Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Just a few minutes with you. And may that be the gas that gets us through another week.
[00:00:06] So, Father, we give this time to you. We are grateful for it and ask that you be pleased with your people now as we listen to what you have to say to us through your word, in Jesus name, Amen. Please be seated. Good morning, everybody. Again. Good to see you this morning.
[00:00:20] We are. If you're new with us, we've been working through the book of Deuteronomy. Deuteronomy is kind of the journal of Moses as he works through the events of numbers. So if you ever wondered how numbers and Deuteronomy work together, that's kind of the Cliff Notes on how that happens.
[00:00:40] Moses has spent his time bringing the people of Israel out of the land of Egypt at a very late age. He wasn't expecting to do such a thing. He thought he would be a shepherd for the rest of his life. And then God shows up in a burning bush.
[00:00:55] God has a sense of humor.
[00:00:57] And just when Moses thinks that it's over for him, he ends up doing the greatest thing of his life, which is not being brought up in the house of Pharaoh. To his surprise, he was actually being called by God to lead his people out of the nation of Egypt and to make them a nation in their new land, the Promised land.
[00:01:17] So now we get to Deuteronomy 27. And we. We are this series that I'm working through now, as we capped off Numbers, and now as we look through Deuteronomy, just some pieces here. There were some passages that we came across that I hated to kind of put aside. And so we're going to park on those where there is such great encouragement that Moses gives to the people along the way. And one of those passages is in the book of Deuteronomy, chapter 27.
[00:01:47] And so today I want to talk to you about this moment in their lives. They're about to enter into the promised land. They're going to have new surroundings, new culture, new people.
[00:01:59] They're going to be different in every way. And they've already learned that they are different people in Egypt, right? They've learned to be different. They've learned that they stood out. They were the slaves and the Egyptians were their masters. So they've learned that they're different, but now they learn to be distinct.
[00:02:15] And that's the key. They're coming out of Egypt where they were different, but now they're moving into the promised land where they would learn to be and they would find out how distinct they actually were. So Moses and Joshua are instructed how to help them be distinct, how to help them understand how they are going to stand out.
[00:02:34] And so I would just begin here. I would say, you know, we are called also not to be a different kind of people, although some of us are rather different than the people around us.
[00:02:44] But if you are a follower of Jesus Christ, you're called to be a distinct person, somebody that probably doesn't fit in a lot of times with the way that the world thinks. The typical thinking of this world, love is defined differently. Forgiveness is defined differently.
[00:03:01] Everything is upside down with the gospel.
[00:03:03] To be strong, you have to be weak.
[00:03:06] To be wise, you have to be a fool.
[00:03:08] You have to be in the foolish, believe in the foolishness of the cross. Everything in the gospel is upside down. And that's what makes us distinct.
[00:03:15] We live in a world that says vengeance and it kind of goes with a knee jerk reaction. But for those of us that follow Jesus Christ, we recognize we're not just different, we are distinct. And so at the end of the book of deuteronomy. Deuteronomy, chapter 31. I'm going to go.
[00:03:31] Scoot your head a little bit. I want to read to you a passage of scripture that kind of helps us understand what. When Moses and Joshua are talking to the children of Israel, how distinct they're going to be. And you probably have heard these verses before, but I love them and so I insert them as often as I can. Here's what he says. Moses summoned Joshua and said to him, in the sight of all Israel, be strong and courageous. You remember these words, be strong and courageous. And Joshua picks up on this, by the way, and uses this phrase constantly himself, after Moses passes away. Be strong and courageous. For you shall go with this people into the land the Lord has sworn to your fathers to give them, and you shall put them in possession of it. It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be. And you probably recognize these words as well. He will be with you. He will not leave you, he will not forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed. You are going to be God's people in a land that has not seen God's people before.
[00:04:29] You're going to be distinct, different.
[00:04:32] And there must be a determination in you to be who God calls you to be.
[00:04:37] It has to be a determination that we make publicly as a people, Moses says, but it also has to be a determination that you make individually in order to be a part of this collective group called Israel.
[00:04:51] And so I take you to the book of Deuteronomy, chapter 27. So if you're using your Bibles or your screens there, whatever you're using for your text, go to Deuteronomy, chapter 27. And starting at verse one.
[00:05:08] Now, Moses and the elders of Israel commanded the people, saying, keep the whole commandment that I command you today and the day you cross over the Jordan to the land that the Lord God is giving to you, you shall set up large stones and plaster them with plaster.
