Christ Church

The Lord’s Faithfulness

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The Text

Deuteronomy 30:1-20

Introduction

         We come to the conclusion of Moses’s charge to Israel and to the last sermon in the series Faithfulness for the Next Generation. An appropriate question to ask is what does God want from his people? Faithfulness. Even with the majority of the book devoted to explaining the Ten Commandments, God does not want a nation a box-checkers. The Law reveals God’s desire for the hearts of his people. Faithfulness to God begins with loving God with your whole heart. That is what the law reveals about God. But the law also reveals man and his unfaithful heart.

         In his final sermon, Moses expounds the gospel truths that God is faithful even when his people are not. And God will do for his people what they can not do for themselves––circumcise their hearts and the hearts of their children. This is possible because the word, the Word, is very near to them and to you.

The Heart that Cannot See or Hear (Deut. 29:1-4)

         Why can’t Israel be faithful? It’s easy to think that “If we had front row seats to seeGod’s wonders in Egypt and at the Red Sea and in the wilderness, and if we have heard God speak from the cloud and heard the words of the Law, then we would have been really obedient. So what’s their problem?” Moses says that God didn’t give them a heart to see or to hear.

         Listen to what Moses says in 29:2-4, “Now Moses called all Israel and said to them: ‘You have seen all that the Lord did before your eyes in the land of Egypt, to Pharaoh and to all his servants and to all his land––the great trials which your eyes have seen, the signs, and those great wonders. Yet the Lord has not given you a heart to perceive and eyes to see and ears to hear, to this very day.” Israel’s ears were hard of hearing because their heart was hard. There eyes were blind because their heart was blind. Israel’s problem was their heart. They don’t have the right heart because God has not given them the right heart.

The Heart of Man      

         This is not merely Israel’s problem, but mankind’s problem, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; Who can know it?” (Jeremiah 17:9). Your heart is a hypocritical, to others and to yourself. Moses warns again deceiving yourself with covenant presumption, “When he hears the words of this curse, that he blesses himself in his HEART, saying, ‘I shall have peace even though I follow the dictates of my HEART’” (Deut. 29:19). How simple it is to view your life through Instagram #blessed, when you are really cursed. While you and your heart may be deceived, God is not. He sees, he hears, he knows the heart of man. He knows your heart. He is not fooled.

The Lord Circumcises the Heart (30:1-6)

         The Lord knows that his people will turn and fall away and would be unfaithful to their covenant. He knew this not only for his covenant people of Israel, but also that his covenant people of Christ Church would be unfaithful. But the Lord is faithful. And he is already planning to forgive. To restore. To show compassion. To return home. To change hearts. “And the LORD your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your descendants, to love the LORD your God will all your heart and with all your soul, that you may live” (Deut. 30:6). The glorious gospel promise is that God does for man what man can not do for themselves. Earlier in Deuteronomy 10, God told Israel to “Circumcise the foreskin of your heart, and be stiff-necked no longer” (Deut. 10:18). A faithful Israelite would be wondering, “How do I apply this one?” What is impossible for us––whole-hearted obedience––God gives.

The Obedient Heart (30:7-10)

         The heart circumcised by the Lord is the heart that loves the Lord. That’s the first and greatest commandment. And this obedience keeps spreading (verse 8).  You can obey the Lord and turn to the Lord with all your heart and with all your soul, because the Lord has turned your heart.

The Word is Near (30:11-20)

         In Romans 10, Paul quotes Deuteronomy 30:11-14 and shows how this is about Jesus. Paul begins, “For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.” Paul then outlines two options for righteousness––self-righteousness or Christ’s righteousness. You enter heaven either through yourrighteousness or Christ’srighteousness. It’s not a deep mystery whose righteousness will get you there.

         But Paul shows how Jesus brings near the Word of this covenant. You can’t say that this covenant is not too hard or mysterious because Christ has fulfilled the law and graciously gives you his righteousness. Don’t say that the covenant is too far away, because Jesus is Immanuel. Jesus has come and has come to take on your curse. Christ conquered death and evil and now brings life and goodness for his people.

         Moses says, “See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil, in that I command you today to love the LORD your God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commands, his statutes, and his judgments, that you may live and multiply” (Deut. 30:15-16). Moses sets life and good and blessings before them by placing before them the law. And the law really can be life and good and blessing when you believe that Jesus is your Law, your Righteousness, your Savior, your Lord. Therefore choice Jesus.

