1 00:00:00,000 –> 00:00:04,460 I invite you to open your Bible at the Book of Deuteronomy. 2 00:00:04,460 –> 00:00:08,620 And I have a very simple aim for the message today. 3 00:00:09,920 –> 00:00:14,080 I want to help you connect with the message of this book. 4 00:00:15,740 –> 00:00:19,299 I want you to see how its message speaks to you, 5 00:00:19,299 –> 00:00:23,540 and I want you to see how its message speaks to us today. 6 00:00:23,540 –> 00:00:24,860 Realize that for many of us, 7 00:00:24,860 –> 00:00:28,940 this may be an unfamiliar part of the Bible. 8 00:00:29,020 –> 00:00:30,760 But I want to tell you right from the off 9 00:00:30,760 –> 00:00:33,119 that this Book of Deuteronomy 10 00:00:33,119 –> 00:00:37,660 has had a profound significance in my own life. 11 00:00:37,660 –> 00:00:39,700 It began 33 years ago. 12 00:00:39,700 –> 00:00:42,439 I remember the date quite clearly. 13 00:00:43,320 –> 00:00:46,259 I’d been in a class in the London School of Theology 14 00:00:46,259 –> 00:00:50,320 where Karne and I were both studying at the time, 15 00:00:50,320 –> 00:00:52,939 and our Old Testament professor said to us this, 16 00:00:52,939 –> 00:00:57,119 he said, I want you to read the Book of Deuteronomy 17 00:00:57,320 –> 00:00:58,500 in one session. 18 00:01:00,360 –> 00:01:04,620 Now it’s 34 chapters, that’s quite a long read. 19 00:01:04,620 –> 00:01:09,019 He said, you’ll never get the impact of its total message 20 00:01:09,019 –> 00:01:09,940 if you break it up. 21 00:01:09,940 –> 00:01:11,540 I want you to read it in one sitting. 22 00:01:11,540 –> 00:01:14,459 So, I went into the library. 23 00:01:14,459 –> 00:01:17,300 I read Deuteronomy in one evening. 24 00:01:18,919 –> 00:01:23,080 I came out with one overwhelming impression on my mind, 25 00:01:23,080 –> 00:01:24,099 and it has stayed with me 26 00:01:24,139 –> 00:01:27,559 and it has developed within me ever since. 27 00:01:27,559 –> 00:01:30,480 I never knew that there was so much 28 00:01:31,680 –> 00:01:35,019 of the love of God in the Old Testament. 29 00:01:36,900 –> 00:01:39,059 Now that was 33 years ago, 30 00:01:40,379 –> 00:01:43,779 and it was the beginning in my own mind 31 00:01:43,779 –> 00:01:46,779 of understanding something that has been quite shaping 32 00:01:46,779 –> 00:01:48,699 to the whole of ministry 33 00:01:48,699 –> 00:01:51,199 as the Lord has opened doors of opportunity. 34 00:01:51,199 –> 00:01:52,660 And that is simply this, 35 00:01:52,779 –> 00:01:55,059 that the Bible is not two different books 36 00:01:55,059 –> 00:01:58,000 with two different messages. 37 00:01:58,000 –> 00:01:59,940 You know this idea that so many people have 38 00:01:59,940 –> 00:02:02,519 that there’s a nasty old book, full of laws, 39 00:02:02,519 –> 00:02:06,160 and there’s a nice new book that’s full of love? 40 00:02:06,160 –> 00:02:07,379 As if there were two different gods, 41 00:02:07,379 –> 00:02:10,779 or as if God had somehow changed his very program 42 00:02:10,779 –> 00:02:12,080 or his very character 43 00:02:12,080 –> 00:02:15,479 in the middle of the course of history. 44 00:02:15,479 –> 00:02:18,199 No, there is one God and he never changes 45 00:02:18,199 –> 00:02:21,000 and we are to love him as we fear him 46 00:02:21,020 –> 00:02:23,839 and we are to fear him as we love him 47 00:02:23,839 –> 00:02:27,119 and he is as much to be loved in the Old Testament 48 00:02:27,119 –> 00:02:29,500 as he is to be feared in the new. 49 00:02:29,500 –> 00:02:32,960 That’s what I’ve learned from Deuteronomy. 50 00:02:32,960 –> 00:02:36,699 So I want you to see the message of this book 51 00:02:38,440 –> 00:02:40,440 for us to feel its power 52 00:02:41,360 –> 00:02:44,440 and today for us to grasp its special connection 53 00:02:44,440 –> 00:02:47,979 to this unique point where we find ourselves 54 00:02:47,979 –> 00:02:50,860 at this place in our ministry. 55 00:02:50,860 –> 00:02:53,639 I’ve got three very simple questions. 56 00:02:53,639 –> 00:02:55,919 Who is this book for? 57 00:02:55,919 –> 00:02:58,240 What is this book about? 58 00:02:58,240 –> 00:03:02,399 And how does this book speak to us, to me, to you, today? 59 00:03:03,979 –> 00:03:06,199 Let’s start then with a question of the audience. 60 00:03:06,199 –> 00:03:07,940 Who is this book for? 61 00:03:09,240 –> 00:03:11,580 I want to give three answers to that question. 62 00:03:11,580 –> 00:03:13,660 The first is that this is a book especially 63 00:03:13,660 –> 00:03:16,639 for all who are trusted with leadership. 64 00:03:16,639 –> 00:03:19,960 If you look in Deuteronomy chapter 17 and verse 18, 65 00:03:20,179 –> 00:03:22,139 and I’ll come to this later in the series. 66 00:03:22,139 –> 00:03:25,779 But it says there that the king in Israel. 67 00:03:25,779 –> 00:03:27,539 When there’s a king in future days 68 00:03:27,539 –> 00:03:29,960 and a new king is crowned, 69 00:03:29,960 –> 00:03:32,199 Here’s the first thing he is to do. 70 00:03:32,199 –> 00:03:35,119 He is to write for himself, God says, 71 00:03:35,119 –> 00:03:39,259 a scroll, on a scroll, a copy of this law. 72 00:03:40,479 –> 00:03:41,580 Can you imagine this? 73 00:03:43,279 –> 00:03:44,360 The king has the crown placed upon his head 74 00:03:44,360 –> 00:03:45,839 and what’s the first thing he’s got to do? 75 00:03:45,839 –> 00:03:47,479 Establish policy for the nation? 76 00:03:47,559 –> 00:03:49,000 No. 77 00:03:49,000 –> 00:03:52,059 He’s got to know how to establish policy for the nation 78 00:03:52,059 –> 00:03:53,440 and the way he’s going to find that out 79 00:03:53,440 –> 00:03:54,919 is he goes off to a study, 80 00:03:54,919 –> 00:03:57,320 he’s given a means of writing, 81 00:03:57,320 –> 00:03:59,720 and on a scroll he is with his own hand 82 00:03:59,720 –> 00:04:02,360 to pen his own copy of the book of Deuteronomy. 83 00:04:02,360 –> 00:04:04,339 That is not said about any other book in the Bible 84 00:04:04,339 –> 00:04:05,179 but this book. 85 00:04:06,639 –> 00:04:10,960 And, says God, he is to read it 86 00:04:10,960 –> 00:04:14,440 and it is to be with him all the days of his life. 87 00:04:14,440 –> 00:04:16,940 So this is a book for someone who leads. 