[00:05:25] Let me just park on here a second. Moses is not going into the promised land, right? He blew it with the whole rock thing. He hit the rock and said, how many times do I have to bring water out for you people? And he was just. It was a bad day for Moses, and it was like the tipping point for God. So God says, moses, you can't go into the promised land. So Moses tells Joshua, you take the people in, and your first activity is, I want you to set up stones, stones at the entrance place where you cross over into the promised land. And I want you to cover them with plaster so that they will last, make a landmark so you can see it, so your kids can see it, and so everybody who passes through that pass can see it.
[00:06:12] Verse 3. And you shall write on them all the words of this law.
[00:06:17] So what goes on these plastered stones?
[00:06:19] All the words of the law, right?
[00:06:23] Write on them all the words of the law. When you cross over to enter the land that the Lord God is giving to you, a land flowing with milk and honey, as the Lord, the God of your fathers, has promised you, this would be a setup for everyone to see in public.
[00:06:40] It would be the entryway, and they would see on both sides these plastered stones.
[00:06:45] And the law of God would be written on them. This was to declare their identity to anyone who comes into the land.
[00:06:55] So if you're coming into the promised land, you're traveling with your kids, and all of a sudden you stop and you see these rocks on both sides with plaster on them and words. You stop and you read it. And it is to declare to you that you are entering into a land where these words define the people of the land. All right?
[00:07:15] A public testimony saying that this is the kind of land that you are about to enter.
[00:07:23] It would be permanent, it would be public, and it would be unavoidable.
[00:07:28] It's public.
[00:07:29] You can't walk through this pass without seeing these stones. These stones were not decoration. They were declaration.
[00:07:40] They were a boundary marker saying, you have entered a land defined by God's Covenant.
[00:07:47] So I wanted to give you an American illustration. As a good Canadian, I wanted to give you an American illustration that I think would do the same thing. And so I came up with this.
[00:07:59] When you come into America, you enter through a doorway.
[00:08:05] And that doorway long ago was in the harbor of New York City.
[00:08:11] And at the doorway was put a statue. And the statue is called Statue of Liberty.
[00:08:18] Does anyone know what is written on the foot of the Statue of Liberty? Did you know that there's a poem there?
[00:08:26] There's a poem there that is written, and it is meant to define the values of the people of this country.
[00:08:34] That's why it's there.
[00:08:36] It stands at the entrance, this great Statue of Liberty, the entrance to the nation. It is massive, it is public, and it is unavoidable.
[00:08:47] In fact, if you want to go online and find pictures of the Statue of Liberty, there are literally thousands of them. All right, because this is a big, massive thing that defines America. On the base of it is, of course, as you know, Emma Lazarus poem. And it's a little longer, but I'll give you just a chunk of it in case you're American. You are defined by the people who come in and they're greeted by the Statue of Liberty.
[00:09:16] These are the words that define Americans.
[00:09:19] Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
[00:09:29] Send these the homeless tempest tossed to me. I lift my lamp beside the golden door.
[00:09:38] This doorway was meant to be an invitation for people around the world that they could enter into this place and be accepted and be loved and be welcomed.
[00:09:48] The immigrants that arrived at Ellis island, this would silently say to them, this is what the group of people you will meet stands for. This is what our land stands for.
[00:10:02] Now the same kind of idea is put.
[00:10:05] They didn't have the Statue of Liberty, no French to donate big green statues, but they had these big tablets, these big plastered stones now with the words of God in them. Because anyone who came through could see these words define the people of the land.
[00:10:24] Let's read on in verse four.
[00:10:26] And when you have crossed over the Jordan, you shall set up these stones concerning which I command you today on Mount Ebal. Plaster them with plaster. And you shall write on the stones all of the words of this law very plainly. Don't you love that? You shall write on these stones all of these words very plainly. That's in verse eight.
[00:10:49] So the Statue of Liberty tells you what American values are before you enter.
[00:10:53] And these stones told who God is before anyone entered. Can you give me the next slide there, Callie? I think that's there. Verse 8. All the words of this law, very plainly.
[00:11:05] So this was meant to be a declaration, not a decoration of what you were about to experience when you walked into this land of strange people.
[00:11:17] Then verse nine.
[00:11:19] And Moses and all the Levitical priests said to all of Israel, keep silence and hear, O Israel, this day you have become the people of the Lord your God. Now stop for a second, because I read that and I thought to myself, that's weird, because it says, keep silence and hear, O Israel, this day you have become the people of God.
[00:11:42] What was the catalyst to making these people the people of God? Well, it was deciding to value what God values. That's why the words of this law are very important.
[00:11:52] The purpose of this was it would be a public testimony for all to see that those who are in this land would be the kind of people that value what God values. Everyone would see these commandments, and the people who dwell in the land would value these values.
[00:12:13] I have a friend, a good friend of mine, and every time you go to his house, you'll see something very unique on his door.
