1 00:00:00,000 –> 00:00:02,660 Well if you’d open your Bible at the book of Deuteronomy, 2 00:00:02,660 –> 00:00:04,700 we’re going to begin at chapter 6, 3 00:00:04,700 –> 00:00:09,000 although we’ll focusing in a few moments on chapter 8. 4 00:00:09,000 –> 00:00:11,440 But I want to begin from chapter 6, in verse 5, 5 00:00:11,440 –> 00:00:15,060 that really is the central, or focal, the core verse 6 00:00:15,060 –> 00:00:16,959 in the hole of the book of Deuteronomy. 7 00:00:16,959 –> 00:00:20,000 In fact, you could say it summarizes the hole message 8 00:00:20,000 –> 00:00:22,240 of the Old Testament scriptures. 9 00:00:22,240 –> 00:00:23,760 We’ve been thinking about it together. 10 00:00:23,760 –> 00:00:27,400 The sum of everything that God asks of his people, 11 00:00:27,559 –> 00:00:30,320 that we love him with all our heart and our soul 12 00:00:30,320 –> 00:00:31,620 and our strength. 13 00:00:31,620 –> 00:00:34,099 And the reason that he asks this of us of course, 14 00:00:34,099 –> 00:00:36,720 is that he has first loved us. 15 00:00:36,720 –> 00:00:40,959 The Son of God loved me, the Son of God gave himself for me. 16 00:00:40,959 –> 00:00:42,759 He wore the crown of thorns. 17 00:00:42,759 –> 00:00:44,919 He went to the cross. 18 00:00:44,919 –> 00:00:47,779 And now he calls us, his people, 19 00:00:47,779 –> 00:00:51,340 to enter into a covenant of love and of loyalty 20 00:00:51,340 –> 00:00:52,880 and to live for his glory. 21 00:00:52,880 –> 00:00:55,480 Love the Lord with all your heart 22 00:00:55,500 –> 00:00:59,340 and with all your soul and with all your strength. 23 00:00:59,340 –> 00:01:02,400 And last week, we looked at the impact of this 24 00:01:02,400 –> 00:01:05,059 because Deuteronomy is a very practical book. 25 00:01:05,059 –> 00:01:06,879 What is the impact of loving the Lord 26 00:01:06,879 –> 00:01:10,199 with all your heart on family life? 27 00:01:10,199 –> 00:01:12,879 And we saw that while some parents may fear 28 00:01:12,879 –> 00:01:15,559 that if you love the Lord with all your heart, 29 00:01:15,559 –> 00:01:17,980 that in some way, this will harm the children. 30 00:01:17,980 –> 00:01:19,839 What we learned last week, 31 00:01:19,839 –> 00:01:22,980 is that if you live for the family, 32 00:01:22,980 –> 00:01:25,080 you will lead your family into the desert. 33 00:01:25,139 –> 00:01:27,000 But if you live for the Lord, 34 00:01:27,000 –> 00:01:32,040 you will point your children to the promised land. 35 00:01:32,040 –> 00:01:33,860 Now, today, we’re continuing 36 00:01:33,860 –> 00:01:37,440 to look at the impact of loving God 37 00:01:37,440 –> 00:01:39,019 and the whole of life. 38 00:01:39,019 –> 00:01:42,680 And Moses turns next to how loving God 39 00:01:42,680 –> 00:01:44,300 with all your heart, 40 00:01:44,300 –> 00:01:48,120 will have an impact on how you view your possessions, 41 00:01:48,120 –> 00:01:52,099 your wealth, your success, all that is yours. 42 00:01:52,099 –> 00:01:54,540 Or perhaps to put it more accurately, 43 00:01:54,540 –> 00:01:55,839 what we’re really going to look at 44 00:01:55,839 –> 00:01:59,199 is the impact of your possessions 45 00:01:59,199 –> 00:02:01,279 on your love for the Lord. 46 00:02:02,519 –> 00:02:05,879 And I want you to see that that’s exactly where Moses goes 47 00:02:05,879 –> 00:02:09,240 as he is giving the message that we have here 48 00:02:09,240 –> 00:02:10,820 as the book of Deuteronomy. 49 00:02:10,820 –> 00:02:14,279 So if you have chapter six open in front of you, 50 00:02:14,279 –> 00:02:15,600 you’ll see verse five there, 51 00:02:15,600 –> 00:02:17,759 love the Lord your God with all your heart 52 00:02:17,759 –> 00:02:18,779 and with all your soul, 53 00:02:18,779 –> 00:02:20,619 and with all your strength. 54 00:02:20,619 –> 00:02:21,880 That’s verse five. 55 00:02:21,880 –> 00:02:24,440 Then verse six through verse nine, 56 00:02:24,440 –> 00:02:27,500 Moses goes on to speak about the impact of this 57 00:02:27,500 –> 00:02:28,800 on family life, 58 00:02:28,800 –> 00:02:31,220 which we looked at last week. 59 00:02:31,220 –> 00:02:33,559 Then notice what comes next. 60 00:02:34,839 –> 00:02:35,679 Verse 10, 61 00:02:36,779 –> 00:02:39,880 when the Lord your God brings you into the land 62 00:02:39,880 –> 00:02:41,300 he swore to your father, 63 00:02:41,300 –> 00:02:44,240 so when you come to the promised land 64 00:02:44,240 –> 00:02:47,240 and when you then eat and when you are satisfied, 65 00:02:47,240 –> 00:02:49,000 Moses says be careful, 66 00:02:51,559 –> 00:02:54,199 be careful when you come into this promised land 67 00:02:54,740 –> 00:02:58,000 where you’re going to have an abundance of good things, 68 00:02:58,000 –> 00:03:00,559 be careful that you do not forget the Lord 69 00:03:00,559 –> 00:03:05,559 who brought you out of Egypt out of the land of slavery. 70 00:03:06,000 –> 00:03:08,320 So this is a warning here, 71 00:03:08,320 –> 00:03:10,000 be careful. 72 00:03:10,000 –> 00:03:11,960 He’s saying watch out. 73 00:03:11,960 –> 00:03:14,380 That is a particular danger 74 00:03:14,380 –> 00:03:16,619 that you are going to encounter 75 00:03:16,619 –> 00:03:20,679 as God’s blessing flows increasingly into 76 00:03:20,679 –> 00:03:22,279 your life. 77 00:03:22,279 –> 00:03:23,720 Now let’s look at this together. 78 00:03:24,460 –> 00:03:26,240 What Moses is saying to these folks 79 00:03:26,240 –> 00:03:27,919 on the edge of the promised land is, 80 00:03:27,919 –> 00:03:29,880 please understand this, 81 00:03:29,880 –> 00:03:34,479 a great change is going to happen in your life. 82 00:03:34,479 –> 00:03:36,699 You are going to enjoy the blessing of God 83 00:03:36,699 –> 00:03:40,199 in ways that your parents never knew. 84 00:03:40,199 –> 00:03:42,820 And this blessing of God is going to come to you 85 00:03:42,820 –> 00:03:45,199 in three distinct ways. 86 00:03:45,199 –> 00:03:47,720 First you’re going to have opportunity 87 00:03:47,720 –> 00:03:50,119 that your parents never knew. 88 00:03:50,119 –> 00:03:51,399 Notice verse 10, 89 00:03:51,399 –> 00:03:56,399 you’ll come into a land with large and flourishing cities 90 00:03:56,419 –> 00:03:58,740 that you did not build. 91 00:03:58,740 –> 00:04:01,740 Now you see cities are a place of opportunity, 92 00:04:01,740 –> 00:04:04,460 cities have infrastructure, 93 00:04:04,460 –> 00:04:06,419 cities have large population. 94 00:04:06,419 –> 00:04:10,699 Business thrives in the city 95 00:04:10,699 –> 00:04:12,339 and cities are developed. 