[0:00] This message was recorded at Vision Baptist Church in Alfred, Georgia. It is our prayer that you'll be blessed by the preaching of God's Word. We're going to work our way through Deuteronomy 2 and 3, and I don't know if we'll get very far or if we'll get more than halfway through tonight, and I'm not going to read the whole two chapters to you, but if you'll keep your Bible open there, you're going to mark a ton of things in these two chapters.
[0:23] We don't know much of what happened in the wilderness. They wandered for 38 years, and we don't know a lot of the things about what happened. What we do know, we'll discuss. All the time that they're in the wilderness, though, we do know that's not the time God was pleased with them.
[0:38] We know they were out of God's will while they were in the wilderness. The whole time they're in the wilderness, there's no record of them ever observing the Passover, and no record of them circumcising their sons.
[0:52] In Joshua chapter 5, when they get on the other side of the Jordan River, under Joshua, they're going to go back to doing that. We know that'll happen. The oldest people in the group right now, except for Joshua and Caleb, well, as soon as Moses dies and a couple other people, are only 57, 58, 59 years old, 60 years old, because you remember they were 19.
[1:14] It's been 38 years, so a total of maybe 59. They're 59 years old when they're going in. So what you're reading is the speech and the second giving of the law that the Lord does through Moses right before they go into the promised land.
[1:28] Now, I think that what you're about to read tonight is extremely practical and fun and working and applicable to your life. So go with me to Deuteronomy chapter 2 and verse 1.
[1:40] The first thing you can write down is this. God always guides His people through His Word. You need to write that down. God guides through His Word. God guides through His Word.
[1:52] Now, that's important because you live in a time when there's a whole lot of charismatic chaos in the land and Baptist, Pentecostal Baptist, charismatic ways in the land too.
[2:04] There are tons of independent Baptist preachers that talk like God just said something to them. And all of a sudden, God spoke to them and boom, they got a revelation. And it's not a whole lot different than what happens in other places.
[2:18] So I want you to get a hold of this. God speaks through His Word. That's what makes me on the same level as you. Now, if I had some kind of special conduit that gave me special insights that you didn't get and God gave me secret messages, then we'd be in a different situation.
[2:36] But God speaks through His Word. I hope you write that down and notice it. Read with me, Deuteronomy 2, verse 1. Then we turned and took our journey unto the wilderness by the way of the Red Sea.
[2:48] Underline this. As the Lord spake unto me. And we compassed Mount Seir many days. And the Lord spake unto me, saying, I want you to line two times the Lord spake to him.
[3:02] Then I want you to look this way just a second. Let me explain something to you. Are you ready? You hold in your hand a book. How many of you got one of these things in there with you? Even if you got an electronic copy, I won't let it slide.
[3:13] You got one. There you go. You're a training citizen. Buy a Bible. Amen. Okay. You got a Bible. How many of you got a Bible? Hold your hand up. You got a Bible? All right. This is God's Word. It's God's Word.
[3:24] Now, Moses got the Lord to speak to him, but I'm not a Moses. And neither are you. And so the Lord spoke to Moses. And here's the interesting thing. Moses says, we just did what God told us to do.
[3:37] And now I have written instructions which leave things to less ambiguity, less question. We could study the Bible. And I want you to work your way through thinking about this with me.
[3:48] God spoke. That's how they knew what to do. God doesn't speak that way today. But he has given us a book that is alive. He has given us a book that is quick and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword.
[4:06] Look at Hebrews chapter 4 and verse 12 with me if you would. You need to write that in the margin here because in the New Testament, we're in a different day and a different time. We don't need special revelation.
[4:18] We have special revelation. And that special revelation is the word of God. The Bible says in Hebrews chapter 4 and verse 12, For the word of God is quick.
[4:29] Now you need to put a circle around the word quick, draw a line to the margin, write alive. The word of God is alive. Now that's a weird thing to say about a book. This book doesn't breathe.
[4:41] This book isn't alive like that. But it's alive. And that's what he's saying. And so I'm not dealing with an old dead book that's no longer applicable. I'm dealing with a book. In fact, as we find out as time goes by, we find out that things that God said in the Old Testament were true long before anybody else ever figured them out.
[4:59] They didn't figure out the paths in the sea until like the 1700s, 1800s. And Matthew Brady, I think that's the name was, figured that out. But God told about it in the Bible. We didn't know about the wind currents, but God knew about it in the Bible.
