Tawa Baptist

Whakarongo

Scripture: Isaiah 43:16-21

Video Link: https://youtu.be/7473HF-pZf4

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • Don’t be blinded by the past
  • Be open to the future
  • Conclusion

Introduction:

Good morning everyone.

If I say to you, ‘whakarongo mai’, what am I asking you to do? [Wait]

That’s right, I’m asking you to ‘listen here’ or ‘listen to me’.

We are currently in the middle of the New Zealand Baptist Missionary Society’s Renew Together campaign. ‘Renew Together’ is the new name for Self Denial.

The purpose of the Renew Together campaign is to raise awareness of and funds for the work of NZBMS. For three Sundays we are using the sermon time to focus on some of the core values of NZBMS. Last week we explored the value of mutual humility. Today we consider the value of whakarongo or listening.

In a deeper sense the word whakarongo means more than just listening physically with our ears. It refers to feeling, sensing and perceiving.

Spiritually speaking, things happen when we listen to and obey God’s word. This idea of listening to God and following his voice, comes up time and time again in the Bible. The focus of our message today is Isaiah 43:16-21. Isaiah was an Old Testament prophet. From verse 16 we read…   

16 This is what the Lord says—he who made a way through the sea, a path through the mighty waters, 17 who drew out the chariots and horses, the army and reinforcements together, and they lay there, never to rise again, extinguished, snuffed out like a wick: 18 “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. 19 See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.

20 The wild animals honour me, the jackals and the owls, because I provide water in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland, to give drink to my people, my chosen, 21 the people I formed for myself that they may proclaim my praise.

May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate God’s word for us.

In a nutshell, today’s reading is saying: Don’t be blinded by the past, be open to the future. This, of course, requires us to listen to God.

Don’t be blinded by the past:

Alexander Graham Bell was a scientist, an engineer and an inventor. He is probably most famous for inventing the telephone. Alexander Bell became interested in the science of sound because both his mother and his wife were deaf. He himself was a teacher of the deaf.

It was his experiments in sound that led to the invention of the telephone. While the first telephone wasn’t all that useful to the deaf, later developments in phone technology, like texting, have made communication by phone accessible to the deaf community.  

Alexander Bell came up with a listening device that, for centuries before him, no one had perceived would be possible. He wasn’t blinded by the past. He was open to the future and to new possibilities.

It was Alexander Bell who gave us the wisdom of this saying: Sometimes we stare so long at the door that is closing that we see too late the one that is open.

In other words, don’t be blinded by the past, be open to the future.

Returning to today’s Scripture. In 586 BC the city of Jerusalem was conquered by the Babylonians and the survivors (from the tribe of Judah) were forced into exile in Babylon.

The challenge for the Jewish exiles was to maintain their identity as God’s chosen people while living in a foreign land. Remembering the stories of their past (how God had delivered them from slavery in Egypt) was one of the ways the people in captivity maintained their identity. The old familiar stories also had a soothing affect, they were a comfort, like a security blanket.

Second Isaiah (which includes chapter 43) was written for the Jewish exiles in Babylon. So it comes as a surprise when the prophet says in verse 18…

“Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past.”

This is especially jarring because recalling the past is exactly what Isaiah has just been doing. In verses 16-17 the prophet makes a clear reference to the first exodus, when Yahweh led the people of Israel out of slavery in Egypt.

So what’s going on here? Well, it is probably a rhetorical device designed to get people’s attention. Isaiah moves from the familiar to the unfamiliar. It’s a poetic way of saying, ‘whakarongo mai’ – listen carefully here.

More than just getting people’s attention though, Isaiah was probably aware that dwelling on the past was holding people back.

The past can become an idealised world into which we retreat when the future becomes too frightening to face. The Jewish exiles were at risk of looking so long at a door that had closed that they would miss the new door God was opening.

Israel’s attachment to nostalgia threatened to blind them to new possibilities and prevent them from moving forward. Isaiah does not want Israel to retreat into the past. He does want them to remember God’s power and faithfulness though.

Not dwelling too long on the past isn’t just a warning against a retreat from present realities. It may also mean, don’t spend all your time thinking about what they did to you and how they hurt you all those years ago.

There is a time and place for lament but once you have got it out of your system, once you have expressed your grief, don’t wallow in self-pity and resentment. Keep pressing on.

Perhaps too, forgetting the former things carries the meaning of forgiving yourself, not condemning yourself for your past mistakes. Israel went into exile because of their disloyalty and their injustice. Fifty years is a long time to be in exile, a long time to live with regret.

The people were going to need all their energy for what God was planning to do next. They could not afford to carry their past mistakes with them.    

What is it that holds you back?

What things from the past do you need to spend less time dwelling on?

Do you look at the good old days through rose tinted glasses?

Do you spend too much time retreating to the past?

Do you hold onto hurts and the cruel things people have said to you?

Do you need to grieve that hurt, let it go and move on?

Do you dwell too long on your own mistakes, never quite able to atone for your failure?  Do you need to trust yourself to God’s grace and be on your own side?

Don’t be blinded by the past, be open to the future.

Be open to the future:

In verse 19 the Lord says: See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?

This is a call to whakarongo, to listen to the Lord. To try and perceive the new thing God is doing. To be open to the future.

After some decades the Babylonian empire was conquered by the Medes who took a different approach. In 538 BC (around 50 years after the fall of Jerusalem) King Cyrus released the Jewish exiles, allowing them to return to their homeland to rebuild the Jerusalem temple.

This was different. This was not like when their ancestors were slaves in Egypt and Pharaoh became stubborn, refusing to let the people go. Unlike Pharaoh, King Cyrus acted as the servant of the Lord, sending the Jews off with his blessing. The Jews did not need to fight the Medes and Persians.

There was, however, some similarity with the past. The returning exiles had to make an epic journey through the wilderness. Unlike the first exodus though, it didn’t take 40 years. Probably more like 4-6 months, depending on the route they travelled. 

Even so, it would not have been easy. The Jewish exiles had become quite settled in Babylon. Those young enough to make the journey would have been born in exile and wouldn’t know anything of their homeland.

The prospect of picking up sticks to resettle in Palestine would be quite daunting. They were returning to ruins. They would have to rebuild from scratch. They needed reassurance and encouragement and so the Lord says in verse 19…

I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.

This verse can be taken both literally and metaphorically. God was literally making a way in the wilderness for the exiles to return home from Babylon. God was promising to provide all the people needed to rebuild a new life in Jerusalem.  

At the same time this verse stands as a metaphor for the exiles and for us. Sometimes in life we are faced with trials and difficulties. Not just a bad day, but a prolonged period of hardship. We call this a wilderness experience.

A wilderness experience is not something we can avoid. It is something we have to go through. To go through the wilderness is to be vulnerable. When we are in the wilderness we are conscious of just how small and powerless we really are. The wilderness can be as deadly as it is beautiful.

Wilderness experiences come in many forms. For example, a battle with cancer or a war with depression. Going through a divorce can be a wilderness experience. Being made redundant after years of service and wondering what the point of your life is. Losing a child or a spouse or a parent. Losing your home and becoming a refugee, being forced to flee to another country and start again. Facing a crisis of faith is also a wilderness experience.

I could go on but you get the idea. The wilderness is not an easy or comfortable place to be and it is hardly ever a place you choose to be. The wilderness tests you beyond what you thought were your limits.

When you are in the wilderness you cannot afford to be blinded by the past. You have to listen, you have to be present, you have to be aware of your environment. You use all your senses just to survive. The wilderness shows you what you are made of and it throws you on the mercy of God.

At some point in your wilderness experience you will think to yourself, “I don’t think I can carry on. I can’t see a way forward. I don’t know how I’m going to get out of this situation.”  And yet, somehow, God makes a way for you.

After you have passed through the wilderness you may feel like a part of you died there but you are not sorry for that. You see that it made room for something new to grow. Now you carry a piece of the wilderness in you. You are not necessarily stronger. You may even walk with a limp because of your experience. But you are freer somehow.     

Have you been through the wilderness? Perhaps you are in the wilderness right now? Let me say to you: The Lord is at home in the wilderness. And that is good news because it means he can make a way for you when you cannot see a way for yourself. He is the ‘way maker’.

But here’s the thing; the way God makes for us is not the same every time. When Job was in the wilderness of unjust suffering, God met him in a hurricane, a storm. But when Moses was in the wilderness of obscurity, Yahweh met Israel’s great leader in a burning bush.

When Jacob was in the wilderness (on the run from his brother Esau), God gave him a vision of a ladder from heaven to earth with angels ascending and descending, and this vision opened the way for Jacob to move forward into the unknown. But when Elijah was in the wilderness at Mount Horeb (aka Mount Sinai) the Lord came to him not in a vision and not in the earthquake, wind or fire, but in a gentle whisper, that still small voice.

When Mary & Martha were in the wilderness of grief after their brother Lazarus had died, the Lord came in tears, Jesus wept. Then he raised Lazarus from the dead. That was new. That opened the way for many to believe.

The idea of God making a way in the wilderness continues in verses 20 & 21 of Isaiah 43, where the Lord says…

20 The wild animals honour me, the jackals and the owls, because I provide water in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland, to give drink to my people, my chosen, 21 the people I formed for myself that they may proclaim my praise.

Previously in the book of Isaiah (in chapter 34) we read how the jackals and owls (unclean animals) prowl among the ruins. They were associated with God’s judgement and with chaos. Now (in chapter 43) Isaiah reintroduces the jackals and owls, not as prowlers, but this time as giving honour to God. [1]

The image here is one of restoration. God is going to transform the wasteland and the ruins into a place of new life and refreshment. And God’s people (the returning exiles) will be witnesses to this, proclaiming God’s praise for the way of salvation he has made.

The message is one of hope. The very things we dread, the wilderness and wasteland, are often the very things God uses for our salvation. We see the way of God’s salvation fulfilled in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. God used the cross, an instrument of cruelty, judgement and shame, as the instrument of forgiveness, reconciliation and new life, through faith in Jesus.

Conclusion:

For some time now the church in the west has been going into exile. The gap between church and society has been growing. Society is going its own way and the church appears to be in decline. Some might say the church is finding itself in the wilderness.

We might feel tempted to retreat into the past, to dwell on the good old days. But we must not be blinded by the past. We must remain open to the future. We do well to remember, the good old days were not always that good. Truth be told, they were a mixed bag.

It also helps to look outward. As we heard last week, the church in places like Africa and Asia is thriving. God is always at work, doing a new thing.

This does not mean God has forgotten us here in the west. But it does mean we have to be alert. We have to whakarongo (to listen) to God. We have to use all our senses to try and perceive what God is doing.

We might not be able to see a clear way forward but God is the way maker. He can create a highway in the desert and streams of new life in the wilderness.

Let us pray…

Jesus, you are the way, the truth and the life. You have walked the wilderness and made a way through. We face uncertain times. May we not retreat into the past for fear of the future. Rather, may we be open to the way forward you have created. Help us to hear what you are saying to the church and give us courage to obey your call. Amen.  

Questions for discussion or reflection:

What stands out for you in reading this Scripture and/or in listening to the sermon? Why do you think this stood out to you?

  • What are verses 16-17 referring to? Why would this be a comfort to the Jewish exiles in Babylon?
  • Why does the Lord say (in verse 18), “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past.”? What does he mean?
  • What is it that holds you back? What things from the past do you need to spend less time dwelling on?
  • Have you had a wilderness experience? What happened? How did God make a way through for you? Did the wilderness change you? If so, how?
  • In what ways is Isaiah 43:16-21 relevant for the church in the west today?  What can we do to stay alert and listen to God? How might we perceive the new thing God is doing?

[1] Refer Paul Hanson’s Interpretation commentary on Isaiah.

Tawa Baptist

Mutual Humility

Scripture: Matthew 13:3-9 & 18-23

Video Link: https://youtu.be/iKs8MSu63cU

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • The seed of God’s word
  • The soil of our lives
  • Conclusion

Introduction:

Good morning everyone.

Can anyone tell me what the letters NZBMS stand for? [Wait]

That’s right, New Zealand Baptist Missionary Society. NZBMS is the overseas missions arm of our Baptist movement.

Today (and for the next two Sundays) we take a break from our series in Deuteronomy to focus on the New Zealand Baptist Missionary Society’s Renew Together campaign. ‘Renew Together’ is the new name for Self Denial.

The purpose of the Renew Together campaign is to raise awareness of and funds for the work of NZBMS. For three Sundays we will use the sermon time to focus on some of the core values of NZBMS. The first value is mutual humility. 

Listening is key to humility. To aid our understanding of mutual humility, let’s listen to Jesus’ parable of the sower in Matthew 13. This is a parable about God’s kingdom.  From verse 3 of Matthew 13, we read…

3 Then he told them many things in parables, saying: “A farmer went out to sow his seed. 4 As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. 5 Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. 6 But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. 7 Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. 8 Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. 9 Whoever has ears, let them hear.”

18 “Listen then to what the parable of the sower means: 19 When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in their heart. This is the seed sown along the path. 20 The seed falling on rocky ground refers to someone who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. 21 But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away.  22 The seed falling among the thorns refers to someone who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful. 23 But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.”

May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate God’s word for us.

A parable is a story which teaches a spiritual truth. A parable uses something known and familiar to teach something unknown or unfamiliar. In this case, Jesus uses the familiar image of a farmer sowing seed to teach us about the kingdom of God which is unfamiliar to us. 

There are two parts to today’s message. The first part deals with the seed of God’s word and the second part looks at the soil of our lives. When you put the seed of God’s word together with the good soil of our lives, the Holy Spirit works to produce the crop of God’s kingdom.  

The seed of God’s word:

God’s kingdom is not the same as the kingdoms or governments of this world. Broadly speaking we might think of the kingdoms of this world on a spectrum, with democratic government at one end and dictatorships at the other. 

With dictatorships, one person makes governing decisions that affect everyone. The will of the one is forced on the many, whether people like it not.

With democracy, the majority rule. This means the will of the majority is forced on the minority, although the minority still have a voice and can protest if they wish. This is an over simplification but you get the general idea. 

Neither of these forms of government are perfect but people in the west, at least, generally prefer a democratic form of government.     

God’s kingdom is not on this spectrum. God’s kingdom is not like the kingdoms of this world. God’s kingdom is in a category all of its own. We find it hard to imagine God’s kingdom because it is so profoundly different from what we know and are familiar with.

When we consider the parable of the sower we see that God’s kingdom is organic. God does not force his kingdom on us. There is no coercion with God’s kingdom, no military conquest, no emotional manipulation, no media spin, no political manoeuvring.

God approaches humankind humbly, in the form of a man (Jesus), who speaks God’s word and embodies God’s word. Jesus is both the sower of the seed of God’s word and the seed itself.   

A seed is a small thing, a humble thing. Likewise, the seed of God’s word appears quite unimpressive and easy to miss at first. A seed enters the ground quietly, gradually, gently. In fact, the seed won’t enter the soil unless the ground is open to receive it. 

But the soil needs the seed. Once the seed germinates and takes root it transforms the soil for good. Without the seed, the soil would erode and the land would turn into a desert. Likewise, without the seed of God’s word, the soil of our lives is at risk of being blown away. God’s word gives our lives coherence, meaning and abundance.

In verse 9, after giving the parable, Jesus says: 9 Whoever has ears, let them hear. And in verse 18, before explaining the parable, Jesus says: 18 Listen then to what the parable of the sower means…

If God’s word is the seed and our lives are the soil, then hearing or listening is how we receive God’s word. True listening, listening with openness and a genuine desire to understand, is a sign of humility.

When we think of overseas mission we may have a picture of a European going to Africa or Asia or South America to tell the indigenous people there about the gospel of Jesus. Sort of like they are the ones in need and we have the solution.

But the landscape of the world has changed dramatically in recent years. The movement of mission is no longer ‘from the west to the rest’. Now mission is from everywhere to everywhere. Thousands of missionaries are being sent from places like Latin America, Africa, South Korea and the Philippines.

The church may be in decline in the west but it is growing in other parts of the world. Those in the global south and east are moving to evangelise the post-Christian west.

We, in the west, need to have the humility to acknowledge that we don’t have all the answers and to listen. It’s not that we have nothing to offer. Rather, we need to think of mission in terms of partnership and service.

Brian Smith, a former Principal of Carey Baptist College, was sent to Asia as a missionary many years ago. When he first got there he spent time simply listening to the locals. It was only after many months of listening that Brian began a translation of the New Testament into the local language.

When it comes to mission (whether that’s local mission or overseas mission) we need to be listening to what God is saying to us and we need to be listening to the society we live in as well. God is already at work in our land and in the lives of people who do not yet know him. So the question is, how do we join God in his work?

God’s kingdom comes on earth when the seed of God’s word is planted in the good soil of people’s lives. So what does Jesus say about the soil?

The soil of our lives:

Jesus’ parables function as a mirror. They show us what we are truly like. Having an accurate self-awareness, facing ourselves as we really are, is at the heart of true humility. In Matthew 13, Jesus describes four different types of soil. These soil types show us a mirror. They humble us.    

