1 00:00:00,360 –> 00:00:02,620 Now, in these weeks that lead up to Christmas, 2 00:00:02,620 –> 00:00:06,380 it’s my great joy and privilege as a pastor 3 00:00:06,380 –> 00:00:09,340 to try to explain as clearly and compellingly 4 00:00:09,340 –> 00:00:11,520 as possible from the Bible 5 00:00:11,520 –> 00:00:14,720 why Jesus Christ came into the world 6 00:00:14,720 –> 00:00:18,139 and what that means for us today. 7 00:00:18,139 –> 00:00:20,760 And I want to do that today from the book of Deuteronomy, 8 00:00:20,760 –> 00:00:23,139 where we’ve been over these last weeks, 9 00:00:23,139 –> 00:00:24,940 but I want to begin with a front page 10 00:00:24,940 –> 00:00:29,100 that caught my attention from the newspaper USA Today. 11 00:00:29,840 –> 00:00:32,700 This is from the 7th of October Edition. 12 00:00:32,700 –> 00:00:36,580 You may have spotted it also if you take this newspaper. 13 00:00:36,580 –> 00:00:38,939 They led with the headline, 14 00:00:38,939 –> 00:00:40,700 How America Sees God, 15 00:00:42,860 –> 00:00:45,180 How America Sees God. 16 00:00:45,180 –> 00:00:46,740 It is a good title, 17 00:00:46,740 –> 00:00:51,660 because the article is not purporting to tell us how God is. 18 00:00:51,660 –> 00:00:54,980 It is merely telling us from a survey 19 00:00:54,980 –> 00:00:58,580 how we, as Americans, see God, 20 00:00:58,580 –> 00:01:01,180 in which of course we may be right or wrong 21 00:01:01,180 –> 00:01:03,980 or somewhere, as it were, in between. 22 00:01:03,980 –> 00:01:06,660 The article is based on a study 23 00:01:06,660 –> 00:01:09,360 that was conducted over the last four years 24 00:01:09,360 –> 00:01:14,360 by two sociologists from Baylor University in Texas. 25 00:01:15,180 –> 00:01:16,559 Their work has just been published 26 00:01:16,559 –> 00:01:20,379 in a book that is called America’s Four Gods, 27 00:01:20,379 –> 00:01:22,500 What We Say About God 28 00:01:22,500 –> 00:01:25,180 and What This Says About Us. 29 00:01:25,180 –> 00:01:27,919 And quoting from the article reviewing this book 30 00:01:27,959 –> 00:01:31,099 on the lead of USA Today, they say, 31 00:01:31,099 –> 00:01:36,040 “‘If you pray to God, to whom or to what are you praying? 32 00:01:36,040 –> 00:01:39,199 “‘When you sing, God Bless America, 33 00:01:39,199 –> 00:01:42,059 “‘whose blessing are you seeking? 34 00:01:42,059 –> 00:01:47,059 “‘Is God by our side or is he beyond the stars? 35 00:01:47,760 –> 00:01:51,320 “‘Is he wrathful or is he forgiving? 36 00:01:51,320 –> 00:01:53,900 “‘Is he judging us every moment 37 00:01:53,900 –> 00:01:57,660 “‘or some day or never?’ 38 00:01:57,660 –> 00:01:59,639 Now, the sociologists identify 39 00:01:59,639 –> 00:02:01,639 four different views of God, 40 00:02:01,639 –> 00:02:03,879 each of which they say from their survey 41 00:02:03,879 –> 00:02:05,879 are supported by approximately 42 00:02:05,879 –> 00:02:07,919 a quarter of all Americans. 43 00:02:07,919 –> 00:02:10,160 I find it interesting that from this survey 44 00:02:10,160 –> 00:02:11,979 over the last four years 45 00:02:11,979 –> 00:02:14,800 they say that 5% of Americans 46 00:02:14,800 –> 00:02:17,679 are either atheists or agnostic, 5%, 47 00:02:17,679 –> 00:02:20,380 that’s quite a bit up on what it used to be. 48 00:02:20,380 –> 00:02:24,759 But that still leaves 95% of us according to this survey 49 00:02:24,800 –> 00:02:26,080 in the last four years, 50 00:02:26,080 –> 00:02:29,899 who have some kind of belief in God. 51 00:02:29,899 –> 00:02:31,759 But what kind of God do we believe in? 52 00:02:31,759 –> 00:02:34,580 That’s the interesting question. 53 00:02:34,580 –> 00:02:37,279 Well, the sociologists say that 54 00:02:37,279 –> 00:02:40,880 24% of Americans believe in, and I quote, 55 00:02:43,380 –> 00:02:45,679 a distant God, who, quote, 56 00:02:45,679 –> 00:02:49,860 booted up the universe, and then left humanity alone. 57 00:02:51,059 –> 00:02:54,039 Now in this view, of course, life is basically down to you. 58 00:02:54,179 –> 00:02:58,800 God has booted up the universe, he leaves it to us. 59 00:02:58,800 –> 00:03:00,880 The article here quotes a rabbi 60 00:03:00,880 –> 00:03:03,199 who identified with this view of God, 61 00:03:03,199 –> 00:03:04,619 and he says, quote, 62 00:03:04,619 –> 00:03:08,779 there is no one that can fix things if I mess them up. 63 00:03:10,139 –> 00:03:11,440 Well, that’s pretty clear, isn’t it? 64 00:03:11,440 –> 00:03:13,759 See, God’s so detached from the world, 65 00:03:13,759 –> 00:03:17,940 there is no one who can fix things if I mess them up. 66 00:03:18,080 –> 00:03:19,259 I mess them up. 67 00:03:20,199 –> 00:03:23,139 And according to USA Today, 68 00:03:23,139 –> 00:03:28,220 that is how about 24% of all Americans think of God. 69 00:03:28,220 –> 00:03:32,119 Merely started things off, but basically it’s down to us. 70 00:03:32,119 –> 00:03:34,600 And you will immediately recognize, of course, 71 00:03:34,600 –> 00:03:37,820 that that is not a Christian view of God, 72 00:03:37,820 –> 00:03:40,339 because the whole point of the Gospel 73 00:03:40,339 –> 00:03:43,279 is that Christ came to the world, 74 00:03:43,279 –> 00:03:45,460 precisely because we have messed up, 75 00:03:45,460 –> 00:03:47,179 and we need a redeemer. 76 00:03:47,179 –> 00:03:50,460 He’s at the very core of what is revealed in the Gospel. 77 00:03:50,460 –> 00:03:53,639 Now, a second view of God, identified by the sociologist, 78 00:03:53,639 –> 00:03:57,779 is that again, God is disengaged from the world, 79 00:03:57,779 –> 00:04:01,960 but that He will make things right in the end in heaven, 80 00:04:03,660 –> 00:04:06,259 and that somewhere beyond this world, 81 00:04:06,259 –> 00:04:08,479 everything will be okay. 82 00:04:08,479 –> 00:04:11,080 Now, this is essentially the view of God 83 00:04:11,080 –> 00:04:14,119 that was dismissed memorably by Karl Marx. 84 00:04:14,119 –> 00:04:16,200 You remember, he said of this kind of view of God 85 00:04:16,700 –> 00:04:19,299 and it’s the opium of the people. 86 00:04:19,299 –> 00:04:23,480 The phrase that we know it by is pie in the sky, 87 00:04:23,480 –> 00:04:25,899 finish it for me, when you die. 88 00:04:25,899 –> 00:04:26,739 You see? 89 00:04:26,739 –> 00:04:28,540 Now, according to this survey, 90 00:04:28,540 –> 00:04:32,739 about 21% of Americans see God like this, 91 00:04:32,739 –> 00:04:35,220 that He’s not gonna do anything in this world, 92 00:04:35,220 –> 00:04:37,859 that basically your lot is what it is, 93 00:04:37,859 –> 00:04:40,820 therefore there would be no particular reason for praying 94 00:04:40,820 –> 00:04:42,079 because God’s not gonna mess 95 00:04:42,079 –> 00:04:43,660 with anything that happens here, 96 00:04:43,700 –> 00:04:45,500 but at least you can have the hope 97 00:04:45,500 –> 00:04:46,859 that somehow, somewhere, 98 00:04:46,859 –> 00:04:50,519 everything will be all right in the end. 99 00:04:50,519 –> 00:04:54,339 Now again, that is not a Christian view of God. 100 00:04:54,339 –> 00:04:56,619 Why would God take human flesh 101 00:04:56,619 –> 00:04:58,640 and leave heaven and come to earth 102 00:04:58,640 –> 00:05:03,140 if He were only concerned about the things in heaven? 