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Covenant Renewal

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The Text

“I make this covenant and this oath, not with you alone, 15 but with him who stands here with us today before the Lord our God, as well as with him who is not here with us today 16 (for you know that we dwelt in the land of Egypt and that we came through the nations which you passed by, 17 and you saw their abominations and their idols which were among them—wood and stone and silver and gold); 18 so that there may not be among you man or woman or family or tribe, whose heart turns away today from the Lord our God, to go and serve the gods of these nations, and that there may not be among you a root bearing bitterness or wormwood; 19 and so it may not happen, when he hears the words of this curse, that he blesses himself in his heart, saying, ‘I shall have peace, even though I follow the dictates of my heart’—as though the drunkard could be included with the sober.” Deuteronomy 29:14-19

Covenant Renewal

As we dig into this passage on the renewing of the covenant of the children of Israel with God, I want you to remind you that we don’t want to miss important parallels with our own experience. Why?  Because what we are doing his this morning is also a form of covenant renewal.  These folks are preparing for the invasion of Canaan, we are preparing for the expansion of the kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

What is a Covenant?

It is a contract or agreement between two parties, sealed by vowing or with an oath, with with attendant blessings and curses based on completion of the oath.  When God covenants with His creation, it is unilateral. We are recipients, not contributors; we are called to accept it as offered, to keep it as demanded, and to receive the results that God, by oath, assures will not be withheld.  To believe God and respond in faith.

What are the Options?

“See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil” Deuteronomy 30:15 Life vs. Death, Good vs. Evil.  I think you get the idea about the contrast.  And this is the conclusion that Moses draws in verse 9:“Therefore keep the words of this covenant, and do them, that you may prosper in all that you do.”

Eyes to See and Ears to Hear

“Yet the Lord has not given you a heart to perceive and eyes to see and ears to hear, to this very day.”  The secret things of God includes opening eyes and calling people to Himself.  With this in mind, it is natural for someone to question whether God has or is working sovereignly in their heart and mind.  But this should not result in despair because we have all that God has ‘revealed’ as a gift to us and our children.

How do we Renew the Covenant?

“Instead of asking yourself whether you believe or not, ask yourself whether you have, this day, done one thing because He said, Do it! or once abstained because He said, Do not do it! It is simply absurd to say you believe, or even want to believe, in Him, if you do not do anything He tells you.” George MacDonald

God has called you today to renew you covenant, your trust in His salvation.  He has called you into relationship through your koinonia in Christ. Let this truth, this reality draw worship and obedience out of your heart in gratitude.

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Wise Laws for Good Living

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Text: Deuteronomy 22:1-8

Introduction

We believe in “All of Christ for all of life.” So what should you do if you come across a bird’s nest on ground with the mama bird protecting her eggs? And you haven’t had breakfast, and you’re really hungry. Deuteronomy 22 says that how you respond will dramatically impact your life. Perhaps you have not faced the nest quandary, but you’ve found something lost or seen a car stuck in a snow bank or live in a culture of cross-dressing men––all are opportunities to faithfully live as Christians and apply wisdom from Deuteronomy. This morning, we look at a selection of wise laws that God gave to his people for good living, for faithful living. The underlying principle of these laws is a value and respect for all life. Christians are to value life because that is what God does.

Lost Wallet Law (vs. 1-4)

Deuteronomy 22 begins, “You shall not see your brother’s ox or his sheep going astray and ignore them. You shall take them back to your brother.” The fence breaks. The harness comes untied. The wallet is dropped. And you come across come across something your brother lost. What should you do? You can’t ignore it. You can’t keep it. You act and return it. This command prevents the playground policy, “Finder’s keepers, losers weepers.” The biblical rule is, “Finder’s returners.” If you find something lost, you have a responsibility to restore it. You’re ready to help. And this applies to more than helping with lost items.

“You shall not see your brother’s donkey or his ox fallen down by the way and ignore them. You shall help him to lift them up.” A car swerves of the road. You need to stop and help. Your neighbor is high-centered on the snow berm. You need to help push him over. Don’t pass by and ignore him. This is the story of the Good Samaritan that Jesus told against the Sunday-church-going Christian. Jesus asked, “Which of these, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?” “The one who showed him mercy.” And Jesus said, “You go and do likewise” (Luke 10:29-37).