[5:12] We didn't know about the circle of the earth, but God knew about it in the Bible. We didn't know about having a shovel and not going to the bathroom without digging a hole and burying it, but God gave it to them in the Bible. They didn't figure that out for a long time.
[5:24] So what I'm telling you is, it's alive. It's been 2,000 years since the last book of it was closed, just under 2,000 years, and yet it still works. It still works.
[5:35] It's still the truth. The Bible said the word of God is quick. It's alive, powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword. It can divide the soul and spirit.
[5:46] Now, soul and spirit are so close together that people that teach the Bible are trichotomists and dichotomists. There are some people that are dichotomists. A lot of people are dichotomists.
[5:56] They believe that man is only, he's a soul and body. A soul and spirit are one thing and body. I'm a trichotomist, personally. I believe in spirit, soul, and body. I believe there are three different things, but they're so close, it's hard to separate them, kind of like the bone and the marrow.
[6:11] But he said, hey, I've got a fillet knife that can separate them things just like that, just like I can separate those. I can separate the soul and the spirit because I have a powerful, sharp, two-edged sword.
[6:23] It can divide us under the soul and spirit. These are the joints and the marrow. Now, listen to this. This is a wild one. I don't know if you can see this word in there, but it says it's a discerner. Discerner, underline that in Hebrews 4, verse 12.
[6:35] It's a discerner. Now, a discerner is something that can discern. That's really deep. You've got to be real smart. You know, a walker is somebody who can walk, and a discerner is somebody who can discern. And it says what that means is it can understand you.
[6:49] I don't know. You've figured that one out. Here's a book that understands you. Here's a book that knows you. Here's a book that can read your thoughts. Here's a book that knows where you live. It's a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
[7:01] He said, I don't know what you think. I even know why you think it. I know what you're wanting to do. I understand your whole purpose. And it's all in a book. And that's pretty wild. The first thing I want you to write down there is we are guided by God's word.
[7:15] God does work on your heart. And he can direct your path. He can speak to your heart. But when he does, it'll never contradict the word. It'll never contradict the word.
[7:25] Too many people say that God told them things when he didn't. So I'd just like to talk to you just in a second as a pastor and as a friend and as a Christian that's been doing this a long time.
[7:37] Stop saying God told you to do something. Unless God told you to do something. When God tells you something, it does come true.
[7:49] Like you say, well, God told me to buy this house. Well, if that house got foreclosed on, God didn't tell you. Because God wouldn't have set you up to do that.
[8:00] Can I get an amen? Can I get a witness? You see, the whole point is God doesn't mess up. In the Old Testament, if you were a prophet and you said something and it didn't come true, you were to be put to death.
[8:12] And so to say God told me something is a pretty big, bold, brash statement. God told me to divorce my wife. Oh, no, he didn't. Because his book said he didn't tell you to do that. He don't want you to divorce your wife.
[8:26] God told me to just quit going to church and worship on my own. No, he didn't. That's not what he said because that's not what he said in his book. His book's real clear about that.
[8:37] So here's what you got to do. You got to know this. God directs and guides us by his word. It's his Bible that teaches us and guides us. And I'm going to leave that. And you say, why in the world did you say so much about that?
[8:49] Because it starts off and says, we just did what God told us to do. And I tell you, that's a pretty simple way to live. If you can have God say, I want you to walk down that way. Take a right back there in the back and take a left.
[9:00] And you get around that corner there. You're pretty good if you know that much. But you just about do know that much about most things if you get in the book. You'll find out in the book how to handle your money.
[9:11] You'll find out in the book how to handle your family. You'll find out in the book how to know your sage. You'll find out in the book how to go to heaven. You'll find out in the book how to have the character God wants you to have. It's full of it. The Bible will teach us all those things.
[9:24] That's why you should be a real Bible student. I cannot emphasize enough. I can't push it on you enough. If you do not read your Bible, if you do not read your Bible, if you do not spend time in the Word of God, you don't know God.
[9:38] You say, well, I pray a bunch. When you're doing the talking, I know you, but you don't know me. If we're both sitting down here and all you do is running around, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.
[9:49] I can sit here and listen to you until I'm blue in the face. I ain't saying a word. You're doing all the talking. When you get through talking, you don't know me. I know you. You know God by reading what God said. You know God by listening to what God said.
[10:01] I hear people say stuff like, you need to listen to what God says. And then they get alone and they shut their Bible. That's not how you listen to what God says. You listen to what God says by saying this. God, I really need you to direct me. I'm going to read your book until you tell me what to do.