103 00:05:03,140 –> 00:05:05,540 Now, having looked at these two, 104 00:05:05,540 –> 00:05:07,899 it was the third and the fourth view of God 105 00:05:07,899 –> 00:05:09,660 that really caught my attention 106 00:05:10,000 –> 00:05:12,679 and the reason for bringing this to you today. 107 00:05:13,720 –> 00:05:17,679 The survey says that 28% of Americans 108 00:05:17,679 –> 00:05:20,579 see God as, quote, 109 00:05:20,579 –> 00:05:22,859 engaged in history, 110 00:05:22,859 –> 00:05:25,640 that means He’s actually at work in this world, 111 00:05:25,640 –> 00:05:29,660 and meeting out punishment 112 00:05:29,660 –> 00:05:32,000 to those who do not follow Him. 113 00:05:32,000 –> 00:05:34,760 I was actually surprised by that. 114 00:05:34,760 –> 00:05:36,500 But according to this survey, 115 00:05:36,540 –> 00:05:41,160 28% of Americans believe in a God who punishes. 116 00:05:42,200 –> 00:05:44,160 Then the survey goes on to say that 117 00:05:44,160 –> 00:05:48,600 a further 22% of Americans believe in, quote, 118 00:05:48,600 –> 00:05:50,880 a benevolent God, 119 00:05:50,880 –> 00:05:53,899 who is a force for good, 120 00:05:53,899 –> 00:05:56,540 who cares for all people, 121 00:05:56,540 –> 00:05:59,399 weeps at all conflicts, 122 00:05:59,399 –> 00:06:01,200 and will comfort all. 123 00:06:02,119 –> 00:06:03,420 So get the picture here. 124 00:06:03,420 –> 00:06:04,760 According to the sociologist 125 00:06:05,420 –> 00:06:07,540 that was reported on the front page of USA Today, 126 00:06:07,540 –> 00:06:12,540 28% of Americans believe in a God who punishes, 127 00:06:12,660 –> 00:06:17,660 and 22% of Americans believe in a God who loves. 128 00:06:19,279 –> 00:06:21,359 Now, I don’t know how these researchers 129 00:06:21,359 –> 00:06:23,679 laid out their questions. 130 00:06:23,679 –> 00:06:25,880 But at least the way in which USA Today 131 00:06:25,880 –> 00:06:27,459 presents their conclusions 132 00:06:27,459 –> 00:06:31,220 with these four kind of hermetically sealed boxes 133 00:06:31,220 –> 00:06:35,200 kind of implies that if we believe in a God who punishes, 134 00:06:35,200 –> 00:06:38,640 we cannot at the same time believe in a God who loves. 135 00:06:38,640 –> 00:06:40,880 Or if we believe in a God who loves, 136 00:06:40,880 –> 00:06:45,359 we cannot at the same time believe in a God who punishes. 137 00:06:45,359 –> 00:06:47,720 And I think having studied Deuteronomy 138 00:06:47,720 –> 00:06:49,899 as we have over these last weeks 139 00:06:49,899 –> 00:06:51,739 that if you were to say that to Moses, 140 00:06:51,739 –> 00:06:53,220 he would kind of stroke his beard 141 00:06:53,220 –> 00:06:56,640 and furrow his brow and he’d say, Really? 142 00:06:57,140 –> 00:07:00,739 And I’m trying to imagine, in my little minds 143 00:07:00,739 –> 00:07:03,859 the researchers with their clipboards 144 00:07:03,859 –> 00:07:06,859 running their survey tool on Moses, 145 00:07:08,440 –> 00:07:11,260 Moses do you believe in a God who meets out punishment 146 00:07:11,260 –> 00:07:14,380 to those who do not follow him? 147 00:07:14,380 –> 00:07:15,459 You bet I do. 148 00:07:17,200 –> 00:07:21,540 Let me tell you about the plagues in Egypt. 149 00:07:21,540 –> 00:07:25,179 Let me tell you about the time when God sent venomous snakes 150 00:07:25,239 –> 00:07:29,000 when we were in the desert, among his own people 151 00:07:29,000 –> 00:07:33,179 when we had spoken against him and grumbled and complained. 152 00:07:34,859 –> 00:07:37,579 Now these snakes bit people with their venom 153 00:07:37,579 –> 00:07:40,640 and many died, and then I think Moses would joke 154 00:07:40,640 –> 00:07:43,200 as he said this, he’d say, 155 00:07:43,200 –> 00:07:46,859 let me tell you about how I struck the rock. 156 00:07:48,640 –> 00:07:51,820 Oh that wretched, foolish, costly act. 157 00:07:52,399 –> 00:07:56,160 And God said to me, Moses, you will not enter 158 00:07:58,059 –> 00:07:59,880 into the promised land. 159 00:08:02,279 –> 00:08:06,220 And I see the researchers putting their pens away. 160 00:08:06,220 –> 00:08:08,059 So there you are Moses, you believe 161 00:08:08,059 –> 00:08:10,000 in a God who judges. 162 00:08:10,000 –> 00:08:11,899 No surprise there, we can have figured that. 163 00:08:11,899 –> 00:08:13,959 You’re an Old Testament guy, aren’t you? 164 00:08:13,959 –> 00:08:17,660 So you’re not one of these people, Moses, 165 00:08:17,660 –> 00:08:20,440 who believes that God pours out love 166 00:08:21,220 –> 00:08:22,579 and compassion all the time. 167 00:08:22,579 –> 00:08:26,119 And Moses would say, hey, wait a minute. 168 00:08:26,119 –> 00:08:28,920 Let me tell you about how God delivered us 169 00:08:28,920 –> 00:08:32,080 on that night of the plagues in Egypt. 170 00:08:33,080 –> 00:08:35,020 Let me tell you about the bronze serpent 171 00:08:35,020 –> 00:08:36,960 that was lifted up on the pole. 172 00:08:36,960 –> 00:08:39,320 And when I lifted that bronze serpent up, 173 00:08:39,320 –> 00:08:43,460 those who looked in faith to this gift that God had given, 174 00:08:43,460 –> 00:08:48,460 they were healed of the venom and their lives were saved. 175 00:08:48,460 –> 00:08:50,479 Let me tell you about the sacrifices 176 00:08:50,479 –> 00:08:52,719 that were given so that even though in this world 177 00:08:52,719 –> 00:08:54,919 I will not enter into the promised land, 178 00:08:54,919 –> 00:08:57,179 my name will not be blotted out, 179 00:08:57,179 –> 00:08:59,539 but rather I have peace with God. 180 00:09:01,820 –> 00:09:03,799 Reflecting on this, there’s a verse 181 00:09:03,799 –> 00:09:06,200 in scripture that has come to me. 182 00:09:06,200 –> 00:09:08,700 It’s so important for us to grasp. 183 00:09:08,700 –> 00:09:11,119 It’s Romans chapter 11 and verse 22, 184 00:09:11,119 –> 00:09:13,619 where the apostle Paul says, 185 00:09:13,619 –> 00:09:18,520 Behold, therefore, the goodness and the severity of God. 186 00:09:19,940 –> 00:09:23,840 Romans 11, 22, it’s really worth knowing and remembering. 187 00:09:23,840 –> 00:09:26,440 The apostle Paul says, what you’re to look at, 188 00:09:26,440 –> 00:09:28,419 and he’s writing to Christians in Rome. 189 00:09:28,419 –> 00:09:30,419 So this is for us, very much. 190 00:09:30,419 –> 00:09:32,539 Paul says, here’s what your to look at. 191 00:09:32,539 –> 00:09:34,179 Here’s what you’re to consider. 192 00:09:34,179 –> 00:09:38,260 I want you Christian people to behold 193 00:09:38,260 –> 00:09:42,520 the goodness and the severity of God. 194 00:09:44,539 –> 00:09:47,900 And Dr. Jim Packer, commenting on this verse, says, 195 00:09:47,900 –> 00:09:51,500 Christians are not to dwell on God’s goodness alone 196 00:09:52,479 –> 00:09:54,919 or on His severity alone. 