96 00:04:12,339 –> 00:04:15,619 They’re built over decades, even over generations. 97 00:04:15,619 –> 00:04:18,100 But here are people who are going to have the opportunity 98 00:04:18,100 –> 00:04:21,339 of life in cities they did not even build. 99 00:04:21,359 –> 00:04:24,339 Enemies are going to be cleared from these cities 100 00:04:24,339 –> 00:04:28,540 and God’s people are going to have as their inheritance 101 00:04:28,540 –> 00:04:30,459 cities that they did not build. 102 00:04:30,459 –> 00:04:35,459 These will be great spheres of opportunity for them. 103 00:04:35,600 –> 00:04:38,459 So here God takes people from the desert 104 00:04:38,459 –> 00:04:40,459 where there is no opportunity really 105 00:04:40,459 –> 00:04:42,299 to develop anything very much 106 00:04:42,299 –> 00:04:45,420 and he puts them in a place of extraordinary opportunity 107 00:04:45,420 –> 00:04:47,459 in cities that they did not build. 108 00:04:47,459 –> 00:04:49,000 Not only will they be surrounded 109 00:04:49,200 –> 00:04:51,000 by the opportunity of the city, 110 00:04:51,000 –> 00:04:54,000 but secondly, they will have the gift of property. 111 00:04:54,000 –> 00:04:56,440 Verse 11, you will have houses 112 00:04:56,440 –> 00:04:59,779 filled with all kinds of good things 113 00:04:59,779 –> 00:05:02,399 that you did not provide. 114 00:05:02,399 –> 00:05:03,980 So when you come into the land, 115 00:05:03,980 –> 00:05:06,040 what happens as you read the story 116 00:05:06,040 –> 00:05:07,160 and follow it in the Bible, 117 00:05:07,160 –> 00:05:10,839 is God apportions, to each tribe, each clan, 118 00:05:10,839 –> 00:05:15,839 each family land that is theirs as an inheritance. 119 00:05:17,880 –> 00:05:18,720 Think of this. 120 00:05:18,779 –> 00:05:22,320 Your parents had lived in tents in the desert. 121 00:05:22,320 –> 00:05:25,380 And now suddenly, every one of these families 122 00:05:25,380 –> 00:05:27,220 entering into the promised lands 123 00:05:27,220 –> 00:05:30,299 is given a home. 124 00:05:30,299 –> 00:05:31,660 Now, think about this, folks. 125 00:05:31,660 –> 00:05:34,820 A home and no mortgage. 126 00:05:34,820 –> 00:05:36,040 What do you think about that? 127 00:05:36,040 –> 00:05:37,799 Given a home, 128 00:05:37,799 –> 00:05:41,679 you, your family, as your possession in perpetuity, 129 00:05:41,679 –> 00:05:45,160 you never paid a penny for it, not a cent. 130 00:05:45,160 –> 00:05:46,420 This is what’s going to happen. 131 00:05:46,420 –> 00:05:47,720 So you see what Moses is saying. 132 00:05:47,720 –> 00:05:49,940 There are wonderful days ahead of you. 133 00:05:49,940 –> 00:05:52,399 The blessing of God that you’re going to experience 134 00:05:52,399 –> 00:05:53,239 looks like this. 135 00:05:53,239 –> 00:05:56,440 You’re going to have all the opportunity of the city 136 00:05:56,440 –> 00:05:58,059 and cities you did not even build. 137 00:05:58,059 –> 00:06:01,579 You are going to receive houses 138 00:06:01,579 –> 00:06:03,059 and they’re going to be given to you 139 00:06:03,059 –> 00:06:06,420 you’re not going to have any mortgage. 140 00:06:06,420 –> 00:06:10,220 Sounds very good news, indeed. 141 00:06:10,220 –> 00:06:11,059 Think of it. 142 00:06:11,059 –> 00:06:13,500 Their parents came out of Egypt with what? 143 00:06:13,500 –> 00:06:14,459 Nothing. 144 00:06:15,500 –> 00:06:17,559 And now suddenly, property. 145 00:06:17,640 –> 00:06:19,640 They’re property owners. 146 00:06:19,640 –> 00:06:21,480 So now there’s going to be an inheritance 147 00:06:21,480 –> 00:06:23,660 that’s going down from one generation to another. 148 00:06:23,660 –> 00:06:26,079 This is all together different. 149 00:06:26,079 –> 00:06:28,119 It is the blessing and the gift of the Lord. 150 00:06:28,119 –> 00:06:29,480 So you’re going to have opportunity. 151 00:06:29,480 –> 00:06:30,600 You’re going to have property. 152 00:06:30,600 –> 00:06:33,959 Thirdly, you’re going to have income. 153 00:06:33,959 –> 00:06:36,920 Vineyards and olive groves that you did not plant, 154 00:06:36,920 –> 00:06:38,679 verse 11. 155 00:06:38,679 –> 00:06:40,799 Now vineyards and olive groves here 156 00:06:40,799 –> 00:06:43,160 and there are other examples later in the verses 157 00:06:43,160 –> 00:06:45,079 that we’ll see, pomegranates and all kinds 158 00:06:45,079 –> 00:06:47,040 of good things in this land. 159 00:06:47,440 –> 00:06:49,079 Vineyards and olive groves are just examples. 160 00:06:49,079 –> 00:06:52,200 The point here is that you will have not only 161 00:06:52,200 –> 00:06:56,100 the means of supporting your family 162 00:06:56,100 –> 00:06:58,239 in terms of growing food. 163 00:06:58,239 –> 00:06:59,279 You’ll have more than that. 164 00:06:59,279 –> 00:07:02,000 You will have the means of generating an income. 165 00:07:02,000 –> 00:07:03,799 You have land, you’re able to sew. 166 00:07:03,799 –> 00:07:05,119 You will be able to plant. 167 00:07:05,119 –> 00:07:06,519 You will be able to harvest. 168 00:07:06,519 –> 00:07:07,880 You will not only have food, 169 00:07:07,880 –> 00:07:12,339 you will be able to generate an income. 170 00:07:12,339 –> 00:07:15,279 So here is this marvelous promise of God 171 00:07:15,359 –> 00:07:17,660 to these people on the verge of the promised land. 172 00:07:17,660 –> 00:07:20,940 Look, a great change is coming in your life. 173 00:07:20,940 –> 00:07:22,739 All you’ve ever known is living in a tent. 174 00:07:22,739 –> 00:07:26,339 You’ve never really had any possessions to speak of. 175 00:07:26,339 –> 00:07:28,220 Now you’re going to go into the promised land. 176 00:07:28,220 –> 00:07:30,119 You’re going to become a property owner. 177 00:07:30,119 –> 00:07:32,700 You’re going to have the opportunity of the city. 178 00:07:32,700 –> 00:07:37,440 You are going to be able to generate an income. 179 00:07:37,440 –> 00:07:39,700 Now, here’s the surprise. 180 00:07:39,700 –> 00:07:41,279 I hope you have your Bible open in front of you, 181 00:07:41,279 –> 00:07:43,500 chapter six and verse 12. 182 00:07:43,540 –> 00:07:45,959 Moses says when this happens, 183 00:07:48,600 –> 00:07:52,200 now what would you expect him to say next? 184 00:07:52,200 –> 00:07:55,679 I would expect him to say, when this happens, 185 00:07:55,679 –> 00:07:58,700 be thankful, lift up your hands in praise. 