WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:05.080 We hope that you enjoy this teaching from Christ Church. 00:00:05.719 --> 00:00:09.519 This material is copyrighted and no unauthorized duplication, 00:00:09.880 --> 00:00:15.280 redistribution, or any other use of any part is permitted without prior consent from Christ Church. 00:00:15.620 --> 00:00:22.620 Please consider donating to this work in the San Francisco Bay Area online at ChristChurchEastBay.org. 00:00:26.219 --> 00:00:28.640 The Lord our God said to us at Horeb, 00:00:28.640 --> 00:00:31.679 You have stayed long enough at this mountain. 00:00:32.539 --> 00:00:36.500 Break camp and advance into the hill country of the Amorites. 00:00:37.200 --> 00:00:43.140 Go to all the neighboring peoples in the Arabah, in the mountains, in the western foothills, 00:00:43.520 --> 00:00:48.560 in the Negev, and along the coast, to the land of the Canaanites and to Lebanon, 00:00:49.079 --> 00:00:51.560 as far as the great river, the Euphrates. 00:00:52.519 --> 00:00:55.700 See, I have given you this land. 00:00:55.700 --> 00:01:00.859 Go in and take possession of the land the Lord swore he would give to your fathers, 00:01:01.220 --> 00:01:06.719 to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and to their descendants after them. 00:01:07.859 --> 00:01:10.379 Then all of you came to me and said, 00:01:10.760 --> 00:01:14.159 Let us send men ahead to spy out the land for us, 00:01:14.240 --> 00:01:18.560 and bring back a report about the route we are to take and the towns we will come to. 00:01:18.560 --> 00:01:25.100 The idea seemed good to me, so I selected twelve of you, one man from each tribe. 00:01:25.820 --> 00:01:31.600 They left and went up into the hill country and came to the valley of Eshkol and explored it. 00:01:32.500 --> 00:01:36.960 Taking with them some of the fruit of the land, they brought it down to us and reported, 00:01:36.959 --> 00:01:41.859 It is a good land that the Lord your God, our God, is giving us. 00:01:42.659 --> 00:01:44.500 But you were unwilling to go up. 00:01:45.199 --> 00:01:47.699 You rebelled against this command of the Lord your God. 00:01:48.179 --> 00:01:51.059 You grumbled in your tents and said, 00:01:51.559 --> 00:01:52.739 The Lord hates us. 00:01:53.259 --> 00:01:57.799 He brought us out of Egypt to deliver us to the hands of the Amorites to destroy us. 00:01:58.479 --> 00:01:59.319 Where can we go? 00:02:00.379 --> 00:02:03.579 Our brothers have made our hearts melt in fear. 00:02:03.579 --> 00:02:04.459 They say, 00:02:04.620 --> 00:02:07.319 The people are stronger and taller than we are. 00:02:07.620 --> 00:02:09.879 The cities are large with walls up to the sky. 00:02:10.099 --> 00:02:11.919 We even saw the Anakites there. 00:02:12.919 --> 00:02:14.199 Then I said to you, 00:02:14.879 --> 00:02:15.939 Do not be terrified. 00:02:16.860 --> 00:02:18.159 Do not be afraid of them. 00:02:19.180 --> 00:02:20.560 The Lord your God, 00:02:20.979 --> 00:02:22.500 who is going before you, 00:02:23.180 --> 00:02:24.259 will fight for you, 00:02:24.819 --> 00:02:26.400 as he did for you in Egypt, 00:02:26.860 --> 00:02:27.800 before you, 00:02:28.500 --> 00:02:30.120 as he did for you in Egypt, 00:02:30.240 --> 00:02:31.639 before your very eyes, 00:02:31.960 --> 00:02:33.060 and in the wilderness. 00:02:34.120 --> 00:02:34.580 There, 00:02:34.780 --> 00:02:37.500 you saw how the Lord your God carried you, 00:02:37.840 --> 00:02:39.920 as a father carries his son, 00:02:40.580 --> 00:02:43.240 all the way you went until you reached this place. 