[10:13] The Bible ought to be an everyday part of your life. You should memorize it. You should discuss it. You should read it.
[10:24] You should be in church hearing about it. And by the way, if you attend Vision Baptist Church, and you have been for the last nine years, we're now on page 232 of this Bible. We've come all the way from Genesis to Deuteronomy.
[10:35] We're going to keep right on plowing. We've already done a whole bunch of other books. So in other words, you're going to get in the book. It's the Word of God, and He speaks to us. If you got that, say amen. Number two, think it's in here.
[10:46] Go with me to verse 5. Deuteronomy chapter 2 and verse 5. Second thing I want you to write down, God keeps His Word. God keeps His Word. When God says it, that's it.
[10:58] So you can open the Bible, and as you read the Bible, you do not ever have to wonder about did He or didn't He. And I'm just going to tell you, I'm going to tell you from the Bible, and I'm going to tell you from experience that God keeps His Word.
[11:16] You can trust it. The Bible says in chapter 2, verse 5, and I won't read all this, but it says, Meddle not with them, for I will not give you of their land, no, not so much as a foot beneath, because I've given Mount Seir unto Esau for a possession.
[11:29] I want you to look at verse 5, and He said, I'm not giving you one square foot of their land. I told Esau he could have that land. And when I told Esau he could have that, by the way, you know who Esau is?
[11:40] Esau's been dead pushing 500 years. Esau's been dead pushing 500 years. Esau wasn't exactly the best guy. God didn't choose him to leave the nation of Israel. And in the New Testament, he's used as an example of rebellion.
[11:56] But God said, did I tell Esau something? This is how God did it. He said, did I say that to Esau? Don't question me. When I say it, I mean it. And I'm going to prove that to you from his book. He said, I give that land Esau.
[12:07] Now go down and view it to verse 9. He said, don't y'all bother the Moabites. Don't y'all bother the Moabites, in verse 9, because, in verse 9, I have given R unto the children of Lot for a possession.
[12:19] Could you circle the word Lot? Do you know who Lot is? Lot's a guy that lived in Sodom and Gomorrah. Lot's a guy whose wife turned his back on the Lord.
[12:29] Lot's a guy whose daughters slept with him while he was drunk. They got him drunk. You don't get a guy drunk that never drinks. You don't get a guy drunk that ain't used to. If you bring me something to get me drunk with, I'm going to be like, I don't drink that.
[12:41] I don't drink. I don't have that custom. I don't have a custom of messing with those things that would make me drunk, those spirits that you want to bring me, or whatever. Here's some wine. Uncle Lot, drink.
[12:52] Or Daddy Lot, drink it. He said, no, no. But he said this. He said, you don't bother the Moabites. I gave that land to Lot. Verse 19. Distress them not. Meddle with them not. The last part of verse 9.
[13:03] Because, that's verse 19, excuse me. Verse 9. Because I have given it unto the children of Lot. I have given it unto the children of Lot for a possession. Now, Lot's older than Esau. You remember Esau, he's the brother of Jacob.
[13:17] And Lot is the nephew of Abraham. And Abraham is the dad of, go ahead, somebody said it, speak it up. Abraham's the dad of Isaac. And Isaac is the dad of Jacob and Esau.
[13:30] So, and Lot's quite a bit older guy. And Lot's not as nice a guy as even Esau was. And God said, did I tell Esau something? Did I tell Lot something? You think, because 500 years ago, by my word, kind of wears thin, and I don't keep my word.
[13:44] You think, for some reason, I'm not the guy that keeps my word? God said he would not give the land to Israel because he'd already given it to someone else. God doesn't go back on his promises. You should write that down right there.
[13:56] This is a beautiful truth to learn. If he was, if he was this good to Esau and to Lot, I suppose he'll keep his word to Israel. Some of you might question whether or not God will ever give Israel back all the land he said he was going to give to them.
[14:11] I got a word for you. I got a word from the Lord. Yes. You say, well, I don't think he should because I don't agree with all the politics over there. It don't matter.
[14:22] He said it, and he does what he says he'll do. Period. Because he's that big. He's that good. He's that honest. He won't break his word. If he would break his word to Lot, if he would break his word to Esau, if he would break his word to Israel, he could break his word to us, but he doesn't lie.
[14:41] Some verses you ought to write in the margin of the Bible right here. Titus chapter 1 and verse 2. He said, I can't lie. Titus 1, 2, Paul writes to Titus, he says, in hope of eternal life, which God who can't lie.