88 00:04:17,820 –> 00:04:21,760 It’s for fathers, it’s for mothers, 89 00:04:21,760 –> 00:04:24,200 it’s for business leaders, 90 00:04:24,200 –> 00:04:28,079 it’s for elders, it’s for pastors, it’s for missionaries. 91 00:04:28,079 –> 00:04:31,640 It’s for any person who seeks to have influence 92 00:04:31,640 –> 00:04:35,000 or has been given influence in the life of another person. 93 00:04:35,000 –> 00:04:37,000 You need to know what is in this book 94 00:04:37,000 –> 00:04:40,459 because it is about how God plans for his people to live. 95 00:04:42,040 –> 00:04:46,720 Second, it is distinctly for all of God’s people. 96 00:04:46,720 –> 00:04:50,760 If you look in Deuteronomy, chapter 31, verses 10 to 12, 97 00:04:50,760 –> 00:04:53,000 you’ll find that it says specifically 98 00:04:53,000 –> 00:04:54,839 that at the end of every seven years, 99 00:04:54,839 –> 00:04:56,359 there was to be a special occasion 100 00:04:56,359 –> 00:04:58,500 when all Israel comes before the Lord. 101 00:04:58,500 –> 00:05:03,500 And it says there, you shall read this law 102 00:05:03,760 –> 00:05:06,100 before them in their hearing. 103 00:05:07,179 –> 00:05:09,799 The whole of Deuteronomy was to be read 104 00:05:09,799 –> 00:05:13,459 once every seven years to the entire believing community. 105 00:05:14,640 –> 00:05:16,420 It says, assemble the people. 106 00:05:17,059 –> 00:05:20,179 The men, the women, and the children. 107 00:05:20,179 –> 00:05:22,820 Notice that you get the whole community together, 108 00:05:22,820 –> 00:05:25,260 the men and the women and the children as well. 109 00:05:25,260 –> 00:05:27,519 And you read the entire 34 chapters 110 00:05:27,519 –> 00:05:28,579 of the book of Deuteronomy. 111 00:05:28,579 –> 00:05:31,179 That’s what the Lord says, why? 112 00:05:31,179 –> 00:05:32,660 So that they can listen and learn 113 00:05:32,660 –> 00:05:34,579 to fear the Lord and carefully follow 114 00:05:34,579 –> 00:05:36,820 all the words of this law. 115 00:05:36,820 –> 00:05:40,540 So that is not set in the Bible about any other book, 116 00:05:40,540 –> 00:05:43,040 but in the Old Testament, it was made clear 117 00:05:43,040 –> 00:05:44,899 that among the believing people of God, 118 00:05:44,899 –> 00:05:46,019 this book was to be read 119 00:05:46,019 –> 00:05:49,739 in full every seven years across the generations 120 00:05:49,739 –> 00:05:51,820 so that children would learn. 121 00:05:51,820 –> 00:05:53,420 So that the whole community would know 122 00:05:53,420 –> 00:05:56,339 what the purpose of God was for our lives. 123 00:05:56,339 –> 00:05:58,579 So this is for families, this is for children. 124 00:05:59,459 –> 00:06:01,399 This is for the whole church. 125 00:06:02,540 –> 00:06:06,179 It’s for leaders, it’s for all of God’s people. 126 00:06:07,700 –> 00:06:10,579 Thirdly, it is a book, very especially 127 00:06:10,579 –> 00:06:15,579 and specifically for people who have forgotten the Lord. 128 00:06:16,859 –> 00:06:20,019 Now there’s a great story about this book 129 00:06:20,019 –> 00:06:25,019 that occurs further on in the Old Testament narrative. 130 00:06:25,380 –> 00:06:27,059 As some of you may know this story, 131 00:06:27,059 –> 00:06:32,059 800 years after the time when Deuteronomy was penned, 132 00:06:33,779 –> 00:06:37,859 800 years after the time when Moses spoke these words, 133 00:06:37,859 –> 00:06:40,859 God used this book in an extraordinary way 134 00:06:40,859 –> 00:06:43,239 to bring great change in the whole nation. 135 00:06:44,239 –> 00:06:47,239 God’s people had gone through some dark times 136 00:06:47,239 –> 00:06:50,160 with some dreadfully evil kings. 137 00:06:50,160 –> 00:06:55,160 One of them, for example, was a man by the name of Manasseh. 138 00:06:56,260 –> 00:06:58,119 You can read about this in second Kings, 139 00:06:58,119 –> 00:07:00,940 Manasseh’s in chapter 21. 140 00:07:00,940 –> 00:07:03,119 Manasseh, think about this, 141 00:07:03,119 –> 00:07:07,579 sacrificed his own son in the fire. 142 00:07:07,579 –> 00:07:09,359 What’s that for national leadership? 143 00:07:10,359 –> 00:07:13,500 He’s sacrificed his own son in the fire. 144 00:07:13,500 –> 00:07:15,220 He practices sorcery. 145 00:07:15,220 –> 00:07:18,700 The book of Kings says, and he practices divination. 146 00:07:20,100 –> 00:07:22,299 So, it’s hard to imagine a darker day 147 00:07:22,299 –> 00:07:24,980 in the life of the people of God. 148 00:07:24,980 –> 00:07:27,100 You can be sure that Manasseh as the king 149 00:07:27,100 –> 00:07:29,679 never wrote out his own copy of the book of Deuteronomy. 150 00:07:29,679 –> 00:07:31,500 He probably never read the book of Deuteronomy 151 00:07:31,500 –> 00:07:32,459 or even seen it. 152 00:07:32,459 –> 00:07:34,820 He certainly paid no attention to its teaching. 153 00:07:36,959 –> 00:07:38,540 During the time of Manasseh. 154 00:07:38,540 –> 00:07:40,940 The book of the law, the book of Deuteronomy 155 00:07:40,940 –> 00:07:42,739 was completely forgotten. 156 00:07:44,459 –> 00:07:48,260 And Manasseh reigned for 55 years. 157 00:07:49,480 –> 00:07:52,459 Half a century, what happens in a society 158 00:07:52,459 –> 00:07:55,579 if for half a century, you have national leadership 159 00:07:55,579 –> 00:07:57,559 without the word of God? 160 00:07:57,559 –> 00:08:00,160 What happens is that a generation grows up 161 00:08:00,160 –> 00:08:02,359 who do not know the Lord. 162 00:08:02,359 –> 00:08:04,260 And they cannot tell good from evil. 163 00:08:05,600 –> 00:08:07,519 That’s what happened in Israel 164 00:08:07,519 –> 00:08:12,519 until a man by the name of Josiah came to the throne. 165 00:08:13,540 –> 00:08:16,119 You read this in kings in chapter 22, 166 00:08:16,119 –> 00:08:19,500 when Josiah was just 18 years old, 167 00:08:19,500 –> 00:08:22,739 the high priest, a man by the name of Hilkiah, 168 00:08:22,739 –> 00:08:24,859 is going into the temple of the Lord 169 00:08:24,859 –> 00:08:27,619 and he finds a dusty old book 170 00:08:27,619 –> 00:08:29,660 that hasn’t been read or touched 171 00:08:29,660 –> 00:08:31,660 for more than half a century. 