1 00:00:00,000 –> 00:00:01,620 You know by now, if you’ve been here 2 00:00:01,620 –> 00:00:04,000 that these are the last words of Moses 3 00:00:04,000 –> 00:00:05,800 all the way through this book, 4 00:00:05,800 –> 00:00:08,420 but coming to chapter 33, 5 00:00:08,420 –> 00:00:12,100 they really are the last recorded words of Moses 6 00:00:12,100 –> 00:00:16,320 before God’s people entered the Promised Land. 7 00:00:16,320 –> 00:00:18,200 You remember the broad sweep of the story 8 00:00:18,200 –> 00:00:22,160 that Moses had served these people now for 40 years. 9 00:00:22,160 –> 00:00:23,920 He had led them out of Egypt. 10 00:00:23,920 –> 00:00:26,559 He was the one who had given them the law 11 00:00:26,559 –> 00:00:29,200 as he’d received it on Mount Sinai. 12 00:00:29,440 –> 00:00:34,240 He had endured 40 years leading them in the desert, 13 00:00:34,240 –> 00:00:36,939 but now Moses is going to die 14 00:00:36,939 –> 00:00:40,799 before the people enter into the Promised Land. 15 00:00:40,799 –> 00:00:42,360 And so if you have your Bible open there, 16 00:00:42,360 –> 00:00:44,720 you’ll see that in chapter 34, 17 00:00:44,720 –> 00:00:47,000 the book ends with the death of Moses. 18 00:00:47,000 –> 00:00:50,680 Moses climbs Mt. Nebo, chapter 34, verse one, 19 00:00:50,680 –> 00:00:53,820 and God shows him the Promised Land. 20 00:00:53,820 –> 00:00:57,599 And in verse 4 of the last chapter there, 21 00:00:57,599 –> 00:00:58,500 God says to him, 22 00:00:58,500 –> 00:01:00,639 this is the land that I promised on oath 23 00:01:00,639 –> 00:01:02,720 to Abraham and Isaac and Jacob. 24 00:01:02,720 –> 00:01:05,300 I have let you see it with your eyes, 25 00:01:05,300 –> 00:01:08,639 but you will not cross over into it. 26 00:01:08,639 –> 00:01:10,760 And then chapter 34 in verse 5, 27 00:01:10,760 –> 00:01:13,160 we read that Moses, the servant of the Lord, 28 00:01:13,160 –> 00:01:16,720 he died there in Moab, right there. 29 00:01:16,720 –> 00:01:18,180 As the Lord had said, 30 00:01:18,180 –> 00:01:21,019 the Lord buried him in Moab. 31 00:01:21,019 –> 00:01:23,320 That’s a sort of Bible quiz question. 32 00:01:23,320 –> 00:01:25,080 Who buried Moses? 33 00:01:25,080 –> 00:01:27,160 God himself buried Moses. 34 00:01:27,160 –> 00:01:28,959 That’s what the Scripture says. 35 00:01:28,959 –> 00:01:31,480 I tried to picture what that exactly was like 36 00:01:31,480 –> 00:01:32,739 we’re not given any detail, 37 00:01:32,739 –> 00:01:34,040 God buried him. 38 00:01:34,040 –> 00:01:36,300 And for that reason, to this day, 39 00:01:36,300 –> 00:01:37,239 the Scripture says, 40 00:01:37,239 –> 00:01:40,959 no one knows where his grave is. 41 00:01:40,959 –> 00:01:41,959 So that’s chapter 34, 42 00:01:41,959 –> 00:01:44,599 is the death of Moses before god’s people 43 00:01:44,599 –> 00:01:46,139 go into the promised land. 44 00:01:46,139 –> 00:01:50,440 So chapter 33 and especially the end of chapter 33, 45 00:01:50,440 –> 00:01:55,120 these really are the last recorded words of Moses. 46 00:01:55,120 –> 00:01:56,900 Now, if you look at the beginning of the chapter, 47 00:01:57,360 –> 00:01:58,620 and you’ll see in verse one, 48 00:01:58,620 –> 00:02:02,599 that it begins there with Moses giving a blessing. 49 00:02:02,599 –> 00:02:04,980 This is the blessing that Moses, the man of God, 50 00:02:04,980 –> 00:02:07,940 pronounced on the Israelites before his death. 51 00:02:07,940 –> 00:02:10,339 And then if you just look over the chapter as a whole, 52 00:02:10,339 –> 00:02:12,339 you’ll see that there are particular blessings 53 00:02:12,339 –> 00:02:15,419 for each of the tribes of Israel. 54 00:02:15,419 –> 00:02:18,520 So there’s a blessing in verse six, for Ruben, 55 00:02:18,520 –> 00:02:20,740 verse seven, for the tribe of Judah, 56 00:02:20,740 –> 00:02:22,979 verse eight for the tribe of Levi, 57 00:02:23,000 –> 00:02:27,100 verse 12 from the tribe of Benjamin and so forth, and so on. 58 00:02:27,100 –> 00:02:30,899 And all of these blessings that run through this chapter 33, 59 00:02:30,899 –> 00:02:35,220 they sort of rise together in a great crescendo 60 00:02:35,220 –> 00:02:39,600 that comes to its climax in verse 29, 61 00:02:39,600 –> 00:02:41,539 which is our focus today, 62 00:02:41,539 –> 00:02:44,339 where Moses almost seems to explode 63 00:02:44,339 –> 00:02:46,820 out of this list of blessings 64 00:02:46,820 –> 00:02:49,259 and he says gathering it altogether, 65 00:02:49,500 –> 00:02:53,899 blessed are You O Israel. 66 00:02:53,899 –> 00:02:56,660 Who is like You, 67 00:02:56,660 –> 00:03:01,500 a people saved by the Lord. 68 00:03:01,500 –> 00:03:04,460 Now I want us to see in this last message of the series 69 00:03:04,460 –> 00:03:06,899 that this blessing is not only theirs, 70 00:03:06,899 –> 00:03:11,899 but it is yours or it can be yours through Jesus Christ. 71 00:03:13,399 –> 00:03:14,539 Now let’s ask this question, 72 00:03:14,539 –> 00:03:16,460 what does it mean to be blessed? 73 00:03:16,479 –> 00:03:20,000 What is this great blessing that Moses is speaking about? 74 00:03:20,899 –> 00:03:23,139 And remember as Moses says these words 75 00:03:23,139 –> 00:03:27,100 that this is the man who was raised in a palace in Egypt. 76 00:03:27,100 –> 00:03:31,660 He was surrounded by opulence and wealth in his early years. 77 00:03:32,559 –> 00:03:34,360 Is that what it means to be blessed? 78 00:03:36,220 –> 00:03:38,820 Then at age 40, everything changes for Moses, 79 00:03:38,820 –> 00:03:42,100 a sudden calamity means he leaves Egypt. 80 00:03:42,100 –> 00:03:43,639 And for the next 40 years 81 00:03:43,679 –> 00:03:47,479 he scratches a living in the desert. 82 00:03:47,479 –> 00:03:49,240 He’s a shepherd. 83 00:03:49,240 –> 00:03:51,639 So for 40 years, this man has experienced life 84 00:03:51,639 –> 00:03:53,080 at its very best. 85 00:03:53,080 –> 00:03:54,279 For 40 years this man, 86 00:03:54,279 –> 00:03:56,940 then experienced life material in this world 87 00:03:56,940 –> 00:03:59,399 at its very hardest, at its very lowest. 88 00:03:59,399 –> 00:04:01,020 Then everything changed again. 89 00:04:02,000 –> 00:04:05,320 And God called Moses you remember to confront Pharaoh, 90 00:04:05,320 –> 00:04:07,839 then to lead his people across the Red Sea, 91 00:04:07,839 –> 00:04:09,240 then to go up the mountain 92 00:04:09,240 –> 00:04:12,419 and to be in the presence of God in Sinai. 