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Deuteronomy 7 |
| Posted by Administrator (charlie) on Feb 16 2009 |
- Introduction
As we have spent time in the book of Deuteronomy, we have discussed promises.
God is so very faithful in terms of keeping his promises.
We all probably wonder sometimes don’t we? We see the bills come in and the money go out and all of a sudden it is braces for a second child or it is an unexpected bump up and the car insurance rates begin to head for the ceiling.
Life comes at you hard as the commercial would say and we have to be equipped to handle it.
Sometimes our lives approach desperation.
We wake up every morning in a cold sweat wondering if our situation would be seen by the Lord.
We constantly whisper under our breath, “Lord, Please help me.”
But, God has promised his faithfulness to us.
He has promised His good and his provision.
He has promised His wisdom in that if we lack His wisdom, especially in the midst of trial, we need merely ask Him for it and he will give it.
- Describing the Biblical Text
Moses is giving the people God’s instruction for entering the land of Canaan.
He is essentially telling the Israelites to go in and utterly destroy the people of Canaan.
Now while we might be thinking to ourselves that this seems particularly cruel and unforgiving, we have to remember that God has a sovereign purpose for His people.
God knows that the minute they were to begin to accommodate other peoples with other gods and other religions, the Israelites would be tempted to be moved away from serving Him.
Look at what happened with the golden calf.
In another 800 years, we will Israel disappear altogether and soon after Judah will follow them into captivity all because of their idolatry.
God wanted his fellowship with His people to be unadulterated and singular toward Him
- Narrate the Contextual application
Moses is reminding the people that they are the people of God.
He is letting them know that they are his people, a holy people, a people chosen to be God’s own treasured possession.
Think about it.
If we belong to Christ, we are his treasured property and why wouldn’t we be listen to What Romans 8:31-32 says about us, “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? 32He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?
God gave His only Son for us because we are precious to Him.
So, what does this mean?
It means that we are continual servants of God bearing in Mind the price that He paid for us in Christ Jesus.
We are continual servants of Jesus because of the promises that He has made to us that we would have life abundant and free.
- Life Application (thesis)
This is why we must continue to serve God.
We must continue to be his called and His chosen people.
We must continue to serve God in the comfort of His promises.
- SO WHAT!! (Outline)
Let’s build on that Idea this morning by looking at three reasons that we would serve God.
We are chosen by God.
We make choices every day don’t we.
Just yesterday, I chose to take New 85 over old 85 even though it is 1.2 miles longer. I took it for the higher speed limit.
But, what about it when God makes a choice?
Are his choices like ours?
Does he sit back and look at pros and cons and weigh options?
Or are his choices more determinative as in basically looking at outcomes and then providing the means to that outcome.
The Bible tells us in several places that we are a chosen people but what does that really mean?
Some would tell us that we are chosen merely in the means by which we come to God.
God can only choose us after he knows that we will choose Him.
The problem with that idea is that it makes us sovereign over God.
Look with me at verse 6
God did not Choose
I was listening to a preacher speak on grace at a state convention meeting in VA and he was declaring How God looked down and saw potential in him and extended him the offer to be saved.
If that was the case, Grace had nothing to do with it.
If God saves us based on our potential to serve Him then we are saved by merit and by the future of our works and that leaves grace out in the cold.
No, Ephesians 2 shows us the better explanation of grace.
But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.
Where do our works and our potential fit into that equation?
Romans 9 puts it this way, “And not only this, but there was Rebekah also, when she had conceived twins by one man, our father Isaac; 11for though the twins were not yet born and had not done anything good or bad, so that God’s purpose according to His choice would stand, not because of works but because of Him who calls, 12it was said to her, “The older will serve the younger.” 13Just as it is written, “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.”
14What shall we say then? There is no injustice with God, is there? May it never be! 15For He says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” 16So then it does not depend on the man who wills or the man who runs, but on God who has mercy.”
We must also remember that God does not make empty choices.
His choices always fulfill a purpose, His purpose.
What is that purpose?
That purpose is for Him to be glorified.
That is why He is continually calling on the Israelites to keep his commandments.
Look at verse 9 – God is God – God is the covenant Keeper. He is the one to whom all of our praise Honor and glory is due.
Starfish may not realize the sad fact that they are perishing on the beach but you what we realize it.
We are perishing because Of sin and God has called us into his marvelous light.
In the light of that call, many of us have responded to that by following Christ publicly and doing exactly what we saw Braley do this morning and that is to profess our faith through baptism.
However, there are some of us who after professing that faith in Christ, have done very little to maintain our fellowship with God.
Some of us don’t know that we even have a Sunday night service or a Wednesday night service.
We announce it every week but some of you never come.
What does that say about our faith?
Can we have a genuine faith and not desire to serve Christ?
According to this passage, when God loves us, we serve Him and if we don’t, there might be something wrong with our faith.
There might be something wrong with our lives.
Next Sunday Morning, I will be announcing three potential new ministries for our church and I am praying that there won’t be any difficulty in finding the people we need to work them.
It is time some of us girded up the loins of our faith and went to work for the kingdom again.
Just because you are disappointed in me or something else is no reason to give up serving the king who has chosen you and saved you from perishing.
Just like that starfish, he pick you up and made a difference in your life.
We can make a difference here to this community offering something more than a parking lot to walk through.
We can offer life and sustenance, abundant life in Christ and real help in these difficult times.
I want to encourage you this morning to recommit your life to Christ or if you have never received Christ, to make that your life this morning.
All have sinned wages of sin but as many as received Him
Call on the Lord today.
Last changed: Feb 16 2009 at 11:00 PM
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