172 00:08:32,520 –> 00:08:33,460 And he brings it out. 173 00:08:33,460 –> 00:08:36,679 It’s the book of Deuteronomy, a copy of it, 174 00:08:36,719 –> 00:08:40,219 perhaps handwritten by one of the previous kings. 175 00:08:40,219 –> 00:08:42,219 And he dusts off the word of God 176 00:08:42,219 –> 00:08:44,820 and he brings it, this Book of Deuteronomy, 177 00:08:44,820 –> 00:08:45,820 to Josiah. 178 00:08:45,820 –> 00:08:47,460 And Josiah the king read 179 00:08:47,460 –> 00:08:48,700 the book that we’re going to look at 180 00:08:48,700 –> 00:08:50,020 over these coming weeks, 181 00:08:50,020 –> 00:08:51,940 and when he read it, the Bible says, 182 00:08:51,940 –> 00:08:55,419 he tore his robes and he got down on his knees 183 00:08:55,419 –> 00:08:56,460 and he began to pray 184 00:08:56,460 –> 00:08:58,619 because he realized that the nation 185 00:08:58,619 –> 00:09:00,400 had gone so far from everything 186 00:09:00,400 –> 00:09:02,679 that God had called God’s people to pursue. 187 00:09:03,659 –> 00:09:08,299 And from that, he launched a reformation 188 00:09:08,299 –> 00:09:10,979 that changed the face of national life 189 00:09:10,979 –> 00:09:14,020 in Israel for over a generation, 190 00:09:14,020 –> 00:09:16,739 that’s the influence of this book. 191 00:09:16,739 –> 00:09:19,659 So I say to you, who’s this for? 192 00:09:19,659 –> 00:09:21,900 It’s a book particularly for leaders, 193 00:09:21,900 –> 00:09:22,979 the only book in the Bible 194 00:09:22,979 –> 00:09:26,979 that a king had to write out by hand 195 00:09:26,979 –> 00:09:28,820 because it is so clear 196 00:09:28,820 –> 00:09:31,520 about God’s purpose for his people, 197 00:09:31,599 –> 00:09:33,679 the book in the Bible that was to be read 198 00:09:33,679 –> 00:09:35,760 to the whole community every seven years 199 00:09:35,760 –> 00:09:37,320 and especially to children 200 00:09:37,320 –> 00:09:40,859 so that they would grow up knowing who God is, 201 00:09:40,859 –> 00:09:43,299 a book that God used in an extraordinary way 202 00:09:43,299 –> 00:09:46,760 to change the face of a nation that had forgotten God 203 00:09:46,760 –> 00:09:48,760 and had lost sight of the very difference 204 00:09:48,760 –> 00:09:52,679 between good and evil over half a century. 205 00:09:52,679 –> 00:09:54,080 Now, do you feel like this would be a good book 206 00:09:54,080 –> 00:09:55,059 for us to study? 207 00:09:56,919 –> 00:09:59,400 Do you feel like this is a book that we ought to know? 208 00:10:00,619 –> 00:10:01,440 Do you feel like this is a book 209 00:10:02,159 –> 00:10:03,000 that we need to get inside you? 210 00:10:03,000 –> 00:10:04,340 As I’ve felt over the summer, 211 00:10:04,340 –> 00:10:07,239 it’s a book that I’m so glad to be trying 212 00:10:07,239 –> 00:10:11,219 to get more and more inside of me. 213 00:10:11,219 –> 00:10:13,460 It’s a book for us, folks. 214 00:10:13,460 –> 00:10:14,380 It really is. 215 00:10:15,219 –> 00:10:16,700 And here’s the second thing. 216 00:10:16,700 –> 00:10:19,700 Let’s look at the storyline for a moment. 217 00:10:19,700 –> 00:10:22,119 What is this book actually about? 218 00:10:22,119 –> 00:10:23,599 You see who it’s for, 219 00:10:24,460 –> 00:10:25,760 what is it about? 220 00:10:26,659 –> 00:10:27,979 Now, just to review, 221 00:10:27,979 –> 00:10:30,460 the story of the Old Testament 222 00:10:30,460 –> 00:10:32,539 for those who may not be familiar with it, 223 00:10:32,539 –> 00:10:33,979 most of us are, I think, 224 00:10:34,900 –> 00:10:37,780 God had given the Promised Land to Abraham 225 00:10:37,780 –> 00:10:40,140 and his descendants. 226 00:10:40,140 –> 00:10:41,919 Three generations later, 227 00:10:41,919 –> 00:10:44,419 Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, 228 00:10:44,419 –> 00:10:46,799 there was a famine in the Promised Land 229 00:10:46,799 –> 00:10:48,479 and God’s people went to Egypt 230 00:10:48,479 –> 00:10:50,099 where he provided food for them. 231 00:10:51,059 –> 00:10:53,219 They ended up staying there over 400 years, 232 00:10:53,219 –> 00:10:54,380 not because they wanted to, 233 00:10:54,380 –> 00:10:55,940 but because they became oppressed 234 00:10:55,940 –> 00:10:57,900 and they became slaves. 235 00:10:57,900 –> 00:10:59,059 They were cruelly treated 236 00:10:59,059 –> 00:11:01,940 and they began to cry out to the Lord. 237 00:11:01,940 –> 00:11:04,020 God raised up Moses 238 00:11:04,020 –> 00:11:05,679 and under the leadership of Moses, 239 00:11:05,679 –> 00:11:08,760 the miracle of the Exodus took place 240 00:11:08,760 –> 00:11:10,820 and God’s people who had gone to Egypt 241 00:11:10,820 –> 00:11:12,299 those 400 years early, 242 00:11:12,299 –> 00:11:13,500 a large family, 243 00:11:13,500 –> 00:11:17,619 came out and became indeed a very great nation. 244 00:11:17,619 –> 00:11:20,400 God met with them at Mount Sinai, 245 00:11:20,400 –> 00:11:22,820 which is also known as Mount Horeb 246 00:11:22,820 –> 00:11:23,859 and he said, 247 00:11:23,859 –> 00:11:25,859 I will be your God 248 00:11:25,859 –> 00:11:28,140 and you will be my people. 249 00:11:28,440 –> 00:11:31,900 Now, Moses reviews for us 250 00:11:33,419 –> 00:11:35,479 what happened next 251 00:11:36,380 –> 00:11:38,679 when God’s people got to Mount Sinai. 252 00:11:39,760 –> 00:11:43,260 I’m so glad so many of you have Bibles here in this service. 253 00:11:43,260 –> 00:11:46,099 Will you look with me at Deuteronomy 1 and verse six 254 00:11:46,099 –> 00:11:48,340 cause we’re gonna take a quick overview here 255 00:11:48,340 –> 00:11:50,460 and it’s good to see it in front of you. 256 00:11:51,280 –> 00:11:53,099 Moses is now giving an overview 257 00:11:53,099 –> 00:11:55,760 of what happened after they came to Mount Sinai. 258 00:11:55,760 –> 00:11:57,020 That’s of course where they were 259 00:11:57,020 –> 00:11:59,239 given the 10 commandments 260 00:11:59,239 –> 00:12:00,719 and then chapter one in verse six, 261 00:12:00,719 –> 00:12:03,880 the Lord our God said to us at Horeb, that’s Sinai, 262 00:12:03,880 –> 00:12:06,500 you have stayed here long enough at this mountain 263 00:12:06,500 –> 00:12:10,159 break camp and advance to the hill country of the Amorites. 