You go and do likewise because this is what Jesus did for the lost sheep and broken people. “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned––every one––to his own way” (Is. 53:6). And Jesus did not ignore us, or hide himself from our danger. He has compassion on us and restored what was lost. Remember what happens when that which is lost is found? Rejoicing. Celebration. Gratitude. Flourishing of life.

No Gender Confusion (vs. 5)

The biblical emphasis for the flourishing of life backs the next command, “A woman shall not wear a man’s garment, nor shall a man put on a woman’s cloak, for whoever does these things is an abomination to the LORD your God.” This verse prohibits gender confusion by prohibiting two things.

The first is transvestitism––a man cross-dressing like a woman. Our culture wants to blur the lines so that men dress more like women. But this verse shows that God cares which kind of clothes men wear and women wear. God cares about fabric and cut and colors and hemlines. God cares about the distinctions between men’s clothing and women’s clothing. And so should we. If there’s confusion in clothes, then this can lead to confusion in gender. This is not crazy. This is our culture.

The second prohibition in verse 5 is that women are forbidden to wear, not the clothes of a man, but the gear of a man. The phrase keli geber refers to weapons, tools, and other things particularly masculine (Gen. 27:3). This phrase keli geber is regularly translated as “armor-bearer,” the guy with the shield and sword and all the ammo draped around his neck. One application of this is that God forbids women to engage in combat roles in the military.

Whether we are talking about a man in fishnet stockings, or a woman armed as a soldier, we need to recognize that God finds it loathsome. So should we. What happens to that which is an abomination to the Lord? It is judged, it is removed from the land, it is destroyed. What if the Canaanites thought a certain abomination was cool or fashionable or sexy? Would you follow them?

Long-term Thinking (vs. 6-7)

Now we get to the mama bird and the nest. Again, we see the emphasis on the preservation of life, which requires some long-term thinking. What do you take to eat? The answer is the eggs/young but not the mother. This is good stewardship of the land and that which survives on the land. The principle is that if you take care of the land, then the land will take care of you. Generational thinking. If you are harsh and greedy, then you’ll strip the produce of the land (and leave nothing for you or yours later on).

Biblical Building Code (vs. 8)

A final passage is that God calls his people to biblical building codes that aim to prevent accidents. Verse 8, “When you build a new house, you shall make a parapet for your roof, that you may not bring the guilt of blood upon your house, if anyone should fall from it.” There are lots of applications to our own lives to prevent accidental harm. Put a railing up around a second story deck, or tree fort. Don’t leave faulty wiring alone that can burn down your house. If you’re puking, then stay within your own embattlements. Golden rule stuff here.

Conclusion

After sampling a few of these commandments, we should recognize that God and his Word are very applicable for our clothing styles, our careers, our building plans––all our life. And we should be eagerly apply these wise laws that God has given for the flourishing of life. This happens, of course, as his people imitate the God of life.

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Purging Out Evil

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Introduction

Adam was exiled from Eden. Cain was driven from God’s presence. The flood purged the earth of man’s corruption. Sodom was destroyed by heavenly fire. On the night of Passover, yeast was purged out of Hebrew homes. Nadab and Abihu were burned alive by divine fire for offering strange fire. Achan was stoned then burned for keeping consecrated items. Thirty-one kings were wiped out of the Promised Land. Israel was exiled into Assyria, while Judah was carried off captive into Babylon for their many idolatries. And lest we think this is just the mean God of the Old Testament, that same God struck down Ananias and Sapphira, Paul commanded the excommunication of unrepentant brothers, and of course the Bible ends with a marked warning that unbelievers “shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death (Rev. 21:8).” The lesson? God drives out sinners from His presence.

The Text

“And that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams, shall be put to death; because he hath spoken to turn you away from the LORD your God, which brought you out of the land of Egypt, and redeemed you out of the house of bondage, to thrust thee out of the way which the LORD thy God commanded thee to walk in. So shalt thou put the evil away from the midst of thee” (Deut. 13:5).