00:02:44.360 --> 00:02:45.480 In spite of this, 00:02:46.060 --> 00:02:47.860 you did not trust the Lord your God, 00:02:48.300 --> 00:02:49.900 who went ahead of you on your journey, 00:02:50.439 --> 00:02:52.939 in fire by night and a cloud by day, 00:02:53.040 --> 00:02:55.200 to search out for places for you to camp 00:02:55.200 --> 00:02:56.680 and to show you the way you should go. 00:02:56.680 --> 00:02:59.740 When the Lord heard what you said, 00:03:00.340 --> 00:03:03.140 he was angry and solemnly swore, 00:03:03.860 --> 00:03:05.740 No one from this evil generation 00:03:05.740 --> 00:03:09.020 shall see the good land I swore to give your ancestors, 00:03:09.939 --> 00:03:10.980 except Caleb, 00:03:11.439 --> 00:03:12.980 son of Jephunneh. 00:03:13.980 --> 00:03:14.800 He will see it, 00:03:15.219 --> 00:03:16.920 and I will give him and his descendants 00:03:16.920 --> 00:03:19.260 the land he will set his feet on, 00:03:19.259 --> 00:03:22.579 because he followed the Lord wholeheartedly. 00:03:24.579 --> 00:03:25.719 Then you replied, 00:03:26.719 --> 00:03:28.299 We have sinned against the Lord. 00:03:28.919 --> 00:03:30.259 We will go up and fight, 00:03:30.500 --> 00:03:32.439 as the Lord our God commanded us. 00:03:33.039 --> 00:03:34.959 So every one of you put on his weapons, 00:03:35.459 --> 00:03:37.579 thinking it easy to go up into the hill country. 00:03:38.399 --> 00:03:39.579 But the Lord said to me, 00:03:39.859 --> 00:03:40.379 Tell them, 00:03:40.379 --> 00:03:42.199 Do not go up and fight, 00:03:42.299 --> 00:03:44.180 because I will not be with you. 00:03:44.539 --> 00:03:46.099 You will be defeated by your enemies. 00:03:47.060 --> 00:03:48.139 So I told you, 00:03:48.599 --> 00:03:49.879 but you would not listen. 00:03:50.819 --> 00:03:52.579 You rebelled against the Lord's command, 00:03:53.019 --> 00:03:54.199 and in your arrogance, 00:03:54.639 --> 00:03:56.299 you marched up into the hill country. 00:03:57.699 --> 00:03:58.460 The Amorites, 00:03:58.620 --> 00:03:59.759 who lived in those hills, 00:04:00.419 --> 00:04:01.379 came out against you. 00:04:02.099 --> 00:04:04.019 They chased you like a swarm of bees, 00:04:04.639 --> 00:04:06.180 and beat you down from Seir 00:04:06.180 --> 00:04:07.539 all the way to Horma. 00:04:07.539 --> 00:04:11.179 You came back and wept before the Lord, 00:04:11.560 --> 00:04:13.539 but he paid no attention to your weeping, 00:04:13.919 --> 00:04:15.419 and turned a deaf ear to you. 00:04:16.360 --> 00:04:17.839 And so you stayed in Kadesh, 00:04:18.379 --> 00:04:19.159 many days, 00:04:19.579 --> 00:04:21.420 all the time you spent there. 00:04:22.719 --> 00:04:24.599 The grass withers and the flowers fade. 00:04:25.500 --> 00:04:27.019 The Lord our God is to you. 00:04:37.540 --> 00:04:39.879 Good morning, 00:04:40.240 --> 00:04:40.939 Christ Church. 00:04:41.060 --> 00:04:43.300 Happy Labor Day to you all. 00:04:43.420 --> 00:04:44.140 I have to admit, 00:04:44.200 --> 00:04:47.620 I have a complicated relationship with this holiday, 00:04:47.620 --> 00:04:49.740 because my dad approached this weekend 00:04:49.740 --> 00:04:51.920 as a time to do yard work 00:04:51.920 --> 00:04:53.580 and deferred maintenance on our house. 00:04:54.420 --> 00:04:55.560 And, you know, 00:04:55.580 --> 00:04:56.640 after a few years of this, 00:04:56.680 --> 00:04:57.140 I decided, 00:04:57.240 --> 00:04:57.360 well, 00:04:57.400 --> 00:04:59.080 I'll just start inviting my friends over 00:04:59.080 --> 00:05:00.100 and get out of the work, 00:05:00.500 --> 00:05:01.180 which my dad, 00:05:01.259 --> 00:05:01.500 of course, 00:05:01.560 --> 00:05:02.580 saw as free labor. 