[14:54] God that cannot lie promised before the world began. Some of you might question, what's it say in hope of eternal life? Well, in hope there's just, in waiting for it, in expecting it. I'm hoping for my check to get here today.
[15:06] It usually gets here on the first. I'm kind of hoping it gets here today. Well, you can expect it. So he says, in expectation of eternal life, that God who can't lie promised me, I know I'm going to get it.
[15:18] God can't lie. If you could say that with me, I'd really appreciate it. Can you say that? God cannot lie. Say it again. God cannot lie. Now, you might say, I don't think you're right there. I think you're kind of twisting that verse.
[15:29] Okay. Now, 2 Timothy chapter 2 and verse 13. You can write that one down. It'll be behind my head here in a second. You can see it. It says, if we believe not, yet he abides faithful, he cannot deny himself.
[15:41] Would you read that verse? Now, this is like, I know I can't trust you. I know I can't trust you, but you can trust me. Now, you guys don't always do what you say you will, but I always do.
[15:52] If we believe not yet, yet he abides faithful, he can't deny himself. Once he says that he can't change it, he can't deny himself. This is one of my favorite verses. You ought to mark this one down. Numbers chapter 23 and verse 19.
[16:04] Write this somewhere in your notes. God's not like a man. In Numbers chapter 23 and verse 19, and you should look the verse up and you should mark it and you should unlight it and you should put a star beside it. You should draw some arrows to it.
[16:16] The Bible said, God is not a man that he should lie. He's like, well, I know man. I made him and he's a liar. But God's not a man.
[16:27] Neither the son of man that he should repent. He doesn't go around changing his mind either. He doesn't wake up one day and say, I just think I'll change the way the son does things. He doesn't do that. He doesn't wake up one more and say, I think I'll change the ratio of gravity.
[16:40] He doesn't wake up one more and say, I think I'll just change the rules on salvation. He doesn't do that. He's not a man that he'll lie and he's not a man that he should repent. Then he's not, he's really gonna, this is where he really gets it.
[16:50] Look what he says. He said, hath he said and shall he not do it? See, Moses is writing that but look at what he said. Hath he said and shall he not do it or hath he spoken and shall he not make it good?
[17:05] So when God says it, it's gonna happen. If you see that, say amen. Not only that, he said if he said it, if he's spoken, do you think he wouldn't keep his word? Do you think he wouldn't be good at doing what he says he would?
[17:17] God's word's a good word. Say amen. So we follow the word of God. That's how we know what to do and God keeps his word. He can't lie and he can't deny himself and he's not a man to change his mind.
[17:28] He's not a man to tell lies and you can trust him for what he says he'll do. How about this one? Hebrews chapter 6 and verse 18. Hebrews 6, 18 says that by two immutable things in which it was, I really wish you'd read this part to me starting with, let's just start with it and read till we get to the word lie.
[17:47] Can you read that out loud with me? Are you ready? It was impossible. Let's do that again. It was. Now I'm dealing with God.
[18:00] Let me explain something to you. If you don't, here's a good rule for you. Don't record it. Don't put it on social media. Don't type it up. If you say it, you can say that ain't what I said. God said I didn't just say it.
[18:11] I wrote it down. There it is. I said I'd keep it. There it is. I wrote it down. I keep my word. Y'all can come check me out in 2,000 years. What I say is true. You can run all your tests.
[18:24] You can run all your tricks. You can run everything you want to do. But I can promise you this. I don't lie. It's impossible. I can't deny myself. I'm not a man that I should lie.
[18:37] It's impossible. You can trust God that he will keep his word. So when you read the Bible, you can believe what you read. All you got to do is make sure you're understanding it.
[18:48] Now you might read something and come out with a bad idea of what it's saying. But if you read and study and learn the Bible, you got something you can trust. God keeps his word.
[19:01] Okay, this side doesn't even believe that. God keeps his word. Did you hear that? Amen? Now let me explain something to you then. So how'd the world get here? I can tell you how the world got here. He said, in the beginning, I made it.
[19:13] I was here and I made it. And he says that all the way from Genesis, all the way to Revelation, he keeps telling it about all along through the Bible, I'm the creator. So you want me to tell you what he is? He's the creator.
[19:24] He is the creator. Say amen. You want to hear something? He said that in the beginning was the word, the word was with God, the word was God, and the word became flesh and dwelt among us and we beheld his glory as the only begotten of the Father.
