the works of His hands when you respond to God as the LORD, with sacrifices of worship.

 

You must be able to do like Noah, the same thing with Abraham. These are men that walked with God understanding that He is the LORD. Abraham in his journey with the LORD will get to a point and he will build an altar and sacrifice to the LORD. In your journey this year, you must respond to your sacrifices of worship. Where is your altar of worship? They will show how much you are responding to the LORD of the times and seasons.

 

#2: GOD RESPONDS TO SACRIFICES OF OBEDIENCE.

In 1 Samuel 15:22, “Samuel said to Saul, in burnt offering and sacrifices the Lord has no desire, obedience is better than sacrifice; to harken is better than fat of Rams.” The sun obeys Him, the moon obeys Him, the stars obey Him, the seas obey Him, so will you. God responds to sacrifices of obedience. Hebrews 10:5-7, repeating the statement of Jesus.  It says: “Sacrifice and offering You did not desire, but a body You have prepared for Me.”  In all these things you don't have pleasure, but I come in the volume of the books it is written of me to do your will Oh God.” It is written of you, in Genesis 1:26, in Genesis 2, it is written of you to do the will of God. God made man in His image and likeness and God blessed them, God commanded them, and you must do that command. Jesus said “I come in the volume of the books it is written of Me to do your will Oh God.” Romans 12:1. Apostle Paul said; “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.” This is how you respond to the God of the year and the LORD of times and seasons; you must present your bodies.

 

#3: GOD RESPONDS TO FAITH.

Without faith it is impossible to please God. Those who come to God must believe that He is and He is a rewarder of those that diligently seek Him. God responds to faith. All the elements of the earth, since God made them they have been responding. Because by faith we know that the worlds are framed by the word of God. By faith we know that we have been set at such a time as this for something significant, something important. We must make that distinct sound by faith. You respond to the God of the year and the Lord of the times and seasons you must do it by faith. By faith the sun comes out every day, by faith the moon comes out, by faith the elements of the earth respond to Him. You must do also by faith responding to God.

 

#4 GOD RESPONDS TO HIS NAME.

Proverbs 18:10 says, "The name of the Lord is a strong tower, the righteous runs to it, and they are saved." God responds to His name. The righteous run into that name, and they are saved because God responds to His name. In Exodus 34:6, God was speaking to Moses in that particular chapter, He said; “I will proclaim my name before you” and when God was going to proclaim His name: Exodus 3:6 “And the Lord passed before him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth, Verse 7, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and the children’s children to the third and the fourth generation.”

 

God responds to His name. If He is merciful, He will respond with mercy, if He is gracious He will respond with grace. God responds to His name. In Exodus 3:6. The Bible records; God was telling Moses concerning who He is; “Moreover He said, “I am the God of your father—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look upon God.” God is true to His name. Why is He the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob? Because of His covenant with Abraham. If God has made a covenant with you, He is your God and He will respond to His name.

 

#5 GOD RESPONDS TO HIS WORD.