264 00:12:10,159 –> 00:12:12,400 God says verse eight, I’ve given you this land, 265 00:12:12,400 –> 00:12:15,280 you’re to go, and you’re to take possession of it. 266 00:12:15,280 –> 00:12:17,280 So having received the law of God 267 00:12:17,280 –> 00:12:19,080 and having received the sacrifices, 268 00:12:19,080 –> 00:12:21,700 it’s time for them to move forward. 269 00:12:21,700 –> 00:12:24,119 And Moses tells us what happens here. 270 00:12:24,119 –> 00:12:26,580 Chapter one, in verse nine, they appoint leaders. 271 00:12:26,599 –> 00:12:29,039 You see that section their, if you have the church Bible, 272 00:12:29,039 –> 00:12:30,820 the appointment of leaders. 273 00:12:30,820 –> 00:12:32,960 In other words, they got organized. 274 00:12:32,960 –> 00:12:34,500 There was nearly a million people 275 00:12:34,500 –> 00:12:36,299 and they got themselves organized. 276 00:12:36,299 –> 00:12:37,760 They put structures in place 277 00:12:37,760 –> 00:12:39,700 to do what God was calling them to do. 278 00:12:40,900 –> 00:12:44,239 Chapter one, verse 19, they sent out spies. 279 00:12:44,239 –> 00:12:46,260 They did the research. 280 00:12:46,260 –> 00:12:47,780 They found out what it was going to take, 281 00:12:47,780 –> 00:12:48,979 what was lying ahead of them. 282 00:12:48,979 –> 00:12:51,679 What it meant for them to go into the land of Canaan. 283 00:12:52,679 –> 00:12:53,520 Do you know the story? 284 00:12:53,559 –> 00:12:57,140 I’m sure many of you, in chapter one, in verse 26, 285 00:12:57,140 –> 00:12:59,179 that was where fear set in. 286 00:13:00,799 –> 00:13:03,020 The people were unwilling to go up. 287 00:13:04,119 –> 00:13:07,119 Verse 26, they began to grumble in their tents. 288 00:13:07,119 –> 00:13:11,659 Verse 27, verse 28, they said, what can we do? 289 00:13:11,659 –> 00:13:12,539 Where can we go? 290 00:13:12,539 –> 00:13:16,119 Our brothers have made us lose heart. 291 00:13:17,559 –> 00:13:19,020 The full story of what happened 292 00:13:19,020 –> 00:13:21,880 at that moment is in Numbers and chapter 14. 293 00:13:22,679 –> 00:13:27,679 Did you know that God’s people were so unhappy? 294 00:13:27,679 –> 00:13:32,679 They were actually talking about stoning Moses and Aaron. 295 00:13:34,760 –> 00:13:39,039 That’s a problem and at that moment, God steps in. 296 00:13:39,039 –> 00:13:41,400 The glory of the Lord comes into the camp 297 00:13:41,400 –> 00:13:44,840 and God says, Numbers chapter 14 in verse 23. 298 00:13:44,840 –> 00:13:47,179 Not one of these people, the ones who’ve grumbled, 299 00:13:47,179 –> 00:13:48,200 the ones who have complained, 300 00:13:48,200 –> 00:13:50,280 the ones who’ve been talking about stoning Moses, 301 00:13:50,280 –> 00:13:52,000 the ones who have acted in unbelief, 302 00:13:52,000 –> 00:13:54,080 not one of them will see the land I promised 303 00:13:54,080 –> 00:13:55,760 on oath to their forefathers. 304 00:13:55,760 –> 00:14:00,520 No one who has treated me with contempt will ever see it. 305 00:14:01,719 –> 00:14:04,340 So Deuteronomy chapter two tells us the story 306 00:14:04,340 –> 00:14:05,500 of what happened next. 307 00:14:05,500 –> 00:14:06,640 You know this story? 308 00:14:06,640 –> 00:14:09,000 The people began wandering in the desert 309 00:14:09,000 –> 00:14:11,280 and it went on for an entire generation 310 00:14:11,280 –> 00:14:12,619 because God had said, 311 00:14:12,619 –> 00:14:14,900 nobody who’s treated me with contempt, 312 00:14:14,900 –> 00:14:16,580 nobody who is unbelieving 313 00:14:16,580 –> 00:14:19,840 is going to enter into this promised land. 314 00:14:19,840 –> 00:14:21,140 So here are God’s people, 315 00:14:21,140 –> 00:14:23,659 they can’t go back to Egypt 316 00:14:23,659 –> 00:14:25,960 and they can’t go forward to Canaan. 317 00:14:27,020 –> 00:14:28,520 So they’re stuck. 318 00:14:29,820 –> 00:14:31,719 That’s what the story was about. 319 00:14:31,719 –> 00:14:34,599 God’s people being stuck, 320 00:14:34,599 –> 00:14:37,039 going around and around and around 321 00:14:37,039 –> 00:14:38,580 with God providing for them 322 00:14:38,580 –> 00:14:40,760 and God’s kindness being showered on them 323 00:14:40,760 –> 00:14:45,099 but nothing of God’s mission advancing through their lives. 324 00:14:46,020 –> 00:14:49,520 Chapter two and verse 14, 325 00:14:49,520 –> 00:14:52,140 38 years passed. 326 00:14:52,140 –> 00:14:52,979 Think of that! 327 00:14:54,539 –> 00:14:55,500 And by then, 328 00:14:56,700 –> 00:14:58,900 that entire generation of fighting men 329 00:14:58,900 –> 00:15:00,760 had perished from the camp. 330 00:15:02,140 –> 00:15:04,419 Just as the Lord had sworn to them, 331 00:15:04,419 –> 00:15:06,140 verse 15, 332 00:15:06,140 –> 00:15:08,539 the Lord’s hand was against them 333 00:15:08,539 –> 00:15:13,260 until He had completely eliminated them 334 00:15:13,340 –> 00:15:15,780 from the camp. 335 00:15:17,760 –> 00:15:19,580 And when the last of these fighting men 336 00:15:19,580 –> 00:15:21,140 of that generation had died, 337 00:15:21,140 –> 00:15:21,979 verse 16, 338 00:15:21,979 –> 00:15:24,380 God tells Moses to move forward. 339 00:15:25,299 –> 00:15:27,039 Moses recounts what happened next. 340 00:15:27,039 –> 00:15:29,619 They fought two battles against a king called Sihon 341 00:15:29,619 –> 00:15:31,659 in chapter two and verse 24, 342 00:15:31,659 –> 00:15:34,020 and then another king called Og 343 00:15:34,020 –> 00:15:35,500 and these two great victories 344 00:15:35,500 –> 00:15:38,000 brought them right to the threshold 345 00:15:38,000 –> 00:15:39,919 of the promised land. 346 00:15:40,840 –> 00:15:42,500 So God’s people now, 347 00:15:42,500 –> 00:15:43,340 at last, 348 00:15:43,340 –> 00:15:44,400 after all these years 349 00:15:44,400 –> 00:15:46,320 and after a wasted generation, 350 00:15:47,640 –> 00:15:50,039 they are on the verge 351 00:15:50,039 –> 00:15:52,640 of entering into the purpose 352 00:15:52,640 –> 00:15:53,940 that God has for them. 353 00:15:54,880 –> 00:15:57,080 They’re ready to cross the River Jordan. 