[00:12:23] When you go to his house, you've been invited to his house for dinner or something like that. You'll come to his door, you'll knock on the door, and then you'll look. And on both sides of the doorway, he has ten commandments.
[00:12:36] Five on one side and five on the other.
[00:12:40] And it always kind of.
[00:12:42] It always kind of got me because I have no other friends that would do this.
[00:12:46] But this friend put these up there. And I asked him, why are you sticking the ten Commandments on your doorway? And it's for the same purpose. It's so that those people who come to this door, knock on this door, understand when they get across the threshold, these are the kind of people that they would come into contact with.
[00:13:06] They would be defined by the words of God.
[00:13:10] This is what's happening with the children of Israel here as well. Write them very plainly so people can see. Verse 10. And you shall therefore.
[00:13:20] I love that. Therefore is always an interesting word. You shall therefore. Therefore is there for a reason. You shall therefore obey the voice of the Lord your God, keeping his commandments and his statutes, which I command you today. In other words, you're putting them up.
[00:13:37] You're saying that the words define who's in the land. Therefore you are become. You have become the people of God.
[00:13:48] Isn't that interesting?
[00:13:51] You shall obey. Now goes from public to Personal God basically says what you say you must do.
[00:13:58] This is not like running into a stoplight where the car in front of you has this ancient bumper sticker. Vote for Hillary. That's not what this is anymore.
[00:14:10] I'm always amazed by these old bumper stickers, and you see them every once in a while. Obviously, the owner of that car does not care what's on his bumper. Right? Nobody's voting for Hillary. But this applied years ago and now it doesn't matter anymore. This is different.
[00:14:28] These words are going to define who the people are that live in this land.
[00:14:34] What is posted here reflects who we are. This is going to be a personal thing, and this makes us people of God.
[00:14:45] They even had a ceremony to solidify their identity.
[00:14:48] This ceremony is very unique. Let me read to you how it goes. Verse 11. That day, Moses charged the people, saying, when you have crossed over the Jordan, these shall stand on Mount Gezerim to bless the people. Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Joseph, and Benjamin.
[00:15:05] And these shall stand on Mount Ebal for the curse.
[00:15:09] Reuben, Gad, Asher, Zebulun, Dan, and Naphtali. In other words, when you get through, I have an activity for you.
[00:15:16] Six tribes are on one mountain.
[00:15:19] Six tribes are on the other mountain.
[00:15:22] One mountain will stand for the blessing. The other mountain will stand for the curse.
[00:15:27] So now they're going to go through a ceremony to establish that they will be the people God called them to be. One group will represent those who would find their identity in the Lord, live in obedience to him, and experience his blessings.
[00:15:43] The other group represented those who would abandon their identity in the Lord and find their identity elsewhere.
[00:15:51] All right. One group that stands on Gezerim would be the group of people that stood for God, defined by God, obeyed the words of the Lord, and experienced his blessings. The other on Ebal would be those who choose not to find their identity in the Lord and who live under the curse like those who choose not to follow the Lord and find their identity in something else.
[00:16:19] Please note this wasn't good families versus bad families.
[00:16:24] This was just an illustration. And I love this idea because it teaches a sobering truth. It wasn't that these tribes were bad and these or these tribes were good and these tribes were bad.
[00:16:35] It's the truth that in every tribe, the sobering reality in every family is that there is a potential for rebellion.
[00:16:45] It doesn't matter how blessed you are. It doesn't matter how cursed you are. In every family, there's a thread with a potential of rebellion.
[00:16:54] We know this too, because I'VE met some families that love the Lord, and most of their children love the Lord. But there will be sometimes one or two that have wandered from the Lord, wandered away from God.
[00:17:08] Same family, different bent.
[00:17:12] And so our responsibility as parents and our responsibility as friends of those who have prodigals that need to come back to the Lord is to pray, pray, pray, because God can change hearts.
[00:17:26] Prodigals give up their identity in Christ to find their identity in this world, to find their identity in something else that the world has to offer.
[00:17:35] And our goal is to pray that the prodigals come home and find out that their identity really lies in the Lord.
[00:17:43] If you choose to abandon the identity that God gives you. And by the way, we are all created in God's image. We are fallen, but we all created in God's image. We have this inclination in every one of us to know what the right thing is to do, but sometimes not to do it.
[00:18:00] Our bent is usually not to do it. Somebody hits you in the face, your first response is to hit them back, right?
[00:18:09] No little kid ever has to go to a class to teach them how to be bad, right? There's no classes on how to be bad.