The four types of soil illustrate four responses to the gospel message or the seed of God’s word. The first three soils shine a light on why the kingdom of God doesn’t bear fruit in a person’s life. They equate to having a hard heart, a shallow commitment and divided attention.  

In the time of Jesus, when farmers scattered seed by hand, some of the seed would inevitably land on the path. The path was hard packed ground from having been walked over so much. The seed could not penetrate the path.

Some people are hard hearted when it comes to the gospel message. They refuse to understand. They either can’t or won’t let God’s word penetrate into their life.

People can be hard hearted for a variety of reasons. Sometimes it is because they have been hurt in the past or had too many people trample through their heart. As a consequence, they don’t want to let anyone or anything else in. It’s a self-protection thing.  

Other times though a hard heart is more the product of arrogance or prejudice. Like when a person thinks they know best and are not prepared to give God’s word a fair hearing.

Ironically, many of the Pharisees and religious leaders of Jesus’ time give us a picture of the hard hearted. They heard Jesus’ message but it bounced off. In their pride and prejudice, they refused to believe what Jesus was saying and so the seed of God’s word did not take root in the soil of their lives.

The hard heart needs softening if it is to receive the seed of God’s word. How exactly God may soften a person’s heart depends very much on the individual person and the reason for their hardness.

If someone has been hardened by a tough upbringing or through rough or unfair treatment, then they probably need to be shown kindness and grace. Like the priest did for Jean Val Jean in Victor Hugo’s story, Les Miserable. When Jean Val Jean stole the silver, the old priest gave him the candle stick too and that softened Jean Val Jean’s heart so the seed of the gospel could find a way in.

But if someone’s hardness of heart is due to their own pride or prejudice, then it may be necessary for God to challenge their prejudice and undo their pride. Nothing removes the stain of prejudice like walking in the shoes of the person you had prejudged. And nothing undoes pride like weakness and failure.  

At the height of his power and success, we read how king Nebuchadnezzar’s ‘heart became arrogant and hardened with pride’. As a consequence, 21 He was driven away from people and given the mind of an animal; he lived with the wild donkeys and ate grass like the ox; and his body was drenched with the dew of heaven, until he acknowledged that the Most High God is sovereign over all kingdoms on earth and sets over them anyone he wishes. [1]

God undid Nebuchadnezzar’s pride and softened his heart through weakness and failure.  

Perhaps the most pleasant way God softens the human heart though is through the presence of children. There is something about small children which makes us want to be better.

The second soil type relates to the seed that fell on rocky ground. These people respond enthusiastically to the gospel message at first. They listen to it with an open mind, they believe and receive it with joy but their roots don’t go down very deep. Then, when trouble or persecution comes, they fall away.  The roots of their commitment are shallow.

Near the beginning of Jesus’ ministry, people flocked to see the Lord. He was popular with the crowds because of his teaching and his miracles. Many of those same people would later turn on Jesus at the end of his ministry, calling for his crucifixion.

They had false expectations. They believed in a kind of prosperity gospel. They thought following Jesus would make their life easier, giving them wealth, health and victory over the Romans. But Jesus did not promise that. Jesus was very clear that identifying with him would bring suffering in this life and glory in the next. 

The only way to deepen commitment to Jesus is by sticking with Jesus.

Coming to faith in Jesus is a little bit like falling in love. At first you have this idealised picture of the one you love. You see only what you want to see, the good stuff. They can do no wrong. The feeling is wonderful and you think it will last.

But then, when some of your expectations are not met, the feeling wears off and you go through a stage of disenchantment or disorientation. It might feel like God is distant and you start to question much of what you believed to be true.

This process of questioning our faith needs to happen if we are to grow. Some of the beliefs and consequent expectations we adopted when we first received Christ may be false and need to be put aside. While other beliefs need to be refined and held on to.

The temptation at this stage is to give up on Jesus altogether, but that won’t help you in the long run. In this process of editing our faith (discerning what is true and what is false) we need to be careful not to throw the baby out with the bath water. When we hold to Christ and his resurrection we come to realise these three remain: faith, hope & love.

The first impediment to God’s kingdom growing in the soil of our lives is a hard heart. The second impediment is shallow commitment and the third impediment is divided attention. 

In verse 22 Jesus explains…

22 The seed falling among the thorns refers to someone who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful.

These people have received the seed of God’s word into the soil of their lives. They have maintained their commitment to Christ but their attention is divided. They (or perhaps I could say ‘we’) are distracted and our energy is syphoned off by worry over material things. 

C.S. Lewis said, “If Satan can’t make you sin, he will make you busy”.

The thing about thorns is that we don’t go out of our way to choose them. Worry about how we are going to make a living and the fruitless busy-ness this creates, spring up by themselves. To get rid of these thorns we have to be quite intentional and careful, so we don’t cut ourselves on the sharp bits. 

When we are young, we are inclined to try and do everything. As we get older we realise we can’t do everything. Humility involves accepting our limitations and making choices (sometimes quite difficult choices) to prioritise God’s purpose in our lives.

There are so many voices clamouring for our attention. We need to listen for and heed the still small voice of God’s Spirit. Making room in our lives to listen to God and obey him might mean changing our job. It might mean taking a pay cut.

If those with a hard heart need softening and those with shallow commitment need deepening, then those with divided attention need decluttering; they need space in which to centre their lives on Christ. How do you make room to listen to God? Do you set aside a regular, daily time for prayer and Bible study?

I know that’s easier for some than others. If you care for young children, then it can be difficult finding five spare minutes let alone 30 minutes for a quiet time with God.

Likewise, if you are a doctor or a teacher or a high flying executive, then it will be hard for you too. Having the minister, who only works one day a week, say you have to add something else (like a devotional time) to your already over full schedule probably isn’t helpful. I get that.

As important as a regular devotional time is, you need to have grace for yourself. Making Jesus the centre of your life and work does not necessarily mean quitting your job and joining a monastery.

You can make Jesus the centre by seeing your job as God’s calling on your life, one of the ways he ministers his grace through you. One of the ways you bear fruit for his glory. One of the ways his kingdom comes on earth as it is in heaven.

For example, if you are a stay at home parent, then you are not just making meals and doing the washing. You are raising your children to know God and love him. You could make space for God by doing your devotions with your kids, in a way they can relate with.               

Or if you are a health professional or a teacher working 60 plus hours a week, then you are not just making scientific diagnoses or teaching reading and maths. You are God’s hands and feet caring for your patients and students. You might make space for God by quietly praying for those in your care, seeking God in the situation while you are on the job.

Or if you are a high flying corporate type, then you aren’t just making deals for financial gain. You are thinking, how can I be generous with people and if I can’t be generous, then how can I at least be fair? Perhaps you make room for God by using your travel time to listen to sermon podcasts or reading the Bible.

Whatever we do with our time, we need to be open to conversations about our faith with those who welcome it. Humility requires us to listen more than we speak in those conversations. And faith invites us to consider, how is God already at work in that person’s life?

Conclusion:

In contrast to the hard soil, the shallow soil and the thorny soil, there are those whose lives are like good soil.

23 …the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.”

This is a parable about the kingdom of God and so the crop being produced here is God’s reign on earth. The crop of God’s kingdom is obedience to God’s will. It is acts of justice and mercy. It is love, joy, peace, patience, generosity, faithfulness and self-control. It is transformation to greater Christ-likeness.

Jesus’ parables are a mirror. They show us what we are really like. What do you see when you look in the mirror of this parable? What type of soil best fits you?

Bringing this back to the core value of mutual humility, we need to cultivate a lifestyle of listening well, because it is through listening to God’s word and obeying it that God’s kingdom comes on earth as it is in heaven.

Next week’s message focuses on what it means to listen.  

Let us pray…

Father God, you are the gardener. Cultivate humility in the soil of our lives we ask. Soften our hearts to receive the seed of your word. May the roots of our commitment to Christ grow deep. Gently remove the thorns of worry and busy-ness. Help us to make room to obey your call on our lives. Through Jesus we pray. Amen. 

Questions for discussion or reflection:

What stands out for you in reading this Scripture and/or in listening to the sermon? Why do you think this stood out to you?

  • How does God’s kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven?
  • Where is God at work in your neighbourhood? How can you join God in what he is doing in your local neighbourhood? (If you are not sure, how might you find out?)
  • Jesus’ parables function as a mirror. They show us ourselves as we really are. When you look into Jesus’ parable of the sower, what do you see in the mirror? What soil type do you sense might best describe you? Why do you think this?
  • What does it mean to be hard hearted? What do the hard of heart need? How might God soften a person’s heart? What does your heart need?
  • How deep do the roots of your commitment to Jesus go? Do you have false expectations of Jesus (or erroneous beliefs about God) that need to be amended? Is there someone who can walk with you, listen to you and guide you in this process? 
  • On a scale of 1-10, what is your life schedule like? (With 1 being very quiet and 10 being super busy.) What would it look like to centre your life / work around Christ? How do you make time / room for God’s purpose?

[1] Daniel 5:20-21

Tawa Baptist

Sabbath

Scripture: Deuteronomy 5:12-15

Video Link: https://youtu.be/AwVMBilcHYA

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • The Sabbath is about stopping
  • The Sabbath is about equality
  • The Sabbath is about redemption
  • Conclusion

Introduction:

Good morning everyone.

When a couple get married they normally exchange rings as part of the ceremony. The minister might say something like…

“Wedding rings serve as a symbol of the vows you have just made. They are the outward and visible sign of an inward and invisible love which binds your lives together.”

Each partner to the marriage wears a ring both as an inward reminder to themselves of the covenant commitment they have made and as an outward sign to others that they are married.

Today we continue our series in Deuteronomy. Over the past couple of weeks, we have been looking at the ten commandments (or the ten words) of Yahweh to Israel. This week we focus on the commandment to keep the Sabbath holy.

The Sabbath is like wearing a wedding ring, it has a dual purpose. The Sabbath reminds Israel of their covenant commitment to Yahweh and shows other people they are committed to God for the long haul.  From Deuteronomy 5, verses 12-15, we read…

12 “Observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy, as the Lord your God has commanded you. 13 Six days you shall labour and do all your work, 14 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your ox, your donkey or any of your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns, so that your male and female servants may rest, as you do. 15 Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and that the Lord your God brought you out of there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Therefore, the Lord your God has commanded you to observe the Sabbath day.

May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate God’s word for us.

There is much we could say about the Sabbath, too much for one sermon. So our message today focuses on just three things. The Sabbath is about stopping. The Sabbath is about equality and the Sabbath is about redemption.

Stopping:

The Hebrew word ‘Sabbath’ comes from a root word which literally means to cease or to stop. The Sabbath day, therefore, is about stopping work.

A stop sign, on the road, is not like a give way sign. By law, a stop sign requires you to bring your vehicle to a complete stand still, irrespective of whether any other traffic is coming or not. They normally put stop signs in places where they want you to take extra care.

Just as a compulsory stop sign is there to prevent accidents, so too the compulsory stop of the Sabbath day is there to keep you safe.

The pace of life for many people these days is so fast. We often go from one thing to the next without a chance to catch our breath, let alone reflect. Taking one day in seven to stop, allows us the time and space we need to regather our thoughts and make better decisions; decisions which will prevent a crash.   

Most people can see the wisdom in taking a regular day off, and yet many of us find it quite hard to actually stop working completely. When we do take a day off work our hearts and minds are still on the job. It’s like we are on a treadmill.

Technology doesn’t help us to stop either. Technology exasperates the problem. We are tethered to our phones and laptops, literally the touch of a screen away from emails and work worry. So how do we stop?

Well, before we can down tools and walk off site, before we can resist the urge to check those emails one last time, we have to stop at a deeper internal level.

If we feel like the job isn’t finished, then it will be a lot harder to rest.  In my job I don’t feel like I can really knock off for the week until the sermon is preached on a Sunday and sometimes not even then.

Of course, most jobs can’t be completed in a week. If you are a builder, then it might take you months to complete the house you are working on. Or, if you are a teacher you will likely be with the same class of kids for a whole year.

You have to break the job down into smaller pieces. That way you give your mind permission to rest when you have completed the stage you had planned to accomplish that week.

The risk with this approach is that something else will come along to derail your goal for the week, so if you can’t accomplish what you had planned you feel like you have to use the weekend chasing your tail to catch up.

Going a little deeper, each of us has a drive for meaning. We want our lives to have purpose. When we retire, we want to feel like we did something worthwhile with our life.

We can find meaning in a whole variety of ways. For example: through quality long term relationships with other people; by raising children; through the nurture of a deep spiritual life; by making truckloads of money or conversely by giving away time and money in service to the community.

One of the main places people try to find meaning is in their career, their work. They may put all their eggs in one basket pursuing a career in sport or business or politics or academia or whatever and strive to become the top in their field because they believe that will fulfil their need for meaning.

There’s nothing wrong with trying to be the best you can be, but one would have to question the wisdom in sacrificing everything (your family, your health, your sanity, your very soul) for work.

Common sense says, spread the risk. Don’t put all your eggs in the same basket. Find a healthy balance. If work is the only place you find meaning in life, or even the primary place, then you will find it hard to stop and rest. You may also become starved of meaning when you cannot work any longer and all your eggs are broken.

Ultimately, our life finds its meaning and purpose in God. We live to glorify God and enjoy him. Enjoying God can happen any day of the week, but if we don’t practice Sabbath, then it probably won’t happen at all.

We are talking about the deeper things that prevent us from stopping and resting. Closely related to the search for meaning is that unconscious feeling which keeps telling us we are not enough.

It’s that voice inside which goads us and sometimes scolds us into justifying our own existence. ‘I must be productive, I must achieve this goal, I must do more in order to be enough.’

That voice is lying to you. You are enough already. You were born being enough. While you were still in your mother’s womb, before you could do anything for yourself let alone for anyone else, God looked at you with love and acceptance and said, ‘You are my child’.

Faith is believing that you are enough and you don’t need to prove anything. Christian faith is resting secure in the knowledge that you are accepted by God, through Jesus. We are accepted, not because of what we have done, but because of what Christ has done on our behalf.

When you know deep in your soul that you are justified by Christ, that Jesus has got you, then work becomes an expression of gratitude and Sabbath rest the warm embrace of your heavenly Father.     

The Sabbath is about stopping. Not just stopping our day job, but stopping at a deeper inner level. Stopping the compulsion to justify ourselves.

Equality:

Sabbath is also about equality. In verse 14 we read…

14 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your ox, your donkey or any of your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns, so that your male and female servants may rest, as you do.

In ancient Israel there were three tiers or strata to society. There was the natural born Israelite, with Jewish parents. Then there was the resident alien or foreigner. Immigrants basically who were not Jewish by birth but for whatever reason chose to live among the Jews. And then there were slaves, referred to in the NIV translation as male and female servants.

What we notice in verse 14 is that all three classes of people are to be treated equally on the Sabbath. Distinctions over race, gender, free and slave, rich and poor are suspended on the Sabbath. No one has to justify their existence through productivity.

Our underlying value as human beings is upheld and given a chance to breathe on the Sabbath. This egalitarian approach, where everyone gets a break from work, reminds the economically secure that the people who work for them are to be treated with dignity and respect.

Likewise, it reminds the economically vulnerable of their humanity, that they are not tools. That their lives matter and count for something more than their mere usefulness on the farm.

We also notice God’s grace in extending the Sabbath rest to animals – to the oxen and donkeys for example. This reminds us of our responsibility as stewards or caretakers of God’s creation.

The equality of the Sabbath points beyond this world to the next. The equality of the Sabbath reminds us that it is God’s plan to stop slavery, stop sexism, stop exploitation, stop racism, stop the oppression of one group by another.

In his book called, The Sabbath, Abraham Heschel recalls a rabbinic legend:

At the time when God was giving the Torah to Israel, He said to them: My Children! If you accept the Torah and observe my [commandments]. I will give you for all eternity a thing most precious that I have in my possession.

And what, asked Israel, is that precious thing…?

The world to come [God answered]

Show us in this world an example of the world to come.

The Sabbath is an example of the world to come.

You see, God intended the Sabbath as a taste of heaven on earth. The Sabbath is meant to give us a picture of what God’s kingdom is like. Sabbath equality nourishes our hope for the future.    

The world we live in badly needs to observe a regular Sabbath. Many people today are short on hope and filled with anxiety. The justice and equality of the Sabbath interrupts our anxious thoughts and fosters hope of a better world to come.

Redemption:

For equality to be possible there must first be redemption. Redemption has to do with being saved from something bad; being delivered, set free or rescued. In Christian thought, redemption is closely related to atonement.  

In 1999, a 23 year old man, Cornelius Anderson (nicknamed Mike), robbed a Burger King at gunpoint, stealing $2,000. He was arrested and sentenced to 13 years in prison. They released him on bail and told him to await orders on when to show for his prison sentence.

