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Sermon Summary
Does God intentionally lead his people into hardship? Yes! In Deuteronomy 8 he tells Israel that he let them hunger in the wilderness on purpose to reveal what was in their hearts, to humble them, and to teach them to rely entirely on him. In Matthew 4:1-4, the Spirit led Jesus to hunger and to be tempted by the Devil also. In both cases we find the statement that man shall not live by bread alone but by every word of the Lord. In other words, obedience is more basic than food! When we obey the Lord in difficult ways, we experience his provision and strength and come to know in a new way his goodness. In times of comfort, the great danger is that we trust in ourselves and come to love the gifts of God more than Jesus! Instead, times of comfort and abundance should be treated with care as we maintain our reliance upon the Lord. This week...
Sermon Summary
Deuteronomy 7 records instructions to Israel to conquer the promise land without showing any mercy to its inhabitants. Israel was not to intermarry with them nor make any treaty. The core issue was Israel's status as God's chosen people in covenant relation with him. They were to remove all idolatry and all false religions from the land. In this way they would live as a distinct people among the nations. If they did so, they would experience all the blessings of the Covenant established through Moses. Christians are under the new covenant inaugurated by Christ. Christians are not a nation with land and an army. What does Deuteronomy 7 have to do with us? As Israel physically did, we are to ruthlessly remove idols from our hearts. As Israel was, we are to be distinct as Christians by not being spiritually mismatched in marriage. As Israel was, we are a distinct people with a glorious hope for living in God's future kingdom. As Israel was, we are signposts pointing to Jesus and calling others to know him. How might the Lord be calling you to greater faithfulness and distinctiveness this week? Sermon Summary
Israel's situation changed dramatically when they entered the Promised Land. No longer nomads dependent upon God for daily food and water, they would possess homes, crops, and flocks. The temptation was to shift to trusting in their own resources and power rather than God. The temptation was to love the gifts of God more than God and so to make them idols. The temptation was to forget God's goodness and presence in daily living. We who live in a comfortable nation face the same temptations! In Deuteronomy 5 and 6 we are given examples of ways God instructed Israel to maintain their trust and awareness of him. Learning from the example of Israel:
Sermon Summary
In Deuteronomy 5, the Ten Commandments are restated for Israel. Many feel the commandments are burdensome and may even resent them - though they keep them in a desire to appear good. God, however, sees the heart and desires his people to love him as he states in Deuteronomy 6:4. Obedience is meant to flow from love. The commandments of God give shape and form to a relationship of love. He has shown his love by redeeming a people for himself. Now we love him in return. Our love for the Lord is a matter of delight and will.
Israel met God at Mount Horeb (Sinai) where they were given the Ten Commandments. Moses reminds them, in Deuteronomy 5, that they were terrified by God's appearance and speech! God declared this the right response to his holy presence. When it comes to Christians, this event highlights how different our relationship with God is. Through faith in Jesus we are entirely forgiven and freed from fear of punishment. Through faith in Jesus, our hearts are transformed so that we love God and his commandments. Through faith in Jesus, we are brought into a relationship of love with God. Is fear gone? For the Christian, it is not terror of God which we have but respect for our loving heavenly Father and the Lord who died to save us. How will you show the Lord your gratitude for his incredible gift this week?
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