1 00:00:00,000 –> 00:00:02,200 Now I hope you have your Bible open at Deuteronomy. 2 00:00:02,200 –> 00:00:04,760 Last week we really answered the question, 3 00:00:04,760 –> 00:00:08,840 what does this book have to do with us today? 4 00:00:08,840 –> 00:00:10,600 And we saw that the Book of Deuteronomy 5 00:00:10,600 –> 00:00:13,280 is really about how people with a faith 6 00:00:13,280 –> 00:00:16,559 become people with a mission. 7 00:00:16,559 –> 00:00:20,959 This is the word that God spoke, through Moses to his people 8 00:00:20,959 –> 00:00:25,400 on the very verge of the land of Canaan. 9 00:00:25,799 –> 00:00:28,500 God is telling them, giving them, 10 00:00:28,500 –> 00:00:33,340 what it takes to break free from the habits of the past 11 00:00:33,340 –> 00:00:36,840 and to enter into something that is new. 12 00:00:36,840 –> 00:00:38,919 And that is why we have called this series, 13 00:00:38,919 –> 00:00:43,480 Take to the Power of a Fresh Start. 14 00:00:43,480 –> 00:00:46,160 Now if you have your Bible open at the first chapter, 15 00:00:46,160 –> 00:00:48,320 you may recall from verse six, 16 00:00:48,320 –> 00:00:52,400 that the book begins with a flashback. 17 00:00:52,400 –> 00:00:54,840 Picture this, Moses is with the people 18 00:00:54,840 –> 00:00:57,860 camped on the verge of the river Jordan. 19 00:00:57,860 –> 00:01:00,880 They’re about to go into the land of Canaan. 20 00:01:00,880 –> 00:01:04,220 And from verse six of chapter one, 21 00:01:04,220 –> 00:01:07,480 Moses goes back and tells the story 22 00:01:07,480 –> 00:01:11,080 of what has happened in the last 40 years. 23 00:01:11,080 –> 00:01:13,540 The Lord, our God, said to us at Horeb. 24 00:01:13,540 –> 00:01:15,160 That was 40 years before. 25 00:01:15,160 –> 00:01:17,879 You have stayed long enough at this mountain. 26 00:01:17,879 –> 00:01:20,320 And then he tells the story, as we saw last time, 27 00:01:20,320 –> 00:01:22,099 of how the people rebelled against God. 28 00:01:22,099 –> 00:01:23,779 They refused to trust in him. 29 00:01:23,779 –> 00:01:26,220 They declined to go into the land of Canaan, 30 00:01:26,220 –> 00:01:28,360 and therefore 40 years were wasted 31 00:01:28,360 –> 00:01:31,080 wandering in the desert. 32 00:01:31,080 –> 00:01:34,080 After 40 years, we saw last time 33 00:01:34,080 –> 00:01:38,680 that all the men that were of fighting age, 34 00:01:38,680 –> 00:01:41,120 all the men, what’s fighting age? 35 00:01:41,120 –> 00:01:44,120 I’m gonna to call that 18 years and older, okay? 36 00:01:44,120 –> 00:01:46,400 Let’s just use that as a figure. 37 00:01:46,400 –> 00:01:48,500 All the men, 18 years and older, 38 00:01:48,500 –> 00:01:51,480 all the men at fighting age at the time of the Exodus, 39 00:01:51,540 –> 00:01:52,820 the time of Mount Sinai, 40 00:01:53,940 –> 00:01:58,459 all of them died in the desert 41 00:01:58,459 –> 00:02:01,360 during the next 40 years. 42 00:02:01,360 –> 00:02:03,260 So I want you to get the picture 43 00:02:03,260 –> 00:02:06,059 because it’s very important for us to understand 44 00:02:06,059 –> 00:02:09,139 the message from God’s Word today. 45 00:02:09,139 –> 00:02:13,839 Let’s assume that fighting age is 18 and work this out. 46 00:02:14,759 –> 00:02:19,759 If everybody over 18 is dead after 40 years, 47 00:02:22,100 –> 00:02:27,100 then nobody over the age of 58 is alive, are you with me? 48 00:02:29,240 –> 00:02:30,919 Okay, let’s just think about this. 49 00:02:30,919 –> 00:02:33,419 Think about the implications of this with me. 50 00:02:33,419 –> 00:02:37,020 Everyone aged 18 and older at Mount Sinai, 51 00:02:37,020 –> 00:02:39,639 all the folks 18 and older at the time of the Exodus 52 00:02:39,639 –> 00:02:42,559 when they came out of Egypt, they’ve all died. 53 00:02:42,559 –> 00:02:45,320 After 40 years, the 18-year-olds, 54 00:02:45,320 –> 00:02:47,580 that’s the youngest of them would be 58. 55 00:02:47,580 –> 00:02:51,300 So 58 is the oldest person in the nation. 56 00:02:51,300 –> 00:02:53,720 You’re 58, you’re a geriatric 57 00:02:53,720 –> 00:02:57,339 as far as this generation is concerned. 58 00:02:57,339 –> 00:03:00,520 All the adults that came out of Egypt, 59 00:03:00,520 –> 00:03:04,139 all the adults who were standing there at Mount Sinai 60 00:03:04,139 –> 00:03:07,899 when God gave His law, all of them died in the desert. 61 00:03:07,899 –> 00:03:11,860 None of them entered into the Promised Land 62 00:03:11,860 –> 00:03:16,860 and we saw that last week in chapter two and verse 15. 63 00:03:16,960 –> 00:03:19,919 What that means is that the children 64 00:03:19,960 –> 00:03:22,759 at the time of the Exodus, those who were just young, 65 00:03:22,759 –> 00:03:25,720 all those who were under the age of 18 66 00:03:25,720 –> 00:03:27,600 at the time of Mount Sinai, 67 00:03:27,600 –> 00:03:29,199 they’re going to have moved up 68 00:03:29,199 –> 00:03:32,839 and they’re going to be between the ages of 40 and 58. 69 00:03:34,580 –> 00:03:35,460 Imagine that. 70 00:03:36,740 –> 00:03:40,800 A nation where the oldest 71 00:03:40,800 –> 00:03:45,740 is 58 years of age. 72 00:03:46,220 –> 00:03:50,300 And the 40 to 58 year olds, 73 00:03:50,300 –> 00:03:51,500 they can think back, 74 00:03:51,500 –> 00:03:52,820 40 years ago, what is that? 75 00:03:52,820 –> 00:03:54,479 That’s 1970. 76 00:03:54,479 –> 00:03:57,059 What do you remember about 1970? 77 00:03:57,059 –> 00:03:58,860 Is it vivid for you? 78 00:03:58,860 –> 00:04:00,279 You know. 79 00:04:00,279 –> 00:04:02,179 Those who are 40 years old and over, 80 00:04:02,179 –> 00:04:05,139 they only have vague memories of these events 81 00:04:05,139 –> 00:04:08,820 according to the stage that they were at in life 82 00:04:08,820 –> 00:04:10,139 40 years ago. 83 00:04:10,139 –> 00:04:12,100 The vast majority of the people, 84 00:04:12,100 –> 00:04:13,820 thirdly, third observation, 85 00:04:13,820 –> 00:04:16,540 were obviously under the age of 40. 86 00:04:16,540 –> 00:04:19,619 They were born to parents who then died fairly young 87 00:04:19,619 –> 00:04:21,839 in the desert. 88 00:04:22,859 –> 00:04:24,619 So this is a young nation. 