197 00:09:55,780 –> 00:09:58,239 But we are to contemplate both together. 198 00:09:59,520 –> 00:10:02,260 In other words, if you want know who God really is, 199 00:10:02,260 –> 00:10:04,979 as opposed to simply projecting your own imagination 200 00:10:04,979 –> 00:10:07,859 or intuition about Him as so many people do, 201 00:10:07,859 –> 00:10:09,859 what you need to do, the Bible is saying, 202 00:10:09,859 –> 00:10:13,619 is to consider His goodness and His severity. 203 00:10:13,619 –> 00:10:16,479 You have to consider His mercy and His judgment. 204 00:10:16,479 –> 00:10:19,940 You have to consider His love and His wrath. 205 00:10:19,940 –> 00:10:21,539 And I’m suggesting to you today, 206 00:10:21,539 –> 00:10:23,380 and this is the reason for this message 207 00:10:23,380 –> 00:10:26,280 that you cannot understand Christmas 208 00:10:27,859 –> 00:10:32,859 unless you grasp the goodness and the severity of God. 209 00:10:35,280 –> 00:10:37,159 Now, preparing His people 210 00:10:37,159 –> 00:10:39,119 for the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, 211 00:10:39,159 –> 00:10:39,960 which of course is the center 212 00:10:39,960 –> 00:10:42,419 of what the whole bible is all about, 213 00:10:42,419 –> 00:10:44,599 way back in the book of Deuteronomy, 214 00:10:44,599 –> 00:10:47,900 God is impressing on the minds of His people 215 00:10:47,900 –> 00:10:51,500 these two great truths, His goodness and His severity. 216 00:10:52,440 –> 00:10:53,919 And we’ve seen it running all the way 217 00:10:53,919 –> 00:10:55,179 through the book of Deuteronomy. 218 00:10:55,179 –> 00:10:56,479 And when we come to the end, 219 00:10:56,479 –> 00:10:59,700 this is the dominant theme that Moses lays before the people. 220 00:10:59,700 –> 00:11:02,840 He wants this to stay with them more than anything else. 221 00:11:02,840 –> 00:11:06,679 This is what will enable them to understand Jesus Christ. 222 00:11:07,679 –> 00:11:11,039 And so God presses these twin truths 223 00:11:11,039 –> 00:11:13,419 into the minds and hearts of His people 224 00:11:13,419 –> 00:11:15,539 in remarkable ways and I want you 225 00:11:15,539 –> 00:11:17,659 to notice this morning that He does it 226 00:11:17,659 –> 00:11:21,880 through drama and He does it through music. 227 00:11:23,039 –> 00:11:26,700 God is very concerned that we get certain things. 228 00:11:27,659 –> 00:11:29,900 And so if you open your bible at Deuteronomy, 229 00:11:29,900 –> 00:11:32,960 I want you to see first the drama and then the music. 230 00:11:32,960 –> 00:11:36,440 The drama is in chapter 27 and chapter 28. 231 00:11:36,880 –> 00:11:41,239 The drama of God’s goodness and of His severity. 232 00:11:41,239 –> 00:11:43,640 Now remember Moses addressing the people, 233 00:11:43,640 –> 00:11:46,140 the verge of the promised land and he says, 234 00:11:46,140 –> 00:11:48,559 I’m not going in with you, Moses is going to die 235 00:11:48,559 –> 00:11:50,280 as we’ll see next week God willing. 236 00:11:51,299 –> 00:11:52,840 Don’t be with the Lord. 237 00:11:52,840 –> 00:11:55,239 But they’re going into the promised land 238 00:11:55,239 –> 00:11:57,559 and he says now when you get there here’s what you’re to do 239 00:11:57,559 –> 00:11:58,979 you cross the Jordan and you’re going 240 00:11:58,979 –> 00:12:02,179 to go past two mountains and these mountains 241 00:12:02,179 –> 00:12:05,679 are called Mount Ebal and Mount Gerazim 242 00:12:06,559 –> 00:12:08,659 and when you get to Mount Ebal and Gerazim 243 00:12:08,659 –> 00:12:11,479 I want you to send Moses says in chapter 27 244 00:12:11,479 –> 00:12:14,919 verse 12 and 13, I want you to send some representatives 245 00:12:14,919 –> 00:12:16,780 from six tribes up one mountain 246 00:12:16,780 –> 00:12:19,099 and I want you to send representatives 247 00:12:19,099 –> 00:12:21,260 of six tribes up the other mountain 248 00:12:22,179 –> 00:12:24,320 and then when all the people of God 249 00:12:24,320 –> 00:12:28,000 when you’re all marching through between these mountains 250 00:12:28,000 –> 00:12:32,520 as you go past Mount Gerazim the folks up there 251 00:12:32,520 –> 00:12:36,559 are to shout out all the blessings that will be upon you 252 00:12:36,559 –> 00:12:38,780 as you walk in obedience to the Lord 253 00:12:39,900 –> 00:12:43,739 and then when you walk past Mount Ebal 254 00:12:43,739 –> 00:12:47,979 the guys up there are gonna be shouting out all the curses 255 00:12:47,979 –> 00:12:52,979 that will come upon you if you disobey the ways of the Lord 256 00:12:54,140 –> 00:12:56,880 and so if you have chapter 27 open 257 00:12:56,880 –> 00:12:59,539 you’ll see there what the Levites are to shout 258 00:13:00,460 –> 00:13:02,520 and verse 15, they’re to shout out 259 00:13:02,520 –> 00:13:05,460 as the people walk along the valley there, 260 00:13:05,460 –> 00:13:08,659 cursed is the man, verse 15, chapter 27, 261 00:13:08,659 –> 00:13:11,859 who carves an image and casts an idol 262 00:13:11,859 –> 00:13:13,440 and you notice at the end of each verse 263 00:13:13,440 –> 00:13:16,140 as these curses are listed all the people are to say, 264 00:13:16,140 –> 00:13:20,859 Amen, Amen, which means so shall it be, 265 00:13:20,859 –> 00:13:23,919 verse 16, cursed is the man who dishonors his father 266 00:13:23,919 –> 00:13:26,159 and his mother and so it goes on right through the chapter 267 00:13:26,159 –> 00:13:29,340 you see it there, words evolve, verse 26 at the bottom, 268 00:13:29,340 –> 00:13:32,239 cursed is the man who does not uphold the words 269 00:13:32,239 –> 00:13:34,440 of this law by carrying them out 270 00:13:34,440 –> 00:13:38,299 and all the people shall say, Amen. 271 00:13:39,599 –> 00:13:41,440 Can you imagine how vivid this is. 272 00:13:43,239 –> 00:13:45,840 Walking past this mountain there’s all these guys 273 00:13:47,440 –> 00:13:51,640 and they’re saying, if you disobey God, 274 00:13:51,640 –> 00:13:53,500 you’re gonna be cursed in the city 275 00:13:54,520 –> 00:13:57,659 and you say, Amen, that’s how it’s gonna be, 276 00:13:57,659 –> 00:13:59,320 I know, I know I agree with that. 277 00:14:00,140 –> 00:14:02,080 Then someone says, if you despair God, 278 00:14:02,080 –> 00:14:04,520 you’re going to be cursed in the country, Amen. 279 00:14:05,960 –> 00:14:09,059 Then you walk past Mount Geritsimen 280 00:14:09,059 –> 00:14:10,979 and there are people up there saying, 281 00:14:10,979 –> 00:14:14,200 if you obey the Lord, you’re gonna be blessed in the city, 282 00:14:15,479 –> 00:14:16,419 if you obey the Lord, 283 00:14:16,419 –> 00:14:18,520 you’re going to be blessed in the country. 284 00:14:19,580 –> 00:14:22,460 Would you ever forget such an experience? 285 00:14:23,719 –> 00:14:26,880 Every time the kids came back to these mountains, 286 00:14:26,880 –> 00:14:28,260 oh, there’s that mountain 287 00:14:28,260 –> 00:14:30,260 when these men were shouting all the bad things 288 00:14:30,260 –> 00:14:31,280 and there’s that mountain 289 00:14:31,280 –> 00:14:33,679 where the men were shouting all the good things. 