00:05:03.120 --> 00:05:04.540 More laborers 00:05:04.540 --> 00:05:06.080 to send out into the yard. 00:05:06.079 --> 00:05:06.560 And so, 00:05:07.219 --> 00:05:09.300 no one ever wanted to spend the night with me, 00:05:09.459 --> 00:05:09.759 ever. 00:05:10.000 --> 00:05:12.099 And I'm still kind of getting over it. 00:05:12.120 --> 00:05:12.319 Dad, 00:05:12.379 --> 00:05:12.740 love you, 00:05:12.800 --> 00:05:14.279 if you're out there listening to this. 00:05:16.159 --> 00:05:17.599 But I hope this is a good weekend 00:05:17.599 --> 00:05:19.099 for us to kind of catch our breath. 00:05:19.099 --> 00:05:19.839 If you're a student 00:05:19.839 --> 00:05:21.060 and have just started school, 00:05:21.180 --> 00:05:22.659 I hope you're off to a good school year. 00:05:22.759 --> 00:05:25.120 We have kindergarteners to seniors. 00:05:25.339 --> 00:05:26.379 We have first years. 00:05:26.939 --> 00:05:27.860 As undergrads, 00:05:27.919 --> 00:05:29.180 we have PhD candidates. 00:05:29.919 --> 00:05:32.039 And it's great to start a new school year 00:05:32.039 --> 00:05:33.599 in person. 00:05:34.200 --> 00:05:36.740 And it's great to start a new ministry year. 00:05:36.780 --> 00:05:37.260 As Andrew said, 00:05:37.300 --> 00:05:39.240 we had a fantastic retreat last weekend. 00:05:39.560 --> 00:05:41.360 Today is Cow Sunday. 00:05:41.780 --> 00:05:42.340 This week, 00:05:42.360 --> 00:05:44.080 we're starting our wonderful Wednesdays 00:05:44.080 --> 00:05:45.240 for our youth and kids. 00:05:45.280 --> 00:05:46.460 We have a wonderful event. 00:05:47.160 --> 00:05:48.320 At the end of this week, 00:05:48.340 --> 00:05:48.879 on Friday, 00:05:48.939 --> 00:05:51.660 you'll hear more about our faith and work event. 00:05:51.660 --> 00:05:53.100 And our community groups are starting. 00:05:53.200 --> 00:05:55.360 So a lot of wonderful things going on. 00:05:55.420 --> 00:05:57.340 We hope that you'll lean in to Christ Church. 00:05:57.439 --> 00:05:58.780 And we hope that all these opportunities 00:05:58.780 --> 00:06:00.660 will be just catalysts 00:06:00.660 --> 00:06:03.300 for you to grow in your relationship with Christ. 00:06:03.400 --> 00:06:04.020 That's our mission, 00:06:04.620 --> 00:06:06.880 is to help you grow in your relationship with Christ. 00:06:07.660 --> 00:06:10.000 And that's our hope in this new sermon series, 00:06:10.340 --> 00:06:12.860 which we're calling Renewing Love. 00:06:13.540 --> 00:06:14.420 Renewing Love. 00:06:15.220 --> 00:06:16.280 If there's a single word 00:06:16.280 --> 00:06:19.240 that's characteristic and definitive 00:06:19.240 --> 00:06:20.640 for the book of Deuteronomy, 00:06:21.160 --> 00:06:22.340 it's the word love. 00:06:23.020 --> 00:06:25.580 And if you've ever fallen in love with someone, 00:06:25.579 --> 00:06:30.099 you know that you just wanna learn all you can 00:06:30.099 --> 00:06:30.939 about your beloved. 00:06:31.259 --> 00:06:32.099 What do they love? 00:06:32.339 --> 00:06:33.879 Why do they love what they love? 00:06:33.939 --> 00:06:34.740 What are they thinking? 00:06:34.859 --> 00:06:36.500 What makes them tick? 00:06:37.279 --> 00:06:37.839 And of course, 00:06:37.939 --> 00:06:40.159 we know that it's one thing to fall in love. 00:06:40.240 --> 00:06:42.360 It's another thing to stay in love. 00:06:42.680 --> 00:06:43.599 There's a big difference 00:06:43.599 --> 00:06:46.479 between infatuated love and loyal love, 00:06:46.599 --> 00:06:49.259 long committed love. 00:06:49.379 --> 00:06:50.919 And that's what a Christian is. 00:06:51.099 --> 00:06:52.019 A Christian is someone 00:06:52.019 --> 00:06:54.180 who's fallen in love with Jesus. 