186 00:07:58,700 –> 00:08:01,079 Wouldn’t you expect him to say that? 187 00:08:01,079 –> 00:08:03,559 That’s not what he says. 188 00:08:03,559 –> 00:08:06,640 He says, when this happens, 189 00:08:06,640 –> 00:08:09,720 when you find yourself in the city, 190 00:08:09,720 –> 00:08:12,500 when you become a property owner, 191 00:08:12,500 –> 00:08:16,940 when you find that you have a job that gives you an income, 192 00:08:16,940 –> 00:08:18,040 be, verse 12, 193 00:08:19,339 –> 00:08:20,160 careful! 194 00:08:21,459 –> 00:08:22,380 Be careful. 195 00:08:23,739 –> 00:08:25,880 In other words, he’s saying this great change 196 00:08:25,880 –> 00:08:27,880 that is going to bring you into a different 197 00:08:27,880 –> 00:08:29,940 and obviously better situation 198 00:08:29,940 –> 00:08:32,520 will harbor a great danger for you. 199 00:08:32,520 –> 00:08:34,619 That is why I’ve called the message today 200 00:08:34,619 –> 00:08:36,880 the Subtle Test of Success. 201 00:08:36,900 –> 00:08:37,719 Success. 202 00:08:39,460 –> 00:08:43,260 Now, please turn over a page to Deuteronomy in chapter eight 203 00:08:43,260 –> 00:08:45,940 where Moses develops and explains 204 00:08:46,960 –> 00:08:47,799 why it is 205 00:08:49,719 –> 00:08:52,340 that the blessing of God 206 00:08:52,340 –> 00:08:55,159 carries within it a hidden danger. 207 00:08:57,679 –> 00:08:59,679 And he explains here in chapter eight 208 00:08:59,679 –> 00:09:01,979 that when you experience the blessing of God, 209 00:09:01,979 –> 00:09:04,219 and it’s the same for us today, 210 00:09:04,219 –> 00:09:06,799 one of two things will happen. 211 00:09:06,979 –> 00:09:09,900 The first he explains from verse six 212 00:09:11,000 –> 00:09:12,940 of chapter eight. 213 00:09:12,940 –> 00:09:15,479 And it goes like this. 214 00:09:15,479 –> 00:09:18,960 When you experience the blessing of God, 215 00:09:18,960 –> 00:09:22,119 it can intensify your gratitude. 216 00:09:22,119 –> 00:09:25,219 It can increase your love for the Lord. 217 00:09:25,219 –> 00:09:29,099 It can bring you into what I’m going to call today 218 00:09:29,099 –> 00:09:30,859 the Circle of Praise. 219 00:09:32,700 –> 00:09:34,000 And here’s what it looks like. 220 00:09:34,179 –> 00:09:37,400 I want you to see it in the Bible right in front of you. 221 00:09:37,400 –> 00:09:40,080 It begins in verse six with fearing the Lord. 222 00:09:40,080 –> 00:09:41,200 Do you see what he says there? 223 00:09:41,200 –> 00:09:43,479 Observe the commands of the Lord your God, 224 00:09:43,479 –> 00:09:46,400 walking in his ways and revering him. 225 00:09:46,400 –> 00:09:48,340 Remember, we’ve been saying all through this series, 226 00:09:48,340 –> 00:09:50,359 we are to fear the Lord as we love him. 227 00:09:50,359 –> 00:09:52,760 We are to love the Lord as we fear him. 228 00:09:52,760 –> 00:09:54,640 That means we had give weight to him 229 00:09:54,640 –> 00:09:57,200 in all of our ways and in all of our choices, 230 00:09:57,200 –> 00:09:58,880 we’re to hear what he says 231 00:09:58,880 –> 00:10:02,320 and we are to do what he commands. 232 00:10:02,320 –> 00:10:03,919 Now it says Moses in verse six, 233 00:10:03,919 –> 00:10:05,580 if you fear the Lord, 234 00:10:06,679 –> 00:10:10,880 then he says, as God’s blessing comes, 235 00:10:10,880 –> 00:10:12,260 this is what it will look like. 236 00:10:12,260 –> 00:10:14,840 and see the description again of God’s blessing 237 00:10:14,840 –> 00:10:16,840 in verse seven to nine. 238 00:10:16,840 –> 00:10:19,340 The Lord your God is bringing you into a good land. 239 00:10:19,340 –> 00:10:21,080 And now he describes it. 240 00:10:21,080 –> 00:10:23,239 A land with streams and pools of water, 241 00:10:23,239 –> 00:10:25,940 springs flowing in the valleys, hills. 242 00:10:25,940 –> 00:10:27,219 A land with wheat and barley 243 00:10:27,219 –> 00:10:29,200 and vines and fig leaves and pomegranates 244 00:10:29,200 –> 00:10:30,280 and olive oil and honey, 245 00:10:30,280 –> 00:10:32,320 a land where bread will not be scarce, 246 00:10:32,320 –> 00:10:33,260 you’ll like nothing, 247 00:10:33,260 –> 00:10:35,960 a land where the rocks are iron 248 00:10:35,960 –> 00:10:38,500 and you can take copper out of the hills. 249 00:10:38,500 –> 00:10:42,320 Now he’s saying if you fear the Lord, verse six, 250 00:10:43,260 –> 00:10:45,900 if he carries weight in your life, 251 00:10:46,780 –> 00:10:49,739 then when the blessing of God comes, 252 00:10:49,739 –> 00:10:52,299 as you come into this promised land 253 00:10:52,299 –> 00:10:53,419 what will happen, 254 00:10:53,419 –> 00:10:57,460 it will lead you verse 10 thirdly to praise, 255 00:10:57,460 –> 00:10:59,799 see when you have eaten and are satisfied 256 00:10:59,799 –> 00:11:01,900 praise the Lord your God 257 00:11:01,900 –> 00:11:06,000 for the good land that he has given to you. 258 00:11:06,000 –> 00:11:07,520 Now you see this is a circle of praise 259 00:11:07,520 –> 00:11:09,299 that he’s describing right here. 260 00:11:09,299 –> 00:11:11,179 If you fear the Lord, 261 00:11:11,179 –> 00:11:13,580 then when his blessing and his abundant goodness 262 00:11:13,580 –> 00:11:15,919 is showered into your life, 263 00:11:15,919 –> 00:11:18,580 you will begin to say now everything that I have 264 00:11:18,580 –> 00:11:19,520 comes from his hand, 265 00:11:19,520 –> 00:11:20,900 apart from his abundant goodness 266 00:11:20,900 –> 00:11:23,119 I’d still be stuck in the desert 267 00:11:23,119 –> 00:11:25,820 and this very act of praising God 268 00:11:25,820 –> 00:11:28,200 will in turn lead you back to the Lord, 269 00:11:28,200 –> 00:11:30,979 so verse 11 you will not forget the Lord. 270 00:11:31,020 –> 00:11:32,640 If you fear the Lord, 271 00:11:32,640 –> 00:11:35,159 his blessing will lead you to praise him 272 00:11:35,159 –> 00:11:38,419 and the very act of praise focuses you again on the Lord 273 00:11:38,419 –> 00:11:40,700 so that you do not forget him 274 00:11:40,700 –> 00:11:44,900 and so the whole circle of praise continues. 275 00:11:46,619 –> 00:11:49,500 Now friends, that’s where we want to be isn’t it? 276 00:11:50,500 –> 00:11:52,859 We want to live in the circle of praise 277 00:11:52,859 –> 00:11:54,619 as people who fear the Lord 278 00:11:55,460 –> 00:11:58,080 so that when his blessing comes into our lives 279 00:11:58,080 –> 00:12:00,659 we recognize that blessing for what it is. 280 00:12:00,679 –> 00:12:02,159 That leads us to praise, 281 00:12:02,159 –> 00:12:04,200 that causes us not to forget the Lord. 282 00:12:04,200 –> 00:12:05,760 That causes us to continue, 283 00:12:05,760 –> 00:12:08,299 perhaps it’s a spiral rather than a circle. 