290 00:14:35,520 –> 00:14:36,880 Could it have been clearer? 291 00:14:38,760 –> 00:14:40,979 God blesses, God punishes, 292 00:14:42,400 –> 00:14:44,679 there are blessings that follow righteousness, 293 00:14:44,679 –> 00:14:47,039 there are curses that follow rebellion, 294 00:14:48,900 –> 00:14:52,140 and as the people felt this in the drama 295 00:14:52,140 –> 00:14:54,880 of their own entry into the promised land, 296 00:14:54,880 –> 00:14:57,739 they’re saying amen, amen, amen, 297 00:14:57,739 –> 00:15:00,440 because they’re not just to hear it, they’re to own it. 298 00:15:02,760 –> 00:15:07,000 Now not only is God’s teaching them through this drama, 299 00:15:07,919 –> 00:15:10,599 but as we turn over now to chapter 31 300 00:15:10,599 –> 00:15:14,479 and chapter 32, he reinforces it even further 301 00:15:14,479 –> 00:15:16,919 through a remarkable song, 302 00:15:18,960 –> 00:15:21,039 and again, the song is on the same theme, 303 00:15:21,039 –> 00:15:23,479 the whole of the end of the book is about this one thing, 304 00:15:23,520 –> 00:15:25,880 and you’ve got to get it that there’s the goodness 305 00:15:25,880 –> 00:15:26,960 and the severity of God, 306 00:15:26,960 –> 00:15:29,960 don’t think about the one without the other, 307 00:15:29,960 –> 00:15:32,219 we’ll always end up in error that way. 308 00:15:32,219 –> 00:15:35,159 Consider the goodness and the severity of God, 309 00:15:35,159 –> 00:15:36,760 and it’s impressed through the drama, 310 00:15:36,760 –> 00:15:38,599 now it’s impressed through a song. 311 00:15:38,599 –> 00:15:41,400 Chapter 31 and verse 19, 312 00:15:41,400 –> 00:15:46,260 God now speaks, in private, to Moses and to Joshua, 313 00:15:46,679 –> 00:15:47,520 and he says to them, 314 00:15:47,520 –> 00:15:51,700 come right down for yourselves this song, 315 00:15:51,700 –> 00:15:55,979 teach it to the Israelites and have them sing it, 316 00:15:57,119 –> 00:15:59,280 Moses becomes the choir director, 317 00:15:59,280 –> 00:16:01,200 he becomes the leader of worship, 318 00:16:01,200 –> 00:16:02,780 he’s got to sing a song himself, 319 00:16:02,780 –> 00:16:05,960 I don’t know what kind of singer Moses would have been, 320 00:16:05,960 –> 00:16:08,900 but he has to teach the song to Israel 321 00:16:08,900 –> 00:16:10,460 and teach it to them so well 322 00:16:10,460 –> 00:16:12,900 that the congregation can all sing it by memory, 323 00:16:14,200 –> 00:16:15,479 which we’re not going to manage today 324 00:16:15,520 –> 00:16:17,919 because the song is in chapter 32 325 00:16:17,919 –> 00:16:21,340 and you’ll see it runs for 43 verses, 326 00:16:21,340 –> 00:16:24,700 in fact it tells us if you look there in chapter 31 327 00:16:24,700 –> 00:16:29,700 and verse 30, Moses recited the words of this song 328 00:16:30,080 –> 00:16:32,580 from beginning to end in the hearing 329 00:16:32,580 –> 00:16:34,380 of the whole assembly of Israel 330 00:16:34,380 –> 00:16:37,820 and bearing in mind that the dear man was 120, 331 00:16:37,820 –> 00:16:41,619 that’s not bad memory to be able to recite chapter 32 332 00:16:41,619 –> 00:16:43,859 at the age of 120, what do you think? 333 00:16:44,500 –> 00:16:49,500 But God gave him this song because it brings together 334 00:16:51,739 –> 00:16:55,960 the very essence of what his people have to know 335 00:16:55,960 –> 00:16:59,500 in order to know God and what we have to know 336 00:16:59,500 –> 00:17:02,739 in order to understand Christmas. 337 00:17:04,420 –> 00:17:06,739 Now you’ll see then that the message of this song 338 00:17:06,739 –> 00:17:08,900 is the same as the message of the drama 339 00:17:08,900 –> 00:17:11,180 and indeed the same as the message of the whole book 340 00:17:11,180 –> 00:17:14,500 of Deuteronomy and indeed the whole of the Bible. 341 00:17:14,500 –> 00:17:17,900 It begins in its first half, verses one to 26, 342 00:17:17,900 –> 00:17:20,020 with the severity of God. 343 00:17:21,560 –> 00:17:25,060 And as Moses sings the song he rehearses 344 00:17:25,060 –> 00:17:29,219 in the earlier part the blessings of God. 345 00:17:29,219 –> 00:17:31,739 From verse 10, let’s pick this up, 346 00:17:31,739 –> 00:17:33,859 there’s a catalog of blessings here, 347 00:17:33,859 –> 00:17:36,359 both blessings past, in the desert 348 00:17:36,359 –> 00:17:38,319 and blessings that would come in the future 349 00:17:38,319 –> 00:17:40,219 in the Promised Land. 350 00:17:40,359 –> 00:17:44,699 Verse 10 of chapter 32, God found you in the desert. 351 00:17:44,699 –> 00:17:48,599 God has shielded you, verse 10, and he has cared for you. 352 00:17:48,599 –> 00:17:50,459 God, verse 11, has guarded you 353 00:17:50,459 –> 00:17:53,280 like an eagle guarding its nest. 354 00:17:53,280 –> 00:17:57,660 Verse 13, God nourished you with honey from the rock 355 00:17:57,660 –> 00:18:01,119 and with oil from the flinty crag. 356 00:18:01,119 –> 00:18:02,500 I love that phrase. 357 00:18:02,500 –> 00:18:04,319 No, it’s beginning to speak about the blessings 358 00:18:04,319 –> 00:18:07,760 that will come to them in the Promised Land, you see. 359 00:18:07,780 –> 00:18:12,160 God’s blessings in your life, my friend, 360 00:18:12,160 –> 00:18:14,819 and in mine are more than we can number. 361 00:18:16,060 –> 00:18:20,239 But, Moses goes on to describe prophetically 362 00:18:20,239 –> 00:18:22,459 the choices that God’s people will make 363 00:18:22,459 –> 00:18:24,660 and the rest of the Old Testament simply 364 00:18:24,660 –> 00:18:26,119 is an outworking of everything 365 00:18:26,119 –> 00:18:28,859 that Moses says here in this song. 366 00:18:28,859 –> 00:18:32,119 Verse 15, one of the most striking verses 367 00:18:32,119 –> 00:18:34,380 in the book of Deuteronomy. 368 00:18:34,380 –> 00:18:39,380 Jeshurun grew fat and kicked. 369 00:18:40,680 –> 00:18:42,959 Do you see that in verse 15? 370 00:18:42,959 –> 00:18:47,619 Jeshurun grew fat and kicked! 371 00:18:48,619 –> 00:18:49,520 I said to Karen the other day, 372 00:18:49,520 –> 00:18:51,020 isn’t that an amazing verse? 373 00:18:51,020 –> 00:18:53,599 She said, well yeah, but what in the world does it mean? 374 00:18:54,680 –> 00:18:56,020 Jeshurun! 375 00:18:56,020 –> 00:18:59,339 If you’ve got very good eyes, and a pew Bible, 376 00:18:59,339 –> 00:19:01,459 you will notice, perhaps, bottom right-hand side 377 00:19:01,459 –> 00:19:04,680 of the page that there’s a footnote there 378 00:19:04,680 –> 00:19:06,819 that simply says, Jeshurun means, 379 00:19:06,819 –> 00:19:10,000 the upright one that is Israel. 380 00:19:10,000 –> 00:19:12,760 The upright one, Israel. 