93 00:04:12,460 –> 00:04:16,179 And for 40 years, Moses experienced God 94 00:04:16,179 –> 00:04:19,000 as nobody else had known him. 95 00:04:19,000 –> 00:04:21,519 And so at 120 years of age, 96 00:04:21,519 –> 00:04:23,700 three equal periods of his life, 97 00:04:23,700 –> 00:04:26,359 the old man looks back over everything 98 00:04:26,359 –> 00:04:30,579 that he’s experienced and this is his wisdom. 99 00:04:30,579 –> 00:04:31,420 He’s saying, 100 00:04:31,420 –> 00:04:35,420 the greatest blessing you can know in life in this world, 101 00:04:35,420 –> 00:04:37,140 no matter how rich or how poor, 102 00:04:37,140 –> 00:04:39,880 and I’ve seen both, Moses could say, 103 00:04:39,880 –> 00:04:42,359 the greatest blessing you can know in this world 104 00:04:42,359 –> 00:04:46,000 is to know God himself. 105 00:04:47,660 –> 00:04:49,579 Whether you are born in a palace, 106 00:04:50,420 –> 00:04:54,779 whether you’ve eked out an existence in the desert. 107 00:04:56,299 –> 00:04:58,899 He says to God’s people, I’ve seen both, 108 00:04:59,720 –> 00:05:03,279 and I tell you nobody else has got what you’ve got. 109 00:05:04,140 –> 00:05:09,140 Who is like you, oh Israel, a people saved by the Lord. 110 00:05:09,619 –> 00:05:11,700 Let’s just pause here for a moment. 111 00:05:11,739 –> 00:05:13,140 He says, who’s like you? 112 00:05:13,140 –> 00:05:15,019 You’re a people saved. 113 00:05:15,019 –> 00:05:17,420 Isn’t that a wonderful bible word? 114 00:05:17,420 –> 00:05:19,500 Saved! 115 00:05:19,500 –> 00:05:24,019 Not being saved, not hoping that one day you might be saved. 116 00:05:24,019 –> 00:05:27,359 You are a people saved, you’re blessed. 117 00:05:28,359 –> 00:05:30,739 In New Testament terms, we can say we are blessed 118 00:05:30,739 –> 00:05:33,660 because there is no condemnation now 119 00:05:33,660 –> 00:05:37,420 for those who are in Christ Jesus. 120 00:05:37,420 –> 00:05:39,420 And then Moses says something even better. 121 00:05:39,440 –> 00:05:41,720 He says, not only are you saved, 122 00:05:41,720 –> 00:05:44,559 but you’re blessed because you’re saved by the Lord. 123 00:05:44,559 –> 00:05:45,540 Do you see that there? 124 00:05:45,540 –> 00:05:48,640 It’s God who stepped into your life, 125 00:05:48,640 –> 00:05:51,779 it’s not that you’re saved by some sort of system, 126 00:05:51,779 –> 00:05:55,420 some kind of religion, some kind of mechanical process. 127 00:05:55,420 –> 00:05:56,739 No, here’s what has happened. 128 00:05:56,739 –> 00:05:58,420 God has stepped into your life, 129 00:05:58,420 –> 00:06:00,019 God has seen your plight. 130 00:06:00,019 –> 00:06:02,059 God has come down to deliver you. 131 00:06:02,059 –> 00:06:04,540 God has committed Himself to you forever. 132 00:06:04,540 –> 00:06:08,420 Israel he says, you are blessed like no one else. 133 00:06:08,420 –> 00:06:10,760 Whether you’re talk about the richest or the poorest, 134 00:06:10,760 –> 00:06:13,019 nobody’s got what you’ve got. 135 00:06:13,880 –> 00:06:17,820 You’re a people saved by the Lord. 136 00:06:17,820 –> 00:06:19,619 Now, this is His conclusion. 137 00:06:19,619 –> 00:06:21,279 And of course, it fits exactly 138 00:06:21,279 –> 00:06:23,220 with what our Lord Jesus says. 139 00:06:23,220 –> 00:06:25,160 Do you remember in His prayer to the Father 140 00:06:25,160 –> 00:06:27,320 in John 17 and verse three, 141 00:06:27,320 –> 00:06:29,640 the Lord Jesus says this, 142 00:06:29,640 –> 00:06:32,859 this is eternal life. 143 00:06:32,859 –> 00:06:34,260 You say, what’s eternal life? 144 00:06:34,260 –> 00:06:36,619 What’s the greatest thing I can ever know? 145 00:06:36,820 –> 00:06:38,940 Jesus says to know you, 146 00:06:38,940 –> 00:06:43,899 the only true God and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. 147 00:06:47,140 –> 00:06:49,899 Now, you may think, 148 00:06:50,820 –> 00:06:53,459 knowing God sounds easy. 149 00:06:54,859 –> 00:06:58,059 But I tell you that by nature it is impossible. 150 00:06:59,559 –> 00:07:02,160 How can you know God since you cannot see Him? 151 00:07:03,700 –> 00:07:04,779 God is invisible. 152 00:07:04,820 –> 00:07:07,579 God does not speak in an audible voice. 153 00:07:07,579 –> 00:07:09,859 God has spirit, God is eternal. 154 00:07:11,339 –> 00:07:14,299 Everything about God is beyond the range 155 00:07:14,299 –> 00:07:16,059 of our five senses. 156 00:07:17,260 –> 00:07:19,739 So knowing God would be absolutely, 157 00:07:19,739 –> 00:07:22,779 completely and utterly impossible 158 00:07:22,779 –> 00:07:26,359 unless God had made Himself known. 159 00:07:27,459 –> 00:07:29,140 And that is where Moses begins. 160 00:07:29,140 –> 00:07:31,619 If you look back in verse one of chapter 33, 161 00:07:31,619 –> 00:07:33,760 he’s talking about the blessing 162 00:07:33,760 –> 00:07:36,739 that is Israel’s and here’s where he begins. 163 00:07:38,459 –> 00:07:41,980 “‘The Lord came down from Sinai.’ 164 00:07:42,959 –> 00:07:47,480 Verse two, he came with myriads of holy ones.” 165 00:07:47,480 –> 00:07:50,260 See, he’s saying, understand this is the great blessing 166 00:07:50,260 –> 00:07:53,040 that is uniquely yours, Oh Israel. 167 00:07:53,040 –> 00:07:54,380 God came. 168 00:07:55,239 –> 00:07:57,959 This God that you could not otherwise have known, 169 00:07:57,959 –> 00:08:00,040 he came to you. 170 00:08:00,040 –> 00:08:03,839 The invisible God made himself known at Mount Sinai. 171 00:08:03,839 –> 00:08:06,359 He came down and his glory, 172 00:08:06,359 –> 00:08:08,839 it was revealed right there on the mountain, 173 00:08:08,839 –> 00:08:11,160 this God who inhabits eternity. 174 00:08:11,160 –> 00:08:15,739 Here’s what he did, he broke into time and he spoke 175 00:08:15,739 –> 00:08:17,779 and myriads of angels. 176 00:08:17,779 –> 00:08:19,559 Notice that phrase in verse two. 177 00:08:19,559 –> 00:08:20,880 They were there in attendance. 178 00:08:20,880 –> 00:08:24,200 The whole event was glorious when God came down. 179 00:08:24,200 –> 00:08:28,839 It was unlike anything that had ever happened before. 180 00:08:29,820 –> 00:08:34,820 Now as Moses begins to explain this marvellous blessing 181 00:08:35,880 –> 00:08:37,520 in which these people have come to know 182 00:08:37,520 –> 00:08:39,380 the God who saves them, 183 00:08:41,159 –> 00:08:43,919 here’s something marvellous for us to grasp today 184 00:08:43,919 –> 00:08:46,119 that it’s often neglected, 185 00:08:47,159 –> 00:08:52,159 that in order for God to make himself known to us, 186 00:08:52,700 –> 00:08:57,020 he speaks to us in language we can understand. 187 00:09:01,599 –> 00:09:03,700 Now this is a marvellous truth. 