Due to an admin error the orders did not come, so Anderson did not go to prison. At this point, Mike Anderson had a choice: either continue down the path of crime or choose an honest life.

Mike decided to make good and choose an honest life. He used his freedom to become a master carpenter and start his own construction business. He became a football coach, volunteered at his local church, got married, had three children and became a well-liked member of his community.

Thirteen years later the state discovered their error. They thought Mike was already in prison and only noticed their mistake when Mike was due to be released. The authorities then acted to have him incarcerated.

Mike wasn’t in prison long though. 35,000 people signed a petition for his release and after less than a year the judge let Mike go, saying he was a changed man. Anderson walked out of the courthouse thanking God.

That is a true story of redemption. Mike Anderson used the gift of freedom to turn his life around.

Some people might complain that justice was not served, that Mike got away with it, but I don’t see it that way. Redemption is not in conflict with justice. Redemption is a higher form of justice. Redemption is a God given opportunity to start again and make things right.

To force Mike Anderson to serve 13 years in jail after he had made good, would be to treat God’s grace with contempt.

In verse 15 of Deuteronomy 5, we read of another true story of redemption, Israel’s redemption…

15 Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and that the Lord your God brought you out of there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Therefore, the Lord your God has commanded you to observe the Sabbath day.

This verse points quite clearly to the purpose of the Sabbath, which is to remember and celebrate God’s redemption.

During the exile, when the Israelites were living in Babylon, the Sabbath became a symbol of solidarity and an exercise in hope.  God had led their ancestors out of Egypt with a mighty hand. This inspired the exiles to hope that he would lead them out of Babylon too, back to their homeland.

Over the centuries quite a few man made rules developed around the Sabbath commandment, detailing what people could and could not do on the Lord’s day. Sadly, the purpose or the spirit of the law got buried (or lost) along the way. 

Jesus challenged these man made rules on a number of occasions by healing people on the Sabbath day. In doing this he was reminding us the Sabbath is about redemption.

In Mark 2, Jesus famously said: “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. 28 So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.”

When Jesus says, ‘the Sabbath was made for man’, he means it was made for humankind.

Conclusion:

I don’t want to tell you what you can and can’t do on your day off. But I do want to encourage to take one day off in seven. It tends to work better if you take the same day off as other people, whenever possible.

For the Jews the Sabbath is a Saturday, the last day of the week. For most Christians the Sabbath is traditionally a Sunday, the first day of the week. A Sunday Sabbath makes sense if you are a Christian because Jesus rose from the dead on a Sunday and Jesus’ resurrection is the basis for our hope of redemption.

In keeping with Jesus’ teaching, that the Sabbath was made for man, we do well to ask ourselves: What is it that my soul needs?

Perhaps you have had a particularly difficult week and you need to think about something other than the problem you have been trying to solve. Focusing on God in adoration and worship could help with that.

Perhaps you sit at a desk in front of a computer most of the week. What is something you enjoy doing that is completely different from that? Maybe gardening or fishing or mountain biking or walking on the beach is what your soul needs.

Perhaps your work involves staying home and looking after children most of the time. Maybe some adult conversation is what you need?

Perhaps your job is highly pressured with back to back meetings and long hours. Maybe just sitting still in a quiet room with a good book will refill your tank.

Or perhaps you live alone, filling the hours as best you can. Maybe coming to church to be with others or going out to lunch to chat with friends is the Sabbath for you. 

Alongside this question, ‘what is it my soul needs?’, we also need to ask, what is it the people around me need? Because the Sabbath is for everyone.

If you are an extravert and you are married to an introvert, then what your partner needs on their day off is probably going to be different from what you need. How can you both get what you need? 

The Sabbath is about stopping and resting, on the inside and the out.

The Sabbath is about equality, being fair to yourself and those around you.

And the Sabbath is about redemption, using your freedom to put things right.

Let us pray…

Father God, we thank you for the gift of Sabbath. Give us the grace we need to stop worrying, to stop striving and to stop trying to justify ourselves. Help us to see your redemption, both for ourselves and for others, and to walk in it. Through Jesus we pray. Amen. 

Questions for discussion or reflection:

What stands out for you in reading this Scripture and/or in listening to the sermon? Why do you think this stood out to you?

  • Why do we need to stop working on the Sabbath?
  • How do we stop working, on the inside and the out?
  • Where do you find meaning for your life? Are all your (meaning) eggs in the same basket? How might you diversify your meaning making?
  • What does verse 14 of Deuteronomy 5 tell us about the Sabbath? What does the Sabbath show us about God’s kingdom? How does Sabbath equality foster hope?
  • What is redemption? Can you think of an example of redemption from your own life (or from the Scriptures)?
  • What is it your soul needs? What is it those around you need? 
Tawa Baptist

Name

Scripture: Deuteronomy 5:11

Video Link: https://youtu.be/tV69hxuTTrU

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • God’s name
  • Vain words
  • Empty religion
  • Conclusion

Introduction:

Good morning everyone.

If I say the name, Richie McCaw, what do you think of?

You probably think of the All Black rugby captain who played 148 tests. You might also think of the silver fern, the Canterbury region and being a helicopter pilot. The name, Richie McCaw, is respected all over the rugby world.

What if I say the name Angela Merkel, what do you think of?

You might think: the first female Chancellor of Germany. A fine leader and, at one point, perhaps the most powerful woman in the world. Angela Merkel was also a research scientist with a PhD in quantum chemistry. A very capable person. The name Angela Merkel is well respected all over the world.

A name is more than just a way of identifying a person. A name calls to mind that individual’s personality, their achievements, their character and our connection with that person.

Today we continue our series in Deuteronomy. We have got to that part in Deuteronomy where Moses reiterates the ten commandments (or the ten words of Yahweh) to the people of Israel. Last week we heard about the first commandment prohibiting the worship of any other gods or idols.

This week we focus on chapter 5, verse 11, which is all about honouring God’s name. Verse 11 reads…  

You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.

May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate God’s word for us.

God’s name:

It is clear from this verse that God’s name is particularly important. In the ancient world a person’s name was thought to be part of who they are. A name was more than just an identifying word. A name was equivalent to the essence or being of that person.

With this in view, God’s name is a weighty thing. His name carries real gravity, real mana, real power. God’s name is more than just his reputation. God’s name represents his integrity, his oneness, his uniqueness.

God’s name calls to mind his character, his justice and mercy, his love and compassion. God’s name reminds us of God’s wonderful deeds as our creator, redeemer and Father.

So what is God’s name? Well, whenever you see the word Lord in the Bible, all in capitals, it usually refers to God’s personal name which (in Hebrew) is spelt something like, YHWH.

We might think of the word Lord as a title, like Sir or Dame or Colonel or Reverend and, depending on the context, it can carry that meaning. But Lord, in capital letters in the Bible, is not a title. It is God’s name (YHWH).

It is not clear how to pronounce the name of God, so people have added vowels to the consonants. With the help of vowels, some pronounce God’s personal name as Jehovah. These days, people in the academic world prefer Yahweh.

As Christians, we worship Jesus. For us, Jesus is Yahweh in the flesh. In fact, the name Jesus actually means ‘the Lord saves’ or ‘God saves’. Therefore, the name of Jesus is sacred.  As the apostle Paul writes in his letter to the Philippians…

9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
    and gave him the name that is above every name,

10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
    in heaven and on earth and under the earth,

11 and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,
    to the glory of God the Father.

What then does it mean to misuse the name of the Lord? Well, this command is about avoiding vain words and empty religion.

Vain words:

Earlier this year, at the Academy awards, Will Smith became heated when Chris Rock made a joke at his wife’s expense. Will said to Chris, ‘Take my wife’s name out of your mouth’.

Chris Rock thought he was being funny. But Will Smith felt that Chris was misusing his wife’s name and this made Will angry. 

God fearing Jews in ancient times never said the Lord’s name, just in case they misused it accidently. That’s how holy or sacred God’s name was to them. But when we look at the commandment we notice that it doesn’t say we cannot use God’s name at all. It just says we cannot misuse it.

The old school way of phrasing this commandment is: Do not take the Lord’s name in vain. This translation points to the misuse of the Lord’s name when making vows or taking an oath.

In ancient times people would make vows as a kind of guarantee that they would follow through on their commitment. They might say something like, ‘May God deal with me, be it ever so severely, if I don’t do what I say I’m going to do’.

To make a vow in the Lord’s name and then not follow through on what you had promised was to take God’s name in vain. It brought a curse on the offender.

In the New Testament, Jesus warned his followers against making oaths, saying:

33 “Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not break your oath, but fulfill to the Lord the vows you have made.’ 34 But I tell you, do not swear an oath at all: either by heaven, for it is God’s throne; 35 or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King. 36 And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black. 37 Let your ‘Yes’ be yes and your ‘No’ be no; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.

You know, our words have power. Power for good and power for evil. Power for well-being and power for harm. Jesus wants us to be blessed. He doesn’t want us to curse ourselves or anyone else. Don’t put yourself in an impossible situation, like Jephthah.  

Jesus wants us to be free; free to do God’s will. He doesn’t want us to be burdened with a sense of obligation or guilt over some rash promise we made and haven’t been able to keep. 

Jesus’ words here remind us there is much in life which is beyond our control. Wisdom dictates that we should not bind ourselves unnecessarily by committing to do something in the future when circumstances could derail our best intentions.  

A point of clarification: I don’t think Jesus is saying, we can’t swear on the Bible to speak the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, in a court of law. That’s not about promising to do something in the future. That’s about not bearing false witness.

Except in a court of law, people these days don’t normally swear an oath to guarantee their words. For us, swearing is associated with cursing or bad language.

We should not use God’s name as an expletive because it’s not right to use something holy for an unholy purpose. You don’t use your tooth brush to clean the toilet. Nor should you use God’s name to express your anger.

That being said, I don’t think the commandment prohibiting the misuse of God’s name is primarily about potty mouth. It’s really more about not hijacking God’s name to serve our own purposes.

God’s name is powerful. God’s name can move people to do all sorts of things. History is littered with political leaders who have misused God’s name to win votes or influence people to serve their own agenda. God hates that sort of thing.

But it’s not just ruthless politicians who hijack God’s name. Sometimes Christians do it too. If someone says, ‘The Lord told me such and such’. Or, ‘God told me to tell you this or that’, then be very careful. Be discerning.

God may well have spoken to them. But it is also possible that they are sincerely mistaken. Or even worse, insincere and manipulative. In any case, ask God to shine his light on the situation. Measure what they say against Scripture. Talk with people you trust and ask the Lord to confirm the truth either way.  

To use God’s name for our own selfish ends is to mess with the divine / human relationship. It’s like stealing your boss’ credit card and clocking up a huge debt buying stuff for yourself. You just don’t do that.

Okay, so misusing God’s name has to do with vain words. More than this, it is also about empty religion. 

Empty religion:

Imagine you own a really nice house. One day, you decide to go on holiday for a few weeks. You are a generous person and so you offer the use of your home and its contents to one of your friends while you are away.

As you hand your friend the keys to your house you say, ‘Enjoy my home while I’m gone. Feel free to use the appliances, to drive the car, to take a soak in the spa pool, even have people over for a BBQ if you like. But please, look after the place. And be mindful of the neighbours. Don’t play the stereo too loud.

Unfortunately, when you come back from holiday, you find stains on the carpet, broken windows, complaints from the neighbours about the noise, a huge power bill and speeding fines from when your so called ‘friend’ took your car for a joy ride.

You are not happy and rightly so. You trusted this person with your most valuable asset and they abused your trust. They wrecked your stuff and damaged your reputation in the neighbourhood. You thought your relationship meant something but it turns out the friendship was empty.     

Knowing God’s name is a bit like being given the keys to a really nice house.  By sharing his name with us, God has given us access to himself. God has trusted us with his name in much the same way a wealthy friend might trust us with the use of their home and car.

If we really care about our relationship with God, then we will take care of his name. But if we don’t take care of God’s name, then our religion is empty.

A more literal translation of the command to not misuse the Lord’s name, reads: You shall not carry the name of Yahweh your God emptily. 

To carry the name of Yahweh means to claim him as our God and to accept the role of representing him. Israel could not claim Yahweh as their God and then live as if they belonged to Baal. They could not worship pagan gods alongside Yahweh.

In other words, we need to practice what we preach. Our profession of faith needs to line up with our lifestyle. If we say we believe in a God of love, then we need to love our neighbour as we love ourselves.

If we say we believe God is holy and righteous, just and true, then we need to pursue holiness, righteousness, justice and truth.

If we say we believe in Jesus, then we need to conduct ourselves in a Christ-like way. We need to be sincere in our faith and loyal to Jesus. Our religion cannot be empty. Our faith in Jesus must have the substance of obedience to God.

Now, when you think of it like that, it becomes real clear pretty quickly that we have all misused God’s name one way or another. None of us have kept this commandment all the time. Two things to keep in mind.

Firstly, Jesus has done for us what we cannot do for ourselves. Where we have failed, Jesus has succeeded. Jesus has honoured God’s name perfectly, on our behalf.

Secondly, we need to be on our own side. The reality is we are all on a journey to becoming more like Christ and we need God’s grace in that process. How you start is not as important as how you finish. Being honest with yourself is key to making progress in the right direction.  

You shall not carry the name of Yahweh your God emptily, is another way of saying you shall not be a hypocrite.

One of the great ironies of the gospels is the hypocrisy of the religious leaders. They were not honest with themselves. They accused Jesus of blasphemy and killed him on that pretext, when in fact they were the blasphemers. The Pharisees misused God’s name by pretending to be something they were not.

At its best, religion functions as a vehicle for truth. But the Pharisees used their religion like a cloak, to hide the truth. For all their intensity, for all their rigorous ritual, the Pharisees’ religion was empty of the very things God requires: justice, mercy and humility.

We must not look down on the Pharisees with contempt. We do better to look at our ourselves with honesty and grace.

Conclusion – Prayer & Praise:

Okay, so we have heard what it means to misuse God’s name. Our words about God should not be in vain and our profession of faith must not be empty. But the commandments are not just about what we can’t do. The prohibitions point beyond themselves to what we can do.

Following this train of thought we might ask ourselves, what is a right (or good) use of God’s name? 

In a nut shell, God gives us his name for prayer and praise. 

Your name is how people know who you are and it is how people talk to you. Likewise, God’s name is how he reveals himself to us and it is how we talk to God.

When Jesus’ disciples asked him how to pray, Jesus began, Our Father who is in heaven, hallowed be your name. Among other things, Jesus was teaching us that prayer is what God’s name is for.

We invoke God’s name in order to have a conversation with him, a relationship with him, intimacy with him. Prayer is a way of sharing ourselves with God. In prayer we seek to know God’s will and we ask the Lord for what we need to do his will.

God’s name is also intended for praise. When we sing or say, ‘Hallelujah’, we are actually addressing God by his name. ‘Hallelujah’ means ‘praise the Lord’, as in praise Yahweh.  

If you look at that word, praise, you notice it contains another word, raise. To praise God means to raise the name of the Lord. Sometimes when we raise the name of the Lord, God enables us to see the problems and pain of this life from an eternal perspective.  

Let us lift our voices in prayer and praise to God now, as we prepare for communion…

Questions for discussion or reflection:

What stands out for you in reading this Scripture and/or in listening to the sermon? Why do you think this stood out to you?

  • What does your name mean? Does the meaning of your name reflect something of your personality or character do you think? If so, how?
  • What does it mean to misuse the Lord’s name? Can you think of examples of taking the Lord’s name in vain? 
  • Why are we forbidden to misuse the Lord’s name? (E.g. what are the consequences for ourselves and others of misusing God’s name?)
  • Why do you think Jesus warned against making vows / oaths in Matthew 5:33-37?
  • Discuss / reflect on the literal translation, ‘You shall not carry the name of Yahweh your God emptily’. What does this mean?
  • What is a right or good use of God’s name?   
Tawa Baptist

One

Scripture: Deuteronomy 5:6-10

Video Link: https://youtu.be/0ZRwCAwoBDg

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • God’s grace
  • God’s uniqueness
  • God’s character
  • Conclusion

Introduction:

Good morning everyone.

Seeds are powerful things. Small, compact, seeds contain the DNA of the plant. From one tiny seed much fruit is produced. 

Today we continue our series in Deuteronomy by focusing on the first of the ten commandments. If the law of Moses is like a tree, then the ten commandments are the seed from which the tree of the law grows.

The ten commandments are at the core of God’s covenant with Israel. They contain the DNA of how Israel were to relate with God. From Deuteronomy 5, verses 6-10, God Almighty says to Israel… 

6 “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. 7 “You shall have no other gods beforeme. 8 “You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. 9 You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, 10 but showing steadfast love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.

May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate God’s word for us.

Sometimes the ten commandments are described as the Decalogue or the ‘ten words’. This tells us the commandments are not just a list of rules. They reveal something of the soul or the Spirit of God.