00:06:55.319 --> 00:06:57.439 And we've pledged ourselves to him 00:06:57.439 --> 00:06:59.719 as our beloved in a covenant love, 00:06:59.759 --> 00:07:02.120 a committed, loyal love. 00:07:02.180 --> 00:07:02.740 And of course, 00:07:03.359 --> 00:07:04.099 if you're a Christian, 00:07:04.339 --> 00:07:07.279 you wanna know what makes my beloved tick? 00:07:07.339 --> 00:07:08.240 What is he thinking? 00:07:08.399 --> 00:07:09.299 What's in his mind? 00:07:09.359 --> 00:07:10.199 And what's in his heart? 00:07:10.240 --> 00:07:12.240 And how do we answer that question? 00:07:13.079 --> 00:07:14.319 Well, one way to go about that 00:07:14.319 --> 00:07:15.839 is to read the books 00:07:15.839 --> 00:07:17.859 that are written about our beloved, right? 00:07:17.899 --> 00:07:18.639 The gospels, 00:07:18.859 --> 00:07:20.279 the epistles in the New Testament. 00:07:20.279 --> 00:07:22.299 But another way to learn 00:07:22.299 --> 00:07:25.019 what our beloved loves 00:07:25.019 --> 00:07:27.259 is to read his favorite books, 00:07:27.619 --> 00:07:29.179 one of which is the Psalms, 00:07:29.239 --> 00:07:31.459 these great love songs for God. 00:07:32.179 --> 00:07:33.979 Another of his favorite books is Isaiah, 00:07:34.079 --> 00:07:35.279 these great visions 00:07:35.279 --> 00:07:38.579 of the recreative power of the love of God. 00:07:39.179 --> 00:07:40.079 But then of course, 00:07:40.219 --> 00:07:41.419 there's Deuteronomy. 00:07:42.119 --> 00:07:43.319 And some of you are like, 00:07:43.399 --> 00:07:44.439 okay, what's up with that? 00:07:44.659 --> 00:07:46.399 You know, what is up with Deuteronomy? 00:07:46.539 --> 00:07:47.459 Isn't this a book? 00:07:47.879 --> 00:07:49.039 Like several other books 00:07:49.040 --> 00:07:49.860 of the New Testament, 00:07:50.080 --> 00:07:52.720 it's about a God of wrath and anger. 00:07:53.520 --> 00:07:55.620 Isn't this a book full of irrelevant 00:07:55.620 --> 00:07:56.879 and primitive, 00:07:57.220 --> 00:07:58.200 sort of old, dusty, 00:07:58.360 --> 00:07:59.920 ancient Near Eastern law codes? 00:08:00.560 --> 00:08:02.520 Why the book of Deuteronomy? 00:08:03.300 --> 00:08:05.200 And I guess our invitation to you 00:08:05.200 --> 00:08:06.580 over these coming weeks and months 00:08:06.580 --> 00:08:08.020 is come and see. 00:08:08.740 --> 00:08:10.600 Come and find out for yourself. 00:08:10.780 --> 00:08:13.360 Why did Jesus love this book so much 00:08:13.360 --> 00:08:16.240 that he memorized probably the whole thing, 00:08:16.300 --> 00:08:17.560 at least great portions of it? 00:08:17.560 --> 00:08:19.579 Why does Jesus quote this book 00:08:19.579 --> 00:08:21.280 more than any other book? 00:08:22.000 --> 00:08:26.019 Why do his disciples quote this book so much? 00:08:26.240 --> 00:08:27.780 And it's important as we dive in 00:08:27.780 --> 00:08:29.139 to ask ourselves, 00:08:29.259 --> 00:08:30.879 what kind of book is this book? 00:08:31.199 --> 00:08:32.240 As Andrew said, 00:08:34.039 --> 00:08:34.240 you know, 00:08:34.299 --> 00:08:36.399 this is Moses at the end of his life. 00:08:36.399 --> 00:08:40.879 And he is recapitulating 00:08:40.879 --> 00:08:43.699 and reinforcing the teachings 00:08:43.699 --> 00:08:48.139 of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers. 00:08:48.259 --> 00:08:50.519 And he's giving us a copy of the teaching. 