188 00:09:03,700 –> 00:09:05,500 I want you to take just a moment on it, 189 00:09:05,500 –> 00:09:07,539 and you’ll see why. 190 00:09:07,539 –> 00:09:12,400 Let me begin with trying to set this up for you this way. 191 00:09:12,400 –> 00:09:16,400 Years ago I heard Professor Don Carson 192 00:09:16,400 –> 00:09:20,580 from Trinity University ask a fascinating question. 193 00:09:22,520 –> 00:09:26,020 He said, if you were challenged to explain 194 00:09:27,719 –> 00:09:30,219 to a group of stone age people 195 00:09:31,099 –> 00:09:33,739 what an electric light bulb is 196 00:09:33,739 –> 00:09:36,739 and how it works and what it does, 197 00:09:36,739 –> 00:09:38,979 how would you go about doing it? 198 00:09:38,979 –> 00:09:40,400 Now you begin to think about that. 199 00:09:40,400 –> 00:09:41,799 You know you’re transported back in time 200 00:09:41,799 –> 00:09:44,820 and you’ve got to explain to people in a stone age culture, 201 00:09:44,820 –> 00:09:48,700 so they don’t have metals, wires, or anything like that, 202 00:09:48,700 –> 00:09:51,960 and you’re challenge is to try and explain to them 203 00:09:52,179 –> 00:09:55,619 an electric bulb that lights your house or lights your room. 204 00:09:55,619 –> 00:09:57,419 How would you go about it? 205 00:09:58,460 –> 00:09:59,960 They’ve never seen a light bulb, 206 00:10:01,000 –> 00:10:03,679 they have never seen a piece of wiring or a cable. 207 00:10:05,239 –> 00:10:07,239 So how would you explain this to them? 208 00:10:07,239 –> 00:10:09,760 Well, surely what you would do is something like this. 209 00:10:09,760 –> 00:10:12,400 You would look around at their world 210 00:10:12,400 –> 00:10:14,200 and you would see they have no cables, 211 00:10:14,200 –> 00:10:15,460 but they do have vines. 212 00:10:15,460 –> 00:10:18,640 And vines have long, thin, sort of trailers going there. 213 00:10:18,640 –> 00:10:19,739 And so you might say, 214 00:10:20,659 –> 00:10:23,200 here in the world from which I come, 215 00:10:23,200 –> 00:10:26,820 it’s like vines that come along on poles 216 00:10:26,820 –> 00:10:28,539 and they come into your house. 217 00:10:30,340 –> 00:10:32,059 Well, if you think you can do better, 218 00:10:32,059 –> 00:10:33,099 you tell me later. 219 00:10:34,039 –> 00:10:36,119 And then you’re trying to explain a light bulb. 220 00:10:36,119 –> 00:10:37,780 But how do you explain a light bulb 221 00:10:37,780 –> 00:10:39,419 to people in a stone age culture? 222 00:10:40,900 –> 00:10:42,880 You look around and you see the sunrise. 223 00:10:42,880 –> 00:10:44,619 And you say, well, you know, 224 00:10:44,619 –> 00:10:49,580 it’s like as if a little sun were in your room 225 00:10:49,580 –> 00:10:53,099 at night so that you can see even when it is dark. 226 00:10:54,700 –> 00:10:56,659 The point is a very simple one. 227 00:10:57,820 –> 00:11:00,900 If you want to communicate to people 228 00:11:00,900 –> 00:11:04,479 who know nothing about the world in which you live, 229 00:11:04,479 –> 00:11:07,380 you have to use language that people, 230 00:11:07,380 –> 00:11:09,140 these people can understand. 231 00:11:09,140 –> 00:11:11,859 And what that means is that you have to use language 232 00:11:11,859 –> 00:11:14,739 that is drawn from their world 233 00:11:14,739 –> 00:11:17,119 because they cannot penetrate yours. 234 00:11:18,059 –> 00:11:22,479 Now, this is precisely what God has done in the scripture. 235 00:11:22,479 –> 00:11:26,359 Because we cannot known or to begin to imagine eternity, 236 00:11:27,599 –> 00:11:29,200 in order that we may know him, 237 00:11:29,200 –> 00:11:32,320 God describes himself in language 238 00:11:32,320 –> 00:11:35,719 that is taken from his own creation. 239 00:11:37,080 –> 00:11:41,260 So Dr. Herman Bavinck says in the classic book 240 00:11:41,260 –> 00:11:43,599 that he has written on the doctrine of God, 241 00:11:43,599 –> 00:11:47,960 he says, if God were to speak to us in divine language, 242 00:11:47,960 –> 00:11:50,840 no one would understand him. 243 00:11:50,840 –> 00:11:52,080 And so for that reason, 244 00:11:52,080 –> 00:11:55,520 God speaks to us in language that we can understand. 245 00:11:55,520 –> 00:11:56,500 Now, here’s what that means, 246 00:11:56,500 –> 00:11:59,520 and once you see it, your eyes will pop 247 00:11:59,520 –> 00:12:01,200 when you see it all over the Bible, 248 00:12:01,200 –> 00:12:02,400 because it’s everywhere. 249 00:12:03,400 –> 00:12:05,419 God describes himself, therefore, 250 00:12:05,419 –> 00:12:07,659 in order to accommodate himself to us, 251 00:12:07,659 –> 00:12:09,320 and so that we can understand him, 252 00:12:09,320 –> 00:12:12,960 we who have not been in eternity and cannot see him. 253 00:12:13,000 –> 00:12:17,520 God describes himself in terms of the human body, 254 00:12:17,520 –> 00:12:19,400 so that in the Scripture, for example, 255 00:12:19,400 –> 00:12:23,039 you read about God’s face, though God is spirit. 256 00:12:23,039 –> 00:12:24,799 He does not have a body, 257 00:12:24,799 –> 00:12:26,640 but how else are we to understand anything 258 00:12:26,640 –> 00:12:28,099 about the God who is spirit? 259 00:12:28,099 –> 00:12:29,900 So the Bible accommodations to us, 260 00:12:29,900 –> 00:12:32,280 God uses language from our creation 261 00:12:32,280 –> 00:12:33,440 so that we can understand. 262 00:12:33,440 –> 00:12:37,119 He speaks about his face, he speaks about his eyes, 263 00:12:37,119 –> 00:12:39,039 he speaks about his ear, 264 00:12:39,039 –> 00:12:41,320 he even speaks about his nostrils, 265 00:12:41,320 –> 00:12:44,679 you can check that out in Exodus 15 in verse 8. 266 00:12:46,780 –> 00:12:48,280 Theologians call this… 267 00:12:48,280 –> 00:12:50,559 And here’s the big word of the day 268 00:12:50,559 –> 00:12:53,020 that you can ignore if you want to. 269 00:12:53,020 –> 00:12:56,599 Theologians call this anthropomorphism, 270 00:12:56,599 –> 00:13:01,340 that’s anthropos meaning man, morph, form. 271 00:13:01,340 –> 00:13:05,780 It is God describing himself in human form. 272 00:13:06,979 –> 00:13:08,599 And as you begin to think about that, 273 00:13:08,599 –> 00:13:10,760 you’ll quickly realise that this goes further 274 00:13:10,799 –> 00:13:12,359 right throughout the Bible. 275 00:13:12,359 –> 00:13:15,859 God not only describe himself in terms of the human body 276 00:13:15,859 –> 00:13:18,880 but he describes himself in terms of human emotions. 