381 00:19:12,760 –> 00:19:16,219 So you say, well now, why not simply say Israel, then? 382 00:19:16,219 –> 00:19:18,579 And I think the answer is that by using this name, 383 00:19:18,579 –> 00:19:21,500 Jeshurun, that means the upright one, 384 00:19:21,500 –> 00:19:25,699 God is speaking about his own people at their best. 385 00:19:25,699 –> 00:19:27,939 And he’s saying to them, here’s the truth about you 386 00:19:27,939 –> 00:19:29,719 at your most upright. 387 00:19:30,619 –> 00:19:33,540 Jeshurun, you at your most upright, 388 00:19:33,540 –> 00:19:36,640 grew fat and kicked. 389 00:19:37,839 –> 00:19:40,859 Now, you see what the picture is here. 390 00:19:40,859 –> 00:19:44,500 You imagine a mule, and the mule has been doing good work 391 00:19:44,500 –> 00:19:45,660 for its master, 392 00:19:46,520 –> 00:19:50,199 but the mule puts on some weight 393 00:19:50,199 –> 00:19:52,420 and it begins to feel lethargic 394 00:19:52,420 –> 00:19:55,479 and it thinks, I don’t want to work for the master anymore. 395 00:19:55,479 –> 00:19:58,619 And so one day the master comes up and what does the mule do? 396 00:19:58,640 –> 00:19:59,459 Kicks. 397 00:20:00,839 –> 00:20:02,880 Now, God is saying that is precisely 398 00:20:02,880 –> 00:20:04,420 what I know you’re going to do. 399 00:20:05,979 –> 00:20:10,979 He says right here that he knows what is in our hearts. 400 00:20:13,140 –> 00:20:16,459 He knows what we are disposed to do. 401 00:20:16,459 –> 00:20:19,780 That’s chapter 31 and verse 21. 402 00:20:19,780 –> 00:20:22,140 I know what you are disposed to do 403 00:20:22,140 –> 00:20:24,959 even before I bring you into the land, he says, 404 00:20:24,959 –> 00:20:26,560 and I know what’s going to happen. 405 00:20:27,420 –> 00:20:29,199 You’re going to grow fat and kick. 406 00:20:30,459 –> 00:20:32,359 You’re going to receive my blessings 407 00:20:32,359 –> 00:20:34,500 and you’re going to credit yourself. 408 00:20:36,260 –> 00:20:37,819 And then when something goes wrong, 409 00:20:37,819 –> 00:20:40,540 despite all the blessings that I have poured into your life, 410 00:20:40,540 –> 00:20:41,400 what are you going to do? 411 00:20:41,400 –> 00:20:43,660 You’re going to resist me, you’re going to resent me, 412 00:20:43,660 –> 00:20:45,060 you’re going to speak against me, 413 00:20:45,060 –> 00:20:46,359 you’re going to doubt me, 414 00:20:46,359 –> 00:20:48,599 you will grow fat and you will kick. 415 00:20:50,280 –> 00:20:52,180 And God says, I know that this is 416 00:20:52,180 –> 00:20:54,099 what you’re disposed to do. 417 00:20:54,099 –> 00:20:56,199 Isn’t that amazing, God knows what’s in your heart. 418 00:20:56,199 –> 00:20:59,880 God knows what you want to do this week even before you do. 419 00:21:01,880 –> 00:21:04,680 You receive my blessings, you credit yourself 420 00:21:04,680 –> 00:21:07,819 and you kick against me 421 00:21:07,819 –> 00:21:10,219 and that’s true of my people at their best. 422 00:21:11,560 –> 00:21:12,400 I know this. 423 00:21:14,300 –> 00:21:17,160 And therefore God begins to speak of the judgment 424 00:21:17,160 –> 00:21:19,000 that they deserve and as you know, 425 00:21:19,000 –> 00:21:21,239 the Old Testament story or as you would find out 426 00:21:21,239 –> 00:21:23,199 if you read more of the Old Testament, 427 00:21:23,199 –> 00:21:25,239 the very judgments that are spoken of here 428 00:21:25,280 –> 00:21:26,800 are exactly what happen 429 00:21:26,800 –> 00:21:29,520 as you follow the story of the Old Testament. 430 00:21:29,520 –> 00:21:32,280 Verse 19, the judgment you deserve. 431 00:21:32,280 –> 00:21:35,500 The Lord saw this and he rejected them 432 00:21:35,500 –> 00:21:38,219 because he was angered by his own sons 433 00:21:38,219 –> 00:21:40,280 and his own daughters 434 00:21:40,280 –> 00:21:41,760 and notice what God says he will do. 435 00:21:41,760 –> 00:21:44,119 Here’s the severity of God. 436 00:21:44,119 –> 00:21:47,479 They grow fat, they kick and God says, 437 00:21:47,479 –> 00:21:50,500 verse 20, I will hide my face from them. 438 00:21:51,500 –> 00:21:55,680 He says, verse 21, I will make them envious. 439 00:21:55,680 –> 00:21:56,780 This happened of course, 440 00:21:56,780 –> 00:21:59,000 because God prospered other nations 441 00:21:59,000 –> 00:22:01,979 that did not even acknowledge him 442 00:22:01,979 –> 00:22:04,479 and cause these people who bore his name 443 00:22:04,479 –> 00:22:06,380 to go into this terrible decline. 444 00:22:07,839 –> 00:22:08,900 I will make them angry. 445 00:22:08,900 –> 00:22:10,939 That’s why they were angry. 446 00:22:10,939 –> 00:22:13,500 Hey, why has God blessing them and not us? 447 00:22:13,500 –> 00:22:15,339 Why is it all going well for them and not us? 448 00:22:17,020 –> 00:22:19,380 Verse 23, I will bring calamities upon them. 449 00:22:19,560 –> 00:22:20,479 I will hide my face. 450 00:22:20,479 –> 00:22:21,599 I will make them envious. 451 00:22:21,599 –> 00:22:22,660 I will make them angry. 452 00:22:22,660 –> 00:22:24,300 I will bring calamities on them. 453 00:22:24,300 –> 00:22:27,479 Why Lord, look at verse 22, 454 00:22:28,500 –> 00:22:32,780 for a fire has been kindled by my wrath, 455 00:22:33,859 –> 00:22:37,780 one that burns to the realm of death below. 456 00:22:39,479 –> 00:22:40,939 You can hardly read a verse like that 457 00:22:40,939 –> 00:22:43,739 and not believe if you take the Bible seriously 458 00:22:43,739 –> 00:22:45,579 in a God who punishes, right? 459 00:22:46,339 –> 00:22:51,339 Consider the severity of God. 460 00:22:53,420 –> 00:22:55,079 What a picture of God’s judgment 461 00:22:55,079 –> 00:22:57,119 to be surrounded by calamity. 462 00:22:58,439 –> 00:23:02,260 To live in envy towards others and anger towards God 463 00:23:03,359 –> 00:23:07,560 while God turns away and hides his face. 464 00:23:09,680 –> 00:23:13,140 And friends, this is the judgment that I deserve. 465 00:23:13,660 –> 00:23:17,199 This is the judgment that we deserve. 466 00:23:19,219 –> 00:23:22,219 For at our best, this is the truth about us, 467 00:23:22,219 –> 00:23:26,760 Jehoram grew fat and kicked. 468 00:23:29,459 –> 00:23:32,079 Have you ever considered the severity of God? 469 00:23:32,079 –> 00:23:32,920 Really? 470 00:23:34,020 –> 00:23:36,540 Or are you living in cloud cuckoo land 471 00:23:36,540 –> 00:23:40,699 with a sentimentality of a God who would never hurt a fly? 472 00:23:40,699 –> 00:23:44,160 You’re not in the world of the Bible. 473 00:23:45,819 –> 00:23:47,540 You’re not in the world of reality. 474 00:23:48,979 –> 00:23:52,520 Is this truth of the severity of God rooted in your heart? 475 00:23:54,339 –> 00:23:58,319 I need this truth to restrain me from sinning, so do you. 476 00:24:00,359 –> 00:24:03,839 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. 477 00:24:05,180 –> 00:24:07,280 You can’t replace that with anything else. 478 00:24:08,280 –> 00:24:13,280 But as this judgment thunders to its climax, in verse 26, 479 00:24:13,959 –> 00:24:15,020 where God… 480 00:24:15,020 –> 00:24:17,520 You notice God had said, I will, I will, I will, I will. 481 00:24:17,520 –> 00:24:18,660 And he did. 482 00:24:18,660 –> 00:24:20,859 You read it in the rest of the Old Testament. 