284 00:12:08,299 –> 00:12:12,760 It’s moving us forward in a life of praise 285 00:12:12,760 –> 00:12:16,659 and in a life of gratitude to the Lord. 286 00:12:17,640 –> 00:12:20,419 Now I want you to notice what Moses says next. 287 00:12:22,739 –> 00:12:25,440 See he says, verse 11, 288 00:12:25,440 –> 00:12:30,440 be careful that you do not forget the Lord 289 00:12:31,299 –> 00:12:33,340 verse 11 and then verse 12, 290 00:12:33,340 –> 00:12:37,859 notice this very important word, otherwise. 291 00:12:37,859 –> 00:12:39,059 Otherwise. 292 00:12:40,099 –> 00:12:42,080 Now you see, what he’s going to tell us now 293 00:12:42,080 –> 00:12:46,340 is that it is possible to get out of the circle of praise 294 00:12:47,400 –> 00:12:50,780 and to live in an altogether different way 295 00:12:50,780 –> 00:12:53,900 in relation to the blessing of God. 296 00:12:53,900 –> 00:12:56,859 And so let me describe the otherwise circle for you. 297 00:12:56,859 –> 00:13:00,419 And I’m going to call this the circle of pride, 298 00:13:00,419 –> 00:13:02,239 the circle of pride. 299 00:13:02,239 –> 00:13:06,780 It begins here in verse 11, if you forget the Lord. 300 00:13:06,780 –> 00:13:08,900 Now, to forget the Lord doesn’t mean 301 00:13:08,900 –> 00:13:11,099 to forget that He exists. 302 00:13:11,099 –> 00:13:14,539 It simply means that you no longer have Him in mind. 303 00:13:14,539 –> 00:13:16,960 It means that as you’re moving through your life, 304 00:13:16,960 –> 00:13:21,960 you don’t see His hand in the good that is happening to you 305 00:13:21,960 –> 00:13:24,619 in the way that perhaps you once did. 306 00:13:24,619 –> 00:13:28,780 And if you forget the Lord, then here’s what will happen. 307 00:13:28,780 –> 00:13:32,700 God’s blessing will come, verses 12 and 13. 308 00:13:32,700 –> 00:13:35,700 See, this is very significant, isn’t it? 309 00:13:35,700 –> 00:13:39,260 God gives material blessing to those who forget Him 310 00:13:39,260 –> 00:13:42,020 as well as those who fear Him. 311 00:13:42,020 –> 00:13:45,520 Remember, the Bible says that God makes the sun to rise 312 00:13:45,520 –> 00:13:49,020 and the rain to fall on those who hate Him 313 00:13:50,539 –> 00:13:53,539 as well as those who love Him, 314 00:13:53,539 –> 00:13:56,900 His enemies as well as His friends. 315 00:13:56,960 –> 00:13:59,119 Here’s another group of people now who are forgetting 316 00:13:59,119 –> 00:14:02,539 the Lord, but they’re still experiencing His blessing. 317 00:14:02,539 –> 00:14:04,640 Verse 12, when you eat and are satisfied, 318 00:14:04,640 –> 00:14:07,159 when you build fine houses and settle down, 319 00:14:07,159 –> 00:14:09,320 and when your herds and your flocks grow large 320 00:14:09,320 –> 00:14:11,799 and your silver and your gold increase 321 00:14:11,799 –> 00:14:14,020 and all you have is multiplied, 322 00:14:14,020 –> 00:14:16,940 if you forget the Lord and you experience 323 00:14:16,940 –> 00:14:19,619 His blessing, what will happen? 324 00:14:19,619 –> 00:14:22,419 Well, what will happen then is, 325 00:14:22,419 –> 00:14:26,739 then your heart will become proud, verse 14. 326 00:14:27,159 –> 00:14:30,239 If you forget the Lord, here’s the circle of pride, 327 00:14:30,239 –> 00:14:32,460 then His blessing will not lead you to praise, 328 00:14:32,460 –> 00:14:35,039 it will lead you simply to pride. 329 00:14:35,039 –> 00:14:37,799 You will take credit to yourself and 330 00:14:37,799 –> 00:14:41,080 that will then intensify your forgetting of the Lord 331 00:14:41,080 –> 00:14:43,080 because you’ll say, now, this is marvelous, 332 00:14:43,080 –> 00:14:46,239 you see what I’ve been able to accomplish. 333 00:14:46,239 –> 00:14:48,539 So while praise leads you back to the Lord 334 00:14:48,539 –> 00:14:50,679 because your eye is on Him, 335 00:14:50,679 –> 00:14:52,739 pride leads you away from the Lord 336 00:14:52,739 –> 00:14:55,840 because your eye is on yourself. 337 00:14:55,880 –> 00:14:57,599 So that takes us to verse 17, 338 00:14:57,599 –> 00:15:00,119 which completes this ugly circle 339 00:15:00,119 –> 00:15:03,559 in which the person who has forgotten the Lord 340 00:15:03,559 –> 00:15:05,159 and been blessed and therefore thought 341 00:15:05,159 –> 00:15:07,380 that it was his or her undoing, 342 00:15:07,380 –> 00:15:11,559 says to himself, my power and the strength of my hand 343 00:15:12,900 –> 00:15:14,979 have produced this wealth for me. 344 00:15:14,979 –> 00:15:17,979 So I have done this, you see. 345 00:15:17,979 –> 00:15:21,140 So here is the subtle test of success. 346 00:15:22,080 –> 00:15:26,239 This is the great danger that lurks in every blessing. 347 00:15:26,239 –> 00:15:27,919 That if we forget the Lord, 348 00:15:27,919 –> 00:15:29,880 when his blessing comes into our lives, 349 00:15:29,880 –> 00:15:33,859 we get the sense that somehow this came from our hand, 350 00:15:33,859 –> 00:15:36,440 that it came from our strength. 351 00:15:37,979 –> 00:15:41,260 And so Moses says now, when you come in 352 00:15:41,260 –> 00:15:45,280 to experience the abundant blessing of the Lord, 353 00:15:45,280 –> 00:15:47,780 be careful, be really careful. 354 00:15:47,840 –> 00:15:50,159 Be really careful. 355 00:15:50,159 –> 00:15:52,719 It’s like a big danger sign. 356 00:15:52,719 –> 00:15:56,820 Watch out, because when God blesses you, 357 00:15:56,820 –> 00:16:00,440 you are going to go into one of these two circles. 358 00:16:00,440 –> 00:16:02,440 It will either be one, or otherwise, 359 00:16:02,440 –> 00:16:05,580 verse 12, it will be the other. 360 00:16:05,580 –> 00:16:08,179 Now, let’s pause, now that we’ve learned the principle 361 00:16:08,179 –> 00:16:11,679 from the Bible, and apply it to ourselves. 362 00:16:12,780 –> 00:16:17,739 See, what this means for us folks is something like this, 363 00:16:18,580 –> 00:16:22,119 when you move into that new home, 364 00:16:23,179 –> 00:16:27,000 there is a temptation that you will face. 365 00:16:29,200 –> 00:16:32,340 When you graduate with that degree, 366 00:16:33,559 –> 00:16:37,000 there is a spiritual danger for you to overcome. 367 00:16:39,200 –> 00:16:44,200 If your salary moves from five figures to six figures, 368 00:16:44,419 –> 00:16:49,419 there is a subtle test that you will face, 369 00:16:50,940 –> 00:16:52,239 you cannot avoid it. 370 00:16:54,539 –> 00:16:57,700 These things are all good gifts from God’s hand 371 00:16:57,700 –> 00:17:00,119 and if they are received, they are to be welcomed, 372 00:17:00,119 –> 00:17:02,760 they are to be celebrated, and we are to remember 373 00:17:02,760 –> 00:17:05,079 that the blessing comes from the Lord, 374 00:17:05,079 –> 00:17:08,660 but Moses says to us, be careful, 375 00:17:08,660 –> 00:17:12,479 be on your guard, because every blessing 376 00:17:12,680 –> 00:17:15,540 from the hand of God carries within it 377 00:17:15,540 –> 00:17:19,380 the subtle test of success. 