277 00:13:18,880 –> 00:13:21,599 So we read, for example, of God rejoicing 278 00:13:21,599 –> 00:13:24,919 or God grieving or God having zeal. 279 00:13:24,919 –> 00:13:26,080 You remember in the Christmas reading, 280 00:13:26,080 –> 00:13:28,440 the zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this. 281 00:13:28,440 –> 00:13:32,359 Or even you read in Deuteronomy 32 in verse six… 282 00:13:32,359 –> 00:13:35,239 Verse 27, I’m sorry, of God dreading. 283 00:13:35,239 –> 00:13:37,280 This is an accommodation to human language 284 00:13:37,280 –> 00:13:39,320 so that we may know him. 285 00:13:39,320 –> 00:13:41,080 Or thirdly, God describes himself 286 00:13:41,080 –> 00:13:44,479 in terms of human roles or even professions. 287 00:13:44,479 –> 00:13:47,080 He describes himself as a husband, 288 00:13:47,080 –> 00:13:49,320 he describes himself as a father, 289 00:13:49,320 –> 00:13:52,520 he describes himself as a shepherd. 290 00:13:52,520 –> 00:13:56,080 And more than that, God even delves into the realm 291 00:13:56,080 –> 00:13:59,859 of his own created order to give us language 292 00:13:59,859 –> 00:14:02,559 that we can begin to discover something about him. 293 00:14:02,559 –> 00:14:06,320 For example, he is a rock, he is our refuge, 294 00:14:06,320 –> 00:14:11,320 he is a strong tower, he is a shield, he is a hiding place. 295 00:14:13,280 –> 00:14:14,760 Now quickly you will realize 296 00:14:14,760 –> 00:14:17,080 that this is all over the scripture. 297 00:14:17,080 –> 00:14:18,000 Dr. Bavink says, 298 00:14:18,000 –> 00:14:21,239 sculpture calls upon the entire creation 299 00:14:21,239 –> 00:14:24,760 to contribute to the description of the knowledge of God. 300 00:14:24,760 –> 00:14:27,359 Everything that has breath is to praise the Lord 301 00:14:27,359 –> 00:14:29,159 because everything that has breath 302 00:14:29,159 –> 00:14:31,460 in some way reflects his glory. 303 00:14:31,460 –> 00:14:34,200 Even the sun and the moon and the stars 304 00:14:34,200 –> 00:14:37,359 in Psalm 148 are invited to praise him 305 00:14:37,359 –> 00:14:39,520 because they are the work of his hands 306 00:14:39,520 –> 00:14:42,419 and in some way, they reflect his glory. 307 00:14:42,419 –> 00:14:43,840 So that beautifully, 308 00:14:43,840 –> 00:14:45,599 John Calvin says, 309 00:14:45,599 –> 00:14:49,280 there is not an atom in the universe 310 00:14:49,280 –> 00:14:53,559 in which you cannot see at least some spark 311 00:14:53,559 –> 00:14:55,179 of God’s glory. 312 00:14:55,179 –> 00:14:56,020 Isn’t that beautiful? 313 00:14:56,020 –> 00:14:57,719 Not an atom in the universe. 314 00:14:59,280 –> 00:15:00,640 Now the point here is simply 315 00:15:00,719 –> 00:15:02,539 that God speaks to us 316 00:15:02,539 –> 00:15:06,039 in language that we can understand. 317 00:15:07,799 –> 00:15:10,159 And so when Moses wants to communicate 318 00:15:10,159 –> 00:15:12,559 what the blessing of the eternal God 319 00:15:12,559 –> 00:15:16,219 actually looks like in your life today, 320 00:15:17,200 –> 00:15:19,559 he uses in this chapter 321 00:15:19,559 –> 00:15:23,859 four wonderful anthropomorphisms. 322 00:15:26,400 –> 00:15:28,520 And I hope you will come to love them 323 00:15:28,520 –> 00:15:33,520 and enjoy them as much as I do in the Scriptures. 324 00:15:33,599 –> 00:15:35,799 Here’s the first, verse three, 325 00:15:35,799 –> 00:15:38,919 God’s hand, God’s hand, look at this. 326 00:15:39,940 –> 00:15:40,780 Verse three, 327 00:15:40,780 –> 00:15:43,500 Surely, Moses says to the Lord, 328 00:15:43,500 –> 00:15:46,760 It is You who love the people 329 00:15:47,960 –> 00:15:52,179 and all the holy ones are in Your hand. 330 00:15:54,960 –> 00:15:57,359 Here’s what it means to be saved, folks. 331 00:15:57,359 –> 00:15:59,520 Here’s why when you know the Lord, 332 00:15:59,520 –> 00:16:01,659 you are blessed like nobody else. 333 00:16:03,400 –> 00:16:06,539 When you know God, you are in His hand. 334 00:16:07,840 –> 00:16:08,739 When you know Him, 335 00:16:08,739 –> 00:16:12,479 your life is not a matter of random chance. 336 00:16:12,479 –> 00:16:13,679 Whatever surprises, 337 00:16:13,679 –> 00:16:15,960 whatever disappointments are going on in your life 338 00:16:15,960 –> 00:16:17,239 or may come your way, 339 00:16:17,239 –> 00:16:19,960 you are in the hand of the living God 340 00:16:19,960 –> 00:16:21,359 and He cares for you. 341 00:16:22,219 –> 00:16:24,299 Jesus said, taking up this picture. 342 00:16:24,299 –> 00:16:25,140 He said, 343 00:16:25,140 –> 00:16:28,500 give them eternal life and they shall never perish. 344 00:16:28,500 –> 00:16:31,739 He says, no one shall snatch them out of my hand. 345 00:16:32,880 –> 00:16:37,039 There may be many failings in your Christian life. 346 00:16:37,039 –> 00:16:38,239 There may be many times 347 00:16:38,239 –> 00:16:41,580 when your faith is running incredibly low, 348 00:16:41,580 –> 00:16:43,960 but thank God with me today 349 00:16:43,960 –> 00:16:47,440 that your salvation, your security 350 00:16:47,440 –> 00:16:49,219 does not rest on the strength 351 00:16:49,219 –> 00:16:51,239 of your hand holding on to God, 352 00:16:51,239 –> 00:16:52,619 but it rests on the strength 353 00:16:52,619 –> 00:16:54,080 of God’s hand holding on to you. 354 00:16:54,099 –> 00:16:55,359 Isn’t that good news? 355 00:16:55,359 –> 00:16:58,659 That’s security in an uncertain world. 356 00:16:58,659 –> 00:17:03,659 And Moses says to the people of God, you are blessed, why? 357 00:17:03,659 –> 00:17:05,819 Because as someone who is saved by the Lord, 358 00:17:05,819 –> 00:17:08,880 your life is in his hand 359 00:17:08,880 –> 00:17:11,439 and that means you are utterly secure. 360 00:17:13,060 –> 00:17:15,760 Then look on in verse three, 361 00:17:15,760 –> 00:17:17,699 he speaks about God’s feet 362 00:17:18,839 –> 00:17:22,319 and here are the references to wisdom at your feet. 363 00:17:23,319 –> 00:17:25,020 They all bow down 364 00:17:26,319 –> 00:17:30,640 and from you receive instruction, 365 00:17:31,680 –> 00:17:34,479 the law that Moses gave us. 366 00:17:35,380 –> 00:17:36,439 Now you see the point here, 367 00:17:36,439 –> 00:17:38,560 the people of God are coming to a great change, 368 00:17:38,560 –> 00:17:41,400 Moses has been with them all of their lives 369 00:17:41,400 –> 00:17:43,839 and he was the one who always seemed to know what to do. 370 00:17:43,839 –> 00:17:45,239 Moses knows what to do 371 00:17:45,239 –> 00:17:48,459 and now what are they going to do without Moses? 