354 00:15:57,940 –> 00:15:59,900 They’re right on the edge 355 00:15:59,900 –> 00:16:01,739 of the promised land 356 00:16:01,739 –> 00:16:04,239 and they set up camp 357 00:16:04,239 –> 00:16:06,080 and Moses speaks to them. 358 00:16:08,000 –> 00:16:09,020 And what he said 359 00:16:10,559 –> 00:16:12,520 is the book of Deuteronomy. 360 00:16:12,520 –> 00:16:13,340 See that first bit 361 00:16:13,340 –> 00:16:15,299 is just all a flashback. 362 00:16:15,299 –> 00:16:16,140 So if you go back 363 00:16:16,140 –> 00:16:17,719 to chapter one and verse one, 364 00:16:19,880 –> 00:16:21,979 chapter one and verse one, 365 00:16:21,979 –> 00:16:23,880 these are the words 366 00:16:23,880 –> 00:16:26,159 that Moses spoke 367 00:16:26,159 –> 00:16:27,520 to all Israel 368 00:16:27,520 –> 00:16:28,739 in the desert, 369 00:16:28,739 –> 00:16:29,799 east of Jordan, 370 00:16:29,799 –> 00:16:30,640 just on the verge 371 00:16:30,640 –> 00:16:31,700 of the promised land. 372 00:16:32,880 –> 00:16:33,760 By now verse three, 373 00:16:33,760 –> 00:16:35,320 it is the 40th years 374 00:16:35,320 –> 00:16:36,479 since the Exodus 375 00:16:36,479 –> 00:16:37,400 for there been all these years 376 00:16:37,400 –> 00:16:38,979 wasted wandering around. 377 00:16:40,200 –> 00:16:42,080 And it is the first day, 378 00:16:42,080 –> 00:16:43,239 notice verse three, 379 00:16:43,239 –> 00:16:45,719 of the 11th month. 380 00:16:47,239 –> 00:16:48,280 11 one. 381 00:16:50,479 –> 00:16:52,119 So if they were using our calendar, 382 00:16:52,119 –> 00:16:54,419 which obviously they were not, 383 00:16:54,419 –> 00:16:56,900 but if they were using our calendar, 384 00:16:56,900 –> 00:17:00,140 that’s November the first, right. 385 00:17:02,080 –> 00:17:03,000 We know from the book 386 00:17:03,000 –> 00:17:04,459 of Joshua chapter four 387 00:17:04,459 –> 00:17:06,040 and verse 19, 388 00:17:06,040 –> 00:17:07,500 that the entered 389 00:17:07,540 –> 00:17:09,660 into the promised land 390 00:17:10,680 –> 00:17:13,619 on the 10th day of the first month, 391 00:17:13,619 –> 00:17:14,680 January 10. 392 00:17:15,739 –> 00:17:18,140 So you have this period of time 393 00:17:18,140 –> 00:17:20,420 from November one 394 00:17:20,420 –> 00:17:22,020 to January 10. 395 00:17:22,020 –> 00:17:23,540 I make that 70 days. 396 00:17:23,540 –> 00:17:24,640 Is that right? 397 00:17:26,140 –> 00:17:27,459 This is the story 398 00:17:28,380 –> 00:17:30,380 of 70 days 399 00:17:31,560 –> 00:17:33,000 in preparation 400 00:17:34,140 –> 00:17:36,260 for God’s people 401 00:17:36,300 –> 00:17:41,140 entering into that which He was calling them to do. 402 00:17:41,979 –> 00:17:46,040 Deuteronomy records what God has taught His people 403 00:17:46,040 –> 00:17:51,040 during the countdown to the entrance to the promised land. 404 00:17:52,140 –> 00:17:54,800 It had taken them 40 years to get there. 405 00:17:55,719 –> 00:17:57,800 But now at this critical moment, 406 00:17:57,800 –> 00:18:01,219 God prepares a new generation 407 00:18:01,219 –> 00:18:03,880 to grasp in a new way the challenge 408 00:18:03,920 –> 00:18:07,280 and the opportunity that now lies ahead of them. 409 00:18:07,280 –> 00:18:09,500 And that’s why in chapter one in verse six, 410 00:18:09,500 –> 00:18:12,060 as we saw, Moses begins with a flashback. 411 00:18:12,060 –> 00:18:13,760 He says, look, I’ve gotta tell you the story 412 00:18:13,760 –> 00:18:15,099 of the last 40 years, 413 00:18:15,099 –> 00:18:16,920 so you understand the significance 414 00:18:16,920 –> 00:18:18,479 of the moment that we’re at. 415 00:18:19,420 –> 00:18:22,339 Because your parents were here a generation ago, 416 00:18:23,239 –> 00:18:24,920 and let me tell you this. 417 00:18:24,920 –> 00:18:27,880 If they had believed, you would have been born in Canaan. 418 00:18:29,800 –> 00:18:33,839 But they were full of fear, so you were born in the desert. 419 00:18:33,839 –> 00:18:36,339 And you’ve never known anything else in your life, 420 00:18:37,459 –> 00:18:39,439 but now God is calling you. 421 00:18:40,380 –> 00:18:42,760 Now God is placing you on the very ground 422 00:18:42,760 –> 00:18:45,459 where they stood and where they made a wretched decision. 423 00:18:45,459 –> 00:18:47,479 He’s calling you to be a people of faith. 424 00:18:48,439 –> 00:18:50,260 This is your moment of opportunity, 425 00:18:50,260 –> 00:18:52,599 this is your moment of destiny, 426 00:18:52,599 –> 00:18:55,140 and he says that between chapter one in verse six 427 00:18:55,140 –> 00:18:57,260 and chapter three and the end of that chapter, 428 00:18:57,260 –> 00:18:59,540 and then he goes on to prepare them 429 00:18:59,540 –> 00:19:01,900 for what it means to enter into 430 00:19:01,959 –> 00:19:03,719 the fullness of the purpose of God 431 00:19:03,719 –> 00:19:06,040 at such a moment in life. 432 00:19:07,760 –> 00:19:09,180 And folks can you see why I’m drawn 433 00:19:09,180 –> 00:19:10,660 to the book of Deuteronomy? 434 00:19:13,199 –> 00:19:16,680 It’s about believers on the cusp of something new. 435 00:19:18,599 –> 00:19:22,800 It’s about the church that has been wandering, 436 00:19:24,520 –> 00:19:26,760 embracing its mission. 437 00:19:28,119 –> 00:19:29,520 It’s what this book is about. 438 00:19:30,500 –> 00:19:31,780 Audience. 439 00:19:31,780 –> 00:19:32,660 Who’s it for? 440 00:19:34,140 –> 00:19:35,420 Kings, all of God’s people, 441 00:19:35,420 –> 00:19:37,219 and those who’ve forgotten the lord. 442 00:19:39,040 –> 00:19:40,079 Storyline. 443 00:19:41,619 –> 00:19:42,819 What’s it about? 444 00:19:44,099 –> 00:19:46,719 It’s about God’s people coming to a critical moment 445 00:19:46,719 –> 00:19:49,219 and what it takes for them to embrace 446 00:19:49,280 –> 00:19:51,819 the mission to which God has called them. 447 00:19:53,640 –> 00:19:55,359 Third question, application. 448 00:19:56,540 –> 00:19:58,959 How does this speak to us today? 449 00:20:00,380 –> 00:20:03,420 Let me put this way because it’s helped me 450 00:20:03,420 –> 00:20:05,300 to think about it in this frame. 