[00:18:18] There are classes on how to overcome badness, how to be a positive thinker, how to forgive, how to love the unlovable, how to give up addiction. There's all kinds of classes on how to get rid of the bad things. You never have to take a class to learn to be bad. Has that ever occurred to you?
[00:18:36] And the reason is because our bent is not to be good. Our bent is to be bad. We're made in the image of God for fallen. And so the minute that we are born, we are created with this bent to do not the things that God wants, but the things that he would not want us to do. And that's why we have to come to Christ. We have to give our lives to him, and he has to wash us clean and give us a hope for a new future and the ability to live out righteousness. We have the Holy Spirit inside of us who gives us the ability to live righteously.
[00:19:05] Every person that chooses not to obey God and chooses to stay in the bent toward evil and toward disobedience and toward rebellion against God. Every person that makes that choice has one thing in common.
[00:19:24] So I have a game for you this morning because this one thing in common is extremely apparent in the activity that these guys are about to do. Remember, you got some people on one hill, some people on the other hill.
[00:19:36] People on Gezerim, people on Ebal.
[00:19:39] And now they have to repeat what Joshua says.
[00:19:45] They have to repeat it loudly. So you can imagine there's like, there's thousands, hundreds of thousands of people, and they're all repeating the same thing. But it's very interesting because there's 15, 12 verses of actual content, but there's 12 verses that list specific sins, alright? Specific sins that cause curses, not blessings into our lives.
[00:20:10] Lots of different sins, but only one thing that they all have in common.
[00:20:16] So here's what I'm going to do.
[00:20:18] I'm going to ask you to play a little game with me. We're going to go through all of these curses. It's not a lot, it's a lot of verses, but we're going to go through each one.
[00:20:27] I'm going to read it for you so you don't have to read it. You can just kind of relax. But what I want you to do is think, what do all these things have in common?
[00:20:37] All right, you ready to play the game?
[00:20:40] We have a group of people on Mount Gezerim. We have a group of people on Ebal. Joshua screams with a loud voice, and it is translated, it is spoken of, so everybody can hear it through the ranks.
[00:20:52] And here's what they are to do and remember. And your goal is to find out what do all of these curses, what do all of these evil actions have in common? Everybody understand the game? Here we go.
[00:21:06] The Levites shall declare to all the men of Israel in a loud voice, verse 15.
[00:21:12] Cursed be the man who makes carved or cast metal images an abomination to the Lord. A thing made by hands of a craftsman and sets it up in secret.
[00:21:24] And all the people shall answer and say Amen.
[00:21:29] Number two. Cursed be anyone who dishonors his father and mother. And all the people say Amen.
[00:21:36] Cursed be anyone who moves his neighbor's landmark.
[00:21:40] And all the people say Amen.
[00:21:42] Cursed be anyone who misleads a blind man on the road. That's a weird one. That's a weird one. And all the people say Amen. Cursed be anyone who prevents the perverts justice due to the sojourner, the fatherless and the widow. And all the people shall say Amen. Cursed be anyone who lies with his father's wife because he has uncovered his father's nakedness. And all the people shall say Amen. Cursed be anyone who lies with any kind of animal. And all the people say, yeah, for sure. Amen. Cursed be anyone who lies with his sister, whether the daughter of his father, the daughter of his mother. And all the people shall say amen. That's probably his half sister, by the way.
[00:22:23] Cursed be anyone who lies with his mother in law. And all the people shall say, for goodness sakes, yes. Cursed be anyone who strikes down his neighbor in secret. And all the people shall say amen. Cursed be anyone who takes a bribe to shed innocent blood. And all the people shall say amen. Cursed be anyone who does not conform to the words of the law by doing them. And all the people shall say amen. All right, now, besides the fact that everybody has to say amen, what did all of these things. Because there could have been a bunch of other sins listed here.
[00:22:55] What did all of these sins? And you're going to impress me like no one's business if you get this. What did all of these sins have in common?
[00:23:07] They're all done in secret.
[00:23:15] They're all done behind closed doors.
[00:23:19] They're all done when no one is watching.
[00:23:26] Moving boundary markers in the middle of the night.
[00:23:30] Do you know what that is?
[00:23:31] It's like going to your. That's like your neighbor gets a plot of land, they put the flags all up and then you go, I don't like where those flags are. I'm going to go out there, middle of the night and just put them over a little bit. Because I like that tree to be on my property. And they wake up in the morning and they don't know the difference. And they put a fence down and all of a sudden you have a beautiful tree on your property, but it's not your property because you did it in the middle of the night.
[00:23:54] These are all done in secret.
[00:23:59] And the thing is, when the people of Israel walk into this land, they're going to walk among the people that are used to doing things in secret and getting away with them.