372 00:17:48,459 –> 00:17:50,479 And the great question, surely, for God’s people, 373 00:17:50,479 –> 00:17:51,680 a question we often ask, 374 00:17:51,780 –> 00:17:53,119 where can we find wisdom? 375 00:17:54,199 –> 00:17:56,000 Who should we trust? 376 00:17:56,000 –> 00:17:59,579 How can we make good and wise decisions? 377 00:18:00,880 –> 00:18:03,400 And God’s people received instruction 378 00:18:03,400 –> 00:18:07,359 from God himself through the law, Moses says here, 379 00:18:07,359 –> 00:18:10,780 that had been given by Moses. 380 00:18:10,780 –> 00:18:13,239 And you see the point here, it’s very wonderful. 381 00:18:14,239 –> 00:18:16,920 When you read the scriptures, 382 00:18:17,839 –> 00:18:21,920 you are sitting at the feet of God 383 00:18:21,920 –> 00:18:24,319 and you are listening to his voice. 384 00:18:25,199 –> 00:18:26,880 People all the time are asking this question 385 00:18:26,880 –> 00:18:28,599 and many folks are in confusion about it. 386 00:18:28,599 –> 00:18:29,959 How do I hear the voice of God? 387 00:18:29,959 –> 00:18:31,319 How do I hear the voice of God? 388 00:18:31,319 –> 00:18:33,239 Here’s how you hear the voice of God. 389 00:18:34,319 –> 00:18:37,780 See Moses is saying he speaks, he gives direction through 390 00:18:37,780 –> 00:18:39,640 the law that he’s given to Moses. 391 00:18:39,640 –> 00:18:42,880 When you listen to the scripture, 392 00:18:42,880 –> 00:18:45,319 you are hearing the voice of God 393 00:18:45,560 –> 00:18:50,560 for this is the word that God himself speaks. 394 00:18:51,599 –> 00:18:53,920 Think of that beautiful picture in the new Testament. 395 00:18:53,920 –> 00:18:57,640 Remember Mary, when Martha was busy in the kitchen 396 00:18:57,640 –> 00:18:58,540 and what was Mary doing? 397 00:18:58,540 –> 00:19:02,680 She’s sitting at the feet of Jesus. 398 00:19:02,680 –> 00:19:04,520 She’s listening to the very words of God 399 00:19:04,520 –> 00:19:06,380 coming from the mouth of the saviour. 400 00:19:07,300 –> 00:19:09,680 Listen, when you have your Bible open, 401 00:19:09,680 –> 00:19:11,939 when you are reading the word of God, 402 00:19:11,939 –> 00:19:14,839 you are sitting at the feet of God, 403 00:19:14,859 –> 00:19:17,140 at your feet they all bow down 404 00:19:17,140 –> 00:19:19,099 and from you, they receive instruction. 405 00:19:19,099 –> 00:19:23,939 How the law that Moses gave us is beautiful, is wonderful. 406 00:19:23,939 –> 00:19:25,520 You are not left without guidance. 407 00:19:25,520 –> 00:19:29,000 You have a shepherd and here’s how he speaks to you, 408 00:19:29,000 –> 00:19:30,439 when you read the Scripture 409 00:19:30,439 –> 00:19:32,439 you are sitting at the feet of the Lord 410 00:19:32,439 –> 00:19:36,479 and you are listening to His voice. 411 00:19:37,839 –> 00:19:38,760 That’s why we want the word of God 412 00:19:38,760 –> 00:19:40,439 to be central in our worship. 413 00:19:41,119 –> 00:19:43,719 So that with a Bible open 414 00:19:43,719 –> 00:19:47,479 we can see what God says 415 00:19:47,520 –> 00:19:51,219 and build our lives upon it. 416 00:19:51,219 –> 00:19:52,699 So you see what Moses is saying? 417 00:19:52,699 –> 00:19:53,900 It’s building here. 418 00:19:53,900 –> 00:19:56,000 Oh, how blessed you are Israel, 419 00:19:56,000 –> 00:19:57,900 a people saved by the Lord. 420 00:19:57,900 –> 00:19:59,319 You’re in His hands 421 00:20:00,219 –> 00:20:03,180 and you’re not aimlessly drifting about in life. 422 00:20:03,180 –> 00:20:06,979 You’re being taught at His feet, you have His word. 423 00:20:07,979 –> 00:20:11,079 And then thirdly, it gets even more beautiful. 424 00:20:11,079 –> 00:20:14,000 God’s shoulders, will you look with me at verse 12? 425 00:20:14,000 –> 00:20:15,219 I love this. 426 00:20:16,280 –> 00:20:21,000 The beloved of the Lord will rest secure in Him 427 00:20:21,040 –> 00:20:23,119 for He shields them all day long 428 00:20:23,119 –> 00:20:25,640 and the one the Lord loves 429 00:20:25,640 –> 00:20:30,199 rests between His shoulders. 430 00:20:30,199 –> 00:20:34,380 Boy, that is a verse to mark and highlight in your Bible. 431 00:20:34,380 –> 00:20:35,859 It is beautiful. 432 00:20:35,859 –> 00:20:37,020 You see the picture? 433 00:20:37,020 –> 00:20:40,020 You think about a father with his son, 434 00:20:40,020 –> 00:20:42,699 little boy on his shoulders, 435 00:20:42,699 –> 00:20:44,300 and you can picture it, 436 00:20:44,300 –> 00:20:48,739 it’s been a long, exhausting day of Christmas shopping. 437 00:20:48,739 –> 00:20:50,140 You know what that is? 438 00:20:50,140 –> 00:20:51,300 And here’s this little lad, 439 00:20:51,300 –> 00:20:54,119 he’s been dragged around every department store 440 00:20:54,119 –> 00:20:55,180 that you can imagine, 441 00:20:55,180 –> 00:20:56,900 and it’s six o’clock in the evening 442 00:20:56,900 –> 00:20:59,300 and the little lad’s absolutely exhausted 443 00:20:59,300 –> 00:21:01,640 and he’s been crying and he looks up at his dad 444 00:21:01,640 –> 00:21:02,780 with that exhausted, 445 00:21:02,780 –> 00:21:05,400 please, help me, look in his eyes 446 00:21:05,800 –> 00:21:07,000 and what does the father do? 447 00:21:07,000 –> 00:21:08,040 The father picks him up, 448 00:21:08,040 –> 00:21:09,900 he sticks him on his shoulders 449 00:21:09,900 –> 00:21:12,599 and there, that little boy sits like a king 450 00:21:13,959 –> 00:21:15,339 on his father’s shoulders. 451 00:21:17,040 –> 00:21:18,640 Now, you see what this is saying? 452 00:21:19,560 –> 00:21:24,000 God will not leave you bedraggled and exhausted. 453 00:21:25,280 –> 00:21:28,540 You look back even to chapter one and verse 31, 454 00:21:28,540 –> 00:21:30,359 it’s so beautifully stated there, 455 00:21:30,359 –> 00:21:31,199 the same picture, 456 00:21:31,199 –> 00:21:33,560 Moses says, chapter one, verse 31, 457 00:21:33,599 –> 00:21:36,199 the Lord, your God carried you 458 00:21:36,199 –> 00:21:39,599 as a father carries his son 459 00:21:39,599 –> 00:21:42,760 all the way you went until you reached this place. 460 00:21:42,760 –> 00:21:44,560 All these years in the desert, 461 00:21:44,560 –> 00:21:47,699 it was God who carried you. 462 00:21:49,280 –> 00:21:50,640 It’s a beautiful poem 463 00:21:51,479 –> 00:21:53,280 or perhaps a piece of prose 464 00:21:54,359 –> 00:21:55,719 that many of you will know. 465 00:21:55,719 –> 00:21:57,819 It’s called Footprints in the Sand. 466 00:21:57,819 –> 00:21:59,199 Are you familiar with this? 467 00:21:59,199 –> 00:22:00,260 I’ll just read that to you 468 00:22:00,579 –> 00:22:04,520 because it just encapsulates the beauty of the God 469 00:22:04,520 –> 00:22:07,660 who carries his people on his shoulders. 