451 00:20:06,839 –> 00:20:09,180 This book is really about 452 00:20:11,180 –> 00:20:13,160 people with a faith 453 00:20:14,160 –> 00:20:15,880 becoming people with a mission. 454 00:20:17,060 –> 00:20:19,040 And you could write over it. 455 00:20:19,040 –> 00:20:20,119 What’s this book about? 456 00:20:20,420 –> 00:20:25,000 It’s about what it takes for people with a faith 457 00:20:26,239 –> 00:20:29,300 to become people with a mission. 458 00:20:30,439 –> 00:20:33,819 You see the generation that had lived and died 459 00:20:33,819 –> 00:20:36,359 in the desert, they believed God. 460 00:20:38,219 –> 00:20:39,439 They believed in him. 461 00:20:40,800 –> 00:20:43,199 They had experienced him. 462 00:20:43,199 –> 00:20:46,380 They had gone through the miracle of the Exodus. 463 00:20:48,079 –> 00:20:51,280 But as people who believed in God they did not act 464 00:20:51,280 –> 00:20:53,719 in faith towards God. 465 00:20:54,280 –> 00:20:55,500 They acted in unbelief. 466 00:20:55,619 –> 00:21:02,459 Warren Wiersbe has a lovely comment on this, three words. 467 00:21:02,459 –> 00:21:05,619 Unbelievable wastes time. 468 00:21:05,619 –> 00:21:07,099 Isn’t that good? 469 00:21:08,160 –> 00:21:10,099 Unbelief wastes time. 470 00:21:11,479 –> 00:21:13,780 A journey that should’ve taken 11 days according 471 00:21:13,800 –> 00:21:17,260 to Moses here ends up taking 40 years. 472 00:21:20,500 –> 00:21:24,000 How many years of your life have been wasted in unbelief? 473 00:21:24,479 –> 00:21:29,359 How long have you been a person who has a faith in God 474 00:21:29,359 –> 00:21:32,640 but no real sense of what your mission in life actually is? 475 00:21:35,239 –> 00:21:38,760 Unbelief wastes time. 476 00:21:40,839 –> 00:21:42,900 And God did so much for these people. 477 00:21:42,900 –> 00:21:46,439 Remember for 40 years he’s provided manna everyday, 478 00:21:46,839 –> 00:21:50,099 he’s provided like he’s providing for you. 479 00:21:50,339 –> 00:21:52,540 Like he’s providing for you. 480 00:21:53,459 –> 00:21:57,040 But while God did so much for them, 481 00:21:57,339 –> 00:22:02,540 the tragedy of these lives is that they did so very little for him. 482 00:22:03,599 –> 00:22:05,939 And so as they come to the verge of the river Jordan, 483 00:22:05,939 –> 00:22:10,459 the great question that Moses must address with this new generation 484 00:22:10,459 –> 00:22:11,979 who have never known anything different 485 00:22:11,979 –> 00:22:15,359 but this sort of vague belief that doesn’t involve a mission. 486 00:22:16,540 –> 00:22:17,719 What he’s got to address is, 487 00:22:17,800 –> 00:22:20,900 How can the people of God who have a faith 488 00:22:20,900 –> 00:22:23,800 become the people of God who have a mission? 489 00:22:23,800 –> 00:22:27,339 How can you move from being a person with a faith 490 00:22:27,339 –> 00:22:28,859 to being a person with a mission? 491 00:22:28,859 –> 00:22:31,839 How does a church move from being a church with a faith 492 00:22:31,839 –> 00:22:33,380 to being a church with a mission? 493 00:22:33,380 –> 00:22:34,800 That’s what it’s about. 494 00:22:36,900 –> 00:22:39,140 And to answer that, we’re going to be answering that question 495 00:22:39,140 –> 00:22:41,640 throughout the fall as we go through this Book of Deuteronomy 496 00:22:41,640 –> 00:22:44,479 because that’s what Moses is doing as he speaks to them 497 00:22:44,479 –> 00:22:46,920 over these days, immediately before entering 498 00:22:46,979 –> 00:22:48,319 into the Promised Land. 499 00:22:49,719 –> 00:22:51,380 But let me just say two things today 500 00:22:51,380 –> 00:22:53,900 as we’re kind of setting our course 501 00:22:53,900 –> 00:22:55,819 and taking the big picture in. 502 00:22:57,400 –> 00:23:00,439 What’s it going to take for a person with a faith 503 00:23:00,439 –> 00:23:02,560 to become a person with a mission? 504 00:23:04,040 –> 00:23:07,300 What’s it going to take for you not to waste more time 505 00:23:07,300 –> 00:23:09,400 in unbelief, even though you believe in God 506 00:23:09,400 –> 00:23:10,239 and have a faith. 507 00:23:11,479 –> 00:23:12,420 Two things. 508 00:23:12,939 –> 00:23:13,780 Number one. 509 00:23:15,719 –> 00:23:20,719 You have to break free from being defined by your past. 510 00:23:23,260 –> 00:23:25,040 You have to. 511 00:23:25,040 –> 00:23:29,699 If you’re going to move from being a directionless person 512 00:23:29,699 –> 00:23:33,839 with a faith to a purposeful person with a mission, 513 00:23:33,839 –> 00:23:37,780 you have to break free from being defined by your past. 514 00:23:38,119 –> 00:23:41,560 See, think about these folks that are standing 515 00:23:41,560 –> 00:23:44,300 on the Verge of Jordan. 516 00:23:46,300 –> 00:23:48,180 They have all been born in the desert. 517 00:23:50,180 –> 00:23:51,699 They don’t know anything else. 518 00:23:53,500 –> 00:23:55,380 So to try and make it more specific, 519 00:23:55,380 –> 00:23:59,400 picture yourself as someone, say, in your late 30’s 520 00:24:00,780 –> 00:24:02,400 and you were born in the desert. 521 00:24:03,660 –> 00:24:05,420 And now you have your own children, 522 00:24:05,420 –> 00:24:06,500 your own young family, 523 00:24:06,520 –> 00:24:08,619 and they were born in the desert as well. 524 00:24:09,939 –> 00:24:11,099 And God has been good to you 525 00:24:11,099 –> 00:24:13,000 and he’s provided manna for you every day 526 00:24:13,000 –> 00:24:14,300 for all these years of your life, 527 00:24:14,300 –> 00:24:15,540 you’ve never known anything else, 528 00:24:15,540 –> 00:24:17,599 you believe him and you’re grateful to him 529 00:24:17,599 –> 00:24:19,339 for everything he’s done for you. 530 00:24:19,339 –> 00:24:23,520 But your whole life has been shaped 531 00:24:24,439 –> 00:24:28,160 by the instincts and choices of your parents 532 00:24:28,160 –> 00:24:29,979 who were so cautious 533 00:24:31,500 –> 00:24:33,560 and so afraid of risk. 534 00:24:34,560 –> 00:24:36,199 And while they believed in God 535 00:24:36,199 –> 00:24:39,199 did not obviously act with faith, 536 00:24:41,579 –> 00:24:44,239 and so the only faith you have ever experienced 537 00:24:44,239 –> 00:24:45,640 if you’re honest about it 538 00:24:45,640 –> 00:24:48,000 is a faith that leaves you wandering around, 539 00:24:48,000 –> 00:24:50,560 a faith that experiences God’s provision 540 00:24:50,560 –> 00:24:52,520 but a faith that is not doing anything 541 00:24:52,520 –> 00:24:54,920 to advance the purpose of God in the world. 