Today’s verses, for example, tell us about God’s grace, God’s uniqueness and God’s character. Let’s start then at the beginning, with God’s grace.

God’s grace:

When you cook a meal, the order in which you do things is very important. For example, if you are crumbing a piece of meat (maybe a fillet of fish or some chicken tender loins or a nice cut of schnitzel), you always start by coating your protein in flour first, then dipping it in an egg wash, before rolling it in bread crumbs and frying in the pan.

If you cook the meat first and then try to coat it in bread crumbs after, it doesn’t taste so good. You do the frying last to give the meal texture and flavour.

Enjoying a good relationship with God is a bit like cooking. You have to get things in the proper order or it just doesn’t taste right.

When it comes to friendship with God, grace must always come first, then obedience can follow. Trying to obey God without grace is like cooking your meat first and then putting it through an egg wash later.  

God does not start his ten words with a command. He begins, in verse 6, with a reminder of his grace, saying…

6 “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.

You see, God gave his law after he had redeemed Israel from slavery. God saved the people and set them free first, then he made a covenant with them. Israel’s redemption from Egypt was not conditional on them obeying God’s commands. God didn’t say, “I’ll set you free if you obey me”. Grace came first. 

Obedience grows out of the soil of God’s grace. This means the commandments (and indeed the whole law) are part and parcel of God’s grace.

The commandments are an invitation to an ongoing friendship with God. They show us how to related with God in a right way.

We might think of God’s grace as a bridge across an otherwise unpassable ravine. God’s grace provides a way for us to cross over to the other side, to God’s kingdom. God’s kingdom is where God is obeyed freely and willingly out of gratitude and love. 

Time and time again we read in the gospels how Jesus put grace first and in so doing left the door of obedience open for people to walk through. In Mark 2, four men lower their paralyzed friend through the roof of a house in faith that Jesus would heal him.

The very first thing Jesus says to the man is, ‘Your sins are forgiven’. Grace comes first. Then Jesus heals the man, telling him to pick up his mat and walk. Grace upon grace.

What does the man do with that grace? He obeys Jesus in faith. He picks up his mat and he walks off. Beyond that we are not told. What we do know is the grace of forgiveness and the grace of healing has built a bridge to God for the man. That same grace has also opened a way for others to follow in faith too.

This idea of grace coming before obedience is a beautiful thought, but it is difficult for us to accept. It goes against the grain of this world. We are raised to do the mahi (the work) then reap the reward. We want to pay our own way and not be in anyone’s debt. While that approach is necessary and applauded in the work place, it does not transfer well to our relationship with God.

We can’t earn God’s favour, we can only receive it humbly. We can’t obey God in our own strength. Obedience to God’s commands grows out of the soil of God’s grace. Or to put it another way, grace empowers obedience. God’s grace gives us the moral currency to invest in a faithful relationship with God.

God’s uniqueness:

Sometimes when you go to the movies they have quiz questions on the screen before the movie plays. Here’s a movie trivia question for you.

Which 1986 film, starring Sean Connery, is famous for the line: ‘There can be only one’?  Is it A.) Jerry Maguire B.) The Empire Strikes Back, C.) The Breakfast Club or D.) Highlander?

If you answered D.) Highlander, then well done. Highlander is a cult classic.

Now, to be clear, the movie Highlander has nothing to do with Deuteronomy. But, when it comes to God, there can be only one. This is what the first commandment is getting at. In verses 7-9 the Lord says…

You shall have no other gods before me. 8 “You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. 9 You shall not bow down to them or worship them;

Now some of you may be thinking, ‘Wait a second. Don’t verses 7-9 cover the first two commandments?’ Well, yes and no.

Traditionally, there are two main ways of numbering the commandments. The more ancient way, which goes back thousands of years and is used by the Jews, Catholics and Lutherans, is to categorize verses 7-9 as the first commandment and to treat verse 21 (about not coveting) as two separate commandments.

The more recent tradition, which dates back only 500 years to the reformation, thinks of verse 7 as the first commandment and verses 8-9 as the second commandment. While verse 21 is treated as a single commandment. 

The Jewish and Catholic tradition (the more ancient tradition) is better, in my view. It makes more sense. But it’s not a deal breaker. If you want to follow the reformed numbering, then we will still serve you communion next week.

The more important thought to grasp here is that the first commandment (as written in verses 7-9) points to the uniqueness of God. The Lord God Almighty is one of a kind. There is no other. There can be only one.

The command, ‘You shall have no other gods before me’,is stated positively in Deuteronomy 6 which reads…

4 Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 5 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.

As we heard three weeks ago, loyalty and voluntary obedience is at the heart of loving God. The Lord God wants an exclusive relationship with his people, like a warm faithful marriage. God Almighty will not share us with any other god.

Returning to Deuteronomy 5, verses 8-9 explain what the Lord means when he says, ‘You shall have no other gods before me’.  Basically, you should not make or bow down to any graven image.

In the ancient world, pagans made little statues out of wood or stone as a tangible representation of the gods they worshipped. Psychologically, these idols held a kind of superstitious influence over people. In reality though, idols have no actual power. They are dead.

God does not want to be associated with pagan religious practices. He is unique, one of kind. God is unlike anything in all of creation. God is holy, set apart.

There is a mystery to God. We cannot know all there is to know about the Lord. We can only know what he chooses to reveal about himself. Any image we human beings come up with (no matter how well intentioned) is always going to fall short of a true representation of God. God is not defined by us.

Another reason God forbids the making of images for worship is that the Lord himself has made human beings in his own image. Unlike statutes of wood or stone, we human beings are living breathing creatures, capable of feeling joy and pain. Able to think and act and make decisions.

God’s intention, his ideal, is for creation to see the image of the divine in the way human beings care for each other and the environment.

It would be fair to say humanity has fallen a long way short of accurately representing the image of God throughout history. But there is one man who shows us very clearly what God is like and that is Jesus.

As the apostle Paul writes in Colossians 1…

15 The Son [Jesus] is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.   

God does not want us to make an image of him because Jesus is the perfect image of God and we can’t improve on that.

If you look around the inside of our church auditorium you will notice, we don’t have a lot of images. Just the crosses and the fish symbol. You would not expect to find statues of Mary or Jesus or the saints in a Baptist church, although you might in a Catholic Church.

Interpretation of the command to not make a graven image or bow down to it has been a point of division among Christians throughout the centuries. At various times in church history people have taken offense at the images displayed in churches and destroyed them in a mood of holy indignation.

The Eastern Church got around this issue by not making 3D statutes but simply painting two dimensional icons instead.

To be fair to our Catholic and Orthodox brothers and sister, the images in their church buildings (whether they be two dimensional or three dimensional) were not intended to be objects of worship. They are simply a visual way of telling the gospel story.

Most people, at that time, could not read but they could still get the gist of the gospel by looking at the images. We might think of these images as a form of evangelism.

Rather than criticizing the way other people worship God, we would be better to take the plank out of own eye first. God expects our exclusive worship. That means he wants us to put him first in everything.

God wants us to put him first, not because he needs our praise, but because he loves us and wants the best for us. You see, to worship anything other than the one true God is to diminish ourselves. When we worship the Lord Almighty, we uphold our God given dignity and value as human beings.   

In the gospels, Jesus called people to put God first in ways which seem quite shocking to us. He once said to a rich young ruler: ‘Sell all you have, give the money to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven, then come follow me’.

The rich man went away sad. He did not bow down to idols as such, but Jesus’ challenge put a spot light on the fact that he worshipped his wealth alongside God.

It’s not that money is bad. But if we love money more than God, then we have a problem.

Perhaps the biggest idol of our time is what some call the ‘sovereign self’. We might also describe this idol as personal freedom or hyper-individualism. It is the idea that we must discover our deepest desires and longings and then do all we can to realize them, whatever the cost. [1]

There is nothing wrong with having desires or longings or a dream to pursue in life. These things are natural and may give us a certain joy or energy for a time. The problem comes when we enthrone what we want, and put it first, ahead of what God wants.

Most of us, if we are honest with ourselves, don’t always know what we want. We might think we want to be a movie star or a rock god or the owner of a winning Lotto ticket. We might think we want this girl or that boy to love us or to get that promotion at work or to score a century at Lord’s, but then (with the passing of time) we find we actually want something else. We never seem to find what we are looking for. 

The sovereign self is a false god. It is an illusion, a mirage. The sovereign-self fosters false hope. It misleads us. 

In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus dethroned the idol of sovereign self on our behalf, when he said: ‘Not my will Father, but your will be done’. Jesus did not want to go the cross and suffer separation from God, but he put aside what he wanted in a spirit of loving obedience to God the Father. And God gave Jesus his life back, only better than before.

To become a Christian is to topple the idol of self and let Jesus sit on the throne of our heart. To let Jesus be in charge. To let Jesus define who we are. To let Jesus bestow dignity and honour on us. And to find meaning in serving Jesus’ purpose.

What things in your own life compete with the worship of God? What needs to change for God to take first place?  If you are not sure, ask God to show you.  Sometimes our idols are hidden in our shadow side (our blind spot) where we can’t see them. We may not be aware.    

The ten words of Yahweh reveal something of God’s soul or Spirit. Verse 6 of Deuteronomy 5, reminds us of God’s grace. Verses 7-9a point to the uniqueness of God and verses 9b-10 shine a light on God’s character. 

God’s character:

Many centuries ago, after the time of Moses but before the time of Jesus, during the reign of the Persian Empire, there lived a philosopher named Heraclitus. Heraclitus influenced Plato who in turn influenced the Western way of thinking.

Not much of Heraclitus’ work has survived but one of his quotes, which made it to the internet age, reads: Character is destiny.

Character has to do with the way someone thinks, feels and behaves. Character describes the mental and moral qualities distinctive to an individual. To say that ‘character is destiny’ implies a belief that the choices a person makes have an influence over the course their life takes.

Reality, as we know, is never that simple. Life is complex. There is much which is outside of our control. But we usually have some say over how we respond to our circumstances and that’s where character comes in.  

In verses 9-10 Yahweh tells us why we must worship him and him alone.

He says: for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, 10 but showing steadfast love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.

The Lord describes himself here as a jealous God. You may remember from recent sermons that jealousy is different from envy. Envy is when we want something that does not belong to us. Jealousy, on the other hand, is that urge or that intense feeling to protect what rightfully does belong to us.

So envy is a bad thing and jealousy is a good thing.

Because God is wholly unique, because he is one of a kind, the only true God, he will not share the worship that rightfully belongs to him with anyone or anything else. There can be only one.

Following this train of thought, God will not share his image with anything else either. We human beings are made in God’s image. So God will not share us with an idol or a graven image.

On the face of it, those words about ‘punishing the children for the sins of the fathers’ sound grossly unfair. These verses need to be understood in the wider context of Scripture. The prophet Ezekiel clarifies any misunderstanding when he says…

20 The one who sins is the one who will die. The child will not share the guilt of the parent, nor will the parent share the guilt of the child. The righteousness of the righteous will be credited to them, and the wickedness of the wicked will be charged against them.

Heraclitus may well have been reading this verse from Ezekiel when he said ‘character is destiny’. Heraclitus and Ezekiel are in agreement here.

Ezekiel’s point is that God’s character is just and fair. And it is primarily God’s character that influences our destiny more than anything else. But the moral choices we make still matter. God takes our character into account.

Returning to Deuteronomy 5; verses 9 and 10 (when read together) seem to be saying: children and grandchildren may suffer in the short term because of the choices of their parents, but ultimately God’s character is heavily weighted toward love and mercy. For God shows steadfast love (hesed) to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commandments. In other words, God’s love far outweighs his anger.  

As we read in Psalm 30: For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favour lasts a lifetime; weeping may stay for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.

Conclusion:

Let us pray…

Father God, we thank you for your grace which enables us to obey you in faith and love. We thank you too for your uniqueness. There is no one like you. You alone are God. Forgive us for the times we enthrone ourselves. Keep us open to the work of your Spirit in developing our character, that we would better reflect your image. Through Jesus we pray. Amen. 

Questions for discussion or reflection:

What stands out for you in reading this Scripture and/or in listening to the sermon? Why do you think this stood out to you?

  • What is the relationship between God’s grace and obedience to God’s commandments? Why does grace need to come first? Can you think of times in the Bible (and/or in your own life) when God’s grace came first? What happened and what followed?
  • In what ways does the first commandment point to the uniqueness of God?
  • Why is it important to give our worship exclusively to the one true God? What things in your own life compete with the worship of God? What needs to change for God to take first place?      
  • Discuss / reflect on the statement, ‘Character is destiny’. What do you think this means? Does this statement resonate with Scripture &/or your own experience? 
  • Keeping in mind the wider context of Scripture, how are we to understand/interpret Deuteronomy 5:9-10? What do these verses reveal about the character of God?
  • What aspects of your character has God’s Spirit been working on lately? What are the next steps of character development for you?

[1] Refer Timothy Keller’s book ‘Preaching’, page 133ff.

Tawa Baptist

Wonder – by Murray Lucas

Scripture: Psalm 8                                                         

Audio Link: https://soundcloud.com/tawabaptist/sermon-10-jul-2022-murray-lucas

Message by: Murray Lucas

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • Past
  • Present
  • Future
  • Conclusion

Introduction:

The book of Psalms speaks of a wide range of human emotions and many of you will have a favourite Psalm which you identify with and helps you to work with God through life’s circumstances, both its challenges and its moments of joy.

The Psalm that I have found to be a huge help is Psalm 8.  Let us read it from the New International Version…

Psalm 8

 1 Lord, our Lord,
    how majestic is your name in all the earth!

You have set your glory
    in the heavens.
2 Through the praise of children and infants
    you have established a stronghold against your enemies,
    to silence the foe and the avenger.
3 When I consider your heavens,
    the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars,
    which you have set in place,
4 what is mankind that you are mindful of them,
    human beings that you care for them?

5 You have made them a little lower than the angels
    and crowned themwith glory and honour.
6 You made them rulers over the works of your hands;
    you put everything under theirfeet:
7 all flocks and herds,
    and the animals of the wild,
8 the birds in the sky,
    and the fish in the sea,
    all that swim the paths of the seas.

9 Lord, our Lord,
    how majestic is your name in all the earth!

Psalm 8 is unique for two reasons.

Firstly, it is the first hymn one encounters when reading the Psalms straight through. The psalms that immediately precede it are prayers spoken by people who are suffering or persecuted (Psalms 3-7).

Secondly, this Psalm is the only hymn in the Psalter spoken entirely to God. The focus of the psalm on the great and special privilege given to humanity occurs within the overarching focus on the sovereignty and majesty of God.

I would like to look at 3 parts of the Psalm that have helped me. I have related these passages to our Past, Present and Future.

Past:

One of the most dramatic shifts in the psalm happens between verses 1 and 2. We move from ‘You have set your glory in the heavens’ to ‘through the praises of children and infants God has established a stronghold against God’s enemies to silence the foe and the avenger’. We are moving here from God’s glory in the heavens to God’s glory in children and infants.

Jesus put a huge value on infants and children and rebuked his disciples for ignoring them and not valuing them enough. It is worth noting that Jesus himself cited this psalm on the day of his triumphant entry into Jerusalem when the children cried out, “Hosanna to the Son of David”.

A key aspect I want to bring out is that young children can teach us the value of wonder.

What is so special about wonder and children? 

Children inhabit a world rich in beauty and full of wonder. As an example, it is children who find their way to the wonderful world of Narnia, from CS Lewis’ classic book series, “Chronicles of Narnia”.

A healthy and happy childhood is filled with wonder for the simple reason that, through the eyes of a child, beauty is abundant and mystery is everywhere. A Monarch butterfly emerging from its chrysalis, a puddle in the street or the moon in the sky at night have more than enough beauty and mystery to evoke wonder. For a child his own backyard and some imagination are sufficient for hours of wonder … until he or she grows up.

I am grateful to my three year old grandson, Micah, for rekindling in me a sense of wonder. His joy and delight at watching diggers in action or watching a ladybug on a leaf is contagious and it has reignited the joy of wonder in me.

I acknowledge the author, Brian Zahnd, for his insights into wonder.

One of the tragedies of growing up is that we lose this capacity for childlike wonder. The loss of wonder is what we experience as boredom and boredom is a real problem.

Let us look at boredom more closely. Boredom is dangerous and deadly. Wonder is a feeling. Boredom is the loss of such feeling.  Sometimes we are led to believe that feelings are unimportant and I suppose that’s true for a machine, but we are not machines.

People devoid of human sensation and passionate feeling will often engage in dangerous and destructive actions in a desperate bid to feel something. Behind the evils of addiction and many other forms of self-destructive behaviour lies the culprit of boredom.

One of my favourite singing groups is Pink Floyd and not because they sang ‘We don’t need no education’. One of their other songs is ‘Comfortably Numb”. Its words have this theme – we grow up, lose wonder, and settle for being comfortably numb, but it really is a kind of death.