470 00:22:08,699 –> 00:22:11,339 The author Mary Stephenson writes this. 471 00:22:11,339 –> 00:22:14,520 One night I dreamed that I was walking 472 00:22:14,520 –> 00:22:16,140 along the beach with the Lord. 473 00:22:16,140 –> 00:22:19,119 Many scenes of my life flushed across the sky. 474 00:22:20,359 –> 00:22:21,260 In each scene, 475 00:22:21,260 –> 00:22:24,020 I noticed that there were footprints in the sand. 476 00:22:24,020 –> 00:22:26,599 Sometimes there were two sets of footprints. 477 00:22:26,599 –> 00:22:28,599 Sometimes there was only one. 478 00:22:29,579 –> 00:22:30,640 This bothered me 479 00:22:31,540 –> 00:22:34,680 because I noticed that during the low periods of my life, 480 00:22:34,680 –> 00:22:37,500 when I suffered from anguish and sorrow and defeat, 481 00:22:37,500 –> 00:22:40,339 I could only see one set of footprints. 482 00:22:40,339 –> 00:22:41,619 So I said to the Lord, 483 00:22:41,619 –> 00:22:43,219 you promised me Lord, 484 00:22:43,219 –> 00:22:44,579 that if I followed you, 485 00:22:44,579 –> 00:22:47,540 you would walk with me always. 486 00:22:47,540 –> 00:22:48,660 But I have noticed 487 00:22:48,660 –> 00:22:51,140 that during the most trying periods of my life, 488 00:22:51,140 –> 00:22:54,060 there was only one set of footprints in the sand. 489 00:22:54,060 –> 00:22:56,699 Why, when I needed you most, 490 00:22:56,719 –> 00:22:58,719 have you not been there for me? 491 00:22:58,719 –> 00:23:01,079 And the Lord replied, 492 00:23:01,079 –> 00:23:06,300 the times when you have seen only one set of footprints 493 00:23:06,300 –> 00:23:08,239 is when I carried you. 494 00:23:09,319 –> 00:23:10,800 Now are you beginning to see 495 00:23:10,800 –> 00:23:12,520 what the blessing of God looks like? 496 00:23:12,520 –> 00:23:15,780 Why, Moses would say at the end of the chapter, 497 00:23:15,780 –> 00:23:18,520 Oh, Israel, who’s like you? 498 00:23:18,520 –> 00:23:20,339 No one has this blessing 499 00:23:20,339 –> 00:23:23,199 apart from it being trusted to you. 500 00:23:23,199 –> 00:23:26,680 It is amazing, you are in the hands of God. 501 00:23:26,680 –> 00:23:29,500 And you’re being taught at the feet of God. 502 00:23:29,500 –> 00:23:32,579 And you’re being carried on the shoulders of God. 503 00:23:34,280 –> 00:23:36,579 And Moses hasn’t done because there’s one more. 504 00:23:37,859 –> 00:23:39,500 Verse 27. 505 00:23:39,500 –> 00:23:41,859 And if you haven’t highlighted this in your Bible, 506 00:23:41,859 –> 00:23:43,859 Oh, this is another verse to highlight. 507 00:23:45,800 –> 00:23:50,660 The eternal God is your refuge. 508 00:23:50,660 –> 00:23:54,140 And underneath says Moses are 509 00:23:54,140 –> 00:23:58,699 the Everlasting Arms. 510 00:23:58,699 –> 00:23:59,719 Underneath. 511 00:24:00,719 –> 00:24:02,280 The Everlasting Arms. 512 00:24:04,219 –> 00:24:06,339 Now, anyone who has climbed a mountain knows 513 00:24:06,339 –> 00:24:08,900 that going up is always easier than coming down. 514 00:24:08,900 –> 00:24:10,479 Isn’t that a principle? 515 00:24:10,479 –> 00:24:12,040 Going up is challenging. 516 00:24:12,040 –> 00:24:15,140 It’s wonderful, but you have a sense of achievement 517 00:24:15,140 –> 00:24:16,319 on the way up. 518 00:24:16,319 –> 00:24:17,920 Coming down is always harder. 519 00:24:17,920 –> 00:24:20,660 That’s when you’re more likely to slip. 520 00:24:20,660 –> 00:24:22,420 That’s when you’ll get discouraged. 521 00:24:23,400 –> 00:24:28,099 C.H. Spurgeon says that this promise in verse 27 522 00:24:28,099 –> 00:24:30,699 is for times when we face the challenge 523 00:24:30,699 –> 00:24:32,400 of the downward journey. 524 00:24:33,520 –> 00:24:37,040 Times in your life where you are brought low. 525 00:24:37,040 –> 00:24:38,579 And there are times in all of our lives 526 00:24:38,579 –> 00:24:41,939 where we are brought very, very low in one way or another. 527 00:24:43,420 –> 00:24:45,619 Spurgeon says it might be material. 528 00:24:46,819 –> 00:24:48,219 Some of us know about that. 529 00:24:48,219 –> 00:24:51,400 Your salary was going up, great when it’s going up. 530 00:24:51,439 –> 00:24:55,520 Your savings were going up, now it’s all down. 531 00:24:56,520 –> 00:24:59,079 And you have much less than you had before. 532 00:24:59,079 –> 00:25:00,060 That’s not easy. 533 00:25:01,000 –> 00:25:01,939 It’s going down. 534 00:25:03,619 –> 00:25:06,400 Spurgeson says, it might not only be material, 535 00:25:06,400 –> 00:25:08,079 it might be mental. 536 00:25:09,280 –> 00:25:14,219 Is there anyone else here who has noticed memory failing, 537 00:25:15,300 –> 00:25:20,300 or said in frustration, boy, how did that slip my mind? 538 00:25:20,939 –> 00:25:22,479 And you have felt that your mind is 539 00:25:22,479 –> 00:25:25,520 not as sharp as it used to be, it’s going down. 540 00:25:27,020 –> 00:25:29,880 Maybe your influence, it may be your reputation. 541 00:25:29,880 –> 00:25:31,099 People looked up to you. 542 00:25:31,099 –> 00:25:32,560 You had a certain position, 543 00:25:32,560 –> 00:25:34,180 but you’re not in that position now. 544 00:25:34,180 –> 00:25:35,439 People wanted your opinion, 545 00:25:35,439 –> 00:25:38,380 but nobody’s asking your opinion now. 546 00:25:38,380 –> 00:25:39,760 These days are gone. 547 00:25:39,760 –> 00:25:40,920 Things have changed. 548 00:25:40,920 –> 00:25:43,839 You’re no longer looked up to with the kind of respect 549 00:25:43,839 –> 00:25:45,540 that you were accustomed to in the past. 550 00:25:45,540 –> 00:25:48,619 You’re going down, and going down isn’t easy. 551 00:25:48,719 –> 00:25:50,319 So here’s the promise. 552 00:25:52,479 –> 00:25:55,079 However far you fall, 553 00:25:56,180 –> 00:25:58,420 however low you come, 554 00:26:00,459 –> 00:26:04,859 the loving arms of God are always underneath. 555 00:26:04,859 –> 00:26:06,619 That’s the great thing about this text. 556 00:26:06,619 –> 00:26:10,859 Underneath, as you’re falling, 557 00:26:10,859 –> 00:26:15,739 underneath are the ever lasting ams. 558 00:26:16,579 –> 00:26:19,979 And put yourself in Moses’ shoes, 559 00:26:19,979 –> 00:26:21,719 because you know what’s going to happen next for him 560 00:26:21,719 –> 00:26:24,300 because we’ve already looked at chapter 34. 561 00:26:26,060 –> 00:26:28,219 Here’s Moses, can you imagine this? 562 00:26:28,219 –> 00:26:31,199 After 40 years of ministry with these people 563 00:26:31,199 –> 00:26:33,060 and all the frustrations he’s endured. 