89 00:04:25,859 –> 00:04:28,140 No one really over 60. 90 00:04:29,239 –> 00:04:32,299 With the exception of Moses, 91 00:04:32,299 –> 00:04:34,540 who’s now over a hundred, 92 00:04:34,540 –> 00:04:37,940 and Caleb and Joshua, 93 00:04:39,179 –> 00:04:43,200 these guys must have been having a major experience 94 00:04:43,200 –> 00:04:44,339 of a generation gap. 95 00:04:44,339 –> 00:04:45,679 Can you imagine being Moses over a hundred 96 00:04:45,679 –> 00:04:48,720 and the next guys are 58? 97 00:04:48,720 –> 00:04:50,040 Huge gap. 98 00:04:50,880 –> 00:04:54,440 This missing generation, 99 00:04:54,440 –> 00:04:58,100 those who have died in the desert. 100 00:04:58,100 –> 00:05:00,260 Now I just wanna make really sure we’ve all got this 101 00:05:00,260 –> 00:05:01,980 and that we’re all together before we move on 102 00:05:01,980 –> 00:05:05,179 because it’s key to understanding this part 103 00:05:05,179 –> 00:05:07,679 of the scripture, I believe. 104 00:05:07,679 –> 00:05:11,559 How many of you here today 105 00:05:11,559 –> 00:05:13,399 are under the age of 40? 106 00:05:13,399 –> 00:05:14,480 Let’s have a show of hands. 107 00:05:14,480 –> 00:05:16,600 All the under 40s, okay? 108 00:05:16,600 –> 00:05:19,000 Everyone under 40. 109 00:05:19,000 –> 00:05:22,320 Now you are the ones who were born in the desert. 110 00:05:22,320 –> 00:05:24,320 You weren’t alive at the time of the exodus, 111 00:05:24,320 –> 00:05:27,480 you were born in the desert. 112 00:05:29,000 –> 00:05:30,980 Let’s have the 40 to 58 year olds. 113 00:05:30,980 –> 00:05:32,320 I’m in that group. 114 00:05:32,320 –> 00:05:33,839 All the ones who are 40 to 50, 115 00:05:33,839 –> 00:05:35,940 come on, hands up, very good. 116 00:05:35,940 –> 00:05:37,480 There’s a good number of us here. 117 00:05:37,839 –> 00:05:41,000 Okay, we were there at Mt Sinai 118 00:05:41,000 –> 00:05:43,660 but most of us were very young. 119 00:05:43,660 –> 00:05:46,299 40 years ago, I was 12. 120 00:05:46,920 –> 00:05:50,940 So I’m trying to put myself in the shoes of these guys. 121 00:05:50,940 –> 00:05:55,940 What would I remember from all of these events? 122 00:05:56,940 –> 00:05:59,239 Those of you who are over 58, 123 00:05:59,920 –> 00:06:03,940 thank God today that you were not in the generation 124 00:06:03,940 –> 00:06:05,279 that was in the desert, 125 00:06:05,279 –> 00:06:06,820 the generation that came out of Egypt 126 00:06:06,820 –> 00:06:09,299 because you wouldn’t be alive if you were in that generation. 127 00:06:09,420 –> 00:06:13,739 Thank God for His gift of life to you. 128 00:06:13,739 –> 00:06:15,600 Now, we’ve got it clear in our minds. 129 00:06:15,600 –> 00:06:18,239 Look at chapter 1, verse 6, please. 130 00:06:18,239 –> 00:06:22,119 When Moses says, the Lord, our God, said to us at Horeb, 131 00:06:22,119 –> 00:06:24,640 you have stayed long enough at this mountain, 132 00:06:24,640 –> 00:06:28,260 he’s talking about what happened 40 years ago, 133 00:06:29,140 –> 00:06:32,239 when most of the people weren’t even born, 134 00:06:32,239 –> 00:06:36,359 and many of the rest were too young to remember. 135 00:06:37,179 –> 00:06:40,119 Now I want you to look at verse 26, 136 00:06:40,119 –> 00:06:42,980 which is the beginning of our passage for today. 137 00:06:42,980 –> 00:06:46,440 And I want to see if you notice something 138 00:06:46,440 –> 00:06:49,019 that is obviously very strange. 139 00:06:50,440 –> 00:06:53,700 Verse 26, you were unwilling to go up. 140 00:06:57,059 –> 00:07:00,399 Verse 26, you rebelled against the Lord. 141 00:07:00,420 –> 00:07:02,380 You rebelled against the Lord. 142 00:07:02,380 –> 00:07:05,920 Verse 27, you grumbled in your tents 143 00:07:05,920 –> 00:07:08,160 and said the Lord hates us. 144 00:07:09,140 –> 00:07:13,220 Verse 32, you did not trust in the Lord your God. 145 00:07:14,540 –> 00:07:17,100 Now you see where I’m going with this. 146 00:07:17,100 –> 00:07:19,959 The obvious question is why in the world 147 00:07:19,959 –> 00:07:22,380 is Moses saying this to them? 148 00:07:23,619 –> 00:07:25,459 If I’d been there, I’m sure I’d want to have 149 00:07:25,459 –> 00:07:29,959 raised my hand, and excuse me, Moses, excuse me. 150 00:07:30,320 –> 00:07:33,519 Why are you saying this to us? 151 00:07:33,519 –> 00:07:35,739 I was only 12 when these things 152 00:07:35,739 –> 00:07:37,839 that you’re talking about happened, 153 00:07:37,839 –> 00:07:40,859 and most of the rest of us weren’t even born. 154 00:07:40,859 –> 00:07:43,660 It was our parents who did these things, not us. 155 00:07:43,660 –> 00:07:46,399 How can you say, Moses, we refuse to go up? 156 00:07:46,399 –> 00:07:47,799 Why are you saying, Moses, 157 00:07:47,799 –> 00:07:49,480 that we were the ones who grumbled? 158 00:07:49,480 –> 00:07:52,540 It wasn’t us who did these things, it was our parents. 159 00:07:52,540 –> 00:07:56,359 That’s what I’d want to say to him, wouldn’t you? 160 00:07:56,359 –> 00:07:58,700 So why is Moses saying this? 161 00:08:00,100 –> 00:08:04,260 Is he blaming the children for the sins of the parents? 162 00:08:06,279 –> 00:08:08,279 No, God never does that. 163 00:08:10,000 –> 00:08:14,500 He is teaching the children to learn from the parents. 164 00:08:18,239 –> 00:08:20,700 The message here is very simple, 165 00:08:20,700 –> 00:08:23,859 and Moses is making it plain. 166 00:08:23,859 –> 00:08:28,700 Understand this folks that what was in your parents 167 00:08:28,700 –> 00:08:31,480 is also in you. 168 00:08:32,619 –> 00:08:35,059 You will face the same temptations, 169 00:08:35,059 –> 00:08:37,859 the same struggles that they did. 170 00:08:37,859 –> 00:08:41,820 What defeated them, you now have to overcome 171 00:08:41,820 –> 00:08:45,619 in your time in your life and in your experience. 172 00:08:45,619 –> 00:08:47,260 And that is why I’ve called the message 173 00:08:47,260 –> 00:08:49,580 from Deuteronomy today changing the future 174 00:08:49,580 –> 00:08:52,140 by owning the past. 175 00:08:52,140 –> 00:08:54,539 What is this past that they must own? 176 00:08:55,739 –> 00:08:58,059 What is it that’s in these people 177 00:08:58,059 –> 00:09:01,840 that also was in their parents and also is in us 178 00:09:01,840 –> 00:09:04,340 that we must overcome? 