Summary of the Text

Moses recounts (Dt. 5) how Mt. Sinai burned with divine fire when the Law was given. Jehovah was a holy God. Though He was covenanting with Israel, He was still a God who would not endure sin. The Law not only restrained evil-doers and reflected back to man his sinfulness, but also graciously revealed the means for man to enjoy fellowship with God through the sacrifices.
Deuteronomy is basically Moses’ sermon series on the Ten Commandments. Throughout this book Moses clarifies which violations of the Law could be punished with death, and more importantly, why. Deuteronomy 13:1-5 covers the first through third commandments regarding false gods and idolatry. Deuteronomy 21:21 & 22:21 deals with the fifth commandment of dishonoring father & mother. Additionally, murder (Deut. 19:13, 21:9), adultery (Deut. 22:22-24), bearing false witness (Deut. 17:6-7 & 19:19), along with theft, slave-trading, and kidnapping (Deut. 24:7) are all to be punished––potentially––with execution. His customary concluding phrase “thus shall thou put away the evil from the midst of thee” gives the underlying reason for the execution.

Not Only the “What” but the “Why”

God is not merely giving a capricious dictates to His people. His dictates are accompanied by doctrine. He doesn’t give them the “what” without quickly adding the “why”. Another example of this is in Leviticus, where we find the frequently used summary phrase: “Ye shall be holy: for I the LORD your God am holy (Lev. 19:2).” Deuteronomy’s “why-phrase” means to burn up, consume away, to eat up as with fire, to destroy; which happened whenever a sin offering was made. The animal was consumed by the fire. However, in executing a convicted evil-doer the Israelite community became means whereby the fire of God’s wrath against such sin consumed away such a sinner. Executing––or exiling (1Ki. 22:46 & 2Ki. 23:24)––evil-doers is to be done in order to remove evil from God’s congregation.

Now For Some Particulars

Moses is quite measured in making it clear that the death penalty was not to be carried out through kangaroo courts, or through vigilante mobs. We should never lightly take a life; but there are instances where an evil-doer’s life was forfeit through gross disobedience to God’s Law. God alone has the prerogative to take a life. However, He has put the sword of justice into the civil magistrate’s hand, and He has stipulated what instances are permissible for the civil magistrate to execute wicked men. We must not slip into thinking that this is merely a “vestigial organ” of the Old Testament. This is one of the main points which Paul makes in Romans 13. The civil magistrate is God’s deacon (or servant/minister) of justice, executing God’s wrath upon criminals in order to preserve the peace and holiness of the entire community.

False teachers were sure to arise to entice God’s people from pure worship of the True God. Whether this false teacher was a scintillating prophet with signs and wonders, a near family member, or an entire city, the congregation must not pity false teachers. If anyone endeavored “to turn you away from the LORD your God (Deut. 13:5),” he was to be destroyed.

False witnesses who tried to indict someone on a phony charge, undermine the very foundation of true justice, and thus whatever they sought to have happen to the accused came upon them. Rebellious sons, and unchaste daughters were a danger to covenantal faithfulness and thus were to be executed for the sake of the purity of the whole congregation. Rapists, adulterers, slavers, and murderers were––if found guilty by the mouth of two or three witnesses––to be punished with death. Why? Because Israel was to be a holy nation in which God dwelt; as such, sins which threatened the stability and purity of the whole nation could not be tolerated.

Paul employs this Deuteronomical phrase when telling the Corinthians that they needed to excommunicate the man who had taken his father’s wife, “Therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person (1Co. 5:13).” While Corinth was a sexually debauched city, Paul rebukes the Corinthian believers for turning a blind eye to the fornication they could deal with. How could they ever think to conquer Corinth with the Gospel, if the Gospel hadn’t conquered them? They needed moxy to oust the wicked man, but instead had shown temerity. Faithful justice always requires courage.

Mortify Your Flesh

What God commanded to take place for corporate Israel is intended to take place in the individual life. Sinners must die for their sin. Jesus takes these laws, and rather than dialing back the intensity, He turns up the heat of conviction. “Ye have heard it said…but I say (Mt. 5:21-22).” Look at your heart. A murderer is there. A thief is there. An adulterer is there. A slave-trader is there. An idol is there which looks like the god known as You. You must die.
In comes the Gospel mandate: the flesh must be “purged out”. The old man must be crucified (Rom. 6:6). You must mortify your flesh (Rom. 8:13). You must put off uncleanness (Col. 3:5, 8). How? The only way to deal with yourself is by faith in the Lord Jesus. He was driven outside the camp, burned up, hung on a tree as a curse, in order that every lying, murderous, adulterous, conniving, scheming sinner might find their death in His death.

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