Wonder is a feeling. The loss of wonder is a loss of feeling. And when we lose the feeling of wonder, life just gets hard. The simple act of growing up and leaving childhood behind should not be such a catastrophe for our ability to wonder and be enchanted by mystery and beauty, but it seems that it is. 

God-given wonder is an essential ingredient if life is to be made liveable. God-given wonder is the cure – the cure for life-killing boredom. God-given wonder is the natural drug without which people may turn to alcohol or narcotics.

Sure, most people bravely soldier on without wonder, and even do so without drug addictions and self-destructive behaviour but is that the point of life?  That’s not life, that’s life with all the wonder crushed out of it and compressed to mere existence.

Wonder is what we’ve lost. Wonder is what we miss. Wonder is what we want. God-given wonder is our hidden Narnia into which we long to step and explore.

Joy Cowley captures this beautifully in her poem entitled ‘Bless Us, Lord’

Lord, when you blessed little children

You blessed every adult,

For childhood is not in our past but the pure state we carry with us,

Still connected to you our Source.

And so, Lord we ask you to bless us.

Bless the vision of the lovely heart 

That sees the world as fresh and beautiful.

Bless the trust that neither judges nor condemns.

Bless the quick sense of awe and wonder

That opens up wider than wide

Bless the lack of fear that makes space for love.

Bless the lightness of foot, rhythm of dance

And music of every present moment.

Bless the laughter that rings in us like birdsong.

Above all bless our childlike curiosity.

The challenge to me, and to all of us, is to reclaim a child-like wonder that adds to the thrill of living.

Present:

The second part of the Psalm that has impacted me greatly is: ‘What is mankind that he is mindful of them. Human beings that he cares for us’.

After considering the cosmic nature of God who sets in place the moon and the stars, we have this verse which states that God cares for us. I believe that means all human beings, irrespective of their background or opportunities. In fact, other Psalms will clarify that God has a special heart for the oppressed.

This is a dignity given by grace, a dignity given to every person, and constantly renewed as each person is the object of God’s particular care and concern. Among all the creatures, only humanity is crowned with glory and humanity.

Let us briefly consider the largeness of God in terms of the heavens. With the naked eye, one can see about 5,000 stars. With a four-inch telescope, one can see about 2 million stars. With a 200-inch mirror of a great observatory, one can see more than a billion stars. The universe is so big that if one were to travel at the speed of light, it would take 40 billion years to reach the edge of the universe. Considering the heavens makes us see the greatness of God.

It is a source of wonder that God who created all this values and cares for us. The Psalm goes on and states that God created us a little lower than the angels. Biblical scholars argue about the translation of the word ‘angels’. I prefer the interpretation that the word translated ‘angels’ is Elohim, and most often refers to God Himself. There are some Biblical scholars who believe that David said that man is a little lower than God, stressing the idea that man is made in God’s image. 

I want to return to the word ‘mindful’. Mindfulness is the basic human ability to be fully present, aware of where we are and what we’re doing, and not overly reactive or overwhelmed. Just as God is mindful of us, I believe that God or Jesus can be at the centre of our mindfulness.

It means abandoning technology and just being fully present to God. One simple exercise I have been introduced to is saying the statement ‘God is Love’ and sitting with it for a period of time, turning it over in your mind. Then saying, ‘God is’ and sitting with that for a period of time and then simply saying the word ‘God’ and doing likewise.

Firstly, the challenge of Psalm 8 is to recapture the wonder of the past.

Secondly, the challenge of Psalm 8 is to be fully present, embracing God-centred mindfulness and to value all people irrespective of their background or opportunities.

Future:

The latter verses of Psalm 8 steer us to the future. It outlines our responsibility as stewards for creation. In the Psalm it states we have a duty of care for domestic animals, wild animals, birds and fish and these creatures can only first survive and then thrive if we have a healthy ecosystem.

I want to honour those in Tawa who are working tirelessly to improve our local ecosystem: groups such as Friends of Redwood Bush, Friends of the Willowbank Reserve and those that work in the local community gardens at Tawa and Linden.

This year the Tawa schools have been part of a programme entitled KETE- kids enhancing Tawa Ecosystems. They will be involved in tree planting, monitoring water quality and pest control. One of our own young people, Delta, is a student leader in this worthwhile initiative.

Psalm 8 asks us to seek to protect, sustain, and restore creation. As part of this authority, mankind has the responsibility to wisely manage the creatures and resources of this earth in a way that gives God glory and is good for man.

This means that it is wrong to see man as merely part of the ecosystem (thus denying his God-ordained dominion). It is also wrong for man to abuse the ecosystem, thus making him a bad manager of that which ultimately belongs to God (Psalm 24:1). The mandate of dominion asks man to use the creatures and resources of the earth, but to use them wisely and responsibly.

Recently I was loaned a book entitled ‘The Good Ancestor’. It challenges us all to be good ancestors and to have empathy and love for those that will be living in 100 years’ time and even longer, way beyond our lifetimes.

The author correctly states that we live in an age dominated by the tyranny of short-term thinking but the reality is future generations of all living creatures, including humans, are going to be profoundly influenced by how we act to-day.

We have some excellent examples of people who have planned for the future. An example is the polder water management system in Netherlands.  Its aim was to protect land from flooding by dikes. The oldest existing polder dates from 1533.

Another is the London’s sewers. This was built following the great stink of 1858 and the deadly cholera outbreaks. Chief Engineer Bazalgette took 18 years with 22,000 workers and 318 million bricks. The scale of his planning showed that he was thinking beyond the present to the future. The system is still in use to-day. In fact, to this day the Thames is the cleanest metropolitan river in the world.

How can we be good stewards of the natural world that God created? Biologist Janine Benyus says that we should draw our lessons for long-term survival from the 3.8 billion years of research and development that nature has to offer.

“The secrets to a sustainable world, are literally all around us. If we choose to truly mimic life’s genius, the future I see would be beauty and abundance and certainly fewer regrets. In the natural world the definition of success is the continuity of life. You keep yourself alive and you keep your offspring alive. Success is keeping your offspring alive for ten thousand generations and more, so what organisms have learned to do is take care of the place that is going to take care of their offspring.”

What does that mean with regards to caring for place? It means caring for the rivers, the soil, the trees, the pollinators and the very air we breathe. It means respecting the intricate relationships that sustain the web of life. If we overshoot nature’s bio capacity, we are failing in the task of taking care of the place that will take care of our offspring. If we want to be a ‘good ancestor’, we don’t foul the nest.

It is interesting to note that the Psalmist, in Psalm 1, talks about the life of a man who delights in the law of the Lord. In verse 3 he uses the metaphor of a tree to describe this person. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Note the value the Psalmist places on planted trees and water quality and the importance of predictable seasons.

We need to think long-term and particularly in the area of care and stewardship for our ecosystem. I would like to conclude by reading a statement by a leading Christian Climate Scientist, Katherine Hayhoe:

‘I believe in God. I believe he created this amazing platform to live in, and gave us responsibility, stewardship and dominion over it. I believe God delights in his creation and wants us to delight in it as well. And I believe we are here to love others, especially the poor, the vulnerable and those most in need- just as Christ loved us.’

Conclusion:

Firstly, let us recover the God-centred wonder of our past childhood.

Secondly, let us be fully present, embracing God-centred mindfulness. Let us celebrate that God cares for each one of us.

Thirdly, let us think long-term and strive to be good ancestors, particularly in the area of stewardship of our ecosystem.

‘Lord, our Lord how majestic is your name in all the earth.’

This is the message of Psalm chapter 8.

Questions for discussion or reflection:

  1. What stands out for you in reading this Scripture and/or in listening to the sermon? Why do you think this stood out to you?
  • What is wonder and why is it important? How can children teach us about wonder? What can you do to foster or renew your sense of God-centred wonder?
  • Why is boredom dangerous? How can we guard against boredom?
  • Slowly re-read Joy Cowley’s poem, ‘Bless us Lord’. What are you in touch with? E.g. a memory, a feeling, a challenge, an inspirational thought, or something else?
  • Reflect on / discuss the ‘dignity’ of being human. How do you feel when you consider the place God has given human beings in his created order?
  • What does it mean to be a good ancestor? What practical things can you do to be a good steward of the natural world God has made?
  • Make some time this week to be fully present to God by trying the exercise Murray suggests. That is: Say the statement, ‘God is Love’ and sit with it for a period of time, turning it over in your mind. Then say, ‘God is’ and sit with that for a period of time and then simply saying the word ‘God’, sitting with that.
Tawa Baptist

L.O.V.E.

Scripture: Deuteronomy 6:1-9

Video Link: https://youtu.be/ncW1DISd1kQ

Audio Link: https://soundcloud.com/tawabaptist/sermon-3-jul-2022-love

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • Love for God is Loyal
  • Love for God is Obedient
  • Love for God is Voluntary
  • Love for God is Educational
  • Conclusion

Introduction:

Good morning everyone.

Last Tuesday a parcel arrived for Robyn in the post. It was relatively large, about 600mm square. The parcel contained a flat pack table, that Robyn wanted me to assemble for her classroom.

While I quite enjoyed woodwork at school, flat packs are not my favourite. Flat packs tend to be a bit of a lottery. Sometimes they go together okay and other times, there are pieces missing or the instructions don’t exactly line up with the pieces you are given.

When it comes to assembling flat packs, you give yourself the best chance of success by reading the instructions all the way through first. The other thing I find helpful, is having a picture of what the finished product is supposed to look like. That way, if the instructions are a bit vague, you can at least see what you are aiming for.

As it turned out, this particular flat pack was decent quality. It had good instructions and a picture of the finished product on the box. I managed to assemble it without any trouble, while watching the sports news and the weather. The things we do for love.

Today we continue our series in Deuteronomy. Among other things, Deuteronomy contains detailed instructions on how to assemble the flat pack of Israel’s life in the ancient world.

In this morning’s passage, which focuses on the opening verses of Deuteronomy 6, Moses shows the Israelites a picture of what the finished product is supposed to look like. The Israelites need to keep this bigger picture in mind because it makes sense of the details. From Deuteronomy 6, verses 1-9 we read…  

These are the commands, decrees and laws the Lord your God directed me to teach you to observe in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess, 2 so that you, your children and their children after them may fear the Lord your God as long as you live by keeping all his decrees and commands that I give you, and so that you may enjoy long life. 3 Hear, Israel, and be careful to obey so that it may go well with you and that you may increase greatly in a land flowing with milk and honey, just as the Lord, the God of your ancestors, promised you. 4 Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 5 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. 6 These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. 7 Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. 8 Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. 9 Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.

May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate God’s word for us.

These words, about loving God with all your heart, all your soul and all your strength probably sound familiar because we hear them on the lips of Jesus, who identified loving God as the greatest commandment.

But what does it mean to love God? True love for God involves at least four things. Love for God is Loyal, Obedient, Voluntary and Educational. L.O.V.E. spells love.  First let us consider loyalty.

Love for God is Loyal:

Sylvester Stallone once said: “I learned the real meaning of love. Love is absolute loyalty. People fade, looks fade but loyalty never fades.”

We might not expect that sort of wisdom from the man who played Rocky and Rambo, but I think there is more to Sly than meets the eye. He is right on the money with that quote. Loyalty is at the heart of true love. I guess a life time of working in Hollywood and the fickleness of fame showed him what matters.

In Arthur Millar’s play, ‘The death of a Salesman’, the main character Willy says, “You can’t eat the orange and throw the peel away. A man is not a piece of fruit.”

What Willy means is that you can’t treat a person like he is a piece of fruit. You can’t take the best out of him and then chuck him away when he is used up. That’s not loyalty. Loyalty is about remaining faithful, sticking with someone through thick and thin. Accepting the person, peel and all.

The Bible is full of stories of loyal love. There is Ruth’s loyal love for Naomi, Jonathon’s loyal love for David, Barnabas’ loyal love for Mark, Moses’ loyal love for Israel, the Father’s loyal love for the prodigal, Jesus’ loyal love for Simon Peter and so on.   

One of the key messages of Deuteronomy is, remain loyal to Yahweh the Lord. Do not turn aside to the right or the left. Do not worship any other gods. Stay on track with God Almighty. Don’t treat the Lord like an orange.

In verses 4-5 we read: 4 Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 5 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.   

These verses are known as the Shema which means ‘hear’. For centuries Jews have recited these words as part of a daily ritual of prayer.

Verse 4 is sometimes translated ‘the Lord is one’ and other times, ‘the Lord alone’. This is not an either / or choice. The original Hebrew embraces a both / and meaning.

To say, the Lord is one, points to the wholeness, the oneness, the unity and integrity of God Almighty. God is wholehearted in his commitment to the promises he makes. God’s loyalty is undivided. This means, if we are going to be in a relationship with God, we must give Him our undivided loyalty too.    

To say, the Lord alone, points to the reality that there is no other god. It connects with the first of the Ten Commandments, ‘You shall have no other gods before me’.

The Lord God Almighty is not in competition with anyone or anything else. There is only one God, therefore, to worship anything else is a lie, a falsehood, a meaningless fantasy. Again, this belief calls for our undivided loyalty to the one true God. 

When we hear the word love we may be inclined to think of a nice, warm fuzzy feeling. An emotion, like falling in love. Sometimes good feelings accompany love but not always.

Loyalty is the backbone of love. Loyalty enables love to stand under the weight of gravity. Loyalty provides strength with movement. Without loyalty, love is like a jelly fish; beautiful to look at but with no skeleton, no integrity, just a nasty sting in the tail.

We might also compare loyalty to the roots of a tree. The deeper the roots of loyalty go the more resilient the tree of our relationship with God. But if the roots of loyalty don’t run deep, then when dry times come, the tree of our relationship withers and dies.  

So that’s the first thing: to love God is to be loyal to him. Closely connected to loyalty is the idea of obedience. 

Love for God is Obedient:

If you grew up in the 80’s you are probably familiar with the movie the Princess Bride. It is a story of loyal love. The story begins with a boy sick in bed with a cold. His grandfather comes over to his house to look after him and reads him a story from a book.

In the book we are introduced to the heroes, Westley and Buttercup. Buttercup is a farm girl and Westley is a farm hand. Whenever Buttercup wants something Westley answers with the words, ‘As you wish’. He obeys her, doing just what she asks, simply because he loves her.

At the end of the movie, after the boy’s grandad has finished reading the story, the boy asks him to come back and read again tomorrow and the grandad answers, ‘As you wish’, because he loves the boy. 

Deuteronomy is peppered with commands, decrees and laws and with the encouragement to obey the Lord, so things will go well for you in the land.

In verse 5, we are told the essence or the DNA of all the commands and laws and decrees of Deuteronomy…  

5 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.

This is the picture on the box, showing us what the finished product of a life of obedience to God looks like. This is what we are aiming for. This greatest commandment makes sense of all the detailed instructions. The main reason we obey God is because we love him.   

The heart, in Hebrew thought, refers to a person’s inner life. Not just our feelings but our mind and our will, or our decision making faculties, as well.

The meaning of the word soul can have a different nuance depending on the context, but in this verse the soul refers to our whole self, including our physical body and our life force or vitality.

The word translated as strength, in verse 5, is more than just your physical energy or your ability to bench press heavy weights. Your strength here includes your wealth, your money, your time, your tools, your social influence, your house, your skills and talents, as well as your livestock (if you a farmer) or your car (if you live in the modern world).

Your strength basically equates to the resources at your disposal.  

The point is, love for God involves using everything we are and everything we have in obedience to God’s purpose.

So, for example, loving God with all your heart, soul and strength means paying a fair price for things, even if that might cost a little more, because we know that God wants us to do justly and not rip other people off.

Of, if you are in the place of the seller, loving God with all your heart, soul and strength means charging a fair price, rather than letting the market decide.

I know Christian landlords who are charging their tenants significantly less than the market rate because they are motivated by love for God, not love of money. 

Love for God is Voluntary:

This obedience of love is not an empty, heartless, fulfilling of duty. Nor is it a callous, mercenary, self-interested obedience, so that God will bless me. The obedience God wants is voluntary, motivated by love. In verse 6 we read…

6 These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts.

In other words, the obedience of love isn’t just for show. Our obedience needs to come from the heart, from the core of our self, from the inside out. Not because we have to, but because we want to. True love for God is voluntary.

As much as I don’t like assembling flat pack furniture, I will volunteer to do it for Robyn because I love her. I don’t hold Robyn in my debt for assembling her table. I take pleasure in being able to help her. In fact, I would feel jealous if she asked anyone else.

If you are a parent of small children, then you may not like changing nappies but you volunteer to clean up your child’s mess because you love them. You don’t keep an account of all the money you spend on nappies and wipes in order to invoice them when they are older. You don’t even think of it as a debt.

Or, if you are a parent of teenagers, then you may not like picking your kids up from wherever they happen to be in the middle of the night, but you volunteer because you love them. You don’t expect your kids to pay you like an Uber driver. You may not even expect them to thank you. You are just pleased to have them home safe. Love is its own reward.    