[00:24:09] And God says, don't be like them. Set yourselves apart from them. You're not different, you're distinct.
[00:24:15] You are who you say you are in public and in private.
[00:24:21] Idolatry. Verse 15. Done in secret. Dishonoring parents is done behind closed doors. Moving boundary stones in the secret of the night. Exploiting the blind. Aha.
[00:24:32] You know, they can't accuse you of theft because the cops will come over and go, what did he look like? And you're going to, I took all my money. I don't know what he looks like. Exploiting the blind.
[00:24:45] Sexual sins hidden from public view. Murder done in secret. Taking bribes, done in secret. These are all things that are evil. But the human Courts would never catch, but God never misses.
[00:25:01] What is hidden from people is never hidden from God.
[00:25:05] What is hidden from people is never hidden from God. And God knows that. It's the inclination of the human heart to start evil practices here in the dark, in secret. This is where the journey to becoming somebody that you probably don't want to become. This is where it always starts. It always starts in secret.
[00:25:30] I want to read to you a passage, Deuteronomy 29.
[00:25:35] This is two chapters later, but it talks about the whole idea here. And here's what it says. Beware, lest there be among you a man or woman or clan or tribe whose heart is turning away today from the Lord our God to go and serve the gods of these nations. In other words, to follow the culture of the world around you.
[00:25:55] Beware, lest there be among you a root bearing poisonous and bitter fruit. One who, when he hears the words of this sworn covenant, blesses himself in his heart by saying, I'll be safe, though I walk in the stubbornness of my heart. I live among the Israelites. God's not going to do anything to me. I publicly declare the stones are up at the entrance to my country, that I belong with these people. But in my heart I don't.
[00:26:26] In my heart, I'm different.
[00:26:29] He blesses himself in his heart, saying, I shall be safe, though I walk in the stubbornness of my heart. I will lead to the sweeping away of the moist or the dry alike. God says the Lord will not be willing to forgive him. But rather the anger of the Lord and his jealousy will smoke against that man.
[00:26:48] And the curses written in this book will settle upon him. And the Lord will blot out his name from under heaven.
[00:26:56] Humans may not see it.
[00:26:59] The judicial system may let you get away with it.
[00:27:02] The tax man may never notice, but God does.
[00:27:08] God does.
[00:27:11] So your identity must be more than skin deep.
[00:27:14] Some people would live among God's people. They would.
[00:27:17] They would say that they were among the chosen few, but behave privately, unlike God's people.
[00:27:25] And I want to tell you that identity built on forbidden things always begins in secret.
[00:27:31] Identity built on forbidden things always begins in secret.
[00:27:38] That is why, at the end of all of these curses, everybody had to say one word. What's the word that they had to say?
[00:27:45] Amen. Do you know what amen means?
[00:27:48] Yes. So be it. Amen. It's a firm. It's a reliable. It's an established truth. You're saying amen isn't just an agreement. Amen is accountability.
[00:27:58] It means God, you're right and I accept the consequences if I'm wrong.
[00:28:05] Isn't that crazy?
[00:28:07] So they had to hear Joshua and the Levites and speak these words, and then they had to say, amen. I agree, God, you're right. And I accept the consequences if I fail.
[00:28:21] This is true.
[00:28:22] We accept this as binding. Let it stand against us if we violate this law. We agree.
[00:28:29] God sees what people don't. And this is what so the public testimony was the stones, but this is the private testimony.
[00:28:38] This was a private testimony for all to hear, personally affirming that God is right and they would be judged by this law they agree with. This would be applied to them and they would personally agree to be judged by it.
[00:28:52] Jesus, by the way, says the same thing to us. Did you know that for those of us that follow Jesus Christ, he verbally says the same thing? John 8:31. So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, if you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples. Church how do you become a disciple of Jesus Christ if you abide in his word? It's not that difficult.
[00:29:17] It's not enough to believe that Jesus died and rose from the dead. Did you know that? The demons believe that and they tremble.
[00:29:25] The question is whether or not that truth has impacted your life.
[00:29:30] Confession starts here.
[00:29:32] God, you're right, and I agree with your judgment if I fail.
[00:29:38] So Jesus said to the Jews, if you abide in my word, you're truly my disciples. You will know the truth and the truth will set you free. I am so tired of people pulling that verse out of context.
[00:29:48] That verse in this context literally says, the truth belongs to God.
[00:29:53] And if you believe that truth, you'll be free. If you believe any other truth, you're in bondage.
[00:29:59] Next time you hear that verse, you'll know the truth and the truth will set you free. That literally is talking about the truth that comes from God's word.
[00:30:07] Says it again, Matthew 7. Not everyone who says to me, lord, Lord, will enter into the kingdom of heaven, but only those who do the will of my Father who is in heaven. You don't conform to the words of the law by saying them, but by doing them.