564 00:26:33,060 –> 00:26:36,719 And now he’s at the very verge of the promised land. 565 00:26:38,739 –> 00:26:41,140 And surely in his heart, there must have been a sense 566 00:26:41,140 –> 00:26:43,760 oh Lord, there’s so much more I want to do for you. 567 00:26:44,739 –> 00:26:47,280 The last chapter of the book says that his eyes 568 00:26:47,280 –> 00:26:49,920 were not dimmed and his strength was not gone. 569 00:26:49,920 –> 00:26:52,780 Lord, my eyes aren’t dimmed, my strength is not gone, 570 00:26:52,780 –> 00:26:54,760 there’s more I want to do for you, 571 00:26:54,760 –> 00:26:58,219 I’m so close, why don’t you let me finish what I started? 572 00:26:59,839 –> 00:27:02,239 Anyone here had the experience of not being allowed 573 00:27:02,239 –> 00:27:03,800 to finish something you started? 574 00:27:04,640 –> 00:27:05,699 Wishing you could? 575 00:27:07,859 –> 00:27:10,119 And the reality that Moses faces now 576 00:27:10,119 –> 00:27:13,780 is that a few hours after speaking these very words, 577 00:27:15,479 –> 00:27:17,300 he’s going to descend into the grave 578 00:27:19,219 –> 00:27:22,939 and he says, no, I want you to know why you’re blessed 579 00:27:22,939 –> 00:27:24,079 as the people of God 580 00:27:24,079 –> 00:27:27,400 and why I’m blessed to be one of God’s people 581 00:27:27,400 –> 00:27:31,540 as I go down and I’m going to be buried 582 00:27:33,640 –> 00:27:38,640 underneath are the everlasting arms, isn’t that good? 583 00:27:40,880 –> 00:27:45,880 Spurgeon says, underneath dying saints is the living God. 584 00:27:48,959 –> 00:27:50,540 You agree? 585 00:27:50,540 –> 00:27:54,439 Underneath dying saints is the living God. 586 00:27:55,599 –> 00:27:59,420 And he says, I recollect, this is Spurgeon at a funeral 587 00:28:00,280 –> 00:28:02,640 when we laid the body of one of our dear, 588 00:28:02,640 –> 00:28:04,959 of God’s dear saints in the grave. 589 00:28:04,959 –> 00:28:07,199 You picture that at the grave site 590 00:28:07,239 –> 00:28:09,560 and Spurgeon says, one of my fellow ministers 591 00:28:09,560 –> 00:28:11,280 prayed like this, and he quotes the prayer 592 00:28:11,280 –> 00:28:13,979 that the guy said by the grave site. 593 00:28:13,979 –> 00:28:18,180 Lord, we thank You that though our dear friend 594 00:28:18,180 –> 00:28:22,199 has come so low now as to be in His grave, 595 00:28:22,199 –> 00:28:24,219 He cannot go any lower, 596 00:28:25,459 –> 00:28:28,119 for underneath are the everlasting arms 597 00:28:28,119 –> 00:28:31,660 and in due time, You will bring Him up again 598 00:28:31,660 –> 00:28:33,819 by these everlasting arms 599 00:28:33,819 –> 00:28:38,260 raised to newness of life in Jesus Christ. 600 00:28:38,260 –> 00:28:39,260 Isn’t that beautiful? 601 00:28:40,180 –> 00:28:41,300 Even in death. 602 00:28:42,719 –> 00:28:46,839 Underneath are the everlasting arms. 603 00:28:46,839 –> 00:28:49,359 So here’s the blessing that is so rich 604 00:28:49,359 –> 00:28:51,599 for those who are saved by the Lord. 605 00:28:51,599 –> 00:28:53,119 Here’s why Moses is saying, 606 00:28:53,119 –> 00:28:54,880 blessed are you, O Israel, 607 00:28:54,880 –> 00:28:57,839 who is like you, a people saved by the Lord, 608 00:28:57,839 –> 00:29:00,160 because this is what it means to be saved by the Lord. 609 00:29:00,160 –> 00:29:02,239 This is what it means to know God. 610 00:29:02,239 –> 00:29:04,760 You’re in His hands and you’re at His feet 611 00:29:04,760 –> 00:29:08,300 and you’re between His shoulders and you’re on His arms 612 00:29:08,300 –> 00:29:09,880 and there is no blessing, 613 00:29:09,880 –> 00:29:12,119 there is no richness in this world 614 00:29:12,119 –> 00:29:13,780 that can come close to that. 615 00:29:13,780 –> 00:29:15,699 Who is like you, O Israel, 616 00:29:15,699 –> 00:29:19,060 that you should have this blessing as yours? 617 00:29:20,319 –> 00:29:21,959 Now, here’s the last thing today. 618 00:29:23,079 –> 00:29:25,380 This blessing of God, 619 00:29:26,599 –> 00:29:29,239 to be in His hands and at His feet and on His shoulders, 620 00:29:29,239 –> 00:29:31,300 between His shoulders and on His arms, 621 00:29:32,180 –> 00:29:35,819 this blessing of God was theirs then 622 00:29:35,819 –> 00:29:40,180 as it is ours now, only through Jesus Christ. 623 00:29:41,180 –> 00:29:42,859 You see, what Jesus Christ accomplished 624 00:29:42,859 –> 00:29:44,560 when He came and was born into the world 625 00:29:44,560 –> 00:29:45,400 and then when He died 626 00:29:45,400 –> 00:29:47,219 and then when He rose again, 627 00:29:47,219 –> 00:29:49,459 what Jesus accomplished 628 00:29:49,459 –> 00:29:54,199 brought the blessing of God to God’s people before Him 629 00:29:54,199 –> 00:29:57,739 as much as to all of us who live after Him. 630 00:29:58,739 –> 00:30:01,839 And you see that is the great significance 631 00:30:01,839 –> 00:30:06,219 of why Moses died outside the promised land. 632 00:30:06,219 –> 00:30:09,060 This is of huge importance in the Bible story. 633 00:30:10,079 –> 00:30:12,599 Moses was the law giver 634 00:30:13,660 –> 00:30:17,739 and the law gives you a glimpse of the promised land. 635 00:30:17,739 –> 00:30:20,339 The law tells you what a blessed life looks like. 636 00:30:20,339 –> 00:30:22,180 The problem is the law can’t bring you 637 00:30:22,180 –> 00:30:24,319 into living that blessed life. 638 00:30:25,880 –> 00:30:27,719 The law gives you a glimpse of the blessing 639 00:30:27,719 –> 00:30:29,459 but it cannot take you in. 640 00:30:29,459 –> 00:30:31,500 It gives you a glimpse of holiness. 641 00:30:31,500 –> 00:30:32,579 You read God’s law and you say, 642 00:30:32,579 –> 00:30:34,280 oh, that’s the kind of man I want to be 643 00:30:34,280 –> 00:30:35,819 but it can’t take you in. 644 00:30:37,699 –> 00:30:39,540 The law brought Moses, the law giver 645 00:30:39,540 –> 00:30:41,300 came to the edge of the promised land 646 00:30:41,300 –> 00:30:43,880 but that’s as far as the law can take you. 647 00:30:43,880 –> 00:30:46,660 That is why the Bible says that no one will be declared 648 00:30:46,660 –> 00:30:49,500 righteous in the sight of God by observing the law. 649 00:30:49,500 –> 00:30:53,479 We need someone better than Moses 650 00:30:53,479 –> 00:30:56,300 to lead us into the blessing of God. 651 00:30:56,300 –> 00:30:58,199 Otherwise, we will only be glimpsing it 652 00:30:58,199 –> 00:30:59,680 as he did from outside. 