542 00:24:54,920 –> 00:24:56,079 You’re a believer, 543 00:24:57,140 –> 00:24:59,319 but your life has no defining mission. 544 00:25:00,359 –> 00:25:02,040 Now, there will be some of us here right now 545 00:25:02,079 –> 00:25:04,880 and you’ll be saying, that’s me. 546 00:25:06,560 –> 00:25:08,979 I’ve been brought up with this directionless, 547 00:25:08,979 –> 00:25:11,800 vague kind of faith, I’m a believer, 548 00:25:11,800 –> 00:25:14,300 but I’ve no real sense of purpose, 549 00:25:14,300 –> 00:25:17,319 or direction, or calling from God in my life. 550 00:25:18,560 –> 00:25:20,479 If your life’s going to count for God, 551 00:25:22,339 –> 00:25:25,359 you’ve got to break free from being defined 552 00:25:25,359 –> 00:25:26,660 by that past. 553 00:25:29,640 –> 00:25:30,760 From thinking that simply 554 00:25:30,780 –> 00:25:33,000 believing in God, and experiencing his provision, 555 00:25:33,000 –> 00:25:34,760 is all that there is. 556 00:25:37,800 –> 00:25:39,640 And then there’s a second challenge. 557 00:25:41,459 –> 00:25:44,040 And it is that you have to overcome the fear of the future. 558 00:25:44,040 –> 00:25:46,780 You have to overcome the fear of the future 559 00:25:46,780 –> 00:25:51,599 if you are going to move from being a person of faith 560 00:25:51,599 –> 00:25:53,760 to a person with a mission. 561 00:25:56,719 –> 00:25:59,319 God was calling these people to do something 562 00:25:59,319 –> 00:26:02,000 that none of them had ever done before. 563 00:26:04,119 –> 00:26:05,560 See, in this book we’re going to read 564 00:26:05,560 –> 00:26:07,680 Mose talking about houses. 565 00:26:10,040 –> 00:26:12,520 How do you live in a house 566 00:26:12,520 –> 00:26:14,640 when all you’ve ever done all your life 567 00:26:14,640 –> 00:26:16,319 is camped under canvas? 568 00:26:16,319 –> 00:26:17,400 What is a house? 569 00:26:18,660 –> 00:26:19,839 He’s gonna talk to them about 570 00:26:19,839 –> 00:26:22,099 planting crops and raising harvests. 571 00:26:22,099 –> 00:26:23,880 How do you, where do you begin 572 00:26:23,880 –> 00:26:26,239 in planting crops and raising harvests 573 00:26:26,239 –> 00:26:27,760 where all you’ve done for your food 574 00:26:27,760 –> 00:26:29,280 is gather the manna that God places 575 00:26:29,280 –> 00:26:30,920 on the floor of the desert every morning? 576 00:26:30,920 –> 00:26:32,040 What are crops? 577 00:26:33,319 –> 00:26:34,420 How do you plant them? 578 00:26:37,199 –> 00:26:39,119 So as these people are standing 579 00:26:39,119 –> 00:26:40,560 on the verge of the River Jordan, 580 00:26:40,560 –> 00:26:42,500 Moses is beginning to speak to them 581 00:26:42,500 –> 00:26:45,180 about things that are beyond their experience. 582 00:26:46,140 –> 00:26:48,920 You know this, whether it be going to a new school, 583 00:26:50,459 –> 00:26:53,219 whether it be engaging in a new chapter of life, 584 00:26:53,219 –> 00:26:54,839 or perhaps you find yourself on your own 585 00:26:54,839 –> 00:26:57,020 or perhaps you find yourself in a new marriage 586 00:26:57,040 –> 00:26:59,239 and everything is new and different 587 00:26:59,239 –> 00:27:00,400 and there are all kinds of fears 588 00:27:00,400 –> 00:27:03,579 that come with what you have not experienced before 589 00:27:03,579 –> 00:27:06,500 and you have to overcome your fear of the future 590 00:27:06,500 –> 00:27:08,199 if you’re to move from being a person 591 00:27:08,199 –> 00:27:09,760 with a directionless faith 592 00:27:09,760 –> 00:27:12,719 to a person with a sense of mission and purpose for God. 593 00:27:14,780 –> 00:27:16,119 God is leading these folks 594 00:27:16,119 –> 00:27:17,540 to a place they have never been 595 00:27:17,540 –> 00:27:19,300 and a life they have never known 596 00:27:21,300 –> 00:27:22,400 and when you move into something 597 00:27:22,400 –> 00:27:23,739 you have never experienced before, 598 00:27:23,739 –> 00:27:25,060 there will always be fears. 599 00:27:25,060 –> 00:27:27,060 You know that and I know that too. 600 00:27:27,060 –> 00:27:28,479 They have to be faced. 601 00:27:30,619 –> 00:27:32,859 So that’s where the people were, 602 00:27:32,859 –> 00:27:34,000 I hope you’re feeling that. 603 00:27:34,000 –> 00:27:35,859 Yeah, I want to read the book of Deuteronomy 604 00:27:35,859 –> 00:27:38,780 because I want to know what is the answer to these things. 605 00:27:40,859 –> 00:27:42,939 Can we break free from the past 606 00:27:42,939 –> 00:27:44,739 or will the past always shape us? 607 00:27:44,739 –> 00:27:46,900 Can I overcome my fears of the future 608 00:27:46,900 –> 00:27:48,900 or will these fears always hold me back? 609 00:27:48,900 –> 00:27:49,859 That’s the question. 610 00:27:50,800 –> 00:27:55,800 And so Moses gets up to speak on the edge of the Jordan 611 00:27:58,459 –> 00:28:02,619 to a community of believers who have been defined 612 00:28:02,619 –> 00:28:04,660 by the past are afraid of the future, 613 00:28:04,660 –> 00:28:07,180 people with a faith but not with a mission, 614 00:28:07,180 –> 00:28:09,380 and what does he speak to them about? 615 00:28:09,380 –> 00:28:10,339 Two things. 616 00:28:11,660 –> 00:28:15,800 He speaks to them about the call of God 617 00:28:17,219 –> 00:28:19,839 because when God calls you 618 00:28:20,760 –> 00:28:24,719 that gives you the power to break free 619 00:28:24,719 –> 00:28:28,160 from the defining patterns of the past. 620 00:28:30,479 –> 00:28:33,680 And Moses speaks to them about the love of God 621 00:28:35,119 –> 00:28:37,579 because it is the love of God 622 00:28:37,579 –> 00:28:40,239 when it pours into your own soul 623 00:28:40,239 –> 00:28:44,479 that empowers you to face the fears 624 00:28:44,479 –> 00:28:46,359 that otherwise would hold you back. 625 00:28:46,359 –> 00:28:49,199 Remember, it is perfect love 626 00:28:50,060 –> 00:28:53,579 that casts out fear. 627 00:28:54,599 –> 00:28:58,400 That’s what Moses talks to them in this book. 628 00:28:58,400 –> 00:29:02,099 The call of God, the love of God. 629 00:29:03,959 –> 00:29:06,079 And when these people get a sense 630 00:29:06,079 –> 00:29:08,479 of God’s calling on their lives, 631 00:29:09,920 –> 00:29:11,199 and when they get a sense 632 00:29:11,199 –> 00:29:13,599 of the uniqueness of God’s covenant love 633 00:29:13,599 –> 00:29:17,800 for them, 70 days later, 634 00:29:17,800 –> 00:29:22,160 they move into the land of Canaan. 