[19:37] That was Jesus becoming flesh. God becoming flesh and dwelling among us. You know, do you want to know if I think I can believe that or not? I believe it. God don't lie. He said, he said he'd take away my sin.
[19:50] He'd bury him in the deepest part of the sea. He said he'd nail my sins to the cross and write, canceled, it's finished, it's paid for on the cross. And so it comes dying time. Here's what I'm going to clutch on to when I'm dying, his word.
[20:02] If somebody were to come up to me and say, also what makes you think you're going to go to heaven when you die? I'm going to say, he gave his word. I'm not going to tell you I have an emotional experience, though I did.
[20:14] I'm not going to tell you that I prayed with so and so or so and so. I'm going to tell you this is what the word of God says and it's true. I believe it and this is what it says. It says, if I believe him. So get in your Bible and learn what it says.
[20:28] It is alive. It is true. Two big things. He guides us with his word and his word is true. That's all we've seen so far. Two big things. He guides us with his word and his word is true.
[20:40] I can't emphasize this enough. You have got to be people of the book. We have to be people of the book. Not because we're Baptists but because we're his sons.
[20:53] Because we like his book. Because we like his words. The Queen of Sheba said to Solomon, she said, I'm telling you half that the good things they said about you have not been, they hadn't been told.
[21:04] You take everything they said and multiply it by two and you still wouldn't get there. He said, people that sat and listened to you talk are just blessed. Well, let me give you a hint of what that was. People that get to know what this book says, they're blessed.
[21:16] You know when he wrote the book of Revelation, you know what he said when he was giving us the book of Revelation? He said, blessed that God reads us and keeps it. You know what he was saying? He said, you're going to be happy to read this book. You're going to be happy to understand this book.
[21:27] This is the word of God. Get in it and believe it. Number three. You ready? Write this one down. God is good even when his people disobey. God is good even when his people disobey.
[21:40] Now that's the craziest thing in the world. You might say, well, God's goodness is based on my behavior. But let's see what the Bible says. Go with me to Deuteronomy chapter 2 and verse 7.
[21:53] Deuteronomy chapter 2 and verse 7. You got your Bible open there? This is good because how many of y'all messed up since you got saved? Say amen. Yeah, or oh me. We have. We messed up. We did wrong.
[22:03] We're not what we ought to be. We know we've not been everything we ought to be. Could it be that God would be so mad at me he'd just quit on me? Deuteronomy chapter 2 verse 7. For the Lord thy God has blessed thee, underline that, in all the works of thy hand.
[22:18] Underline, bless thee in all the works of thy hand. He has blessed you in everything you've done the last 38 years. Now he is standing here talking to the rebellious crowd. He is standing here talking to the people that aren't going to get to go to the promised land and he said, God's blessed you.
[22:34] God knows you're walking in this great wilderness. For the last 40 years God's been watching you walk in this wilderness. And he has been with you. Underline that.
[22:45] He's been with you. And you have not lacked anything. You have not lacked anything. Now I'm going to show you in the Bible just to prove it to you. But here in Deuteronomy chapter 2 and verse 7 he says, hey, God's been with you.
[22:59] God knows you. God's good to you. You haven't lacked anything. And I'm going to show you they were a rebellious people. They've been in the wilderness 40 years it says there in that verse. And God met every need.
[23:11] When they needed water he gave it to them miraculously. He bust open a big old rock, big old mountain and poured out rivers of water to feed 2 million people. When they needed food he dropped it out of the sky.
[23:21] And when they complained they wanted meat from birds he dumped it on them about 3 or 4 foot deep all around them. He's a good God. He directed them with a cloud in the daytime and a pillar of fire at night.
[23:34] He protected them from their enemies. He even taught them how to fight because he knew where they were going. All this time, all this time that he was so good to them he was just waiting on them to die. I'm going to read you the verse in Deuteronomy chapter 2 but you've got to understand something.
[23:53] These are the people that got all the way to the promised land wouldn't go in the promised land and he came out and said that's it. You're fried. You guys are going to die and you're never getting into the promised land. That's it.
[24:04] You had your chance. You blew it. You're not getting into the promised land. He said that to them. And then instead of being angry and killing them all he said I'm going to let you die a natural death. You're going to get to live the next 40 years.
[24:15] I'm going to take care of you. I'm going to feed you. I'm going to water you. I'm going to feed you, clothe you. I'm going to give you shoes on your feet. I'm going to take care of you every day of your life. Let you live nice the rest of your life. But look what he says if you would in chapter 2 verse 14.