00:08:50.620 --> 00:08:51.679 That's what Deuteronomy means. 00:08:51.779 --> 00:08:52.319 Second law. 00:08:52.419 --> 00:08:53.899 Copy of the teaching 00:08:53.899 --> 00:08:55.220 for the next generation 00:08:55.220 --> 00:08:56.179 that's gonna go in 00:08:56.179 --> 00:08:57.919 and enter into the promised land. 00:08:58.879 --> 00:09:01.259 Or if you follow the Hebrew title of this book, 00:09:01.259 --> 00:09:03.080 it just means the words, 00:09:03.500 --> 00:09:04.600 Devarim, 00:09:04.840 --> 00:09:05.620 the words, 00:09:06.319 --> 00:09:08.220 meaning the word of God 00:09:08.220 --> 00:09:09.340 given at Mount Sinai 00:09:09.340 --> 00:09:11.080 rendered in Moses' words 00:09:11.080 --> 00:09:13.620 as he's preaching these final sermons 00:09:13.620 --> 00:09:15.080 on the eve of his death. 00:09:15.120 --> 00:09:16.720 This is everything you, 00:09:16.860 --> 00:09:17.639 the people of God, 00:09:17.700 --> 00:09:18.439 need to know about 00:09:18.439 --> 00:09:20.659 what is essential for life. 00:09:20.720 --> 00:09:22.139 And Jesus loved this stuff. 00:09:22.939 --> 00:09:25.259 He loved this copy of the teaching. 00:09:25.419 --> 00:09:27.460 He loved the preaching of Moses 00:09:27.460 --> 00:09:28.540 on the word of God 00:09:28.540 --> 00:09:29.540 which is all about 00:09:29.540 --> 00:09:33.240 the renewing love of God. 00:09:34.220 --> 00:09:35.379 That's what this is all about. 00:09:35.460 --> 00:09:36.440 And our prayer is that 00:09:36.440 --> 00:09:38.100 as we get into this, 00:09:38.120 --> 00:09:39.180 as we explore it together, 00:09:39.180 --> 00:09:42.440 that you would discover for yourselves, 00:09:42.540 --> 00:09:44.300 maybe experience for the first time 00:09:44.300 --> 00:09:45.620 or the first time in a long time, 00:09:45.700 --> 00:09:48.600 the renewing love of God for you. 00:09:49.220 --> 00:09:51.060 And that we individually 00:09:51.060 --> 00:09:52.280 and we collectively 00:09:52.280 --> 00:09:55.080 would renew our love 00:09:55.080 --> 00:09:57.360 for him who loves us so much. 00:09:58.019 --> 00:09:59.040 So with that, 00:09:59.120 --> 00:10:02.860 I wanna dive into Deuteronomy chapter one 00:10:02.860 --> 00:10:06.320 and Moses' first sermon here to us 00:10:06.320 --> 00:10:08.240 is that our journey 00:10:08.240 --> 00:10:11.660 requires active trust in the living God. 00:10:13.420 --> 00:10:16.560 Our journey requires active trust 00:10:16.560 --> 00:10:18.160 in the living God. 00:10:18.200 --> 00:10:20.660 And I wanna say a little bit about our journey 00:10:20.660 --> 00:10:22.639 because in verse six, 00:10:22.740 --> 00:10:23.780 we read that the Lord, 00:10:23.900 --> 00:10:25.560 our God said to us at Horeb, 00:10:25.639 --> 00:10:26.680 that is Mount Sinai, 00:10:26.679 --> 00:10:27.739 he said, 00:10:27.919 --> 00:10:29.659 you stayed long enough at this mountain, 00:10:30.279 --> 00:10:32.539 break camp and advance. 00:10:32.639 --> 00:10:34.899 So the first command of God in this book, 00:10:35.019 --> 00:10:36.599 they're verbs of motion. 00:10:36.779 --> 00:10:38.579 You can't stay where you are. 00:10:38.679 --> 00:10:40.339 You've got to move and set out 00:10:40.339 --> 00:10:42.120 and go and advance. 00:10:42.959 --> 00:10:44.579 Because to be the people of God 00:10:44.579 --> 00:10:45.919 is to be on a journey 00:10:45.919 --> 00:10:48.120 with the Lord who is not static, 00:10:48.359 --> 00:10:49.519 but is dynamic. 