378 00:17:20,900 –> 00:17:23,819 See, this is counterintuitive, it is the opposite 379 00:17:23,819 –> 00:17:26,020 of what we normally think, it is instinctive 380 00:17:26,020 –> 00:17:28,199 for us to think that the time that is dangerous 381 00:17:28,199 –> 00:17:30,660 to your faith is when you’re sick, 382 00:17:31,619 –> 00:17:33,199 but actually what Moses is saying, 383 00:17:33,199 –> 00:17:35,099 be very careful when you’re well, 384 00:17:35,099 –> 00:17:37,900 that’s the time you’re more likely to forget the Lord, 385 00:17:37,900 –> 00:17:39,500 you’ll pray when you’re sick. 386 00:17:40,099 –> 00:17:43,599 The time of your greatest testing may not be 387 00:17:43,599 –> 00:17:47,680 when you lost the job, but when you gained the job. 388 00:17:47,680 –> 00:17:50,699 The time you are most likely to grow cold 389 00:17:50,699 –> 00:17:53,099 in your walk with the Lord is not when your stocks 390 00:17:53,099 –> 00:17:55,599 are going down, but when your stocks are going up. 391 00:17:56,859 –> 00:18:01,839 Students, if you are getting straight A’s, 392 00:18:04,760 –> 00:18:08,599 you may be in greater danger of spiritual pride, 393 00:18:08,839 –> 00:18:12,180 and Satan may be more active in tempting you right there 394 00:18:12,180 –> 00:18:13,660 than if you got a B or a C. 395 00:18:15,479 –> 00:18:18,859 This is why Moses is saying, be really careful, 396 00:18:20,319 –> 00:18:24,900 because whenever you are granted success, 397 00:18:24,900 –> 00:18:26,699 and that is a good and a wonderful thing, 398 00:18:26,699 –> 00:18:31,459 it carries within it the subtle test of spiritual pride. 399 00:18:34,439 –> 00:18:38,420 By the way, remember this when you are tempted to envy, 400 00:18:39,140 –> 00:18:40,959 someone who has more than you. 401 00:18:42,699 –> 00:18:45,540 You tempted to envy someone who has greater opportunity, 402 00:18:47,180 –> 00:18:49,199 someone who has a larger property, 403 00:18:50,540 –> 00:18:52,140 someone who has a bigger income. 404 00:18:54,219 –> 00:18:59,219 Don’t wish yourself into another man’s temptation. 405 00:19:00,939 –> 00:19:03,380 You don’t know what kind of steward you would be, 406 00:19:05,020 –> 00:19:06,859 and the very fact that you are struggling 407 00:19:06,859 –> 00:19:08,260 with some degree of envy 408 00:19:08,739 –> 00:19:09,859 may suggest that in fact 409 00:19:09,859 –> 00:19:11,979 you would not be the best steward of it, 410 00:19:11,979 –> 00:19:14,319 and that it may be God’s kindness and mercy 411 00:19:14,319 –> 00:19:16,719 that is keeping you protected 412 00:19:16,719 –> 00:19:19,400 from the ravages of this kind of temptation. 413 00:19:20,680 –> 00:19:24,619 From everyone who has much, much will be demanded. 414 00:19:25,859 –> 00:19:28,660 And from the one to whom much has been entrusted, 415 00:19:28,660 –> 00:19:32,199 much will be, from him much will be asked or required. 416 00:19:32,819 –> 00:19:37,619 I think with great sadness 417 00:19:39,319 –> 00:19:42,319 about a man that I knew in London. 418 00:19:44,540 –> 00:19:48,859 He told me one evening, I remember the joy in his face 419 00:19:48,859 –> 00:19:50,560 it was just in his early 30s. 420 00:19:52,000 –> 00:19:53,800 And he said to me, 421 00:19:53,800 –> 00:19:56,780 Pastor he said, He’d been headhunted 422 00:19:57,800 –> 00:20:01,560 and given a job in the City of London 423 00:20:01,719 –> 00:20:04,219 to set up an office in the City of London 424 00:20:04,219 –> 00:20:06,760 and overnight he tripled his salary. 425 00:20:08,040 –> 00:20:10,959 And he said to me, Pastor he said, 426 00:20:10,959 –> 00:20:12,380 something wonderful is happened. 427 00:20:12,380 –> 00:20:14,140 I said, it’s just the blessing of God, 428 00:20:14,140 –> 00:20:15,819 He said, Just the blessing of God. 429 00:20:15,819 –> 00:20:18,099 Over the next few months, I saw him change. 430 00:20:20,219 –> 00:20:24,780 Within a year he had denied his faith, 431 00:20:26,119 –> 00:20:30,219 he had left his young wife and two young children. 432 00:20:32,520 –> 00:20:34,640 Satan got in. 433 00:20:36,239 –> 00:20:38,560 And all it took was an increase in his salary. 434 00:20:40,339 –> 00:20:41,180 All it took. 435 00:20:42,780 –> 00:20:44,540 He forgot the Lord. 436 00:20:46,319 –> 00:20:48,780 He began to say in verse 17, 437 00:20:48,780 –> 00:20:52,060 my strength and my power have produced this wealth for me. 438 00:20:52,060 –> 00:20:56,380 He felt strong, and it destroyed him. 439 00:20:58,060 –> 00:21:00,560 C.S. Lewis puts it like this he says, 440 00:21:00,560 –> 00:21:02,800 one of Satan’s greatest tactics 441 00:21:04,160 –> 00:21:06,800 is that he causes a man to feel 442 00:21:06,800 –> 00:21:09,239 that he is making his way in the world 443 00:21:09,239 –> 00:21:11,199 when all the time the reality is 444 00:21:11,199 –> 00:21:14,199 that the world is making its way in him. 445 00:21:17,199 –> 00:21:19,040 Let’s pause here for a moment longer. 446 00:21:21,640 –> 00:21:24,520 Success can destroy a generation 447 00:21:26,000 –> 00:21:27,400 if we forget the Lord. 448 00:21:28,239 –> 00:21:31,239 You know, this scripture here in 449 00:21:32,439 –> 00:21:33,880 Deuteronomy Chapter Eight 450 00:21:33,880 –> 00:21:34,920 I think could be written 451 00:21:34,920 –> 00:21:38,319 as a banner over the boomer 452 00:21:38,319 –> 00:21:42,319 generation, my generation, 453 00:21:42,319 –> 00:21:45,479 the 78 million of us 454 00:21:45,479 –> 00:21:48,560 born between 1946 and 1964. 455 00:21:49,959 –> 00:21:52,479 I was watching a documentary by Tom Brokaw 456 00:21:52,479 –> 00:21:53,560 who of course wrote the book 457 00:21:53,560 –> 00:21:54,719 on the greatest generation, 458 00:21:54,719 –> 00:21:55,719 the earlier generation, 459 00:21:56,599 –> 00:21:58,400 focusing his interest and attention 460 00:21:58,400 –> 00:22:00,439 on analyzing the dynamics 461 00:22:00,439 –> 00:22:02,520 of the boomer generation, 462 00:22:02,520 –> 00:22:03,920 largest generation ever. 463 00:22:06,239 –> 00:22:08,800 And we have enjoyed as a generation 464 00:22:08,800 –> 00:22:13,319 greater wealth than any other generation, period. 