653 00:31:01,180 –> 00:31:04,459 And so, of course, the great question of the Bible story 654 00:31:04,459 –> 00:31:07,479 is who then can bring us where Moses could not go? 655 00:31:07,479 –> 00:31:09,819 Who can bring us right into this blessing? 656 00:31:09,819 –> 00:31:12,560 Who can make all that means to be in his hands 657 00:31:12,560 –> 00:31:14,699 and at his feet and on his shoulders 658 00:31:14,699 –> 00:31:16,280 between his shoulders and on his arms? 659 00:31:16,280 –> 00:31:18,979 Who can make all that really ours? 660 00:31:18,979 –> 00:31:21,099 And John puts it this way, he says, 661 00:31:21,099 –> 00:31:25,959 the law came by Moses but grace and truth came by. 662 00:31:26,500 –> 00:31:27,780 Jesus Christ. 663 00:31:29,660 –> 00:31:32,160 And I want you to see the beauty of this 664 00:31:32,160 –> 00:31:34,579 in God’s progressive revelation. 665 00:31:36,739 –> 00:31:41,739 Moses described God in human terms. 666 00:31:42,180 –> 00:31:45,420 Hands, feet, shoulders, arms. 667 00:31:47,660 –> 00:31:52,660 Jesus Christ is God in the flesh. 668 00:31:53,979 –> 00:31:56,180 Hands, feet. 669 00:31:56,859 –> 00:31:59,380 Shoulders, arms. 670 00:32:00,540 –> 00:32:03,939 The blessings in other words that Moses described 671 00:32:04,880 –> 00:32:09,060 were there’s and are ours and can be yours 672 00:32:09,060 –> 00:32:13,400 through Jesus Christ who is God in the flesh. 673 00:32:13,400 –> 00:32:17,619 That is God coming to actually do and accomplish for us 674 00:32:17,619 –> 00:32:19,579 everything that Moses described. 675 00:32:21,420 –> 00:32:24,260 And that is why you see the shepherds 676 00:32:24,260 –> 00:32:27,260 gather with Mary and Joseph at the manger 677 00:32:28,300 –> 00:32:32,219 and they look with wonder at these tiny hands 678 00:32:33,500 –> 00:32:35,760 and these tiny feet and these little shoulders 679 00:32:35,760 –> 00:32:37,160 and these little arms, 680 00:32:38,500 –> 00:32:41,420 and they bow in worship because they are looking 681 00:32:41,420 –> 00:32:45,119 at the hands and the feet of God. 682 00:32:46,939 –> 00:32:50,540 Roll the story forward and this child has become a man. 683 00:32:50,560 –> 00:32:54,420 His hands are now skilled through his work as a carpenter, 684 00:32:54,420 –> 00:32:57,599 his feet are worn with many, many miles 685 00:32:57,599 –> 00:33:00,319 of walking on dusty roads. 686 00:33:00,319 –> 00:33:01,420 Now look at him, 687 00:33:01,420 –> 00:33:05,979 his shoulders are carrying a huge beam of wood. 688 00:33:07,239 –> 00:33:10,660 A crowd have gathered and they’re jeering and mocking 689 00:33:10,660 –> 00:33:13,180 and now soldiers, they’re taking nails 690 00:33:13,180 –> 00:33:17,180 and they are piercing the hands and the feet of God. 691 00:33:17,619 –> 00:33:22,619 And as they do the arms of God are outstretched towards you. 692 00:33:26,699 –> 00:33:29,459 Friends, Jesus went to the cross 693 00:33:29,459 –> 00:33:31,660 so that the blessing of God 694 00:33:31,660 –> 00:33:36,660 in all its fullness that Moses described could be yours. 695 00:33:36,939 –> 00:33:39,660 So that your life could be in the hands of God, 696 00:33:39,660 –> 00:33:42,439 not as his enemy but his friend. 697 00:33:42,439 –> 00:33:45,780 So that your life could be as one who is taught 698 00:33:45,780 –> 00:33:48,599 at the feet of Almighty God. 699 00:33:48,599 –> 00:33:51,060 So that you when your own strength is gone 700 00:33:51,060 –> 00:33:53,939 could be carried on the shoulders of the Almighty 701 00:33:53,939 –> 00:33:56,079 so that you would be forever secure 702 00:33:56,079 –> 00:33:58,260 in the everlasting arms, 703 00:33:58,260 –> 00:34:00,719 no matter how far you may fall. 704 00:34:03,060 –> 00:34:06,060 And to all of us who belonged to this Jesus Christ today 705 00:34:06,060 –> 00:34:07,859 I say in the words of Moses, 706 00:34:07,859 –> 00:34:10,639 blessed are you O Israel, 707 00:34:10,639 –> 00:34:12,060 who is like you, 708 00:34:12,979 –> 00:34:16,679 a people saved by the Lord. 709 00:34:19,139 –> 00:34:21,780 And if you’ve come visiting the church today 710 00:34:21,780 –> 00:34:25,239 perhaps drawn by the season, drawn by the occasion. 711 00:34:27,020 –> 00:34:29,100 I want to say if you don’t yet know 712 00:34:29,100 –> 00:34:30,780 about this in your own experience, 713 00:34:30,780 –> 00:34:33,260 this blessing can be yours. 714 00:34:34,979 –> 00:34:37,500 Christ came into the world to make it yours. 715 00:34:38,659 –> 00:34:40,399 And here’s what you can do today. 716 00:34:41,360 –> 00:34:45,280 You can say, Lord Jesus, today, 717 00:34:45,280 –> 00:34:48,500 I place my life into your hands, 718 00:34:49,739 –> 00:34:51,159 now be my provider. 719 00:34:52,919 –> 00:34:56,679 Lord Jesus, today, I’m going to sit at your feet, 720 00:34:57,919 –> 00:34:59,159 now be my teacher. 721 00:35:01,080 –> 00:35:05,580 Lord Jesus, today, I find rest in your shoulders, 722 00:35:06,959 –> 00:35:08,639 now be my strength. 723 00:35:11,020 –> 00:35:16,020 Lord Jesus, today, I fall into your everlasting arms, 724 00:35:18,679 –> 00:35:19,840 now be my Savior. 725 00:35:21,959 –> 00:35:23,399 Let’s pray together, shall we? 726 00:35:25,360 –> 00:35:26,419 Our Father in heaven, 727 00:35:26,419 –> 00:35:30,800 we bow before you in worship and in awe 728 00:35:32,760 –> 00:35:35,639 that you, yourself, the God 729 00:35:36,520 –> 00:35:41,040 Invisible, eternal and incomprehensible 730 00:35:41,040 –> 00:35:43,000 to tiny human minds, 731 00:35:44,919 –> 00:35:48,320 should have made yourself known in language 732 00:35:48,320 –> 00:35:50,020 that we can understand. 733 00:35:52,139 –> 00:35:53,179 And more than that, 734 00:35:53,179 –> 00:35:55,080 should have come to us. 735 00:35:56,919 –> 00:35:59,719 Not only describing yourself in human form 736 00:35:59,719 –> 00:36:03,320 but taking our flesh 737 00:36:05,639 –> 00:36:07,399 in the man Christ Jesus. 738 00:36:09,719 –> 00:36:10,600 We worship. 739 00:36:12,780 –> 00:36:16,500 We want, Father, as we see the glory of these things, 740 00:36:17,439 –> 00:36:19,699 that our lives will be in Your hands, 741 00:36:21,699 –> 00:36:24,139 that wisdom we will learn at Your feet, 742 00:36:25,939 –> 00:36:28,899 strength we may find between Your shoulders, 743 00:36:31,159 –> 00:36:34,520 and that salvation will be ours in Your everlasting arms 744 00:36:34,520 –> 00:36:39,159 through Jesus Christ, our Savior and our Lord, 745 00:36:40,219 –> 00:36:42,360 in whom we rejoice, 746 00:36:44,199 –> 00:36:46,399 and all of God’s people together said, 747 00:36:47,439 –> 00:36:48,360 amen.