[00:30:20] You don't conform to your identity in Christ by saying it, but by following his commandments. And now we get to the encouragement part.
[00:30:29] Deuteronomy 28.
[00:30:31] If you faithfully obey the voice of the Lord your God, being careful to do all his commandments, I command you today, then the Lord God will set you high above the nations of the Earth.
[00:30:44] And all these blessings shall come on you and overtake you. And if you obey the voice of the Lord your God, blessed shall you be in the city. Blessed shall shall you be in the field. Blessed shall be the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your ground and the fruit of your cattle and the increase of your herds and the young of your flock. Blessed will be your basket and your kneading bowl. Blessed shall you be when you come in, and blessed will you be when you go out. Are you getting tired of this?
[00:31:10] Because if you read this, it goes on and on and on and on.
[00:31:17] This is just the beginning.
[00:31:19] If you follow the words of the Lord, blessed you'll be. Now, please understand, this is the encouragement.
[00:31:26] The encouragement means that if you choose to be a follower of God in a world that does not follow God, there will be blessings that you will experience that you will not otherwise.
[00:31:38] This is not prosperity theology.
[00:31:41] This is a promise of God.
[00:31:44] The promise that Jesus reiterated, that even though you live in the world, and the world will have turmoil and trouble and you will experience pain and suffering because you live in this world, take heart. Because Jesus says, I have overcome the world, this doesn't mean you're going to get a nice car and a spouse that pays attention to you whenever you want. Them too, and kids that obey you and constantly come to you and say, father, how can we help you around the house? It does not work that way.
[00:32:20] But it does mean that you will have a peace that passes understanding.
[00:32:25] It does mean that you will have.
[00:32:27] You have the ability to forgive even the harshest of wrongs done to you.
[00:32:35] It does mean that you will have a joy that is unspeakable and full of glory.
[00:32:43] Even in the middle of the culture in which you live. You will experience the blessings of God in here.
[00:32:51] Because that's the promise of God to those who follow his word.
[00:32:55] That's why this is the encouragement.
[00:32:58] Listen, this is the key of the whole message.
[00:33:01] Moses says to these people, you are coming through the gates, Declare who you are, put up the stones, and then when you get on the other side, after you've publicly declared it, privately, live it.
[00:33:17] Because if you do that, you will experience.
[00:33:21] You will experience a oneness with God that you cannot experience any other way.
[00:33:27] A peace that passes. I love that.
[00:33:29] Put your head on your pillow at night and you know you're good with God.
[00:33:34] And this is the part that I love the most. Because they are entering into a land that is full of corrupt idol worship, pagan lifestyles. They're sacrificing children, it is as bad as you can imagine.
[00:33:52] They are entering into a culture that is completely different from than anything they've experienced before. And God says, you don't have to be like them.
[00:34:02] This is your escape hatch.
[00:34:05] You don't have to walk into the land and be like those people around you. You have a better option.
[00:34:12] You've already been given a way out at Sinai. Now you're entering in the land. Put those words into practice. Live bold, live courageous. You may never look like you fit in, but you are living free in an enslaved environment.
[00:34:31] Think of it this way. The Hebrews are going to the promised land, right?
[00:34:36] The promised land, full of milk and honey and all these blessings.
[00:34:41] But the land they're actually moving into is a cursed land, full of evil and evildoers, full of idol worship and the worst kinds of evil that you can imagine.
[00:34:53] But they were going into a land full of these curses.
[00:34:58] And in this land, this kind of behavior was normalized, it was accepted, it was promoted.
[00:35:07] This kind of lifestyle would be encouraged.
[00:35:10] Children of Israel, you're going into a land where bad lifestyle, bad actions, bad behavior is normalized, accepted, promoted and encouraged.
[00:35:23] And the people you meet in there will treat it as the only way to live. This is normal.
[00:35:28] But you'll be blessed now because you don't have to be like them.
[00:35:34] You're not different. You are distinct.
[00:35:38] Living in the darkness as agents of light.
[00:35:42] And the reminder is set at the entrance. And now it would live out in their hearts.
[00:35:47] Wouldn't it be great to look at somebody that's caught in sin, in the sins of this world, and look at them and say, you've got a way out.
[00:35:55] You don't have to be trapped here.
[00:35:58] You don't have to do the things that you're doing. You don't have to live with the guilt that you feel.
[00:36:03] You don't have to be bound by the sin that binds you. You don't have to be trapped anymore.
[00:36:09] Wouldn't it be great to look at somebody and say, listen, you feel like you live in prison?