465 00:22:15,760 –> 00:22:17,439 But from Woodstock on 466 00:22:18,640 –> 00:22:20,439 in large measure, 467 00:22:21,560 –> 00:22:23,000 we have forgotten the Lord. 468 00:22:23,839 –> 00:22:26,880 As we have amassed great wealth, 469 00:22:26,880 –> 00:22:28,479 we have said my strength 470 00:22:28,479 –> 00:22:31,479 and the power of my hand has done this. 471 00:22:33,800 –> 00:22:35,880 Osundaus has this perceptive comment. 472 00:22:35,880 –> 00:22:38,920 He says, rebellion against God 473 00:22:38,920 –> 00:22:42,520 does not begin with the clenched fist of atheism, 474 00:22:42,520 –> 00:22:46,000 but rather with the self-satisfied heart 475 00:22:46,000 –> 00:22:49,280 for whom thank you is redundant. 476 00:22:49,280 –> 00:22:51,439 The lives of those who feel 477 00:22:51,439 –> 00:22:55,020 no need to give thanks to God. 478 00:22:56,219 –> 00:22:57,520 In large measure, that is the story 479 00:22:57,520 –> 00:22:58,979 of this generation is it not? 480 00:23:01,219 –> 00:23:04,959 More than that, success can destroy a church 481 00:23:05,939 –> 00:23:07,479 if we forget the Lord. 482 00:23:07,479 –> 00:23:08,959 Think about this. 483 00:23:08,959 –> 00:23:11,839 There is a subtle test that comes to a church 484 00:23:11,839 –> 00:23:15,239 when it grows, and when ministry begins to expand. 485 00:23:16,479 –> 00:23:17,540 When a church grows, 486 00:23:17,540 –> 00:23:20,599 other churches want to know how it happened. 487 00:23:20,680 –> 00:23:22,900 What was the secret of your success? 488 00:23:22,900 –> 00:23:25,359 Books get written, seminars go on the road. 489 00:23:25,359 –> 00:23:29,000 The church begins to say look what we were able to do, 490 00:23:29,000 –> 00:23:31,239 and Satan runs rampant. 491 00:23:31,239 –> 00:23:32,439 Have you not seen this? 492 00:23:34,800 –> 00:23:37,239 A few weeks ago, I asked you to join me in prayer 493 00:23:37,239 –> 00:23:40,420 for two things, God’s protection and God’s provision. 494 00:23:41,719 –> 00:23:43,280 We need his protection 495 00:23:43,280 –> 00:23:46,839 because we are experiencing his blessing. 496 00:23:46,839 –> 00:23:48,160 Here we are on the countdown 497 00:23:48,180 –> 00:23:51,239 and we’re about to open two new sites, 498 00:23:51,239 –> 00:23:54,479 and if Moses was here, he would stand on this platform 499 00:23:54,479 –> 00:23:56,859 and he would say to us be careful. 500 00:23:58,239 –> 00:23:59,099 Be careful. 501 00:24:00,660 –> 00:24:03,920 Do not forget the Lord your God, 502 00:24:03,920 –> 00:24:05,099 and whatever you do, 503 00:24:05,099 –> 00:24:07,400 don’t be tempted for one moment to say my power 504 00:24:07,400 –> 00:24:09,680 or the strength of my hand has done this. 505 00:24:12,380 –> 00:24:13,760 Let the blessing of God 506 00:24:13,760 –> 00:24:15,959 lead the church into a circle of praise, 507 00:24:15,959 –> 00:24:17,479 not a circle of pride. 508 00:24:19,119 –> 00:24:21,359 Do you remember the church at Laodicea? 509 00:24:23,660 –> 00:24:25,239 Fabulous opportunity, 510 00:24:27,920 –> 00:24:29,199 and Christ says, you say, 511 00:24:29,199 –> 00:24:30,760 I’m rich, I’ve acquired wealth, 512 00:24:30,760 –> 00:24:32,520 I don’t need anything, 513 00:24:32,520 –> 00:24:37,520 and Christ said, I am about to spit you out of my mouth. 514 00:24:39,640 –> 00:24:42,859 So success can destroy a church. 515 00:24:43,560 –> 00:24:47,760 I was ordained in Charlotte Chapel, 516 00:24:48,699 –> 00:24:50,300 wonderful church in Edinburgh. 517 00:24:52,180 –> 00:24:55,140 It was the largest Baptist church in Scotland. 518 00:24:56,099 –> 00:24:57,359 Do you know what I mean when I say 519 00:24:57,359 –> 00:24:59,719 at least some of the members were very aware 520 00:24:59,719 –> 00:25:04,060 that it was the largest Baptist church in Scotland? 521 00:25:05,459 –> 00:25:07,880 And my pastor Derek prime was very sensitive 522 00:25:07,880 –> 00:25:09,739 to the temptation that that involved. 523 00:25:11,060 –> 00:25:12,699 And he used to say very regularly 524 00:25:12,699 –> 00:25:15,459 something like this, he would say, 525 00:25:15,459 –> 00:25:19,439 remember that the life of the church 526 00:25:19,439 –> 00:25:21,739 is the blessing of God. 527 00:25:22,979 –> 00:25:25,859 And if God were to shut off that blessing, 528 00:25:27,020 –> 00:25:31,180 any church would dwindle to nothing 529 00:25:31,180 –> 00:25:34,540 before you even knew it. 530 00:25:34,540 –> 00:25:35,900 Is that true? 531 00:25:35,900 –> 00:25:37,660 It’s true, he’s right. 532 00:25:38,979 –> 00:25:40,640 The blessing of God. 533 00:25:40,640 –> 00:25:43,199 Now here’s my question then, 534 00:25:43,199 –> 00:25:44,800 since the blessing of God 535 00:25:44,800 –> 00:25:47,359 will lead you into one of two circles, 536 00:25:47,359 –> 00:25:49,160 it will either lead you into a circle of praise 537 00:25:49,160 –> 00:25:51,400 or it will lead you into a circle of pride, 538 00:25:51,400 –> 00:25:56,400 my question then is, what is success doing in your life? 539 00:25:56,560 –> 00:25:59,319 Is it increasing your praise? 540 00:26:00,660 –> 00:26:02,400 Or is it increasing your pride? 541 00:26:03,920 –> 00:26:06,560 And maybe you will find as you look into your own heart, 542 00:26:06,560 –> 00:26:08,260 as I ask you to search your heart, 543 00:26:08,260 –> 00:26:10,719 as I have again been seeking to search mine, 544 00:26:10,719 –> 00:26:12,739 perhaps you will find yourself saying 545 00:26:12,739 –> 00:26:14,500 there is too much pride 546 00:26:14,500 –> 00:26:19,339 and too little praise in this heart 547 00:26:19,339 –> 00:26:20,180 of mine. 548 00:26:21,939 –> 00:26:25,819 Now that then leads to the question where we detect pride. 549 00:26:26,939 –> 00:26:29,920 How do you break out of the circle of pride? 550 00:26:29,920 –> 00:26:33,219 How do you get back into the circle of praise? 551 00:26:33,219 –> 00:26:36,280 How do you break that pattern of thought 552 00:26:36,300 –> 00:26:38,719 that takes credit to yourself 553 00:26:38,719 –> 00:26:43,479 for what you have accomplished in your life? 554 00:26:43,479 –> 00:26:46,020 Look with me at verse 17 and 18. 555 00:26:46,020 –> 00:26:4,640 You see Moses is describing in verse 17 556 00:26:48,640 –> 00:26:52,280 the person who is locked into the circle of pride. 557 00:26:52,280 –> 00:26:53,400 You may say to yourself, 558 00:26:53,400 –> 00:26:55,660 my power and the strength of my hands 559 00:26:55,660 –> 00:26:58,300 have produced this wealth for me, verse 17. 560 00:26:58,300 –> 00:26:59,339 Now verse 18, 561 00:26:59,339 –> 00:27:00,900 but, 562 00:27:00,900 –> 00:27:01,739 but. 563 00:27:01,739 –> 00:27:03,680 I see here is a transition. 