179 00:09:04,340 –> 00:09:06,179 I want you to see that from the passage 180 00:09:06,179 –> 00:09:07,140 that’s in front of me. 181 00:09:07,140 –> 00:09:10,400 So let me offer to you, from the scriptures here, 182 00:09:10,400 –> 00:09:15,400 six impulses that are in you as they are in me by nature. 183 00:09:17,219 –> 00:09:22,219 Six impulses that are in you as they are in me by nature. 184 00:09:23,780 –> 00:09:25,919 They’re all right here in front of you in the scripture. 185 00:09:26,000 –> 00:09:28,140 Number one, verse 26, 186 00:09:28,140 –> 00:09:32,840 by nature I rebel against God. 187 00:09:32,840 –> 00:09:36,000 Now, I mean me and I mean you 188 00:09:36,000 –> 00:09:40,919 by nature I rebel against God, 189 00:09:40,919 –> 00:09:42,640 you were unwilling to go up, 190 00:09:42,640 –> 00:09:44,799 he says to this younger generation, 191 00:09:44,799 –> 00:09:48,000 you rebelled, rebelled against the command 192 00:09:48,000 –> 00:09:50,059 of the Lord your God. 193 00:09:50,840 –> 00:09:53,640 So what this means is that our corruption, 194 00:09:54,580 –> 00:09:58,340 the effect of sin in you and the effect of sin in me 195 00:09:58,340 –> 00:10:03,080 is deeper than a few sins and a few mistakes. 196 00:10:03,080 –> 00:10:06,039 By nature, I resent God. 197 00:10:06,039 –> 00:10:10,320 By nature, I resist his authority over my life. 198 00:10:10,320 –> 00:10:13,780 By nature, it is my nature my old nature 199 00:10:13,780 –> 00:10:18,000 to want to assert my independence from God, 200 00:10:18,000 –> 00:10:20,580 I want by nature to be my own savior, 201 00:10:20,580 –> 00:10:22,760 I want by nature to be my own Lord, 202 00:10:22,799 –> 00:10:25,919 by nature, I rebel against God. 203 00:10:25,919 –> 00:10:29,739 Second, by nature, I treat God with contempt. 204 00:10:31,020 –> 00:10:34,219 Verse 27, you grumbled in your tents, 205 00:10:34,219 –> 00:10:37,380 and you said, the Lord hates us. 206 00:10:37,380 –> 00:10:38,760 And that’s striking. 207 00:10:38,760 –> 00:10:40,840 So that’s why he brought us out of Egypt 208 00:10:40,840 –> 00:10:42,820 to deliver us into the hands of the Amorites, 209 00:10:42,820 –> 00:10:45,080 he was just out to destroy us. 210 00:10:45,080 –> 00:10:48,640 Now think about this, the deliverance from Egypt 211 00:10:48,640 –> 00:10:51,219 is this miracle of God’s grace. 212 00:10:52,979 –> 00:10:55,020 And these people are treating 213 00:10:55,020 –> 00:10:57,599 the miracle of God’s grace, 214 00:10:57,599 –> 00:10:59,460 by which they’ve been brought out of slavery, 215 00:10:59,460 –> 00:11:01,359 with absolute contempt. 216 00:11:01,359 –> 00:11:04,000 They’re so twisted, that they have the idea 217 00:11:04,000 –> 00:11:05,840 that God’s miraculous deliverance 218 00:11:05,840 –> 00:11:08,919 is some kind of plot to do them harm. 219 00:11:10,059 –> 00:11:13,219 And this is me, this is me by nature. 220 00:11:16,159 –> 00:11:18,320 I treat God with contempt. 221 00:11:18,919 –> 00:11:23,080 By nature, what I do, by nature what we do, 222 00:11:23,080 –> 00:11:27,140 is that we hold back praise to God for his goodness 223 00:11:27,140 –> 00:11:31,299 and we apportion blame to God whenever we experience evil. 224 00:11:32,619 –> 00:11:35,340 By nature, I say, here I am in the desert 225 00:11:35,340 –> 00:11:37,340 and it’s all God’s fault. 226 00:11:37,340 –> 00:11:39,159 Do you recognize that? 227 00:11:40,719 –> 00:11:42,640 By nature I insult God. 228 00:11:43,919 –> 00:11:47,840 By nature, I treat the abundant goodness of God 229 00:11:47,859 –> 00:11:49,020 with contempt. 230 00:11:51,500 –> 00:11:54,719 Number three, by nature I blame others. 231 00:11:54,719 –> 00:11:57,260 Verse 28, notice what they say. 232 00:11:57,260 –> 00:11:59,919 Our brothers have made us lose heart. 233 00:11:59,919 –> 00:12:01,539 So it’s always the brothers’ fault, isn’t it? 234 00:12:01,539 –> 00:12:04,960 They say that the people are stronger and taller 235 00:12:04,960 –> 00:12:06,159 than we are. 236 00:12:06,159 –> 00:12:07,960 The reference here of course is to the spies coming back 237 00:12:07,960 –> 00:12:10,359 and the spies who brought this negative report 238 00:12:10,359 –> 00:12:11,960 and brought discouragement to the people. 239 00:12:11,960 –> 00:12:13,099 And now the people are saying, 240 00:12:13,099 –> 00:12:14,159 well it’s all the spies fault, 241 00:12:14,159 –> 00:12:15,799 they’re the ones that discouraged us. 242 00:12:15,979 –> 00:12:17,719 It’s not my fault, it’s the spies. 243 00:12:19,140 –> 00:12:21,859 By nature, you recognize this, 244 00:12:21,859 –> 00:12:24,500 I blame others for all my problems. 245 00:12:26,500 –> 00:12:30,820 By nature, what’s wrong is always everyone else’s fault. 246 00:12:32,099 –> 00:12:34,080 By nature, in the words of the Lord Jesus, 247 00:12:34,080 –> 00:12:38,500 I see a speck of dust in the eye of my neighbor 248 00:12:38,500 –> 00:12:43,239 when I cannot see a plank of wood in my own eye. 249 00:12:44,140 –> 00:12:45,539 I blame others. 250 00:12:46,979 –> 00:12:51,219 Number four, by nature I resist the truth. 251 00:12:51,219 –> 00:12:52,559 Look at verse 29, 252 00:12:52,559 –> 00:12:54,299 here’s Moses speaking to the people. 253 00:12:54,299 –> 00:12:56,020 And they’re afraid, and he says, 254 00:12:56,020 –> 00:12:59,780 now don’t be terrified, don’t be afraid of them. 255 00:12:59,780 –> 00:13:01,659 That’s the Canaanites, the Lord, your God, 256 00:13:01,659 –> 00:13:03,940 who is going before you will fight for you 257 00:13:03,940 –> 00:13:06,340 just as He did in Egypt and in the desert. 258 00:13:06,340 –> 00:13:08,200 Haven’t you seen how God bears you up 259 00:13:08,200 –> 00:13:10,760 as a father carries his own son? 260 00:13:11,760 –> 00:13:15,099 And Moses is pleading with the people here. 261 00:13:16,080 –> 00:13:17,099 They’re full of fear. 262 00:13:17,099 –> 00:13:18,219 And so what does Moses do? 263 00:13:18,219 –> 00:13:22,919 As a prophet, he pours the Word of God into their lives. 