[24:28] And the space in which we came from Cades Barnea until we have come over the brook of Sarah was 38 years until all the generation of the men of war look at it were wasted.
[24:40] sounded like a gangster movie. They wasted all those guys were wasted out from among the host as the Lord swore unto them.
[24:52] Look at verse 15. He was disciplining them. For indeed the hand of the Lord was against them to destroy them from among the host until they were consumed. Look at that verse.
[25:04] That is a scary verse. It's like God was alright, that's it you're done. My hand's against you. But even when he was spanking hard he was loving great.
[25:16] Even when he was giving you the consequences and results of your sin he was sweet to you. That's what he's saying to the Moses he's saying to them. Even though he loved them and did all he did for them they suffered the consequences of their rebellion.
[25:32] God's plan for your life is bigger than just wilderness wandering. And I want you to realize this. If we could sit down with one of those Old Testament disciples whatever you want to call them Jews, Israelites they'd say man we've watched God do big stuff.
[25:51] You know how we know where to camp? We just camp. And he told us exactly the order he wanted our tents set up. We set up our tents we do our offerings like he told us and then one day all of a sudden the cloud would just get up and take off.
[26:02] And when it does Moses jumps up and says hey he said move let's go see the cloud it's moving follow it. Where are we going? I don't know where the cloud goes that's where we'll go. It got night time and people like night lights and so he put a pillar of fire out there.
[26:17] If they needed to go anywhere fire was right there lighting the way. Hey they needed water he brought out the water they needed food he brought how do you water two million people? Well when you're God it ain't that big a deal.
[26:29] They even come to some bitter water and he can make bitter water clean. He's just a great God amen. Now get this he was good if you'd have talked to him I think they'd have said man we've seen God do great stuff.
[26:41] We've watched God this is the same pair of shoes I was wearing 40 years ago. 40 years ago I walked out of Egypt and I was wearing this pair of shoes look at them they're like I just got them off the shelf they didn't wear out what the Bible says about them.
[26:53] Look at these clothes I'm wearing they're in great shape I mean I mean they don't no holes the dust doesn't wear them the bugs don't eat them everything that's just about as new as it was I got it God's sure been good to us but God had more for them than wilderness wandering and some of you might just not be obeying God and wandering in the wilderness and that's not what he wants for you why would you choose your will over his then you and your children have to suffer the consequences God's character is that he is good even when we're bad he is good even when we're bad but can you not see the foolishness of doing your own thing and missing out on what God has for you I mean what a great thing to see a pillar of fire lead you wouldn't it have been great if they could have had all of it I think there's a clear lesson here that you can miss God's best for your life so teenagers if you'd give me just a second you could marry the wrong person you could get hooked up with a person that really wouldn't fit what God said and he's given some clear instructions you're not to marry unbelievers that's clear he's told you that and he's given you instructions in the Bible and you ought to marry a godly person you ought to marry a person seeking his will and you might say well I'm going to do this or I'm going to do that and you might pick to go do something and you know what he'll love you he'll love you but you'll be missing out wouldn't it be better just do it God's way to start huh be careful about who you marry be careful to obey God and don't do what you think is best because God's go with what God's word says here's a good one for all of you young people and adults don't let your fear don't let your fear or lack of faith keep you from enjoying
[28:43] God's best that's the lesson here they got right up to the edge of the promised land and the promised land looked great and the promised land was great and God said they were going to get the promised land but when they got to that they got to thinking I'm afraid that when we cross this river and we get over there there's giants that might kill my babies some bad stuff might happen and we're going to have to wander around for a long time while we're killing them people and taking over that land I'm scared of that but their fear hindered what God had for them if they had just trusted I saw a buddy of mine put on a Facebook and he had a peanut and he was in a park and he held his peanut down for a squirrel and he just sat there and held it long enough and finally the squirrel came up and got the peanut he said the squirrel had to get over his fear of me and trust me enough to come get the goodies I had for him well that's exactly where you are with God isn't it amen you got this idea God's not doing good stuff to you remember that's what they told God they told God we was afraid you brought us out here to kill us you brought us out to kill us you brought us out to let the Amorites kill us he said no you ought to trust me don't let your lack of faith keep you from enjoying God's best remember that your children will reap the benefits or failures of your life and ministry that's a lesson that's in Deuteronomy could you please understand something my life does affect my children and I can act like it doesn't but these kids as soon as we can get through the book of Deuteronomy they're going into the promised land but they've been waiting 38 and 40 years they've been waiting to get over to the promised land and it's affected them and you're lack of faith and you're whining and you're complaining about God and complaining about the things that God's going to hurt your children though God is good it's not wise to tempt Him by doing your own thing it's never wise to tempt God by doing your own thing