Or, if you have a friend in hospital, then even if you don’t like hospitals you may still volunteer to visit because you love them. You don’t expect your friend to entertain you when you arrive. Nor do you tell them all your troubles. You are there for them, to listen and be present so they know they are not alone.

When we volunteer to help others, out of a heart motivated by love, we are imitating God our Father. God’s love for us is voluntary. God is not obligated to us in any way. God takes care of us, even though there is often nothing in it for him. And he does not count the cost.  

Now when we say that ‘love for God is voluntary’, we are implying that true love is an act of freedom. Love is not involuntary, like a sneeze or the hiccups or an obsession of some kind. Love is a conscious choice. In fact, we cannot love God unless we are free. God sets us free so we can love.  

The Israelites had to be set free from their slavery in Egypt and from their fear, before they could truly volunteer to love God with their all. What things are binding you? What things are holding you back from loving God more fully? What hurts from the past do you still carry?

Okay, to recap what we’ve covered so far: Loving God with all your heart, soul and strength is the greatest commandment, the one that makes sense of all the other laws and decrees. Love for God is loyal, love for God is obedient and love for God is voluntary.

As nice and neat as this sounds, it’s a pretty tall order. Loving God with all your heart, soul and strength, all the time is not easy. Do not despair though. The ‘E’ in our L.O.V.E. acronym stands for educational.

And by ‘educational’ I mean love for God is a learning process. We aren’t expected to know everything all at once. Nor are we expected to never make a mistake. But we are expected to learn from our mistakes.       

Love for God is Educational:

Those of you who watch the TV show, The Simpsons, will know how every episode starts with Bart writing lines on the board at school. I’m not sure if teachers still make students do this but I remember having to write lines on the odd occasion.

Zig Ziglar is quoted as saying: “Repetition is the mother of learning, the father of action, which makes it the architect of accomplishment.”

There is truth in this I think. The more we repeat something over and over again, the more it sticks in our memory. That’s true, not just of writing lines, but of anything we attempt to learn.

Remember when you first started to learn to drive. Everything was a bit stressful and unfamiliar. You were trying to remember to look in the rear vision mirror, while changing gear and keeping an eye on your speed limit. After a couple of months though it becomes second nature.

Returning to Deuteronomy 6, from verse 7 Moses says…

7 Impress these commandments on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. 8 Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. 9 Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.

This is education by saturation, learning by repetition.

We probably never learn more than when we have to teach someone else.

Deuteronomy always has its eye on the next generation. Moses doesn’t want the people to forget. He wants them to remember and pass on God’s law of love to their children and grandchildren and so on.

Verse 7, instructs adults to talk to children about God’s commands in the everyday circumstances of life. You see a rainbow you talk about the hope we have because of God’s promises. You watch a movie with a redemption arc in the story line, you find a way to connect it back to Jesus. The kids get grumpy and have a fight, you talk about forgiveness, once they have calmed down enough to listen.

When you sit down for a meal you say a prayer to thank God. When you put your kids to bed at night you read a Bible story or two. When you start the day you recite the Lord’s prayer together. These are just some of the ways we might apply verse 7.

Thinking of verses 8 & 9, we might not tie Bible verses to our hands and heads but some of you may have a fish symbol on your car or perhaps a cross stitch Bible verse hanging on your wall. When I was younger, and had time for hobbies, I used to make small wooden crosses and give them to people as gifts. Maybe you have decorated a cake with the words ‘Jesus loves you’.

Use your imagination, be creative. What can you do to remind yourself and the people in your household of God’s law of love?      

Conclusion:

The night before his crucifixion and death Jesus said to his disciples:

Whoever accepts my commandments and obeys them is the one who loves me.

This means we love Jesus by obeying his commands.

In a few moments we will share communion together. Communion is a time to remember God’s love for us in Christ. Jesus opens the door to friendship with God. It is Jesus who makes it possible for us to love God.

Where we have failed to be loyal to God, Jesus has been loyal for us.

Where we have failed to obey God, Jesus has obeyed for us.

Jesus volunteered for the cross, because of his love for God.

By following Jesus in faith, and with the help of the Holy Spirit, we receive an education in loving God.

Grace and peace to you on the journey. 

Questions for discussion or reflection:

What stands out for you in reading this Scripture and/or in listening to the sermon? Why do you think this stood out to you?

  • Have you ever assembled a flat pack before? How did it go? Are you the kind of person who reads the instructions first or do you prefer to wing it?
  • What is loyalty? Why is loyalty important to love?
  • Why do we obey God? What is the difference between obedience motivated by love and obedience driven by duty? Who do you obey?
  • Discuss / reflect on the meaning of Deuteronomy 6:5 ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your strength.’
  • Who do you volunteer for? What things are binding you or holding you back from loving God? What hurts do you carry from the past?
  • What can you do to remind yourself and the people in your household of God’s law of love?    

Outtakes

This idea that love for God is educational isn’t just an Old Testament Moses thing. It’s a New Testament Jesus thing too. Jesus taught his disciples the meaning of love and in turn commanded them to make disciples also.

Incidentally, the word ‘disciple’ simply means student or apprentice. To be a disciple of Christ just means we are learning to be like Jesus.

We shouldn’t compartmentalise discipleship exclusively into some form of church programme. Christian discipleship doesn’t only happen when you are listening to a sermon or attending a Bible study group or doing your personal devotions. Learning to love God encompasses all of life. 

Discipleship, learning to be like Jesus, happens in singleness and marriage, when you are at work or play, whether you are well or sick.

Tawa Baptist

God’s No

Scripture: Deuteronomy 3:21-29

Video Link: https://youtu.be/Ytjj0JHzE1A

Audio Link: https://soundcloud.com/tawabaptist/sermon-26-jun-2022-gods-no

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • Moses prays
  • God answers
  • Conclusion

Introduction:

Good morning everyone.

In 1969 the Rolling Stones released a song: You can’t always get what you want. I don’t know what Mick Jagger and Keith Richards meant by the lyrics but, given it was the end of the 60’s, one might guess the song reflected a certain felt disappointment that the social change promised by the prophets of that decade had not been delivered.

In these days, of hyper-individualism, the song has become a kind of personal lament, when things don’t go our way.   

This morning we continue our series in the book of Deuteronomy by focusing on the closing verses of chapter 3, in which Moses does not get what he wants. From verse 21 of Deuteronomy 3 we read…

21 At that time I commanded Joshua: “You have seen with your own eyes all that the Lord your God has done to these two kings. The Lord will do the same to all the kingdoms over there where you are going. 22 Do not be afraid of them; the Lord your God himself will fight for you.”

23 At that time I pleaded with the Lord: 24 “Sovereign Lord, you have begun to show to your servant your greatness and your strong hand. For what god is there in heaven or on earth who can do the deeds and mighty works you do? 25 Let me go over and see the good land beyond the Jordan—that fine hill country and Lebanon.”

26 But because of you the Lord was angry with me and would not listen to me. “That is enough,” the Lord said. “Do not speak to me anymore about this matter. 27 Go up to the top of Pisgah and look west and north and south and east. Look at the land with your own eyes, since you are not going to cross this Jordan. 28 But commission Joshua, and encourage and strengthen him, for he will lead this people across and will cause them to inherit the land that you will see.” 29 So we stayed in the valley near Beth Peor.

May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate God’s word for us.

In this reading, Moses prayers and God answers Moses’ prayer, although not exactly in the way Moses might have wanted.

But before we get into Moses’ prayer let me recap where the Israelites have got to. You may remember from last week how the Lord instructed Israel to approach the Promised Land from the East being careful not to pick a fight with Edom, Moab or Ammon, and Israel obeyed.

Well, after that, there were two small kingdoms (Heshbon and Bashan), on the east side of the Jordan, which Israel had to pass through to get to the Jordan river. Israel tried to pass through these lands peacefully but king Sihon and king Og would not allow it, so Israel were forced to go to war against them and the Lord gave the new generation of Israelites victory.

Now the path was cleared for the people of Israel to cross the Jordan and take possession of the land of Canaan. Moses wanted to cross over with the Israelites too and so he prayed to ask God’s permission.

Moses prays:

Have you ever played the spinning broom game? This is when you hold a broom close to your body, looking up at the end of the handle, while spinning around a few times. After you have spun you then have to step over the broom.

To the casual observer it seems quite easy but for the person doing the spinning it is a lot harder than it looks. Trying to keep your balance after having spun several times is really difficult. You have to pause and be still for a wee bit to get your bearings and reorient yourself.

Life can be a bit like the spinning broom game at times. We can find ourselves going around and around in circles focusing on the same things and it throws us off balance. Prayer is one thing we can do to reorient ourselves.

With prayer we make time and space to be still and to shift our focus off the broom handle of life’s chores and onto the God of eternity. One of the main purposes of prayer is to connect with God, to realign ourselves with his will. We find our true north when we focus on God in worship. 

When Moses approaches God in prayer, he doesn’t start by telling God what he wants. Moses begins by focusing on God and what the Lord has done. In verse 24 Moses says…

24 “Sovereign Lord, you have begun to show to your servant your greatness and your strong hand. For what god is there in heaven or on earth who can do the deeds and mighty works you do?

Verse 24 is an example of adoration of God. By focusing on God in adoration, Moses stops spinning and reorients himself.  Moses isn’t trying to butter God up in order get what he wants. Moses is getting his head straight; he is realigning his perspective by speaking the truth about God.

When we listen to the Lord’s Prayer we notice the first half of it is all about God. Our Father who is in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.   

Jesus taught us to pray in this way because it reorients us toward God, it shows us the true north of heaven.  There is no me, my or I in the first half of Moses’ prayer or Jesus’ prayer.

So, next time you are in a spin. Next time life is going too fast and you feel like you are losing your balance, so you don’t know which way is up, take some time to stop and be still and focus on God. Tell him and yourself some things you know to be true about the Lord. Simply adore him and let your perspective return.

Only after Moses has focused on God in adoration does he then attempt to step over the broom handle and ask for what he wants, saying in verse 25…

25 Let me go over and see the good land beyond the Jordan—that fine hill country and Lebanon.”

This is quite remarkable really. Moses is the better part of 120 years old by this stage and he isn’t yet tired of this life. Moses has had a taste of what God can do and he wants more. After 40 years of frustration, doing the hard yards and wandering in the wilderness, Moses wants to see the fruits of his labours. And who could blame him.

Moses describes the land beyond the Jordan as fine. Elsewhere it is spoken of as fertile, a land flowing with milk and honey. I’ve never been to Palestine but I’ve seen images and not many people would describe it as fine these days.

It’s not rolling green pastures or thick native bush like we have in New Zealand. More the opposite really. Not sure why people make such a fuss and spill so much blood over it?

Well, most probably it was a fine and fertile land during the time of Moses, all those centuries ago. But now, due to the impact of man and erosion, the land is less appealing.

Perhaps though it wasn’t just the physical characteristics of the land that excited Moses. More likely it was the hope that the land embodied.     

As Moses himself indicates, he was keen to see more of the works of God. He saw how the new generation of Israelites obeyed God and he wants to see more of that obedience of faith. Not only that but Moses is keen to see more victories by the Lord’s hand, as when God defeated king Sihon and king Og.

God answers:

Unfortunately, you can’t always get what you want. The Lord responded to Moses saying…  

“That is enough. Do not speak to me anymore about this matter…”

Apparently, this was not the first time Moses had asked God if he could enter the land.

God’s answers to our prayers are like a traffic light. We usually get one of three responses from God. Green for yes, amber for wait and red for no. On this occasion Moses is not able to change God’s mind. It is a firm no.     

In verse 26, Moses says…  

26 But because of you the Lord was angry with me and would not listen to me.

Moses is referring here to an incident that happened years earlier in the wilderness. At one point (in Numbers 20) when the people were complaining about not having any water to drink, Moses asked the Lord what to do.

The Lord told Moses and Aaron to speak to a particular rock in the sight of the Israelites and it will pour out its water. But Moses was in a spin. He had lost his balance. Moses was angry with the people and said to them, ‘Listen you rebels, must we bring water out of this rock for you?’ And then he struck the rock twice with his staff.

Water did come out of the rock and the people drank but God was not happy. So the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not trust in me enough to honour me as holy in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this community into the land I give them.”

According to this verse, Moses did two things to offend God here. Firstly, Moses did not trust God enough. He hit the rock twice, when God had told him to speak to the rock. And secondly Moses did not honour the Lord as holy in the sight of the Israelites.

To say that God is holy means that he is set apart, he is different from anyone or anything else. God is one of a kind. There is nothing else in all creation as good or pure or powerful or loving as God Almighty.

When Moses said, ‘must we bring water out of this rock for you?’ he by-passed the Lord. God and God alone is the only one who can bring water out of a rock. This was an opportunity for the people to see the holiness of God in action. Moses didn’t give God the credit or the honour. Moses treated something holy (a life giving miracle of God) as if it were common or profane.

This was out of character for Moses. This was not what we normally observe with the great man. His sister Miriam had just died, so Moses was grieving. More than that though, the people were being really difficult. They were always pushing back on something, so obstinate, so obtuse. Moses’ frustration was understandable.

When we consider Moses’ long and faithful service to the Lord and all the challenges he faced, we might think God was being a bit harsh in refusing Moses entry to the land. Surely God could wink at Moses’ indiscretion this once and make an allowance. But to go down that path in our mind is to misunderstand the holiness of God.

God was not being unfair to Moses by saying ‘no’. The Lord punished others in the wilderness for their mistakes. It wouldn’t then be right or fair for the Lord to give Moses a free pass. Even though Moses is the leader, he was still subject to the Law as much as the people were.

Faithful service to God does not make God obligated to us in any way. Faithful service to God is what we should be doing anyway. It’s like Jesus said to his disciples in Luke 17…

7 “Suppose one of you has a servant ploughing or looking after the sheep. Will he say to the servant when he comes in from the field, ‘Come along now and sit down to eat’? 8 Won’t he rather say, ‘Prepare my supper, get yourself ready and wait on me while I eat and drink; after that you may eat and drink’? 9 Will he thank the servant because he did what he was told to do? 10 So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.’”

Sometimes we human beings forget our place. Sometimes, when we are busy spinning around that pole, we become disoriented and think that God is there to give us what we want. And while the Lord is gracious and he does help us in so many ways, we need to remember that God is the boss and we are the workers. God is free to say ‘no’ if he thinks that is best and we need to respect his ‘no’.  

Three times in the Garden of Gethsemane Jesus said to God the Father, ‘Take this cup from me’, but God said ‘no’ and Jesus accepted God’s will for him.

Three times the apostle Paul prayed for God to remove his thorn in the flesh but God said, ‘No, my grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness’.

Sometimes we need to persevere in prayer. Jesus taught that. But after having persevered, if the answer is still ‘no’, then we need to let it go and give our energy to those things God is saying ‘yes’ to.

What prayer do you keep repeating in the hope that God might change his mind? What personal request, in your life, has God answered with a ‘no’? I know for some people this will be a painful thought.

The temptation when God says ‘no’ is to throw our toys out of the cot and go ahead and do what we want anyway. We need to resist that temptation. We need to be still and reorient ourselves through worship and prayer. We need to let God be God and say with Jesus, ‘Not my will Lord, but your will be done.’

Returning Deuteronomy 3; in verses 27 & 28 we see the grace in God’s no. In verse 27 we read what God said to Moses…

27 Go up to the top of Pisgah and look west and north and south and east. Look at the land with your own eyes, since you are not going to cross this Jordan.

God doesn’t let Moses cross the Jordan but he does allow Moses to see the land from a distance.

Moses standing on top of Mount Pisgah looking on the Promised Land, reminds me of the Mount of Transfiguration, when Moses and Elijah (representing the Law and the Prophets) stood with Jesus in all his glory.

Moses may not have entered the land of Canaan physically but God gave Moses something far greater. The Lord allowed Moses to stand in glory with Jesus. 

Jesus fulfilled the purpose of Moses life, just as he fulfils the purpose of our lives.  

If God says ‘no’ to your request, just wait. He might have something better in store for you later.  

From verse 28 the Lord continues his instruction to Moses, saying…

28 But commission Joshua, and encourage and strengthen him, for he will lead this people across and will cause them to inherit the land that you will see.”

Joshua was Moses’ assistant. Moses was Joshua’s mentor. Even though Moses was not allowed to cross the Jordan to take the land, the Lord was saying the new generation of Israelites would. Moses could rest in the knowledge that his life’s work had not been in vain.

The name ‘Joshua’ means The Lord saves. The Greek form of the name Joshua translates to Jesus – so Joshua points to Jesus, the ultimate successor to Moses. It is Jesus who leads us to the Promised Land of God’s kingdom.

To his credit Moses does what God tells him to do. In verses 21 and 22 Moses encourages and strengthens Joshua, saying…

21 “You have seen with your own eyes all that the Lord your God has done to these two kings. The Lord will do the same to all the kingdoms over there where you are going. 22 Do not be afraid of them; the Lord your God himself will fight for you.”