264 00:13:25,000 –> 00:13:26,580 But it makes no difference. 265 00:13:28,080 –> 00:13:31,580 These folks hear the Word of God and it’s just like water 266 00:13:31,580 –> 00:13:33,760 off a duck’s back, it never goes in, 267 00:13:35,119 –> 00:13:36,239 doesn’t change them. 268 00:13:37,619 –> 00:13:39,140 In spite of this, verse 32, 269 00:13:39,359 –> 00:13:41,559 you did not trust the Lord your God, 270 00:13:41,559 –> 00:13:45,119 but by nature I am always hearing the Word of God, 271 00:13:45,119 –> 00:13:46,500 but never really understanding, 272 00:13:46,500 –> 00:13:49,820 I’m always seeing God at work, but I never perceive it. 273 00:13:51,799 –> 00:13:53,500 I resist the truth by nature. 274 00:13:55,760 –> 00:13:59,900 Number five, by nature I refuse to believe, verse 32, 275 00:13:59,900 –> 00:14:03,099 you did not trust in the Lord your God 276 00:14:03,099 –> 00:14:05,900 who went ahead of you. 277 00:14:06,760 –> 00:14:11,440 This is the reality of our sinful nature. 278 00:14:11,440 –> 00:14:13,840 This is the reality of our fallen condition, 279 00:14:13,840 –> 00:14:17,119 by nature I am suspicious of God. 280 00:14:18,219 –> 00:14:22,520 By nature I hold back from full devotion to Him, 281 00:14:22,520 –> 00:14:25,020 by nature I do not trust Him. 282 00:14:26,179 –> 00:14:28,440 And here’s God, He is beside these people, 283 00:14:28,440 –> 00:14:30,520 He’s walking with them in the pillar of cloud 284 00:14:30,520 –> 00:14:32,099 and in the pillar of fire. 285 00:14:32,979 –> 00:14:35,619 And yet, they refuse to believe. 286 00:14:36,719 –> 00:14:38,679 Now you see what this is telling us folks. 287 00:14:38,679 –> 00:14:43,679 None of us is neutral when it comes to this matter of faith. 288 00:14:45,099 –> 00:14:47,340 You’re not neutral when it comes to the matter of faith, 289 00:14:47,340 –> 00:14:49,099 no one is. 290 00:14:49,099 –> 00:14:54,099 By nature I am antagonistic towards God and so are You. 291 00:14:56,239 –> 00:15:01,239 By nature we are unwilling to believe. 292 00:15:02,619 –> 00:15:06,140 And that leads to the sixth thing here. 293 00:15:06,140 –> 00:15:11,140 By nature, I am under the wrath of God. 294 00:15:12,119 –> 00:15:13,919 Verse 34 it’s so clear. 295 00:15:14,960 –> 00:15:17,320 When the Lord heard what you said, 296 00:15:18,219 –> 00:15:22,780 he was angry and solemnly swore 297 00:15:22,780 –> 00:15:26,039 not a man of this evil generation 298 00:15:26,039 –> 00:15:29,020 will see the good land that I swore to your forefathers 299 00:15:29,020 –> 00:15:30,099 and none of them did. 300 00:15:30,739 –> 00:15:33,659 And what this is telling me is 301 00:15:33,659 –> 00:15:38,659 that by nature, I am alienated from God 302 00:15:38,960 –> 00:15:43,820 and by nature I am justly under his wrath. 303 00:15:46,059 –> 00:15:50,619 There is a heaven, but folks by nature, 304 00:15:50,619 –> 00:15:55,320 it’s not for me, and by nature it’s not for you either. 305 00:15:56,320 –> 00:15:59,919 By nature, I have no basis on which to 306 00:15:59,919 –> 00:16:03,760 enter into the land of promise 307 00:16:03,760 –> 00:16:06,859 that is full of God’s good things. 308 00:16:08,299 –> 00:16:10,340 And Moses is saying so clearly here, 309 00:16:10,340 –> 00:16:13,900 now folks understand this, all of this was in your parents, 310 00:16:13,900 –> 00:16:15,260 but don’t think it’s stopped there 311 00:16:15,260 –> 00:16:18,299 because all of it’s in you, that’s the message. 312 00:16:20,119 –> 00:16:21,780 Makes you wanna weep, doesn’t it? 313 00:16:22,299 –> 00:16:26,359 But folks this is the human condition. 314 00:16:27,799 –> 00:16:31,919 This is by nature my condition. 315 00:16:34,000 –> 00:16:36,299 This is by nature your condition, 316 00:16:37,700 –> 00:16:40,979 this is who we are that crosses 317 00:16:40,979 –> 00:16:43,140 all the economic differences between us, 318 00:16:43,140 –> 00:16:46,140 all the cultural and racial differences between us, 319 00:16:46,140 –> 00:16:48,380 this is who we are by nature, 320 00:16:48,380 –> 00:16:50,859 this is what sin has done to us, 321 00:16:52,340 –> 00:16:56,960 and this is what we need saving from. 322 00:16:58,900 –> 00:17:01,900 The Gospel will always be like water off 323 00:17:01,900 –> 00:17:05,459 a duck’s back to you until you grasp 324 00:17:05,459 –> 00:17:08,819 the extent of what you need saving from. 325 00:17:10,260 –> 00:17:12,099 Now this raises an obvious question. 326 00:17:14,780 –> 00:17:16,900 If everything, think about it, 327 00:17:16,900 –> 00:17:21,859 if everything that kept your parents out of Canaan 328 00:17:21,859 –> 00:17:23,439 is also in you. 329 00:17:25,099 –> 00:17:28,140 If everything that kept them out is also in you, 330 00:17:29,300 –> 00:17:31,939 then what hope is there of you 331 00:17:31,939 –> 00:17:34,339 ever getting into the promised land? 332 00:17:34,339 –> 00:17:36,500 That’s the question, isn’t it? 333 00:17:36,500 –> 00:17:40,540 If all that kept them out now is also in me, 334 00:17:40,540 –> 00:17:44,459 what hope is there of me ever 335 00:17:44,459 –> 00:17:45,479 getting in? 336 00:17:47,459 –> 00:17:49,859 When you see the human condition, 337 00:17:49,859 –> 00:17:53,180 when you see yourself before God 338 00:17:53,180 –> 00:17:55,140 as you really are by nature, 339 00:17:55,140 –> 00:17:56,400 that is the question. 340 00:17:58,020 –> 00:17:59,280 Do you see yourself here? 341 00:18:01,180 –> 00:18:04,719 See, maybe you would say with me right now, 342 00:18:04,719 –> 00:18:08,040 yeah, I see myself here. 343 00:18:09,680 –> 00:18:14,680 I see that in my very nature I am totally messed up. 344 00:18:15,040 –> 00:18:17,160 I see that I’m a rebel against God. 345 00:18:17,160 –> 00:18:20,400 I see that I treat His mercy with contempt. 