483 00:24:21,959 –> 00:24:24,780 But then He says, verse 26, notice the change, 484 00:24:24,780 –> 00:24:25,719 I said, 485 00:24:26,560 –> 00:24:28,640 I said I would scatter them 486 00:24:28,640 –> 00:24:32,040 and blot out their memory from mankind. 487 00:24:32,040 –> 00:24:33,800 That would be terminal, wouldn’t it? 488 00:24:34,719 –> 00:24:36,839 And then notice the next word in verse 27. 489 00:24:37,780 –> 00:24:38,660 But, 490 00:24:39,800 –> 00:24:40,640 but. 491 00:24:42,180 –> 00:24:44,920 So here’s this train of the judgment of God 492 00:24:44,920 –> 00:24:46,680 and it’s thundering down the track 493 00:24:46,680 –> 00:24:49,760 and suddenly the brakes screech on. 494 00:24:49,760 –> 00:24:50,599 But. 495 00:24:52,119 –> 00:24:54,520 Don’t you thank God for all the places in the Bible 496 00:24:54,520 –> 00:24:57,060 where we read about our own human wretchedness 497 00:24:57,060 –> 00:24:59,319 and then we read some statement like Ephesians, 498 00:24:59,319 –> 00:25:01,140 too, but, God. 499 00:25:03,079 –> 00:25:05,000 Cause when you have said everything 500 00:25:05,000 –> 00:25:06,380 that there is to be said 501 00:25:06,380 –> 00:25:07,939 about the judgment of God, 502 00:25:07,939 –> 00:25:10,339 there is more to be said about God. 503 00:25:13,400 –> 00:25:16,579 And so Moses now begins to unfold to them 504 00:25:16,579 –> 00:25:19,739 as they’ve seen the severity of God 505 00:25:19,739 –> 00:25:21,800 and as they would see it in their history. 506 00:25:22,880 –> 00:25:25,660 He now begins to unfold to them the goodness of God. 507 00:25:25,660 –> 00:25:27,459 You ready for a bit of that? 508 00:25:28,380 –> 00:25:30,640 Are you ready for a bit of that? 509 00:25:31,640 –> 00:25:34,020 Verse 27 onwards. 510 00:25:34,020 –> 00:25:36,180 There’s really three strands to what he says 511 00:25:36,180 –> 00:25:38,380 about the abundant goodness of God. 512 00:25:38,380 –> 00:25:40,300 And the first might come as a surprise 513 00:25:40,300 –> 00:25:42,660 until we think about it together. 514 00:25:42,660 –> 00:25:44,500 The first strand of the goodness of God 515 00:25:44,500 –> 00:25:47,920 is that God will take vengeance on his enemies. 516 00:25:49,020 –> 00:25:53,060 Now you see this in verse 29, verse 35, and verse 43, 517 00:25:53,060 –> 00:25:55,260 it runs all through Moses exposition 518 00:25:55,260 –> 00:25:56,579 of the goodness of God. 519 00:25:56,579 –> 00:26:00,380 And your first reaction may be like mine was, 520 00:26:00,380 –> 00:26:02,939 well, wait a minute, if this is about the goodness of God, 521 00:26:02,939 –> 00:26:04,619 God taking vengeance on his enemies 522 00:26:04,619 –> 00:26:05,920 sounds more like more judgment, 523 00:26:06,560 –> 00:26:07,400 I mean how can that be the goodness of God? 524 00:26:07,400 –> 00:26:08,479 And here’s the answer. 525 00:26:09,640 –> 00:26:11,719 A God who cannot destroy evil 526 00:26:11,719 –> 00:26:13,959 is of no help to you or to us. 527 00:26:16,319 –> 00:26:18,959 A venomous serpent came into the garden of Eden 528 00:26:18,959 –> 00:26:20,160 and the poison of evil 529 00:26:20,160 –> 00:26:23,260 has affected the human race ever since. 530 00:26:24,300 –> 00:26:29,300 We need a savior who can crush the head of the serpent. 531 00:26:32,119 –> 00:26:35,040 And this is the savior that we have in Jesus Christ. 532 00:26:35,099 –> 00:26:38,099 When he comes into the world, he says of Satan, 533 00:26:38,099 –> 00:26:42,359 the prince of this world now stands condemned. 534 00:26:42,359 –> 00:26:44,199 The New Testament tells us that Christ came 535 00:26:44,199 –> 00:26:47,540 to destroy the works of the evil one. 536 00:26:47,540 –> 00:26:49,459 And because of the coming and the dying 537 00:26:49,459 –> 00:26:51,160 and the rising of Jesus Christ, 538 00:26:51,160 –> 00:26:53,880 the promise of the New Testament is this. 539 00:26:53,880 –> 00:26:56,199 And it is Gd’s certain word and his oath 540 00:26:56,199 –> 00:26:58,760 and you can bank your eternity on it. 541 00:26:59,719 –> 00:27:03,079 That Satan and all who do his works 542 00:27:03,920 –> 00:27:08,920 will be destroyed in the lake of fire forever and forever. 543 00:27:10,800 –> 00:27:15,020 It is an awesome and sombre and eternal reality. 544 00:27:16,800 –> 00:27:21,319 Sin will be no more. 545 00:27:21,319 –> 00:27:23,819 And friends, that is the beginning of hope 546 00:27:23,819 –> 00:27:25,479 because what would heaven be if heaven 547 00:27:25,479 –> 00:27:28,140 was just more of the same of what we’ve got on Earth? 548 00:27:30,400 –> 00:27:31,660 I don’t know how in the world folks 549 00:27:31,780 –> 00:27:36,780 decide what kids should read at high school, 550 00:27:36,859 –> 00:27:40,180 but what you read tends to stay with you a long time. 551 00:27:40,180 –> 00:27:43,160 And when I was at high school in Edinburgh, Scotland, 552 00:27:44,020 –> 00:27:45,180 one of the books we were given, 553 00:27:45,180 –> 00:27:49,020 some of you would have been the same, George Orwell 1984. 554 00:27:49,020 –> 00:27:51,300 These were in the days before 1984 555 00:27:51,300 –> 00:27:52,780 when everyone was worried about what’s going 556 00:27:52,780 –> 00:27:55,579 to happen in 1984, nobody cares about that now. 557 00:27:57,819 –> 00:28:01,319 But as a 14 year old, I read a phrase from George Orwell 558 00:28:01,359 –> 00:28:03,160 that has stayed with me all my life. 559 00:28:04,760 –> 00:28:05,599 He said, 560 00:28:05,599 –> 00:28:08,400 if you want a picture of the future, 561 00:28:09,839 –> 00:28:14,839 imagine a boot stamping on a human face forever. 562 00:28:18,719 –> 00:28:20,640 See that was what Orwell saw of the world. 563 00:28:20,640 –> 00:28:24,959 He saw the rise of totalitarianism, the loss of freedom. 564 00:28:26,839 –> 00:28:28,880 And while we thank God for freedom 565 00:28:28,920 –> 00:28:30,439 in so many parts of the world, 566 00:28:32,000 –> 00:28:35,280 there are so many for whom even today, 567 00:28:35,280 –> 00:28:36,359 the experience of life 568 00:28:36,359 –> 00:28:41,359 resembles a boot stamping on a human face. 569 00:28:41,479 –> 00:28:46,260 But the Gospel would say to George Orwell, 570 00:28:46,260 –> 00:28:51,260 however much a boot stamps on a human face in this world, 571 00:28:53,199 –> 00:28:56,180 George Orwell, not forever. 572 00:28:57,180 –> 00:29:01,719 There will be no boots stamping on human faces 573 00:29:01,719 –> 00:29:04,020 in the new heaven and the new earth. 574 00:29:04,020 –> 00:29:06,239 Why? Because God will destroy all evil. 575 00:29:06,239 –> 00:29:07,079 That’s good news. 576 00:29:07,079 –> 00:29:09,819 Isn’t it that is the abundant goodness of God. 577 00:29:09,819 –> 00:29:11,839 A savior who’s merely meek and mild 578 00:29:11,839 –> 00:29:15,699 and who merely weeps is of no use to you 579 00:29:15,699 –> 00:29:19,900 if he does not have the power and the will to destroy evil, 580 00:29:19,900 –> 00:29:24,239 not impart, but wholly completely utterly and forever. 