On the face of it Moses appears to be telling Joshua to be brave and courageous in battle, because the Lord (Yahweh) will fight for them and give them victory over the Canaanites. But there is more going on here than a simple pep talk.

In verse 29, we read that the Israelites were staying in the valley near Beth Peor, at this stage.

Geographically, Beth Peor was the last stopping point on the east side of the Jordan. But Beth Peor also had theological significance. According to Numbers 25, Beth Peor was the place where the old generation of Israelites yoked themselves to Baal. So Beth Peor was where Israel had betrayed God. It was a place where pagans practiced their religion. 

Beth Peor then, represented Israel’s failure. It was a spiritually dangerous place. A place of religious temptation.  

Joshua needs all the assurance he can get, not just for military success but (more importantly) to remain faithful to God Almighty and resist the religious alternatives offered by the Canaanites. [1]

To paraphrase Walter Brueggemann: The community of faith is not defined by its past (which is strewn with bad choices) nor by its current context (which breeds despair). Rather, the community of faith is defined by its deep elemental connection to God who can be trusted in every risky circumstance. [2]

In other words, Joshua does not need to be afraid of the so called gods of his enemies. Nor does he need to rely on his own skill or courage. Joshua and Israel need to trust the Lord God Almighty. He will do right by them.  

What is your Beth Peor? What is your moment of failure, your spiritually dangerous place, where you are most vulnerable to temptation, most susceptible to spinning out of control and losing your balance?

Do not be afraid. All our Beth Peors were nailed to the cross with Jesus. There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ.

Conclusion:

Let us pray…

Sovereign Lord, you have shown your greatness, your love, your grace, your truth, your power, your holiness in the person of Jesus Christ. There is no other god in heaven or on earth who can do the deeds and mighty works you do. Help us to remember you are the master and we are your servants. Keep us faithful to your call, especially when your answer to our prayers is ‘no’. Through Jesus we pray. Amen.

Questions for discussion or reflection:

What stands out for you in reading this Scripture and/or in listening to the sermon? Why do you think this stood out to you?

  • Have you ever played the spinning broom game? What happened? What did it feel like? How do we reorient ourselves when we have lost our balance or perspective?
  • Why do Moses and Jesus teach us to begin prayer with worship and adoration for who God is and what he has done?
  • Why do you think Moses wants to cross the Jordan to see the Promised Land? Why does God say ‘no’ to Moses’ request?
  • Have you ever prayed for something and had God say ‘no’? What happened? How did you feel? How did you respond? In hindsight, are you able to see God’s grace in his ‘no’?
  • Discuss / reflect on Jesus’ parable in Luke 17:7-10.
  • What is your Beth Peor? Ask Jesus’ forgiveness (if you haven’t already) and imagine your mistakes being nailed to the cross. Jesus does for us what we cannot do for ourselves. Declare the truth that there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ. Start each day this week by giving your mind to thanks and praise for what God has done in Christ.    

[1] Refer Walter Brueggemann’s commentary on Deuteronomy, page 46.

[2] Ibid, page 50.

Tawa Baptist

God of Nations

Scripture: Deuteronomy 2:1-22

Video Link: https://youtu.be/JfIeZYvwFjE

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • God’s greatness
  • Israel’s obedience of faith
  • Conclusion

Introduction:

Kia ora koutou and good morning everyone.

How many countries do you think there are in the world today? Take a guess.

Well, the precise number is disputed but according to the United Nations there are 195 countries in the world. But, according to FIFA, 211 countries are eligible for the world cup. So, if you guessed anywhere between 195 and 211, then well done. You’ve done enough for a mellow puff.  

Today we continue our series in Deuteronomy focusing on chapter 2, verses 1-22. In this passage Moses sheds some light on God’s governance of those nations who will be Israel’s close neighbours. 

Last week we heard how the Israelites failed to enter the Land of Canaan and were sent back to wander in the wilderness for the better part of 40 years. Now it is the turn of the next generation of Israelites. Will they do better than their parents?

From the end of Deuteronomy chapter 1 we pick up the story. This is Moses speaking to the Israelites, on the edge of the land, as their sojourn in the wilderness comes to an end…

46 And so you stayed in Kadesh many days—all the time you spent there.

2 Then we turned back and set out toward the wilderness along the route to the Red Sea, as the Lord had directed me. For a long time we made our way around the hill country of Seir. 2 Then the Lord said to me, 3 “You have made your way around this hill country long enough; now turn north. 4 Give the people these orders: ‘You are about to pass through the territory of your relatives the descendants of Esau, who live in Seir. They will be afraid of you, but be very careful. 5 Do not provoke them to war, for I will not give you any of their land, not even enough to put your foot on. I have given Esau the hill country of Seir as his own. 6 You are to pay them in silver for the food you eat and the water you drink.’” 7 The Lord your God has blessed you in all the work of your hands. He has watched over your journey through this vast wilderness. These forty years the Lord your God has been with you, and you have not lacked anything. 8 So we went on past our relatives the descendants of Esau, who live in Seir. We turned from the Arabah road, which comes up from Elath and Ezion Geber, and travelled along the desert road of Moab. 9 Then the Lord said to me, “Do not harass the Moabites or provoke them to war, for I will not give you any part of their land. I have given Ar to the descendants of Lot as a possession.” 10 (The Emites used to live there—a people strong and numerous, and as tall as the Anakites. 11 Like the Anakites, they too were considered Rephaites, but the Moabites called them Emites. 12 Horites used to live in Seir, but the descendants of Esau drove them out. They destroyed the Horites from before them and settled in their place, just as Israel did in the land the Lord gave them as their possession.) 13 And the Lord said, “Now get up and cross the Zered Valley.” So we crossed the valley. 14 Thirty-eight years passed from the time we left Kadesh Barnea until we crossed the Zered Valley. By then, that entire generation of fighting men had perished from the camp, as the Lord had sworn to them.  15 The Lord’s hand was against them until he had completely eliminated them from the camp. 16 Now when the last of these fighting men among the people had died, 17 the Lord said to me, 18 “Today you are to pass by the region of Moab at Ar. 19 When you come to the Ammonites, do not harass them or provoke them to war, for I will not give you possession of any land belonging to the Ammonites. I have given it as a possession to the descendants of Lot.”

May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate God’s word for us.

It might not seem like it at first, but this passage is full of good news. Mainly the good news of God’s greatness, but also the good news of Israel’s obedience of faith. First let’s consider God’s greatness.

God’s greatness:

In the 1870’s Thomas Bracken wrote the words of a poem titled, God defend New Zealand. This poem would later be set to music and become the national anthem of our country.

The opening line (in English) begins with the words, ‘God of nations…’. These three words pay homage to God’s greatness. The Lord God is in fact sovereign over all the nations of the earth. That means God is in charge. God draws the boundary lines. He places peoples of different cultures where he decides.

Thomas Bracken got this idea, that the Lord Almighty is the God of nations from Moses.

In Deuteronomy 2, Moses traces the journey of the next generation of Israelites as they approached Canaan. On this occasion, the Lord instructed Israel to enter the land from the East. This meant travelling up through the nations of Edom, Moab and Ammon.   

The Lord instructs the people to be very careful when passing through Edom and not to pick a fight. Treat the Edomites with respect because they are your brothers & sisters and because the land they occupy was given to them by God.

As it turned out the Edomites were so afraid of the Israelites they wouldn’t allow them through their heartland and so Israel had to go around the outskirts.

Likewise, when Israel came to the nations of Moab and Ammon, the Lord gave the Israelites the same instructions; to respect the Moabites and Ammonites because he (the Lord) had given the Moabites and Ammonites the land they occupied as their possession. 

The point, which is repeated here, is that the Lord Almighty is the God of nations. He isn’t just the national God of Israel. Yahweh is greater than that. He rules over all the countries of the world, allocating land as he deems right.

As we read in the New Testament book of Acts…

26 From one man God made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. 27 God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us. 28 ‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’

These verses tell us that God allocates land to various people groups at different times in history so that people will seek a relationship with him. So that humanity would come to understand that God is the ground of our being.

Israel were not to try and take land given by God to others. They were to respect the boundaries the Lord had put in place and be content with the land God had provided.

Returning to Deuteronomy 2, we also see the greatness of God’s grace.

The land of Edom was occupied by the descendants of Esau. Esau was the twin brother of Jacob and the Israelites were the descendants of Jacob, so Edom & Israel were closely related.

Even though Jacob was the one to inherit God’s promise to Abraham, the Lord did not forget Esau, who sold his birth right for a bowl of stew. The Lord blessed Esau’s descendants and made room for them too.

In a similar vein, the Moabites and the Ammonites were the descendants of Abraham’s nephew Lot. The Israelites were descended directly from Abraham, so that made Moab & Ammon part of Israel’s family tree.  

Lot’s sons, Moab & Ben-Ammi were conceived through incest. But, in spite of this less than ideal start, God (in his amazing grace) blessed Lot’s descendants and made room for them as well.

You might be wondering, so what does this have to with me? Well, the point of application is that God is greater than our mistakes. He is greater than our sin and selfishness. 

Do you have regrets over poor decisions you made in your youth, like Esau? That’s no problem to God. He has the ability to redeem your regret and turn it into something good.

Do you have skeletons in your family closet, like Lot’s family did? That’s no problem to God. He has the ability to turn what you would rather hide into something good.

In verses 20-22 Moses specifically says that God drove the Zamzummites out of the land of Ammon, just as he drove the Horites out of the land of Edom. Moses is underscoring the greatness of God’s power and authority here. The Lord Almighty moves nations around the world like pieces on a chess board. We might not always understand what’s going on but God knows what he’s doing.  

You may remember from last week how the previous generation of Israelites failed to enter the land of promise because they were afraid of the people living there. These people were known by various names. Rephaites (which means ghosts), Emites (which means terror), Anakites (which means giants) and Zamzummites (which refers to a threatening sound). [1]  

With names like that, no wonder the Israelites were scared. For those of you who are familiar with Harry Potter, these people had a Voldemort like reputation. Or if Stranger Things is more your style, then these people were like the mind-splayer, filling the Israelites with fear and dread. Or if you are into Star Wars, then the Rephaites, Emites and Anakites were like Darth Vader and the Imperial Guards.

Moses mentions their demise as a reassurance, to the next generation of Israelites, not to be afraid. Given that God drove the ghosts and the terrorists and the giants out to make room for the Edomites, the Moabites and the Ammonites, then how much more will God do for Israel.  

Again you may ask, that’s all good and well for Israel but what has this got to do with me? Well, the point of application is that our God (the God of nations) is greater than your worst fears. So if God is for you, then you do not need to be afraid.

There’s one other aspect of God’s greatness I want to draw your attention to in these verses from Deuteronomy 2. I’m not sure what to call it? Is it God’s winsomeness? Is it his disinterested virtue? Is it his goodness and generosity? Is it steadfast love? Theologians might call it ‘prevenient grace’. 

Whatever adjective we give it, this quality of God’s greatness is so subtle, so understated in the text, we could easily miss it.

The Moabites did not worship Yahweh, the Lord Almighty. They worshipped a deity called Chemosh. Likewise, the Ammonites did not worship Yahweh either. They worshipped a deity called Milkom. [2]   

And yet, even though the Moabites and the Ammonites were not loyal to Yahweh, the Lord Almighty (the God of nations) still fought on their behalf to give them their portion of land.

What has this got to do with you? Well, God’s action in helping a people who did not know him points to what Jesus did for us. In Romans 5 Paul writes…

6 You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. 7 Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! 10 For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! 

We don’t know the half of what God has done for us. Before we were even born God was at work to provide for us, to care for us and to save us. I don’t know what the word for that is but it speaks of God’s greatness. The greatness of his love.

There is so much good news in today’s reading from Deuteronomy 2. While the main focus of the good news is the greatness of God, we must also acknowledge the good news of Israel’s faith.

Israel’s obedience of faith:

According to the United Nations, the median age of the New Zealand population is currently between 38 and 39 years old and increasing. By the year 2050 the median age is expected to be around 44 years old. Back in 1970 the median age was relatively low at around 25.6 years.

To put that in context the global median age has increased from 21.5 years in 1970 to just over 30 years old today. About a quarter of the world’s population is under the age of 14.

In verse 14 of Deuteronomy 2 we read…

14 Thirty-eight years passed from the time we left Kadesh Barnea until we crossed the Zered Valley. By then, that entire generation of fighting men had perished from the camp, as the Lord had sworn to them. 

That means, by the time the Israelites passed through the nation of Moab, there would be no one older than 60 years of age (with the exception of Moses, Caleb and Joshua). Most of the people would be under the age of 50.

Very few would have any memory of their exodus from Egypt, much less the experience of being oppressed as slaves. Almost the entire population would know nothing except life in the desert. Pretty much everyone would have buried their parents in the wilderness.

We don’t know what the median age of the Israelites would have been at that time in history but one would guess it was maybe around 20 years old, give or take. Pretty young in any case. 

The generation, or time in history, you are raised in tends to have an influence in shaping the way you are. Generally speaking, people who were born around the same time are more likely to share similar experiences in life and to exhibit similar behaviours and attitudes.

Sociologists have identified four generational archetypes which appear to repeat themselves over the course of a century. There is the hero generation (born between 1901 and 1924). Also known as the GI generation or builders, these people lived through the great depression of the 1930’s and fought in the Second World War.

Then came the artist generation (born between 1925 and 1942), also known as the silent generation because they lived in the shadow of the hero generation.

After that came the prophet generation (born between 1943 and 1960). We know them as baby boomers. Some of the prophet generation became hippees.

The next generation (mainly children of the boomers) are the nomad generation (born between 1961 and 1981). These people are sometimes called Gen X, or the latch key generation because they grew up relying on themselves.

In theory, the Millennials (born between 1982 and 2002) start the cycle again as the new hero generation.

The exact years for these generations is disputed. Different experts dice up the generations differently, so don’t get hung up on the details and don’t put too much weight on it. I share it with you today to illustrate the point that each generation is different from the one before. 

The new generation of Israelites (that Moses is addressing in Deuteronomy 2) were different from their parents. The next generation had not been scarred in the same way by the experience of slavery in Egypt. They were not as afraid as their parents. They had been raised in the wilderness as nomads.

During their time in the wilderness they learned to trust God because, despite the difficult circumstances in which they were raised, they knew from personal experience that God had always been faithful in providing manna and quail and water. God had always looked after them.

Now they were about to transition to a more settled existence, with land of their own, they needed to be heroes in taking hold of God’s promise.

Verse 8 of Deuteronomy 2, appears quite unremarkable at first glance. Verse 8 reads: 8 So we went on past our relatives the descendants of Esau, who live in Seir. We turned from the Arabah road, which comes up from Elath and Ezion Geber, and travelled along the desert road of Moab.

On the face of it this verse seems to simply describe Israel travelling by map.

But what verse 8 implies is truly remarkable. This next generation of Israelites obeyed God. They were different to their parents. The Lord (Yahweh) told them to be careful and not attack the Edomites and the Israelites trusted the Lord, doing exactly what he asked of them.

This is what is known as the obedience of faith. Not doing what we think is best but trusting God and doing what he asks, even if it doesn’t make sense to us at the time.   

I imagine it must have been tempting for Israel to see an opportunity here and go for a land grab. Israel had the upper hand. They knew the Edomites were afraid of them. Israel could have taken advantage of Edom’s fear and attacked. But they didn’t. Israel showed restraint.

Often we associate faith with doing something brave or extraordinary, and it can be that. More often though faith takes the form of exercising self-control and not doing anything stupid or selfish. Moving through the land of Edom, Moab and Ammon, without taking advantage of the locals, was a test of faith that Israel passed.

By obeying Yahweh in this way, Israel were demonstrating their faith in the Lord. They were effectively saying, ‘We believe that Yahweh is in charge. The Lord Almighty is God of nations and he will provide land for us’. 

This is next generation faith. This is good news. This is Israel doing justly, showing mercy and walking humbly with God.  

Conclusion:

Deuteronomy 2 touches on some sensitive issues for us. In particular, the issue of land and who has the right to possess it. Disputes and wars to do with land in the Middle East have been simmering and boiling over for centuries.

Every night we see glimpses of the war in Ukraine on our TV’s and laptops. And we, in the West, are shocked and appalled that Russia thinks it is entitled to invade the Ukraine. Presumably there are some in Russia who think they are taking back what was theirs in the first place.   

Here in New Zealand, we have our own history of land grabbing. Greedy, ruthless men in the 19th Century, who cared more about money than anything else, dispossessed Maori of much of the land they occupied. But even before the European came, Maori were taking land from each other. Iwi against Iwi.  

While the Bible wants to affirm that the Lord Almighty is God of nations and he alone has the right to determine who has possession of the land and where the boundary lines fall, the historical reality is that human beings (in their fear and greed and hubris) continue to transgress God’s boundaries.