[00:36:13] I want to tell you, a lot of people feel like that in this world, but God came to set you free.
[00:36:21] Wouldn't it be great to look at somebody and say, you are not the culmination of your bad choices.
[00:36:26] You are not tied helplessly to your curses.
[00:36:30] This is the way the world lives. Doesn't have to be the way that we live.
[00:36:35] Those who follow Jesus Christ have a better and blessed way to live.
[00:36:40] And in this case, God goes on and on. Your Barns will burst. Your crops would fill the land. Your children will burst at the seams of your homes.
[00:36:52] Rain would fall.
[00:36:54] But this is the one I want to highlight to you Most. In verse 9, the Lord will establish you as a people, holy to himself, as he has sworn to you, if you keep the commandments of the Lord your God and walk in his ways. And all the peoples of the earth shall see that you are called by the name of the Lord.
[00:37:09] And this is what gets me about this verse. And they will be what?
[00:37:15] That's weird, don't you think?
[00:37:18] You are walking into a land where they live differently. They promote different things. They encourage different things. They want you to be like them.
[00:37:26] But you are going to come in and you are going to be agents of light in the darkness. They won't understand you. In fact, they will be afraid of you.
[00:37:35] You can forgive them all you want. They will not understand it, and they will be afraid of you.
[00:37:42] You're going to stick in, and you're going to be different.
[00:37:46] And the result would be the people you live among are going to be afraid of you. God's people would not be able to be put into a box by the Canaanites.
[00:37:55] And so the Canaanites, the people of the land, would fear what they don't understand.
[00:38:00] So, children of Israel, you must be determined.
[00:38:02] Determined to live in private what you declare in public.
[00:38:08] Determined that no matter how much you feel different, you still will stick out. And that's a good thing. And determined to be who God called you to be, even when your parents aren't there to direct them. That's the other thing. These children, now adults, are moving into the Promised Land without their parents.
[00:38:27] Their parents are gone.
[00:38:29] They've died in the wilderness. And now the faith of their parents has to be lived out in the children.
[00:38:36] And the children get to declare who they are without the oversight of their parents.
[00:38:41] They get to declare who they are and who their children will now be.
[00:38:48] They would learn that God's ways lead to blessings if they stick with their commitment. This is why Moses and Joshua constantly say, be strong and courageous. Be strong and courageous. Be strong and courageous. Don't falter. God is with you.
[00:39:06] Please understand, this is not prosperity theology.
[00:39:09] This is a reality of blessings and cursings. If you live as the people of the land, you will experience cursings in your life. It just goes without saying, bad choices bring bad consequences.
[00:39:25] But if you follow the Lord, there are blessings to be had.
[00:39:31] I think about these covenants in our lives. Like, if you want ease now you will experience cursings later. But if you deal with the curse now and you overcome the curse, you will experience ease later. It's like raising a children. Listen, if you've got small children and you're raising them to be your friend, you will have lots of cursings later. Because if they're your friends at this age, they'll be your enemies at this age.
[00:40:00] It doesn't work that way.
[00:40:03] You are their parent, the only one that they have. You parent them when they're this age, you parent them as God wants you to parent them. And when they're this age, they will be a blessing in your life.
[00:40:13] It works in marriage, it's the same thing, your marriage covenant.
[00:40:16] If you want a good marriage, you've got to work at it. If you want a bad marriage, you got to work at it.
[00:40:22] But it's up to you to determine what work you're going to put in.
[00:40:28] If you start a marriage where you are sacrificing for one another, where you are humble before one another, where you are God's representative to the other person, and you pray together and you agree together to to have a family that has Christ at the center later on in life, it may not be like tremendously easy, but it's easier.
[00:40:53] It all determines on you got to deal with the curse now so you can experience the blessings later. Because if you want the blessings at first, you're going to have a lot of curses later on.
[00:41:06] Every covenant works this way.
[00:41:08] This is why Jesus says, work out your salvation with fear and trembling. Because whether or not you're saved, you frequently have to decide. Are you willing to live up to the commitment that you've made with Jesus Christ. Matthew 16:24 Jesus told his disciples, if anyone would come after me, deal with the curses first.
[00:41:29] You got to deny yourself, take up your cross and follow me. How many of you love to deny yourselves?
[00:41:36] I just can't wait to deny myself.
[00:41:39] Our whole lives are about making ourselves comfortable, aren't they?
[00:41:43] I just want to. If I'm hungry, I eat. If I'm cold, I put on a sweater. If I'm warm, I go to the beach. I don't know.
[00:41:50] You think about what's. I live for the weekend, why you want to be. It's all about being comfortable. But Jesus says, if you want to be a follower of mine, you've got to deal with a curse first. And that curse is you have to deny yourself. Do something hard.