564 00:27:03,680 –> 00:27:07,920 Here’s how you break out of the circle of pride. 565 00:27:07,920 –> 00:27:09,520 But, 566 00:27:09,520 –> 00:27:12,099 remember the Lord, your God, 567 00:27:12,099 –> 00:27:13,959 for it is he 568 00:27:13,959 –> 00:27:18,439 who gives you the ability to produce wealth. 569 00:27:18,439 –> 00:27:19,920 And so confirms the covenant 570 00:27:19,920 –> 00:27:22,280 which he swore to your forefathers 571 00:27:22,280 –> 00:27:25,939 as it is today. 572 00:27:25,939 –> 00:27:28,640 Now Moses is just making this obvious point, isn’t he? 573 00:27:30,520 –> 00:27:33,380 You say it was my strength 574 00:27:33,380 –> 00:27:35,359 that did this. 575 00:27:35,359 –> 00:27:40,000 You say it was the power of my hand that did this. 576 00:27:40,000 –> 00:27:41,319 And Moses is simply saying well 577 00:27:41,319 –> 00:27:43,939 where did you get the strength? 578 00:27:43,939 –> 00:27:46,939 Who gave power to your hand? 579 00:27:46,939 –> 00:27:50,900 Where do you think that came from? 580 00:27:50,900 –> 00:27:52,300 Who gave you the skills 581 00:27:52,300 –> 00:27:56,160 that built that successful business? 582 00:27:56,160 –> 00:27:57,680 Who gave you the mind 583 00:27:57,680 –> 00:28:02,239 that was able to discern these truths? 584 00:28:02,280 –> 00:28:07,280 Who gave you the strength that achieved your success? 585 00:28:09,260 –> 00:28:11,160 The Book of Daniel there is a story 586 00:28:11,160 –> 00:28:13,719 that really is a wonderful illustration 587 00:28:13,719 –> 00:28:17,900 of what Moses is speaking about here. 588 00:28:17,900 –> 00:28:21,439 It tells us in Daniel chapter 4 about Nebuchadnezzar, 589 00:28:21,439 –> 00:28:26,439 a king who accomplished extraordinary things. 590 00:28:27,020 –> 00:28:29,300 And one day you can read it in Daniel chapter 4 591 00:28:29,540 –> 00:28:30,359 in verse 30. 592 00:28:30,359 –> 00:28:33,239 King Nebuchadnezzar was out there walking 593 00:28:33,239 –> 00:28:36,939 on the roof of his royal palace in Babylon. 594 00:28:37,939 –> 00:28:42,459 And he’s looking over these wonders of the ancient world. 595 00:28:45,040 –> 00:28:47,339 And he says this, it’s recorded in the scripture. 596 00:28:47,339 –> 00:28:50,060 He says, strutting on the roof, he says, 597 00:28:51,099 –> 00:28:54,780 is this not the great Babylon 598 00:28:54,780 –> 00:28:58,060 that I have built by my mighty power 599 00:28:58,099 –> 00:29:00,660 and for the glory of my majesty. 600 00:29:00,660 –> 00:29:03,420 That is what Nebuchadnezzar said 601 00:29:03,420 –> 00:29:05,959 on the roof of his own palace. 602 00:29:07,880 –> 00:29:12,420 The Bible says that while Nebuchadnezzar 603 00:29:12,420 –> 00:29:14,760 was actually saying this, before the words 604 00:29:14,760 –> 00:29:19,560 were off his tongue, God spoke. 605 00:29:21,199 –> 00:29:24,520 And Nebuchadnezzar, in a moment, lost his mind. 606 00:29:25,359 –> 00:29:28,079 He became completely mad. 607 00:29:30,479 –> 00:29:33,680 The Bible tells us that for a time after that 608 00:29:33,680 –> 00:29:36,739 he was away from the palace, away from the people, 609 00:29:36,739 –> 00:29:41,739 he ate grass, lived with the animals in the field, 610 00:29:43,640 –> 00:29:46,160 and can you picture this, his hair grew 611 00:29:46,160 –> 00:29:49,479 like the feathers of an eagle, 612 00:29:49,479 –> 00:29:53,739 and his nails became like the claws of a bird. 613 00:29:55,359 –> 00:30:00,359 Can you imagine how desperate that man became? 614 00:30:02,500 –> 00:30:04,339 And he gives his testimony. 615 00:30:05,739 –> 00:30:07,760 This man who had been strutting on the roof 616 00:30:07,760 –> 00:30:09,699 and saying, look at what I’ve done. 617 00:30:11,739 –> 00:30:14,319 He says that after a time in this dreadful condition, 618 00:30:14,319 –> 00:30:19,319 he says, I Nebuchadnezzar raised my eyes towards heaven 619 00:30:20,079 –> 00:30:22,560 and my sanity was restored, 620 00:30:23,400 –> 00:30:26,479 and then I praise the most High God. 621 00:30:28,459 –> 00:30:33,099 Everything he does is right and those who walk in pride, 622 00:30:34,040 –> 00:30:37,420 he is able to humble. 623 00:30:38,900 –> 00:30:40,719 See Nebuchadnezzar, you’re saying 624 00:30:40,719 –> 00:30:43,319 it’s the strength of your hand that’s done this? 625 00:30:45,040 –> 00:30:46,660 Boy, apart from the mercy of God, 626 00:30:46,660 –> 00:30:47,780 you haven’t even got a mind 627 00:30:47,780 –> 00:30:49,540 that can put two thoughts together. 628 00:30:50,319 –> 00:30:55,319 Luther has a lovely picture here, he says this. 629 00:30:56,079 –> 00:30:58,199 I find it helpful to think about it. 630 00:30:58,199 –> 00:31:03,040 He says, God uses our effort as a mask 631 00:31:03,040 –> 00:31:07,640 under which he blesses us. 632 00:31:07,640 –> 00:31:09,099 That makes you think, doesn’t it? 633 00:31:09,099 –> 00:31:13,219 God uses your effort, all the effort you put in to work 634 00:31:13,219 –> 00:31:16,760 and all your skills, all your gifts, all your abilities, 635 00:31:16,760 –> 00:31:19,199 God uses all of that as a mask 636 00:31:20,420 –> 00:31:24,060 under which he blesses us. 637 00:31:25,439 –> 00:31:27,439 You see, people see what you’ve accomplished, 638 00:31:27,439 –> 00:31:29,640 people see the masks, they see what’s on the outside, 639 00:31:29,640 –> 00:31:30,859 they see the mask. 640 00:31:30,859 –> 00:31:34,439 They say, well, you’re very gifted, you’re very talented. 641 00:31:34,439 –> 00:31:36,280 How much he’s accomplished. 642 00:31:37,880 –> 00:31:41,099 But Luther says, if you are very wise, 643 00:31:41,099 –> 00:31:43,619 you will know that that’s just a mask 644 00:31:44,380 –> 00:31:46,699 and that underneath it, 645 00:31:46,699 –> 00:31:48,939 the real explanation of the good 646 00:31:48,939 –> 00:31:50,219 that has happened in your life 647 00:31:50,219 –> 00:31:53,180 does not lie ultimately in your talent and your gift 648 00:31:53,180 –> 00:31:54,719 and your effort and your success, 649 00:31:54,719 –> 00:31:56,979 but in the blessing of God that has come to you 650 00:31:56,979 –> 00:31:58,719 without which you would be nothing. 651 00:32:00,400 –> 00:32:02,540 And so he says, God blesses us sometimes 652 00:32:02,540 –> 00:32:06,699 through our efforts, sometimes without our efforts, 653 00:32:07,680 –> 00:32:12,680 never from our efforts and always because of his mercy. 