346 00:18:21,640 –> 00:18:24,119 I see how I live blaming others 347 00:18:24,119 –> 00:18:25,920 for everything that’s wrong in my life. 348 00:18:25,920 –> 00:18:27,900 I see how much I resist the truth, 349 00:18:27,900 –> 00:18:29,319 however much I hear it. 350 00:18:29,319 –> 00:18:31,800 I see how I’m a person who, 351 00:18:31,800 –> 00:18:34,040 for all the professions of faith that have been made, 352 00:18:34,040 –> 00:18:38,119 actually refuses to trust God in the reality of life. 353 00:18:38,119 –> 00:18:41,339 I see that I’m under the wroth of God. 354 00:18:42,319 –> 00:18:45,219 So now what hope is there for me? 355 00:18:45,219 –> 00:18:46,719 That’s the question, isn’t it? 356 00:18:49,959 –> 00:18:53,959 Let me tell you what won’t help you, very briefly, 357 00:18:53,959 –> 00:18:55,619 and then what will. 358 00:18:57,319 –> 00:18:58,839 First, what won’t help you, 359 00:19:00,420 –> 00:19:05,300 turning over a new leaf won’t help you, 360 00:19:06,579 –> 00:19:08,459 and the reason I mention that today 361 00:19:08,459 –> 00:19:11,280 is simply because of verses 41 to 46 362 00:19:11,280 –> 00:19:13,579 that you can look over or read later 363 00:19:13,579 –> 00:19:15,479 that tell us that when the people realized 364 00:19:15,479 –> 00:19:17,020 how badly they had messed up, 365 00:19:17,020 –> 00:19:19,060 their response was, hey, we can sort it out. 366 00:19:19,060 –> 00:19:21,619 All we need to do is turn over a new leaf. 367 00:19:21,619 –> 00:19:23,359 We said we weren’t going to go up to Canaan, 368 00:19:23,359 –> 00:19:24,900 now all we need to do is change our minds, 369 00:19:24,900 –> 00:19:26,300 we’ll go up to Canaan. 370 00:19:26,300 –> 00:19:28,079 And so they decide they’re going to go up to Canaan 371 00:19:28,079 –> 00:19:30,540 after all, but verse 42, God said to them, 372 00:19:30,540 –> 00:19:34,540 don’t go up because I will not be with you 373 00:19:34,540 –> 00:19:37,099 and you will be defeated by your enemies. 374 00:19:37,099 –> 00:19:38,239 But they weren’t listening to God, 375 00:19:39,040 –> 00:19:40,640 they were sure they could sort out their own problem, 376 00:19:40,640 –> 00:19:43,699 nothing that I’ve missed up that I can’t fix. 377 00:19:44,780 –> 00:19:46,079 And so they went up to Canaan 378 00:19:46,079 –> 00:19:47,699 and you’ll read from the story there, 379 00:19:47,699 –> 00:19:51,300 they were completely and utterly routed and defeated. 380 00:19:53,380 –> 00:19:55,760 See, the problem is that turning over a new leaf 381 00:19:55,760 –> 00:19:59,280 doesn’t change what is in you by nature. 382 00:20:01,380 –> 00:20:04,359 All that happens when you turn over a new leaf 383 00:20:04,359 –> 00:20:07,719 is that what’s in you gets written on a new page. 384 00:20:07,719 –> 00:20:09,380 Have you discovered that in life? 385 00:20:10,859 –> 00:20:13,020 So what hope is there for these people? 386 00:20:13,020 –> 00:20:15,540 If it’s not turning over a new leaf, 387 00:20:17,219 –> 00:20:18,160 where’s the hope? 388 00:20:20,260 –> 00:20:23,099 Turn with me over perhaps a couple of pages 389 00:20:23,099 –> 00:20:25,880 in Deuteronomy to Deuteronomy 5. 390 00:20:25,880 –> 00:20:26,900 Would you do that? 391 00:20:30,199 –> 00:20:35,199 Deuteronomy 5, because here I want you to see something 392 00:20:35,319 –> 00:20:40,199 that is wonderfully strange. 393 00:20:42,300 –> 00:20:46,719 That if you’ve grasped what we’ve been learning so far, 394 00:20:46,719 –> 00:20:51,719 will be light and will bring hope and joy to your heart. 395 00:20:53,060 –> 00:20:55,540 Deuteronomy 5, verse 1. 396 00:20:56,780 –> 00:21:01,739 Moses summoned all Israel and said, 397 00:21:02,619 –> 00:21:04,500 now look at what he said, verse 2, 398 00:21:04,500 –> 00:21:08,000 and watch out for what’s strange and surprising here. 399 00:21:09,800 –> 00:21:14,800 The Lord our God made a covenant with us at Horeb. 400 00:21:19,959 –> 00:21:21,819 You see what’s surprising about that? 401 00:21:23,420 –> 00:21:25,060 How many of us are under 40? 402 00:21:26,339 –> 00:21:28,260 Were we even born at Horeb? 403 00:21:28,260 –> 00:21:29,079 No. 404 00:21:29,079 –> 00:21:31,140 How many of us are between 40 and 58? 405 00:21:32,359 –> 00:21:35,380 Do we remember much about Horeb? 406 00:21:36,760 –> 00:21:40,920 God made a covenant with our parents, didn’t he? 407 00:21:40,920 –> 00:21:42,739 But you see what Moses is saying here, 408 00:21:42,739 –> 00:21:44,959 it’s the same issue as we have right back there 409 00:21:44,959 –> 00:21:47,339 in chapter one, Moses is saying to us 410 00:21:47,339 –> 00:21:51,280 the Lord our God made a covenant with us at Horeb. 411 00:21:51,280 –> 00:21:53,739 I think I would be saying wait a minute Moses, 412 00:21:53,739 –> 00:21:56,339 I know you’re over 100, and I know when you get over 100 413 00:21:56,339 –> 00:21:58,260 it gets a little difficult to remember things, 414 00:21:58,260 –> 00:22:00,900 but please Moses, can you remember that the covenant 415 00:22:01,140 –> 00:22:03,599 that God made at Horeb, most of us weren’t even born, 416 00:22:03,599 –> 00:22:05,800 the rest of us who were, can’t even remember it, 417 00:22:05,800 –> 00:22:07,939 that covenant was made by God with our parents, 418 00:22:07,939 –> 00:22:10,560 not with us and Moses would say, now you just listen. 419 00:22:12,180 –> 00:22:17,180 I’m telling you that the covenant God made at Horeb 420 00:22:18,560 –> 00:22:21,319 when most of you weren’t born and those of you who were 421 00:22:21,319 –> 00:22:23,199 can hardly even remember it, 422 00:22:23,199 –> 00:22:28,199 I’m telling you that God made that covenant with us. 423 00:22:28,979 –> 00:22:31,060 And if you think I’m making too much of that, 424 00:22:31,060 –> 00:22:33,339 look at what he says in verse three. 425 00:22:33,339 –> 00:22:38,339 It was not with our fathers that the Lord made this covenant 426 00:22:38,420 –> 00:22:43,420 but with us, with all of us who are alive here today. 427 00:22:46,979 –> 00:22:48,180 You see what he’s saying? 428 00:22:49,859 –> 00:22:54,500 God has made a covenant before you were born 429 00:22:55,459 –> 00:22:58,619 and it is truly for you. 430 00:23:00,020 –> 00:23:03,739 And I’m here today to say from the heart and from the Bible 431 00:23:03,739 –> 00:23:07,040 that God has made a covenant of grace 432 00:23:07,040 –> 00:23:09,260 before any of us were ever born. 433 00:23:10,140 –> 00:23:12,260 And it is for you. 434 00:23:12,260 –> 00:23:15,819 And that covenant is that he will redeem sinners 435 00:23:15,819 –> 00:23:18,699 who are locked in unbelief and contempt for God 436 00:23:18,699 –> 00:23:21,040 and rebellion and blaming others 437 00:23:21,040 –> 00:23:22,619 and under the wrath of God. 438 00:23:22,839 –> 00:23:25,219 That covenant is that God has determined 439 00:23:25,219 –> 00:23:30,219 to redeem people like us through His Son, Jesus Christ. 