635 00:29:25,839 –> 00:29:28,239 So, folks, this book has everything to do with us, 636 00:29:28,239 –> 00:29:30,359 and it has so much to say to us. 637 00:29:32,479 –> 00:29:34,939 The very last thing I want to say is simply this. 638 00:29:36,839 –> 00:29:39,439 If you run the Bible’s story forward 639 00:29:40,380 –> 00:29:44,040 from this time, 640 00:29:44,040 –> 00:29:45,040 over a thousand, 641 00:29:45,040 –> 00:29:47,520 over 1300 years or so 642 00:29:48,739 –> 00:29:51,780 to the time of Jesus with his disciples 643 00:29:51,780 –> 00:29:53,739 on the night that he was betrayed, 644 00:29:56,439 –> 00:29:59,599 and you picture this group of men 645 00:29:59,599 –> 00:30:02,359 and they’re sitting around Jesus, 646 00:30:06,319 –> 00:30:07,160 what do you have there? 647 00:30:07,239 –> 00:30:08,660 Men with a faith, 648 00:30:10,319 –> 00:30:12,180 but not yet with a defining mission. 649 00:30:14,680 –> 00:30:15,699 Believers, 650 00:30:17,599 –> 00:30:20,719 who are not yet making a significant difference 651 00:30:20,719 –> 00:30:21,959 to the world around them. 652 00:30:25,199 –> 00:30:26,640 On the night that he’s betrayed, 653 00:30:26,640 –> 00:30:27,780 what does Jesus do? 654 00:30:27,780 –> 00:30:29,439 John tells us this, John 13, 655 00:30:29,439 –> 00:30:34,380 he shows these men the full extent of his love, 656 00:30:34,380 –> 00:30:36,079 because the place is full of fear, 657 00:30:38,099 –> 00:30:41,040 he says to them not to be afraid, 658 00:30:41,040 –> 00:30:42,900 in this world you will have trouble. 659 00:30:42,900 –> 00:30:45,660 But take heart, I have overcome the world. 660 00:30:45,660 –> 00:30:47,479 There’s the love that cast so fear. 661 00:30:50,619 –> 00:30:55,619 And then he goes to the cross and they’re so discouraged. 662 00:30:57,280 –> 00:31:00,859 And the talk among them is all about going back 663 00:31:00,859 –> 00:31:02,439 to what’s safe and familiar. 664 00:31:02,439 –> 00:31:03,979 Let’s go back fishing, 665 00:31:04,439 –> 00:31:07,500 let’s retreat, let’s do what we’re familiar with, 666 00:31:07,500 –> 00:31:10,219 let’s go back to where we were before. 667 00:31:12,239 –> 00:31:14,619 And the risen Christ comes into the room 668 00:31:16,640 –> 00:31:19,099 and he breathes on them and he says, 669 00:31:19,099 –> 00:31:22,900 now, you, receive the Holy Spirit. 670 00:31:22,900 –> 00:31:27,339 And then he says, as the father has sent me, 671 00:31:28,880 –> 00:31:32,140 so I am sending you. 672 00:31:34,400 –> 00:31:38,920 The love of Christ, the call of Christ. 673 00:31:40,239 –> 00:31:45,239 And men with a faith become men with a mission. 674 00:31:49,119 –> 00:31:51,560 If you ask, folks, why are we stretching ourselves 675 00:31:51,560 –> 00:31:53,579 to open two new campuses 676 00:31:53,579 –> 00:31:56,439 in the goodness of God between now and Christmas? 677 00:31:58,180 –> 00:32:00,180 Why are we making these sacrifices? 678 00:32:00,180 –> 00:32:02,839 Remind me, why in the world are we doing this? 679 00:32:04,780 –> 00:32:07,060 The answer is because God calls us 680 00:32:07,060 –> 00:32:08,979 to be more than a people with a faith. 681 00:32:08,979 –> 00:32:11,880 He calls us to be people with a mission, that’s why. 682 00:32:13,719 –> 00:32:16,339 And people with a faith become people with a mission 683 00:32:16,339 –> 00:32:19,619 when the love of Christ enables you to overcome fear 684 00:32:19,619 –> 00:32:24,280 and the call of Christ breaks you free 685 00:32:24,280 –> 00:32:27,540 from being defined by your past. 686 00:32:29,040 –> 00:32:30,180 Now, if you see these things, 687 00:32:30,260 –> 00:32:32,660 I want to invite you to join with me 688 00:32:32,660 –> 00:32:36,880 in a very simple prayer and to make this your own. 689 00:32:38,060 –> 00:32:40,260 I simply want you to join with me today 690 00:32:40,260 –> 00:32:43,060 in asking of the Lord, 691 00:32:43,060 –> 00:32:47,619 Lord, deliver me from being defined by the past. 692 00:32:49,119 –> 00:32:51,859 Empower me to face the future 693 00:32:52,800 –> 00:32:57,060 and move me from being a person with a faith 694 00:32:58,060 –> 00:33:00,979 to a person with a mission. 695 00:33:00,979 –> 00:33:02,579 Will you join me in that prayer? 696 00:33:02,579 –> 00:33:04,439 Let’s bow in God’s presence together. 697 00:33:06,540 –> 00:33:08,459 Lord Jesus Christ, 698 00:33:12,260 –> 00:33:14,099 as your word speaks to us, 699 00:33:14,099 –> 00:33:17,660 we respond with this great request 700 00:33:17,660 –> 00:33:20,699 that wells up from our hearts. 701 00:33:21,699 –> 00:33:26,699 Lord, deliver me from being defined by my past. 702 00:33:32,619 –> 00:33:35,380 Deliver me from aversion to risk. 703 00:33:37,699 –> 00:33:42,180 Deliver me from the unbelief that wastes time. 704 00:33:46,040 –> 00:33:50,619 Empower me to face the future. 705 00:33:51,560 –> 00:33:56,560 Fill me afresh with the knowledge of your love 706 00:33:56,699 –> 00:33:58,900 that will enable me to arise above 707 00:33:58,900 –> 00:34:01,040 the threatening power of every fear. 708 00:34:04,119 –> 00:34:06,300 And move me, dear Lord, move us. 709 00:34:08,340 –> 00:34:11,219 From being a person, a people, a faith 710 00:34:13,300 –> 00:34:16,419 to a person, a people on a mission. 711 00:34:17,419 –> 00:34:19,860 For the sake of the Lord Jesus Christ 712 00:34:19,860 –> 00:34:22,760 who loves us and who calls us 713 00:34:22,760 –> 00:34:23,780 and all for his glory, 714 00:34:23,780 –> 00:34:26,340 and God’s people together said. 715 00:34:26,340 –> 00:34:27,179 Amen.