[30:44] God has a plan let's obey it let's follow it go with me if you would to chapter 2 verse 36 it is God that gives the victory it is God that gives the victory chapter 2 verse 36 from Eor which is by the brink of the river Arnon and from the city that's by the river even unto Gilead there was not one city too strong for us isn't that something not one city too strong for us the Lord our God has delivered all unto us the Lord our God has delivered all unto us it was the Lord that delivered them I don't have time to go back through Deuteronomy 2 and 3 but I'd like to ask you to read it it's the Bible you ought to read it so you can learn and I'd like you to circle He gave I went through there and He just says He gave He gave He gave gave He He gave He gave He delivered He in other words it's a very clear teaching in these two chapters is that God gave them everything they've gotten it was God who began to give nothing was too hard for God it's the promised land just like He said from the very beginning
[31:48] He will give it to them He will drive out their enemies it is up to them to get up and step out by faith I want to see I think this is and this is what's so good about going through the whole Bible because some of you got a pretty weird thought process about how God works things and you think you can pray and God just does stuff for you but God expects you to get up and do your part and so they're going to get the promised land but they got to go in there and work I'm going to show you a Bible verse in the next segment I'm going to try to show you a couple of these Bible verses but I want you to understand something they had to step out do you remember how they got across the Red Sea?
[32:32] they got to the Red Sea and God took his pillar and he shoved it over on the other side of them so it would stand between them and the Egyptians he lit the fire at night and the Egyptians couldn't get close God said you ain't messing with my people I'll protect my people then he goes down to Moses and he said Moses you guys got to get across there and you know who goes across first he holds his rod up but you know who goes across first is the men of God the Levites they go across you know how they're going to get across the Jordan River the Levites are going to go the men of God are going to go and by the way the river keeps running and they go walking down in there until they get the last guy in the river and when they get the last guy in the river God stops the water because God says I want to see if you believe me I don't just do stuff he's not a genie in a bottle that you rub the bottle and he pops out and says give me three wishes and I'll do anything you want he's a God who says I want you to obey me and follow my will it takes us getting up and doing our part God will give us the land but we'll have to get up and go out and fight real faith real faith means that we do what he's told us to do before we see him you remember how that's what they said 38 and 40 years ago they said there were giants in the land go with me if you would to chapter 3 and verse 11 chapter 3 and verse 11 for only og king of bashan remained the remnants of the giants and behold his bed said was a bed set of iron his bed frame was iron it's not and it is still over there in rabath of the children of amnon isn't it it was nine cubits long and it was four cubits wide after the cubit of a man uh i put that on facebook for you and i've forgotten exactly what that measures but you multiply nine times 18 so that's 90 plus 72 that's 162 inches it's like a 12 13 foot bed 13 and a half foot bed long and about six feet wide this boy was a big boy you want a king size bed that's the kind i want amen you gotta have a party in a bed that big he said there's giants in the land there were giants and there were giants still in the land but it's always a two-sided thing i want you to go with me to first corinthians chapter 15 and verse 10 i want you to go to first corinthians chapter 15 and verse 10 now you got to understand something everything god like let me explain something to you god is not going to give us some money to build our church without us giving it god is not going to help you get your education without you opening you know isn't it amazing students wait till the night before the test and they pray that god will help them know that stuff for the next day and here's what god has said i ain't in it well you think i am you think i just like to dump answers in your head he's that that's a worthless prayer he's up in heaven saying i ain't answering that you dingbat you lazy you didn't study i ain't answering that pray all you want beat your gums to death i'm not answering that because here's what the bible says first corinthians chapter 15 and verse 10 by the grace of god i am what i am it is god who makes me everything that i am and his grace which was bestowed upon me wasn't wasted it wasn't in vain but then he said i labored more abundantly than they all but not me not i but the grace of god which was with me let's see this is the whole story first corinthians 15 10 if you can get that up there now watch it this is the listen to me this is the way it works it is god who's going to give them the land it is god who's going to take out the king it is god who's going to do great things but they're going to have to work for some reason christians get this lazy attitude like i'll pray and got to work a miracle and everything will work out got to work a miracle when you get up and work at work a miracle get to work and he'll come down