[00:42:03] You have to take up your cross and you have to follow me.
[00:42:06] For whoever would save his life shall lose it. And whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. You know, it's like we gather on church on Sunday. It's the same thing every time you cross over the threshold of this church.
[00:42:19] There's nothing special about this building.
[00:42:21] But every time you cross over the threshold of this church and you sit down and you stand and you sing the praises of God and you listen to the guy in front drone on and on and on, you have this another opportunity to declare who you are, to decide what will define you.
[00:42:41] When you take communion, it's the same thing. You eat and you drink, declaring the Lord's death until he comes.
[00:42:47] Everything on Sunday is just a perpetual repetition of who we are and what we believe. And you need that.
[00:42:57] If you get away from that, then you lose that opportunity to constantly declare your identity in Jesus Christ and you'll look for your identity elsewhere.
[00:43:07] There's lots of things this world has to offer you to find your identity in.
[00:43:13] But if you come and you declare in church, as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord, and you walk out of here with a fresh commitment to the Lord. This is what we need as human beings.
[00:43:27] It's a constant reminder that we belong to Him.
[00:43:30] It's a constant renewal of the covenant.
[00:43:34] So here's some. So what's for you, Number one, God cares about your secret life.
[00:43:39] It's a terrible first one. I should have put that as number two.
[00:43:43] God cares about your secret life. In reality, there's no such thing as a secret sin. We like to think that there's a secret sins, but in reality there's no such thing.
[00:43:55] God measures.
[00:43:57] You may manage your private or your public image, but God measures your private obedience.
[00:44:04] Let me say that one more time because I just thought of it. It was good. You may measure your public.
[00:44:10] Oh, how did I just say it?
[00:44:12] You can manage your public image, but God measures your private obedience.
[00:44:18] God does care about what you do in secret. In fact, there are better things to do in secret. Jesus says to us in Matthew 6:6, when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
[00:44:37] That doesn't mean that every time you pray you should go into a closet and shut the door. What it means is who you are in here should be genuine.
[00:44:48] Number two, identity is proven by obedience, not claims.
[00:44:55] Israel didn't become the people of God by reading the law aloud, but by living it out personally. These plaster stones were in public for all who entered the land to see.
[00:45:05] And it was public, covered by the Amens, but it was private because they were meant to apply this law to their own lives.
[00:45:15] Hidden, private, and unobservable actions to others matter to God.
[00:45:23] Why? Because identity fractures in secret.
[00:45:28] The Amens were public because this was them saying, I accept.
[00:45:33] My family accepts our identity in God.
[00:45:39] Words announce allegiance, and obedience proves it.
[00:45:43] So Israel stands at the edge of the Promised Land.
[00:45:48] Before they enter into the promised Land, they have to do this crazy activity where they stand on two different mountains and they declare who they are as God's people.
[00:46:01] Before they built their homes, before they planted crops, before they moved into the culture. God stops them and in effect, says to them, decide who you are before you decide where you're going.
[00:46:16] Identity is not declared. It is demonstrated.
[00:46:20] The stones were there for everyone to see, but the Amens were there to mean something to each person because God knew something that is timeless and it applies to us today. And here it is.
[00:46:31] If identity isn't settled at the threshold, it'll be reshaped by the culture inside.
[00:46:39] So what is your identity?
[00:46:44] Can I see it?
[00:46:47] Think of it this way.
[00:46:49] Would you know that I'm married to Beth without me having to produce a marriage certificate for you?
[00:46:58] Would I know that you belong to God without you having to prove it to me or to others?
[00:47:06] Whatever is in here bleeds out of here, even in the secret places.
[00:47:14] So, church, let us be the kind of people that stand out in a dark world as agents of light.
[00:47:22] Because it comes from here.
[00:47:24] Not just from here, comes from our hearts, not just from our words.
[00:47:30] Let's pray, Father. This has been a fun study to do in the Book of Deuteronomy, chapter 27. It's been challenging because anytime you talk about the reality of what's inside, you step on toes.
[00:47:48] And none of us like to be made to feel uncomfortable.
[00:47:53] But whatever was said today and whatever was communicated by your spirit into the hearts of the people online or in house. Father, I pray that it has been your words and your prompting and not mine.
[00:48:07] Help us to be men and women of integrity.
[00:48:10] Help us to be students and young people of integrity.
[00:48:14] Help us to live out what we say, we believe and not just verbalize it.
[00:48:19] May it consume our lives and may we be truly agents of light in this dark world so that we can promote your fame and your glory to those around us. Because it's all about you.
[00:48:32] I pray this in Jesus name, Amen.