I have no interest in passing judgment on who is right and who is wrong in disputes over land. I don’t have the knowledge or the wisdom, much less the authority, to decide those sorts of matters.

I’m just a pastor of a small church, in a land that seems to be forgetting God. My job is to remind people of God and to help people understand the Bible so we know how to relate with God and with our neighbours. I don’t have all the answers. In fact, a lot of the time I’m just trying to figure out what the right question is. But this I know to be true. God is just and merciful.

That means, there will be a reckoning for those who transgress the boundaries that God puts in place. It also means that those who have been treated unjustly will be restored.

In the meantime, we need to remember that Jesus is King. He is Sovereign over all the earth. And one day every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. Amen.

Questions for discussion or reflection:

What stands out for you in reading this Scripture and/or in listening to the sermon? Why do you think this stood out to you?

  • What good news do you see in Deuteronomy 2:1-22?
  • What are we saying about God when we sing, “God of nations…”? Why does God allocate land and set geographical boundaries for various people groups? (Refer to Acts 17:24-28)
  • Do you have regrets over decisions you made in the past (like Esau)? How has God redeemed your regrets? (If you are still waiting for God’s redemption, what would you like Him to do?)
  • God provided land for the Moabites and the Ammonites, even though they did not worship Him. Consider God’s loyalty to you throughout your life. Looking back, in what ways has God been at work in your life to care for you and draw you to himself, even before you believed in him?  
  • How was the next generation of Israelites different from their parents? Which generational archetype do you identify with the most and why? (E.g. hero, artist, prophet or nomad.)
  • What is meant by the phrase ‘obedience of faith’? Can you think of a time in your life when you trusted and obeyed God? What happened?

[1] Refer Daniel I. Block, NIVAC Deuteronomy, page 84.

[2] C.f Daniel I. Block, NIVAC Deuteronomy, page 84.

Tawa Baptist

Yesterday

Scripture: Deuteronomy 1:19-45

Video Link: https://youtu.be/JaiElrXVwTc

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • Israel’s fear in the face of God’s faithfulness
  • Israel’s arrogance in the face of God’s anger
  • Conclusion

Introduction:

Good morning everyone.

The atheist philosopher, George Santanya, once said: ‘Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.’

Whatever George Santanya may have believed about God, this quote certainly strikes a chord with Moses. In Deuteronomy, Moses gives a series of sermons to the people of Israel as they stand on the edge of the Promised Land, after 40 years of wandering in the wilderness.

In the opening chapters of Deuteronomy, Moses is at pains to remind the Israelites of their past, in particular the mistakes of their past.

Today’s message draws its inspiration from Deuteronomy chapter 1, verses 19-45, in which Moses recounts the events of 38 years earlier, when the people of Israel failed to enter the Promised Land.

Moses is now speaking to the adult children of those who faltered. And he doesn’t mince words or sugar coat it. Moses wants the next generation to learn from the past, so they don’t make the same mistakes their parents did.

Broadly speaking Moses highlights at least two mistakes to avoid from the past. There is Israel’s fear in the face of God’s faithfulness and there is Israel’s arrogance in the face of God’s anger. First let’s consider Israel’s fear. 

Israel’s fear in the face of God’s faithfulness:

In verses 19-33 of Deuteronomy 1, which we read earlier in today’s service, Moses recalls the events that led up to Israel’s first failed attempt to the enter the land.

In summary, the nation left Mount Sinai and arrived at Kadesh Barnea, which is an oasis to the south of the land of Canaan. Moses said: Take the land the Lord your God is giving you, don’t hesitate and don’t be afraid.

But the people wanted to send spies in first, which seemed prudent at the time, so Moses agreed. Each of the 12 spies gave a favourable report of the land but only two (Joshua and Caleb) were keen to proceed. The other 10 spies focused more on the obstacles and threats, saying there were giants in the land and the walls of the cities reached to the sky.

Unfortunately, democracy was the winner and Joshua and Caleb’s minority report was ignored. From verse 26 of Deuteronomy 1, Moses remembers…

26 “But you rebelled against the command of the Lord your God, and you would not enter the land. 27 You grumbled to one another: ‘The Lord hates us. He brought us out of Egypt just to hand us over to these Amorites, so that they could kill us. 28 Why should we go there? We are afraid.

Fear is a powerful thing. There are two kinds of fear. Rational fear, which is well founded in truth and useful to protect us. Like, seeing a hot element on the stove and not touching it for fear of being burned.

And then there is irrational fear, which is based on a lie. Irrational fear, if it gets hold of us, distorts our perspective and blinds us. Irrational fear paralyses people. The Israelites’ fear was irrational. It was based on a false belief.   

David Riddell, a Christian counsellor, has a helpful tool for correcting false beliefs and renewing your mind. He calls it Trace – Face – Replace.

The idea with trace face replace is to trace your self-talk and feelings to the underlying beliefs which are driving those feelings. Then face your beliefs squarely, to see whether or not they are really true. And, if the belief you hold is false, then replace it with a belief that is true.

For example, if you find that you have a habit of bailing out when the going gets tough, you might trace that behaviour to a belief that life should be easy. When you face that belief you find that it is false. Actually, life is not easy. So, with time and practice, you replace the belief with one that is true. Something like, life has it challenges but God is with us and for us through thick and thin. We need to speak the truth to ourselves.

Now I’m not suggesting that all anxiety can be cured in this way. There is a certain level of systemic (or ambient) anxiety in our world today, due to a range of factors which are outside of our control. Nevertheless, I think David Riddell’s method is helpful.   

The Israelites were afraid of entering the Promised Land. And when we trace that feeling of fear to its source, we see it was based on a belief that God hates them.

Moses, who is a wise and compassionate pastor, tries to get the people to face their wrongly held belief in order to replace that false belief with a belief that is true. In verse 29, Moses says… 

29 “But I told you, ‘Don’t be afraid of those people. 30 The Lord your God will lead you, and he will fight for you, just as you saw him do in Egypt 31 and in the desert. You saw how he brought you safely all the way to this place, just as a father would carry his son.’     

Sometimes we think that faith is not based on anything. It’s just a leap in the dark. But Biblical faith looks back at the facts of what God has done in the past. Faith is grounded in the reality of our experience with God.  (Not just our personal experience but our collective experience also.) 

Moses fights fear with facts. The people believe that God hates them and so Moses basically says, ‘Where’s the evidence for that belief?’ The facts are that God delivered you from slavery in Egypt and brought you safely through the desert to this oasis. All the evidence indicates that God loves you.

Why would God provide all that care and protection only to lead you into an ambush? It doesn’t make sense. Your false belief needs to be replaced with a true belief.

In verse 30, Moses says the Lord your God will lead you and fight for you. Here God is portrayed as a powerful warrior, the General of a heavenly army. This belief, that God will fight for Israel, is not random. It is based on the fact that God actually did this for Israel when they left Egypt. 

Then, in verse 31, God is portrayed as a loving Father, where Moses says: You saw how he brought you safely all the way to this place, just as a father would carry his son. Again, that statement is based on the facts of what God has done in the past.

So the true belief, the belief Moses wants the people to hold to going forward, is that God is powerful, like a mighty warrior, but also gentle and protective like a loving Father.

There is so much fear and anxiety in our world today. Some of it is reasonable but not all of it. If we were to trace our fears to the underlying beliefs we hold, we would probably find that many of our beliefs are simply false and need to be replaced with a belief that is accurate and true.

What is it you really believe about God?

I’m not sure we really know what we believe when we are singing songs in church on Sunday. I think we find out what we truly believe when the faecal matter hits the fan, Monday through to Friday.

Do you believe God hates you? The truth is, God loves you like a good father. That doesn’t mean you won’t have to struggle. That doesn’t mean you won’t ever meet with resistance. But it does mean you are not alone in your struggle.

Do you believe God is powerless? The truth is, God is mighty to save, like a powerful warrior. That doesn’t mean life will always be easy. It doesn’t mean everything will be handed to you on a silver platter. But it does mean God can work every circumstance for good.

Returning to Deuteronomy. Sadly, the people of Israel still would not trust the Lord, even though Moses had reminded them of the facts of God’s leadership and care for them. 

If verses 19-33 of Deuteronomy 1 speak of Israel’s fear in the face of God’s faithfulness, then verses 34-45 speak of Israel’s arrogance in the face of God’s anger. We pick up Moses’ retelling of Israel’s past from verse 34…

34 “The Lord heard your complaints and became angry, and so he solemnly declared, 35 ‘Not one of you from this evil generation will enter the fertile land that I promised to give your ancestors. 36 Only Caleb son of Jephunneh will enter it. He has remained faithful to me, and I will give him and his descendants the land that he has explored.’ 

37 Because of you the Lord also became angry with me and said, ‘Not even you, Moses, will enter the land. 38 But strengthen the determination of your helper, Joshua son of Nun. He will lead Israel to occupy the land.’

39 “Then the Lord said to all of us, ‘Your children, who are still too young to know right from wrong, will enter the land—the children you said would be seized by your enemies. I will give the land to them, and they will occupy it. 40 But as for you people, turn around and go back into the desert on the road to the Gulf of Aqaba.’

41 “You replied, ‘Moses, we have sinned against the Lord. But now we will attack, just as the Lord our God commanded us.’ Then each one of you got ready to fight, thinking it would be easy to invade the hill country.

42 “But the Lord said to me, ‘Warn them not to attack, for I will not be with them, and their enemies will defeat them.’ 

43 I told you what the Lord had said, but you paid no attention. You rebelled against him, and in your arrogance you marched into the hill country. 44 Then the Amorites who lived in those hills came out against you like a swarm of bees. They chased you as far as Hormah and defeated you there in the hill country of Edom. 45 So you cried out to the Lord for help, but he would not listen to you or pay any attention to you.

May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate God’s word for us.

When we think of anger we tend to picture someone losing control. A sudden outburst of pent up emotion. Perhaps yelling or punching the wall. Anger has many faces though. More often, in our culture, anger slips out in the form of sarcasm, or it goes inward as with resentment.

Anger is usually the result of injustice. If you cut yourself, you bleed. If you suffer injustice, you feel angry. The greater the injustice the greater the anger (whether that injustice is real or merely imagined).

The problem with us human beings is that we have a proclivity to feel we have been badly slighted or unfairly treated when in fact we haven’t. Or we might be inclined to magnify the injustice we feel because there is power in taking the role of the victim. So human anger is not always righteous or justified.

In verse 34, Moses says that God became angry after listening to Israel’s complaints. Because we human beings are so self-centred we often make the mistake of thinking that divine anger is the same as human anger. But it’s not.

Yes, injustice makes God angry too; the Lord was angry with Israel because their complaints against him were untrue and unjust. But God has a far better handle on his anger than we do. God keeps the injustice in perspective. He doesn’t exaggerate it. And his expression of anger is always fair and measured, salted with mercy and creativity. God does not explode in a fit of rage.

We see the fairness of God’s anger in the solemn declaration he makes in verses 35-38. The Lord vows that this generation of Israelites, who believed he hated them, will not enter the Promised Land. So often God’s wrath takes the form of giving people what they say they want. God’s wrath is not him hitting people with a big stick. More often, God’s wrath takes the form of God stepping back and letting people experience the consequences of their own choices.

But God’s anger is also discerning. God’s anger minimises any collateral damage. The innocent ones do not receive the same treatment as the guilty. Caleb and Joshua, the two spies who trusted God and encouraged the people to take the land, they both get in. They have to wait the better part of 40 years, but still they are treated with fairness.

As well as being fair and righteous, God’s anger is also creative. Verses 39-40 surely reveal the beauty and wisdom of God’s anger. Israel were afraid of what their enemies might do to their children so God basically says, ‘I will prove your fear to be false. Your children will occupy the land. They will succeed where you have failed.’

Imagine this. Someone you know well, someone you had treated with kindness, repaid your kindness by spreading malicious rumours about you. The things they said were untrue, unkind and unfair.

How would you feel? I expect you would feel angry and rightly so. But what are you going to do with that anger? Are you going to play a game of tit for tat and say nasty things about them behind their back?

Or are you going to tell them to their face that they are out of line and then, to prove them wrong, put money in a Trust fund for their kids to buy a house one day? (In this little story you’ve got the means to do that.)

Probably most of us want to speak our mind to those who wrong us but I don’t think any of us would bless their children so generously. And yet that is effectively what God did with his anger. He turned it into something creative and beneficial, saying your kids will inherit the land. God is not like us. His anger is just and merciful.

God’s declaration, that the children will inherit the Promised Land, reminds me of Jesus who says in the gospels: Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the Kingdom of Heaven.   

Simple, childlike trust opens the door.

So what does Israel do in the face of the Lord’s anger? Well, they say to Moses (in verse 41)…

‘…we have sinned against the Lord. But now we will attack, just as the Lord our God commanded us.’

On the face of it, this looks like repentance and we would expect repentance to do the trick. But it is too late. This is not the eleventh hour. This is the thirteenth hour.[1] God has already made his solemn declaration and he won’t take it back. That particular generation of Israel have missed their window of opportunity for entering the land.

Another quote from George Santanya: ‘Fanaticism consists in redoubling your effort when you have forgotten your aim.’ 

Or to put it another way, if what you are doing isn’t working, then more of the same isn’t going to help. 

By this definition the Israelites of Moses’ generation were fanatics. They redoubled their efforts while forgetting their aim. Israel’s aim, their purpose, was to trust and obey the Lord God. Sadly, they had forgotten this and compensated by redoubling their efforts, by trying even harder. But there’s no point in shutting the stable door after the horse has bolted.

Even though Moses warned them that God was not with them to give them victory, the people rebelled against the Lord and in their arrogance marched into battle only to suffer heavy defeat.

Maybe their earlier repentance was honest enough in that moment but it is undone by the next moment’s truth.

It seems that Israel’s need for redemption was so great they were willing to risk their lives for it. But salvation belongs to God. We cannot manufacture our own redemption.

Interestingly, Hormah (the place of Israel’s defeat) comes from a word meaning destruction or annihilation. The message is: failure to trust God’s word results in death.

Today’s reading finishes with Moses recalling how the survivors of that defeat cried out to the Lord for help, but he would not listen or pay attention.

We may prefer to think of God’s compassion and grace but what we have here is a picture of God’s unswerving justice. The people have simply reaped what they sowed. More than once they refused to listen to God and so God refuses to listen to them.

After the defeat at Homar, the people went to the oasis at Kadesh before returning to the wilderness for 38 more years. Sometimes you have to go back before you can go forward.

Conclusion:

You know, we need to be careful not to look down on Israel here. If we are honest with ourselves, we are not that different and we may even be worse.

Like Israel, we too are sometimes so focused on the giants in the land that we lose sight of God’s faithfulness. And in losing sight of God’s faithfulness we are overwhelmed by fear.

Like Israel, we too may be so desperate for redemption that we try to manufacture our own salvation. We may wear ourselves out trying to be good enough and then end up feeling defeated by the reality of how far we fall short.

Ultimately though we need to remember, today’s story is not primarily about us. This story is about Jesus. Jesus did for Israel what they could not do for themselves. Just as Jesus did for us what we cannot do for ourselves.

Jesus lived the perfect life of trust and obedience to God the Father on our behalf. And, in the process, Jesus conquered the giants of sin and death. Not only that but Jesus embodies the Promised Land of God’s kingdom.

We get to participate in God’s kingdom, not through our own strength or courage, but through simple childlike trust in Christ.  

The musician, Taylor Kingman, wrote a song called Wannabe. It’s not really the sort of song we might sing in church but the last verse makes an honest prayer, I think, even if Taylor Kingman did not intend that. Can you make this your prayer…      

I wanna be true

The blossoms of love are blighted with fear in the roots

And that moment was honest, untouched by the next moment’s truth

And I’m sorry for all I’ve taken and I’m sorry for all I’ve let loose

I wanna be true, I wanna be forgiven for giving up on everything I knew

I wanna be true. 

Amen. 

Questions for discussion or reflection:

What stands out for you in reading this Scripture and/or in listening to the sermon? Why do you think this stood out to you?

  • Why does Moses remind the nation of Israel of its past mistakes?
  • How might we discern the difference between rational fear and irrational fear? How might we overcome irrational fear?
  • What do you really believe about God, Monday through to Friday? To help you explore this question, you may like to try the following exercise:

Are you aware of a mantra of self-talk or a feeling that is troubling you? Trace that self-talk or feeling to its underlying belief. Face that belief squarely. Is that belief true? If it is false, what belief can you replace it with?   

  • Why did God become angry with Israel? How did God deal with his anger? How do you typically deal with your anger? How is God’s anger different from human anger?
  • What connections do you see between this story of Israel and Jesus? What does Jesus do for Israel that Israel could not do for itself? What does Jesus do for us that we cannot do for ourselves?
  • Take some time this week to intentionally recall God’s faithfulness to you personally. It might be little things God does in each day or bigger things he has done over the years. Think of specific examples and thank him.   

[1] Credit to Walter Brueggemann for this line.