654 00:32:14,160 –> 00:32:17,439 Matthew Henry has this lovely comment, 655 00:32:17,439 –> 00:32:22,359 he says, only God can say I am who I am. 656 00:32:22,359 –> 00:32:27,359 All the rest of us have to say by the grace of God 657 00:32:28,239 –> 00:32:31,660 I am who I am. 658 00:32:33,280 –> 00:32:34,339 And then he says this, 659 00:32:34,339 –> 00:32:36,560 I’ll just read this quote to you here. 660 00:32:36,560 –> 00:32:38,160 I love the way Matthew Henry puts it. 661 00:32:38,160 –> 00:32:40,040 He’s writing from a past century, 662 00:32:40,040 –> 00:32:42,199 as you’ll understand from his wording here. 663 00:32:42,339 –> 00:32:45,459 He says, when we have got it, 664 00:32:46,479 –> 00:32:50,680 we must not say it was the might of our hand that got it. 665 00:32:50,680 –> 00:32:52,040 We must own that it was God 666 00:32:52,040 –> 00:32:54,579 who gave us the power to get it. 667 00:32:54,579 –> 00:32:57,500 And therefore in him, we must give thanks 668 00:32:57,500 –> 00:33:01,119 and praise and consecrate the use of it. 669 00:33:01,119 –> 00:33:04,359 To him, we must consecrate the use of it. 670 00:33:04,359 –> 00:33:06,079 See the New Testament puts it like this 671 00:33:06,079 –> 00:33:07,640 in the form of a very simple question. 672 00:33:07,640 –> 00:33:10,900 What do you have that you did not receive? 673 00:33:10,900 –> 00:33:11,939 That’s the question. 674 00:33:11,959 –> 00:33:13,920 One Corinthians four and verse seven. 675 00:33:13,920 –> 00:33:18,920 Really, what do you have that you did not receive? 676 00:33:20,760 –> 00:33:22,040 And you see, that takes us 677 00:33:22,040 –> 00:33:24,479 to the heart of the gospel, doesn’t it? 678 00:33:24,479 –> 00:33:28,199 You are justified freely by God’s grace 679 00:33:28,199 –> 00:33:30,479 through the redemption that comes by Jesus Christ. 680 00:33:30,479 –> 00:33:34,359 God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, 681 00:33:34,359 –> 00:33:36,560 bearing your sins on the cross, 682 00:33:36,560 –> 00:33:37,880 shedding his blood. 683 00:33:37,880 –> 00:33:40,880 And so Paul says when he explains how we are saved, 684 00:33:40,939 –> 00:33:42,619 he says in Romans and chapter three, 685 00:33:42,619 –> 00:33:44,140 well, there, where is boasting? 686 00:33:45,040 –> 00:33:47,439 And he says, it’s excluded obviously, 687 00:33:48,520 –> 00:33:52,359 because we are redeemed not by the strength of our hands, 688 00:33:52,359 –> 00:33:55,439 not by our gifts or our intelligence, 689 00:33:55,439 –> 00:33:56,760 or by our effort, 690 00:33:57,680 –> 00:34:02,680 but by the shed blood of our Lord and savior, Jesus Christ. 691 00:34:04,979 –> 00:34:06,640 One story and then we’re through. 692 00:34:07,979 –> 00:34:10,120 Carl F.H Henry, 693 00:34:11,040 –> 00:34:13,100 was an extraordinarily gifted man. 694 00:34:13,100 –> 00:34:14,959 Many of you will have heard his name, 695 00:34:16,300 –> 00:34:21,159 his brilliant mind and his wise judgment were used by God, 696 00:34:21,159 –> 00:34:25,699 perhaps more than any other person in shaping 697 00:34:25,699 –> 00:34:29,860 the evangelicalism of the second half of the 20th century. 698 00:34:31,699 –> 00:34:33,340 Carl Henry, who is with the Lord now, 699 00:34:33,340 –> 00:34:35,540 was a man of extraordinary scholarship, 700 00:34:35,540 –> 00:34:37,340 he was a prolific author, 701 00:34:38,159 –> 00:34:42,239 he was involved in the founding of Fuller Seminary, 702 00:34:42,239 –> 00:34:45,179 had influence in the semainery we love at Trinity, 703 00:34:46,439 –> 00:34:48,879 Director of Christianity today. 704 00:34:50,820 –> 00:34:53,040 Late in Dr. Henry’s life, 705 00:34:53,879 –> 00:34:56,879 Dr. Don Carson conducted an interview with him 706 00:34:57,979 –> 00:35:01,120 and the interview really covered his career 707 00:35:01,120 –> 00:35:04,560 and the events and the achievements of half a century 708 00:35:04,580 –> 00:35:09,459 and at the end, Dr. Carson asked him this question, 709 00:35:11,560 –> 00:35:16,120 Dr. Henry, having achieved so much in your life 710 00:35:17,639 –> 00:35:19,860 how do you stop it going to your head? 711 00:35:21,300 –> 00:35:22,600 And Henry said this, 712 00:35:24,139 –> 00:35:28,439 how can a man possibly be proud 713 00:35:28,439 –> 00:35:31,320 if he’s standing beside a cross? 714 00:35:32,199 –> 00:35:36,820 How can a man possibly be proud 715 00:35:36,820 –> 00:35:40,120 if he’s standing beside a cross? 716 00:35:41,600 –> 00:35:43,459 And friends, at the end of the day 717 00:35:43,459 –> 00:35:44,639 there are only two kinds of men, 718 00:35:44,639 –> 00:35:46,639 there are only two kinds of women, 719 00:35:46,639 –> 00:35:50,000 there are those who are standing on their own achievement 720 00:35:51,659 –> 00:35:56,360 and there are those who are standing beside a cross. 721 00:35:57,459 –> 00:35:58,699 What about you? 722 00:35:59,679 –> 00:36:02,939 Fear the Lord and his blessing will lead you 723 00:36:02,939 –> 00:36:05,300 into a circle of praise. 724 00:36:06,620 –> 00:36:10,139 Forget the Lord and his blessing will lead you 725 00:36:10,139 –> 00:36:12,379 into a life of pride. 726 00:36:14,300 –> 00:36:17,320 But how can anyone be proud 727 00:36:18,939 –> 00:36:23,139 if he or she is standing beside a cross? 728 00:36:24,199 –> 00:36:25,639 Let’s pray together shall we? 729 00:36:26,639 –> 00:36:29,379 Father in Heaven, we are so deeply aware 730 00:36:29,379 –> 00:36:34,379 that sometimes we miss the enemies most subtle attacks. 731 00:36:39,199 –> 00:36:42,340 We ask that you will make us wise people, 732 00:36:43,800 –> 00:36:48,139 careful, that as we rejoice in all the abundance 733 00:36:48,139 –> 00:36:51,280 of your many, many good gifts and receive them gladly, 734 00:36:52,100 –> 00:36:57,100 we may be on our guard against the subtle test of success 735 00:37:00,120 –> 00:37:03,360 and make us those, we pray, who everyday consciously 736 00:37:03,360 –> 00:37:07,699 are standing beside the cross with no claim 737 00:37:07,699 –> 00:37:12,620 to our own merits, no lauding of our own achievements, 738 00:37:14,199 –> 00:37:19,080 only uplifting the name and the work of the savior 739 00:37:19,080 –> 00:37:21,320 who loved us and gave himself for us 740 00:37:21,320 –> 00:37:23,360 and then rose from the dead in triumph 741 00:37:23,360 –> 00:37:26,139 and one day is coming for us in power and glory. 742 00:37:28,360 –> 00:37:30,040 Teach us, we pray, by your mercy, 743 00:37:30,040 –> 00:37:32,020 to live for him and for him, alone, 744 00:37:33,479 –> 00:37:36,580 through Jesus Christ, our Lord, 745 00:37:36,580 –> 00:37:39,399 and everyone together said, Amen.