581 00:29:24,719 –> 00:29:26,339 Sin will be no more. 582 00:29:26,339 –> 00:29:29,780 This is the issue of the coming of the Saviour, 583 00:29:29,780 –> 00:29:31,140 the effect of his coming. 584 00:29:31,140 –> 00:29:33,160 And that is why in verse 29, 585 00:29:33,160 –> 00:29:35,560 Moses says about God’s enemies, 586 00:29:35,560 –> 00:29:37,880 if only they were wise 587 00:29:37,880 –> 00:29:40,780 and discern what their end will be. 588 00:29:42,680 –> 00:29:44,339 For verse 35, God says, 589 00:29:44,339 –> 00:29:46,599 it is mine to avenge, I will repay. 590 00:29:46,599 –> 00:29:49,839 And in due time they’re foot will slip. 591 00:29:50,699 –> 00:29:53,979 And in verse 43, God will avenge the blood of his servants. 592 00:29:53,979 –> 00:29:56,979 He will take vengeance on his enemies. 593 00:29:56,979 –> 00:29:58,239 Sin will be no more 594 00:29:58,239 –> 00:30:02,459 because God in his infinite holiness will destroy it. 595 00:30:02,459 –> 00:30:06,380 Nothing that defiles will enter the Holy city. 596 00:30:07,079 –> 00:30:09,939 And that is the goodness of God. 597 00:30:09,939 –> 00:30:14,619 The works of the serpent and all who do his works 598 00:30:14,619 –> 00:30:16,119 destroyed forever. 599 00:30:16,140 –> 00:30:16,979 Forever. 600 00:30:20,540 –> 00:30:24,979 But there has to be more to the goodness of God than that. 601 00:30:24,979 –> 00:30:26,079 If you’re thinking with me, 602 00:30:26,079 –> 00:30:27,699 you’ll be saying, well, yes, 603 00:30:27,699 –> 00:30:29,260 but if God destroys all evil, 604 00:30:29,260 –> 00:30:32,119 what about the evil that’s in me? 605 00:30:32,119 –> 00:30:35,400 What about my growing fat and kicking? 606 00:30:35,400 –> 00:30:37,479 Where does that leave me? 607 00:30:38,920 –> 00:30:41,619 The world where all evil is destroyed 608 00:30:41,660 –> 00:30:45,119 is surely a world where no people continue to exist. 609 00:30:47,380 –> 00:30:50,260 Behold the goodness of God. 610 00:30:50,260 –> 00:30:52,939 Not only does God take vengeance on his enemies, 611 00:30:52,939 –> 00:30:56,599 but second, he will have compassion on his people. 612 00:30:57,800 –> 00:31:02,180 Look at that in verse 36 this God who judges. 613 00:31:02,180 –> 00:31:03,599 It says, verse 36, 614 00:31:03,599 –> 00:31:08,599 he will have compassion on his servants. 615 00:31:09,219 –> 00:31:10,640 And then verse 43, 616 00:31:10,640 –> 00:31:15,640 it tells us how God will bring this compassion to us. 617 00:31:16,560 –> 00:31:18,400 Do you notice, right at the end of verse 43. 618 00:31:18,400 –> 00:31:20,959 What an amazing statement in the old testament. 619 00:31:20,959 –> 00:31:24,000 God will make atonement. 620 00:31:24,000 –> 00:31:29,000 Do you see that word for his land and for his people. 621 00:31:29,760 –> 00:31:33,479 And friends this is why Jesus Christ came into the world. 622 00:31:33,479 –> 00:31:35,880 God whose judgment we deserve, 623 00:31:35,880 –> 00:31:39,839 God whose judgment would wipe me out 624 00:31:39,839 –> 00:31:42,119 because I’ve grown fat and caked. 625 00:31:43,359 –> 00:31:46,880 God took our flesh in Jesus Christ 626 00:31:48,479 –> 00:31:51,800 and here’s the amazing thing Christ bore our judgment, 627 00:31:51,800 –> 00:31:56,119 he carried our sins in his body on the tree. 628 00:31:58,260 –> 00:32:01,180 And the goodness and the severity of God meet 629 00:32:01,180 –> 00:32:04,040 at the cross of Jesus Christ. 630 00:32:04,199 –> 00:32:09,199 Christ came under the curse that belongs to us 631 00:32:09,939 –> 00:32:12,599 so that we might enter into the blessing 632 00:32:12,599 –> 00:32:14,859 that belongs to him. 633 00:32:16,140 –> 00:32:20,060 Behold the goodness and the severity of God at the cross. 634 00:32:21,660 –> 00:32:26,660 Come and see, come and see, come and see the King of Love. 635 00:32:27,420 –> 00:32:32,420 See the purple robe and crown of thorns he wears. 636 00:32:32,420 –> 00:32:37,420 Soldiers mock, rulers sneer as he lifts the cruel cross. 637 00:32:39,079 –> 00:32:43,979 Lone and friendless now, he climbs up on that hill. 638 00:32:45,619 –> 00:32:50,619 We worship at your feet where wrath and mercy meet. 639 00:32:54,680 –> 00:32:59,680 And a guilty world is washed by love’s pure stream. 640 00:33:00,119 –> 00:33:04,900 For us, he was made sin, oh, help me take it in. 641 00:33:08,560 –> 00:33:13,560 Deep wounds of love, cry out, Father, forgive. 642 00:33:15,819 –> 00:33:20,819 We worship, we worship the lamb who was slain. 643 00:33:25,260 –> 00:33:28,160 And there’s one more thing that I want us to see 644 00:33:28,239 –> 00:33:29,520 to complete the picture 645 00:33:29,520 –> 00:33:31,380 of this abundant goodness of God. 646 00:33:32,400 –> 00:33:34,760 Not only does he take vengeance on his enemies, 647 00:33:34,760 –> 00:33:37,760 not only does he wonderfully, wonderfully 648 00:33:37,760 –> 00:33:41,239 make atonement for his people. 649 00:33:41,239 –> 00:33:45,199 But he reaches out to all nations. 650 00:33:45,199 –> 00:33:48,319 And I want you to see this in verse 43. 651 00:33:48,319 –> 00:33:50,680 It’s at the heart of the gospel. 652 00:33:50,680 –> 00:33:53,400 Notice the surprise here, verse 43. 653 00:33:53,479 –> 00:33:57,839 Rejoice oh nations 654 00:33:57,839 –> 00:33:59,680 with his people. 655 00:33:59,680 –> 00:34:00,520 Why? 656 00:34:00,520 –> 00:34:02,719 For he will avenge the blood of his servants 657 00:34:02,719 –> 00:34:04,260 and take vengeance on his enemies. 658 00:34:04,260 –> 00:34:05,619 That’s the first thing that we’ve seen. 659 00:34:05,619 –> 00:34:06,800 And here’s the second. 660 00:34:06,800 –> 00:34:09,159 He will make atonement for his people. 661 00:34:09,159 –> 00:34:13,820 But now Moses is saying rejoice on nations. 662 00:34:13,820 –> 00:34:17,040 So he’s speaking to Israel, God’s people, 663 00:34:17,040 –> 00:34:21,280 but he’s saying people from nations all over the world, 664 00:34:21,280 –> 00:34:22,860 all the non-Jewish people. 665 00:34:23,899 –> 00:34:26,080 All the races on earth are to rejoice 666 00:34:26,080 –> 00:34:28,280 along with Israel at this atonement. 667 00:34:28,280 –> 00:34:29,100 Why? 668 00:34:30,320 –> 00:34:33,280 Because the atonement that God makes for his people 669 00:34:33,280 –> 00:34:35,280 is also offered to the nations. 670 00:34:35,280 –> 00:34:36,239 That’s the point. 671 00:34:36,239 –> 00:34:38,120 That’s why the nations are to rejoice. 672 00:34:38,120 –> 00:34:41,199 That is why when Jesus Christ is born into the world, 673 00:34:41,199 –> 00:34:44,580 it’s not only Jewish shepherds who come to the manger. 