440 00:23:30,800 –> 00:23:32,199 And this covenant folks, 441 00:23:32,199 –> 00:23:34,520 was not written on tablets of stone. 442 00:23:35,459 –> 00:23:38,479 This covenant that God sealed before you were born 443 00:23:38,479 –> 00:23:42,119 is sealed in the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. 444 00:23:42,119 –> 00:23:45,280 So I want you to stand today. 445 00:23:45,280 –> 00:23:48,160 In your mind right now to stand, 446 00:23:48,160 –> 00:23:50,040 not of the foot of Mount Sinai 447 00:23:50,040 –> 00:23:51,640 with all of these Israelites, 448 00:23:51,640 –> 00:23:53,560 but at the bottom of another mountain 449 00:23:53,560 –> 00:23:55,140 that is called Calvary. 450 00:23:56,839 –> 00:23:59,839 And as you look up to what is going on there, 451 00:24:01,280 –> 00:24:04,560 you see that there is a man hanging on a cross 452 00:24:04,560 –> 00:24:07,439 and he is the son of God. 453 00:24:07,439 –> 00:24:12,439 His body is being torn and his blood is being poured out. 454 00:24:13,660 –> 00:24:18,459 And he says, now my body is given for you, 455 00:24:18,459 –> 00:24:20,760 and through the shedding of this blood, 456 00:24:20,760 –> 00:24:25,760 I’m sealing a new covenant in which your sins 457 00:24:25,959 –> 00:24:30,300 and all that is in you is to be forgiven. 458 00:24:31,099 –> 00:24:33,099 Folks, think about this, 459 00:24:33,099 –> 00:24:37,660 two great events that shape your life, 460 00:24:37,660 –> 00:24:39,599 two great events that shape my life, 461 00:24:39,599 –> 00:24:42,000 and they happen before any of us were ever born. 462 00:24:43,780 –> 00:24:45,739 What’s in you by nature 463 00:24:45,739 –> 00:24:47,979 goes all the way back to the garden of Eden. 464 00:24:48,780 –> 00:24:51,119 And what is yours by grace 465 00:24:51,119 –> 00:24:52,300 goes all the way back 466 00:24:52,300 –> 00:24:54,979 to the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ. 467 00:24:54,979 –> 00:24:56,839 That’s why the title of this message 468 00:24:56,839 –> 00:25:00,979 is that you change the future by owning the past. 469 00:25:02,400 –> 00:25:05,660 And owning the past of what is mine by nature 470 00:25:05,660 –> 00:25:10,260 is what the Bible calls repentance. 471 00:25:10,260 –> 00:25:12,520 I need to own what is in me by nature. 472 00:25:13,579 –> 00:25:15,180 I need to be absolutely clear 473 00:25:15,180 –> 00:25:18,079 about what I’m up against in living this Christian life. 474 00:25:19,000 –> 00:25:21,040 Lord by nature I am a rebel 475 00:25:21,040 –> 00:25:23,000 who treats your kindness with contempt 476 00:25:23,000 –> 00:25:24,920 and blames others and resists your word 477 00:25:24,920 –> 00:25:26,520 and refuses to believe 478 00:25:26,520 –> 00:25:29,219 and deserves to be under your righteous judgment. 479 00:25:29,219 –> 00:25:32,040 Owning what is in you by nature 480 00:25:32,040 –> 00:25:35,500 is where repentance begins and how it continues. 481 00:25:37,560 –> 00:25:38,880 As long as you try to tell yourself 482 00:25:38,880 –> 00:25:40,380 what a great and good person you are, 483 00:25:40,380 –> 00:25:42,979 you can never make progress in the Christian life. 484 00:25:45,739 –> 00:25:47,739 And owning what is mine by grace 485 00:25:47,739 –> 00:25:49,579 is what the Bible calls faith. 486 00:25:50,699 –> 00:25:53,880 I need to own what is mine by grace 487 00:25:53,880 –> 00:25:55,880 to know who Jesus Christ is for me 488 00:25:55,880 –> 00:25:58,339 and what it is that he has done for me 489 00:25:58,339 –> 00:26:00,839 and what he offers to me. 490 00:26:02,500 –> 00:26:05,900 By grace God has made a covenant for you. 491 00:26:06,880 –> 00:26:10,640 He sent his spirit to empower you 492 00:26:10,640 –> 00:26:12,660 as his son has come to redeem you. 493 00:26:13,500 –> 00:26:17,439 And faith looks at all that Jesus Christ 494 00:26:17,439 –> 00:26:19,140 has accomplished for our forgiveness 495 00:26:19,140 –> 00:26:22,459 and all that the spirit brings by way of power 496 00:26:22,459 –> 00:26:27,459 for a new life and faith says this is mine. 497 00:26:28,699 –> 00:26:29,540 It’s mine. 498 00:26:31,459 –> 00:26:36,459 So repentance begins when I own what is mine by nature 499 00:26:36,540 –> 00:26:41,540 and faith begins when I own what is mine by grace. 500 00:26:42,540 –> 00:26:45,619 This is the very heart of the Christian life right here. 501 00:26:47,579 –> 00:26:49,839 And so you see the drama of this moment 502 00:26:49,839 –> 00:26:52,959 this new generation, nobody over then 58 503 00:26:52,959 –> 00:26:55,739 or there about are standing there on the verge of Jordan 504 00:26:55,739 –> 00:26:58,660 and Moses is now speaking with great passion 505 00:26:58,660 –> 00:27:01,239 to these people, Moses remembers well 506 00:27:01,239 –> 00:27:05,199 better than most of them can how their parents 507 00:27:05,199 –> 00:27:07,880 had turned back and how unbelief 508 00:27:07,880 –> 00:27:09,660 had wasted a whole generation 509 00:27:09,739 –> 00:27:14,640 and brought such pain and such tragedy to them all. 510 00:27:14,640 –> 00:27:16,160 And now the question that Moses holds 511 00:27:16,160 –> 00:27:17,920 before them in the book of Deuteronomy 512 00:27:17,920 –> 00:27:19,439 is what are you going to do? 513 00:27:19,439 –> 00:27:20,699 You’re going to face all the same fears 514 00:27:20,699 –> 00:27:22,959 all the same struggles, all the same temptations 515 00:27:22,959 –> 00:27:25,140 that are in human nature, 516 00:27:26,599 –> 00:27:30,079 are you going to follow what’s in you by nature 517 00:27:30,079 –> 00:27:34,020 or are you going to receive what is yours by 518 00:27:34,020 –> 00:27:35,099 grace. 519 00:27:35,099 –> 00:27:37,579 That’s the question. 