[36:34] and do some stuff but here it is in first corinthians chapter 15 10 paul said guys i'm just going to tell you man my ministry's been blessed he said i'm telling you god has used me god has worked through my life great things have happened but i might tell you that he gave me some things to work with and i have busted it with everything he gave me i didn't waste one thing he gave me i didn't waste one thing he gave me and not only that i labored more abundantly than they all i always think that's the funniest verse can you imagine when peter james and john got that letter they all know peter he's a newcomer on the scene and they're all reading peter even said that paul wrote some stuff it was hard for him to understand maybe this is the verse peter gets the verse i can see peter reading it right now he opens that scroll up reads it and it says uh i worked harder than peter and james and john you say that's not what it said oh when you say i labored harder if i looked at john said i labored harder than all of them y'all get an idea i'm saying something there so what was it it is god working but it is me working and using what god's given me to work it's god's power working and it's us working give you one more verse that goes along with that and it's not in my notes but i i i want i want you you you do remember he gave five talents two talents and one talent and the guy who got five talents he produced five more and the guy that got two he produced two more and the guy that got one talent that talent was like god's grace god's gift to him and he wrapped it up in a napkin he buried it in the ground he wrapped it up in a napkin and buried it in the ground then the lord the king came back and said i'd like to rent i'd like to bring i'd like y'all to give a count for what you've done with the stuff i gave you and the guy with five said well you gave me five and i brought five more and the guy with two said you gave me two and i gave you two more and the guy with one said i knew you was mean i knew you was mean from the very beginning so i went and buried it in a napkin and i i got it right here nothing nothing's happening and he said well you knew i was mean and you knew i harvested where i didn't plant and you know i took advantage of people and so he takes it away from him and gives it to the guy that had five talents and that turned into 10 and makes it 11 talents but here's the big lesson are you using what god gives you you you're setting on the opportunity to cross into the promised land you're setting on the opportunity to see god do big stuff in your life and you're praying a bunch but you're not working much and so you're wondering why god didn't do it you're a student and you're saying i just don't know why god didn't help me get this i'll give you a hint why god didn't help you get it because you watch too much tv and you don't study enough don't make me popular but it's true see what happens is god's going to answer that prayer but it's by the grace of god i am what i am but his grace wasn't in vain and i did labor more abundantly than they all and it sure was god that was good to me but you can't forget that part in the middle god gave you the ability to study god gave you the ability to work god gave you the ability to to trust him god gave you the ability to do great things and are you going to do it and they didn't do it so here's the deal god gave them the victory in the promised land but if you think for one second that means they didn't get up every morning and strap on their sword and get out new arrows and put out new arrow heads and get new strings on their bows and get their bows ready and get their helmets on and start marching towards the enemy you don't understand the bible god didn't say y'all sit back here and i'll go work it over work them over for you that's not what happened but it was god who did it big lesson there if you see it father in heaven i love you i thank you for a chance to serve you and i praise you for your goodness and your kindness to us and i pray you'd work and show your power and i pray that your people would trust your word and i pray you'd help us to get up and start acting on your word and i'll give you praise and honor and glory for it all but every head bowed and every eye closed just a second i don't know what your
[40:37] relationship with the bible is i don't know what your relationship with the bible is i think that the majority of you would give a clear testimony that you have been born again but so many christians hold in their hand a divine book an all-powerful book a book of god from god and for us and they never read it they never memorize it they never they never ask it what to do they never let god speak to their heart through it and it's his word that's how he guides us and you can trust his word so i'd like to ask you to make a commitment tonight if you aren't a person of the book i'm asking you in your seat without raising your hand and not embarrassing you would you tell the lord it is your book and i'm going to start getting into your book i'm going to honor your book i'm going to learn to memorize it and study it and read it and get it into my heart would you tell him that would you tell him you're going to start making his word important in your life would you tell him that tell him would you tell him you're going to quit making up foolishness and blaming him with your false decisions and faulty decisions would you tell him that would you tell him that tell god you're going to do what god has for you to do you know what i could i ask you this are you using what god's given you are you blaming god some of you might be saying god just won't work in my life and god won't bless in this but the truth is you're not you're not stepping into the river you're not picking up your weapons to go out into the battle you're not working hard you're not using what god's given you and you want to blame it on god talk to him father bring honor to your name thank you for your wonderful people i give you praise and honor and glory for all you do in jesus precious name amen this message was recorded at vision baptist church in alfred georgia for more information log on to www.visionbaptist.com where you can find our service times location contact information and more audio and video recordings