674 00:34:45,760 –> 00:34:50,439 It’s wise men from the nations, from the East, 675 00:34:50,439 –> 00:34:52,479 from cultures that don’t even have 676 00:34:53,320 –> 00:34:54,159 the Old Testament, 677 00:34:54,159 –> 00:34:56,320 men who never read the book of Deuteronomy, 678 00:34:56,320 –> 00:34:58,600 men who don’t have that in them. 679 00:34:58,600 –> 00:35:02,040 Christ comes into the world for them too. 680 00:35:02,040 –> 00:35:05,239 Rejoice, O nations. 681 00:35:05,239 –> 00:35:08,479 That is why the angels say to the shepherds, 682 00:35:08,479 –> 00:35:10,540 to you is born a savior. 683 00:35:10,540 –> 00:35:11,459 But this is good news 684 00:35:11,459 –> 00:35:13,659 of great joy, which is for all people. 685 00:35:14,899 –> 00:35:17,360 Whatever your background, 686 00:35:17,360 –> 00:35:21,239 whether you are rich or poor, employed or unemployed, 687 00:35:21,280 –> 00:35:22,719 whether you are black or white, 688 00:35:22,719 –> 00:35:24,560 whether you are young or old, 689 00:35:24,560 –> 00:35:26,439 whether you are Jew or Arab, 690 00:35:26,439 –> 00:35:30,040 whether you are Christian or Muslim, 691 00:35:30,040 –> 00:35:33,659 the savior has come into the world to make atonement 692 00:35:33,659 –> 00:35:36,899 and in Christ, God is reaching out to you. 693 00:35:36,899 –> 00:35:38,320 Whatever your background, 694 00:35:39,439 –> 00:35:42,479 this is the abundant goodness of God. 695 00:35:45,080 –> 00:35:46,620 So friends, as we wrap this up, 696 00:35:46,620 –> 00:35:49,600 let me just make two observations. 697 00:35:49,600 –> 00:35:54,600 Consider the goodness and the severity of God, 698 00:35:57,239 –> 00:35:59,939 impressed on God’s people in the Old Testament 699 00:35:59,939 –> 00:36:03,379 through an extraordinary drama and through an amazing song. 700 00:36:05,580 –> 00:36:07,520 I just want to say these two things in closing. 701 00:36:07,520 –> 00:36:10,360 Number one, let the goodness and severity of God 702 00:36:10,360 –> 00:36:13,020 then help you grasp the meaning of Christmas. 703 00:36:14,879 –> 00:36:16,520 So you can’t make sense of Christmas 704 00:36:16,719 –> 00:36:20,040 until you see the goodness and the severity of God. 705 00:36:20,040 –> 00:36:23,520 There’s so many people get so sentimental 706 00:36:24,699 –> 00:36:26,620 over, you know, a baby lying in a manger. 707 00:36:26,620 –> 00:36:29,780 Just ask this question if you’re a sentimentalist. 708 00:36:31,620 –> 00:36:33,020 Why is he there? 709 00:36:34,179 –> 00:36:35,360 Why is he there? 710 00:36:37,479 –> 00:36:39,419 And the answer is he has to be there 711 00:36:40,760 –> 00:36:44,520 because there is an awesome judgment to be taken away 712 00:36:44,540 –> 00:36:47,159 and only he can take it away. 713 00:36:48,679 –> 00:36:50,379 Only he can take it away for you. 714 00:36:51,340 –> 00:36:52,459 That’s why he’s there. 715 00:36:54,320 –> 00:36:56,479 You consider the severity of God, 716 00:36:56,479 –> 00:36:58,199 you’ll begin to understand Christmas, 717 00:36:58,199 –> 00:37:00,800 but then you don’t get the picture unless, 718 00:37:00,800 –> 00:37:02,780 so you have to ask the question again. 719 00:37:03,919 –> 00:37:05,020 You have to say, 720 00:37:06,179 –> 00:37:09,439 God takes flesh and he lies there in this manger 721 00:37:09,439 –> 00:37:10,860 and what are we gonna do? 722 00:37:10,860 –> 00:37:13,919 We grow fat, we kick, and then we take this flesh 723 00:37:13,919 –> 00:37:17,979 and we rip it and we nail it to a cross? 724 00:37:19,780 –> 00:37:21,580 And you say, this is the Lord of glory, 725 00:37:21,580 –> 00:37:23,800 so you say, why is he there? 726 00:37:25,840 –> 00:37:27,199 And the only answer to that is, 727 00:37:27,199 –> 00:37:32,199 this is the abundant, inexplicable goodness of God. 728 00:37:34,219 –> 00:37:36,399 The Father gave the Son for you. 729 00:37:37,840 –> 00:37:40,840 The Lord Jesus Christ gave himself for you, 730 00:37:41,679 –> 00:37:44,260 and not only for us, who believe today, 731 00:37:44,260 –> 00:37:46,399 God is reaching out to every person 732 00:37:46,399 –> 00:37:48,879 from every background, through his Son, 733 00:37:48,879 –> 00:37:52,459 who made atonement and that atonement is sufficient for you 734 00:37:53,699 –> 00:37:55,800 and so here’s my very last word 735 00:37:55,800 –> 00:37:57,340 and it’s simply this, let the goodness 736 00:37:57,340 –> 00:38:01,399 and the severity of God lead you to Jesus Christ. 737 00:38:01,399 –> 00:38:04,239 Friends, all over the city today, 738 00:38:04,239 –> 00:38:08,159 there are thousands of people, busy in their lives 739 00:38:08,179 –> 00:38:11,479 and they feel no need of Jesus Christ. 740 00:38:12,600 –> 00:38:14,100 They see no need of him 741 00:38:15,399 –> 00:38:17,120 and maybe you are among them. 742 00:38:17,120 –> 00:38:18,239 I mean, you’re here in church 743 00:38:18,239 –> 00:38:20,399 but there’s any number of reasons for coming to church 744 00:38:20,399 –> 00:38:21,840 and it may well be here you are. 745 00:38:21,840 –> 00:38:24,439 You sit through the sermon and then there’s communion 746 00:38:24,439 –> 00:38:25,280 and then we’ll be on our way 747 00:38:25,280 –> 00:38:28,439 but you don’t particularly feel that you need Jesus Christ. 748 00:38:28,439 –> 00:38:32,399 Listen, I say to you, consider the severity of God 749 00:38:34,320 –> 00:38:37,139 and you begin to see your need of Jesus Christ. 750 00:38:38,479 –> 00:38:40,600 And then there may just be someone here 751 00:38:40,600 –> 00:38:43,959 and you’re saying I have begun to see that. 752 00:38:45,479 –> 00:38:50,199 And I know, I see in myself, I’ve grown fat and kicked. 753 00:38:51,439 –> 00:38:54,800 I have credited myself for every good in my life. 754 00:38:54,800 –> 00:38:56,459 I’ve become arrogant. 755 00:38:57,560 –> 00:38:59,840 I’ve been despising and dismissing of God 756 00:39:01,639 –> 00:39:04,040 and I would like to have peace with God today 757 00:39:04,860 –> 00:39:07,500 and I surely need it but I feel so ashamed 758 00:39:08,600 –> 00:39:10,139 I have this voice in my head that says 759 00:39:10,139 –> 00:39:12,300 why would God want anything to do with you? 760 00:39:14,260 –> 00:39:17,139 I just want to say to you consider the goodness of God. 761 00:39:18,219 –> 00:39:19,659 He has compassion for you. 762 00:39:19,659 –> 00:39:23,500 He sent his son to make atonement for you 763 00:39:24,580 –> 00:39:29,580 and God is reaching out to you in Jesus Christ today. 764 00:39:31,020 –> 00:39:35,580 So let the goodness of God draw you to Jesus Christ. 765 00:39:36,580 –> 00:39:38,899 Father, grant to us to live 766 00:39:38,899 –> 00:39:43,379 with such a glimpse of your goodness and your severity 767 00:39:44,820 –> 00:39:46,800 that we may love you as we fear you 768 00:39:46,800 –> 00:39:48,500 and fear you as we love you 769 00:39:49,520 –> 00:39:52,139 and live ever embracing by faith 770 00:39:52,139 –> 00:39:54,659 your dear son Jesus Christ 771 00:39:56,060 –> 00:39:59,659 who loved us and gave himself for us 772 00:40:00,540 –> 00:40:03,439 and all God’s people together said, amen.