520 00:27:37,599 –> 00:27:41,099 That’s the question for you tonight. 521 00:27:41,099 –> 00:27:41,939 Will you… 522 00:27:43,439 –> 00:27:47,260 Follow the impulse of unbelief that is in you? 523 00:27:48,880 –> 00:27:49,719 Really. 524 00:27:51,280 –> 00:27:54,339 Will you follow the impulse to hear God’s word 525 00:27:54,339 –> 00:27:56,099 but let it be water off a duck’s back 526 00:27:56,099 –> 00:27:58,520 that never really changes you? 527 00:28:00,380 –> 00:28:03,319 Will you follow the impulse that is in you 528 00:28:03,319 –> 00:28:06,239 to treat God’s mercy towards you with contempt 529 00:28:06,319 –> 00:28:07,739 and to turn away? 530 00:28:09,380 –> 00:28:11,180 Will you spend the rest of your life 531 00:28:11,180 –> 00:28:13,660 blaming what is wrong on other people 532 00:28:13,660 –> 00:28:17,239 and end up ultimately under the wrath of God? 533 00:28:17,239 –> 00:28:18,920 That’s the question. 534 00:28:20,400 –> 00:28:22,300 Or will you embrace what God offers to you 535 00:28:22,300 –> 00:28:23,640 in Jesus Christ? 536 00:28:25,020 –> 00:28:27,560 The covenant that was made before you were born 537 00:28:27,560 –> 00:28:29,560 but it was made for you? 538 00:28:30,579 –> 00:28:33,680 Will you turn from your unbelief and from your rebellion 539 00:28:33,780 –> 00:28:37,099 and from your pride and trust this savior 540 00:28:38,000 –> 00:28:39,079 who loves you 541 00:28:40,380 –> 00:28:42,459 and gave himself for you. 542 00:28:44,660 –> 00:28:48,420 One more thing to say before we wrap up, here. 543 00:28:49,560 –> 00:28:50,400 I know 544 00:28:52,180 –> 00:28:54,619 that whenever the preacher uses 545 00:28:54,619 –> 00:28:57,199 the words repentance and faith, 546 00:28:58,839 –> 00:29:00,500 there are many of us 547 00:29:01,500 –> 00:29:03,339 who immediately draw the conclusion, 548 00:29:03,339 –> 00:29:06,339 Ah, he’s talking now to unbelievers. 549 00:29:07,520 –> 00:29:10,699 He’s now talking about what unbeliever need to do 550 00:29:10,699 –> 00:29:14,540 in order to become Christians and that’s true. 551 00:29:15,479 –> 00:29:19,119 But there’s more to it than that. 552 00:29:19,119 –> 00:29:20,859 Repentance and faith, 553 00:29:22,020 –> 00:29:24,099 owning what is in you by nature, 554 00:29:24,099 –> 00:29:27,599 owning what Christ offers to you by grace, 555 00:29:28,500 –> 00:29:31,959 repentance and faith are not only what unbelievers 556 00:29:31,959 –> 00:29:34,099 do in order to become Christians, 557 00:29:34,099 –> 00:29:37,079 repentance and faith are what believers do 558 00:29:37,079 –> 00:29:39,719 to live as Christians. 559 00:29:39,719 –> 00:29:42,479 That is fundamental to understanding the Christian life. 560 00:29:42,479 –> 00:29:43,979 Otherwise what you have is simply 561 00:29:43,979 –> 00:29:47,680 a decision that leaves you unchanged. 562 00:29:47,680 –> 00:29:51,839 God calls us to a life of repentance and of faith. 563 00:29:52,839 –> 00:29:57,000 A life folks in which we sustain the ongoing struggle 564 00:29:59,040 –> 00:30:02,739 against the impulses of what is in us by nature 565 00:30:02,739 –> 00:30:07,380 by laying hold off what Jesus Christ gives us by grace. 566 00:30:07,380 –> 00:30:12,239 There is no other way to live the Christian life. 567 00:30:12,239 –> 00:30:14,920 If I am to live the Christian life this week, 568 00:30:14,920 –> 00:30:17,780 if you’re to live as a Christian this week 569 00:30:17,780 –> 00:30:20,160 and do it well, you need to be absolutely 570 00:30:20,459 –> 00:30:23,160 realistic about what is in you by nature. 571 00:30:23,160 –> 00:30:25,040 By nature, Lord, I’m a rebel who treats 572 00:30:25,040 –> 00:30:26,920 your kindness with contempt and blames 573 00:30:26,920 –> 00:30:29,579 other people for my problems and resists 574 00:30:29,579 –> 00:30:31,800 your word and refuses to believe. 575 00:30:31,800 –> 00:30:34,719 All this is in me and so every day 576 00:30:34,719 –> 00:30:37,160 I have a fight on my hands. 577 00:30:37,160 –> 00:30:38,680 Do you experience that? 578 00:30:40,739 –> 00:30:42,859 And if I am to live this Christian life 579 00:30:42,859 –> 00:30:44,839 and to engage in that struggle, I need 580 00:30:44,839 –> 00:30:48,119 to lay hold of all that Jesus Christ is for me. 581 00:30:48,239 –> 00:30:49,680 The son of God loves me. 582 00:30:49,680 –> 00:30:51,380 He gave himself for me. 583 00:30:52,359 –> 00:30:54,420 He reigns in Heaven and what that means 584 00:30:54,420 –> 00:30:57,060 is that nothing that happens in my life 585 00:30:57,060 –> 00:31:01,400 comes to me except through his loving hands 586 00:31:02,900 –> 00:31:04,619 and I certainly do not understand all 587 00:31:04,619 –> 00:31:06,500 that he allows and all that he brings 588 00:31:06,500 –> 00:31:08,979 in my life and all that he does in my life 589 00:31:08,979 –> 00:31:11,660 but honestly, I do not expect to because 590 00:31:11,660 –> 00:31:14,640 God is sovereign in Heaven and sees 591 00:31:14,640 –> 00:31:18,500 eternity and I’m just a man here on the Earth 592 00:31:18,500 –> 00:31:20,660 in a little capsule of time 593 00:31:22,579 –> 00:31:24,280 but I do know that I’m forgiven 594 00:31:25,619 –> 00:31:28,760 and I do know that I am not under his wrath. 595 00:31:29,900 –> 00:31:32,260 I do know that I live in his mercy. 596 00:31:32,260 –> 00:31:34,020 I do know that I am never alone 597 00:31:34,020 –> 00:31:35,739 because he walks beside me. 598 00:31:35,739 –> 00:31:38,339 I know that I can trust him because 599 00:31:38,339 –> 00:31:41,280 the son of God has given himself for me 600 00:31:41,280 –> 00:31:43,359 and he’s triumphed over death in his 601 00:31:43,780 –> 00:31:45,920 mighty resurrection and he’s for me 602 00:31:45,920 –> 00:31:48,680 even in my darkest hour. 603 00:31:48,680 –> 00:31:50,119 Folks that’s faith. 604 00:31:51,500 –> 00:31:56,400 And honestly it is possible to be a Christian atheist. 605 00:31:57,359 –> 00:31:59,400 A Christian atheist is a guy that goes through life 606 00:31:59,400 –> 00:32:03,079 saying I believe in God but lives as if he didn’t exist. 607 00:32:03,079 –> 00:32:05,719 You say you believe but you don’t actually trust him 608 00:32:05,719 –> 00:32:09,599 in anything that’s actually happening in your life. 609 00:32:09,599 –> 00:32:11,180 That’s what happened to this generation 610 00:32:11,180 –> 00:32:12,400 that died in the desert. 611 00:32:14,359 –> 00:32:17,020 It’s possible to go through life bearing the name of Christ. 612 00:32:17,020 –> 00:32:19,020 Receiving the provision of Christ. 613 00:32:19,020 –> 00:32:22,260 Hearing the promises of Christ, to profess faith 614 00:32:22,260 –> 00:32:26,219 but not actually to trust him. 615 00:32:28,500 –> 00:32:30,260 That’s the battle I’m going to face this week 616 00:32:30,260 –> 00:32:33,339 and that’s the battle you’re going to face this week. 617 00:32:33,339 –> 00:32:34,479 To live by faith. 618 00:32:35,660 –> 00:32:40,599 And to own in what I face this week 619 00:32:40,619 –> 00:32:44,060 who Jesus is and all that he is for me. 620 00:32:45,500 –> 00:32:48,060 It’s my Lord, my redeemer, and my savior 621 00:32:48,060 –> 00:32:51,579 who walks every step of the way. 622 00:32:52,939 –> 00:32:57,939 Just this week I had the joy of sharing an evening 623 00:32:58,180 –> 00:33:01,599 in a home with a very small group of pastors. 624 00:33:02,760 –> 00:33:04,500 There was someone there from Moody. 625 00:33:05,719 –> 00:33:08,040 There were a couple of marvelous guys, pastors 626 00:33:08,040 –> 00:33:09,619 who are serving in the city. 627 00:33:10,540 –> 00:33:11,660 And a few others. 628 00:33:12,979 –> 00:33:15,180 We had gathered to meet privately 629 00:33:15,180 –> 00:33:18,319 with an archbishop from Africa. 630 00:33:21,020 –> 00:33:24,500 The conversation ranged as we spoke about the challenges 631 00:33:24,500 –> 00:33:27,140 of ministry in America. 632 00:33:27,140 –> 00:33:29,660 You know, the whole deal of the cultural tide 633 00:33:29,660 –> 00:33:32,000 that is against us. 634 00:33:32,000 –> 00:33:36,020 The shallowness of faith in so many churches. 635 00:33:36,959 –> 00:33:39,819 We heard about the kinds of pressures 636 00:33:39,819 –> 00:33:41,939 that our brothers and our sisters in Christ 637 00:33:41,939 –> 00:33:44,319 in Africa are so often facing. 638 00:33:46,900 –> 00:33:49,500 And Lon Allison, who is the director 639 00:33:49,500 –> 00:33:52,099 of the Billy Graham Center in Wheaton was there. 640 00:33:53,400 –> 00:33:56,900 And as the conversation had been going on for a while, 641 00:33:57,739 –> 00:33:58,640 he jumped in. 642 00:34:00,140 –> 00:34:01,119 He said you know, 643 00:34:02,479 –> 00:34:04,939 you guys have made me feel quite miserable. 644 00:34:06,640 –> 00:34:08,439 He said it seems like you guys have forgotten 645 00:34:08,439 –> 00:34:10,459 that Jesus Christ rose from the dead. 646 00:34:12,139 –> 00:34:15,620 Now I reckon it takes a little bit of courage 647 00:34:15,620 –> 00:34:17,260 to tell a group of pastors, 648 00:34:17,260 –> 00:34:20,479 you’ve forgotten that Jesus Christ rose from the dead. 649 00:34:22,080 –> 00:34:24,439 But I’ll tell you when he said that 650 00:34:24,439 –> 00:34:26,899 and then from there he kind of launched 651 00:34:26,899 –> 00:34:29,659 into speaking of the risen Christ 652 00:34:29,659 –> 00:34:32,060 who has never failed his church 653 00:34:32,060 –> 00:34:37,000 and never will the whole conversation lift it. 654 00:34:38,379 –> 00:34:39,219 Faith! 655 00:34:42,020 –> 00:34:43,459 My prayer is that even now, 656 00:34:43,459 –> 00:34:47,159 God would breathe into your soul, faith, 657 00:34:48,639 –> 00:34:51,159 that you would see that in all of your battles 658 00:34:51,159 –> 00:34:52,780 and in all of your struggles 659 00:34:52,780 –> 00:34:56,280 and some of them may be indescribably intense, 660 00:34:57,179 –> 00:34:58,959 Christ is for you. 661 00:34:59,800 –> 00:35:02,760 That you would embrace him with faith 662 00:35:02,760 –> 00:35:07,020 for everything that you are facing today and this week 663 00:35:08,080 –> 00:35:11,639 and that you by God’s mercy would be able to say 664 00:35:11,639 –> 00:35:15,159 if this God is for me, 665 00:35:16,419 –> 00:35:19,620 then who can be against me. 666 00:35:19,620 –> 00:35:21,080 Let’s pray together, shall we? 667 00:35:23,300 –> 00:35:24,340 Dear father, 668 00:35:25,659 –> 00:35:28,820 deliver us from being those who profess to believe 669 00:35:29,139 –> 00:35:31,399 but do not exercise faith. 670 00:35:33,939 –> 00:35:36,100 Forgive us for being the kind of fools 671 00:35:36,100 –> 00:35:39,219 who think that simply saying we believe a few things 672 00:35:40,159 –> 00:35:44,639 is going to lead us into holiness and usefulness of life 673 00:35:44,639 –> 00:35:48,060 when every day the world and the flesh 674 00:35:48,060 –> 00:35:50,360 and the devil are raging around us. 675 00:35:52,860 –> 00:35:57,780 Grant us wisdom and insight and integrity 676 00:35:57,860 –> 00:36:01,300 to know what is in us by nature. 677 00:36:01,300 –> 00:36:04,679 That we may walk the path of repentance daily. 678 00:36:04,679 –> 00:36:06,879 Turning from that unbelief 679 00:36:06,879 –> 00:36:08,639 and that resistance to your word 680 00:36:08,639 –> 00:36:10,080 and that blaming of others 681 00:36:10,080 –> 00:36:12,860 and that contempt that so easily comes 682 00:36:12,860 –> 00:36:15,179 into our expressions towards you. 683 00:36:17,560 –> 00:36:19,080 And lead us in faith. 684 00:36:21,360 –> 00:36:24,199 As those who look up to the son of God 685 00:36:24,199 –> 00:36:27,080 crucified and risen and now exalted. 686 00:36:28,780 –> 00:36:33,780 And rejoice that the sin of Adam 687 00:36:34,060 –> 00:36:36,419 wasn’t the only thing that happened 688 00:36:36,419 –> 00:36:39,159 before we were born that shapes our lives. 689 00:36:41,479 –> 00:36:43,439 But the Christ crucified and risen 690 00:36:43,439 –> 00:36:45,399 and present with us by the spirit 691 00:36:47,399 –> 00:36:50,760 transforms our experience today, 692 00:36:51,879 –> 00:36:53,419 our journey in the future, 693 00:36:54,340 –> 00:36:59,199 and our eternity in the glory of your presence. 694 00:37:00,239 –> 00:37:03,379 Hear our prayers in Jesus’ name and everyone said. 695 00:37:03,379 –> 00:37:04,219 Amen.