00:10:49.519 --> 00:10:53.299 It's to be on the move with Yahweh, 00:10:53.659 --> 00:10:56.600 to walk with him from one place to another, 00:10:56.740 --> 00:10:59.600 from point A to point B to point C, 00:10:59.759 --> 00:11:03.480 to move with our creator and redeemer God. 00:11:03.480 --> 00:11:06.680 And the landscape of our journey with God 00:11:06.680 --> 00:11:11.120 moves us in three distinct places on the map, 00:11:11.200 --> 00:11:15.080 these three archetypal stages of development. 00:11:15.800 --> 00:11:18.379 If you were to ask these people of God, 00:11:19.340 --> 00:11:22.840 hey, where have you been? 00:11:23.440 --> 00:11:24.420 Where did you come from? 00:11:24.460 --> 00:11:25.879 They would say, well, Egypt. 00:11:26.980 --> 00:11:29.399 And if you said, well, where are you now? 00:11:29.460 --> 00:11:31.460 They would say, we're in the wilderness. 00:11:31.460 --> 00:11:34.300 And if you said, well, where are you going next? 00:11:34.320 --> 00:11:37.440 They would say, we're going to the promised land. 00:11:38.200 --> 00:11:41.440 And these are the three distinct places, 00:11:41.660 --> 00:11:44.480 the three distinct stages of our own journey 00:11:44.480 --> 00:11:47.680 as Christians and as a Christian community. 00:11:47.900 --> 00:11:48.940 Where did you come from? 00:11:49.120 --> 00:11:50.139 I came from Egypt. 00:11:51.080 --> 00:11:53.259 That iron smelting furnace, 00:11:53.480 --> 00:11:54.900 that land of slavery, 00:11:55.180 --> 00:11:58.460 that house of bondage that's marked by tyranny 00:11:58.460 --> 00:12:00.519 and genocide and oppression. 00:12:00.519 --> 00:12:04.439 There in Egypt, we had harsh taskmasters 00:12:04.439 --> 00:12:07.100 and experienced bitter misery. 00:12:08.120 --> 00:12:09.699 But within that context, 00:12:10.299 --> 00:12:13.840 we, the people of God, were saved by his grace. 00:12:14.000 --> 00:12:15.879 We were delivered by his mercy. 00:12:16.039 --> 00:12:18.279 We were rescued by his goodness. 00:12:18.879 --> 00:12:21.419 We were liberated by his power. 00:12:22.179 --> 00:12:24.059 And this is a picture of what it means 00:12:24.059 --> 00:12:25.600 to become a Christian, 00:12:25.759 --> 00:12:27.939 that God sends his deliverer, 00:12:27.940 --> 00:12:30.700 not Moses, but one who's greater than Moses. 00:12:30.700 --> 00:12:32.040 He sends Jesus. 00:12:32.200 --> 00:12:33.480 And Jesus enters in 00:12:33.480 --> 00:12:36.320 to this iron smelting furnace 00:12:36.320 --> 00:12:40.140 of our cursed and oppressive and miserable world. 00:12:40.260 --> 00:12:43.560 And there Jesus becomes the Passover lamb of God. 00:12:44.160 --> 00:12:46.660 He sheds his blood on the cross. 00:12:46.980 --> 00:12:48.280 And by his grace, 00:12:48.340 --> 00:12:50.540 he saves us from our slavery to sin. 00:12:50.539 --> 00:12:53.399 And by his mercy, 00:12:53.559 --> 00:12:56.059 he delivers us from our bondage to death. 00:12:56.759 --> 00:12:58.879 And when Jesus rises from the dead, 00:12:58.959 --> 00:13:01.679 he parts the Red Sea, as it were. 00:13:02.240 --> 00:13:03.679 And he moves us through 00:13:03.679 --> 00:13:07.559 and he leads us into new life on the other side. 00:13:07.639 --> 00:13:08.759 And many of us are here today 00:13:08.759 --> 00:13:12.980 because we've experienced this first stage of the journey. 00:13:13.120 --> 00:13:14.819 Some of us are here because we're exploring 00:13:14.820 --> 00:13:18.879 what it might mean for us to leave Egypt behind. 00:13:19.680 --> 00:13:21.300 Where did you come from? 00:13:21.360 --> 00:13:22.040 We came from Egypt. 00:13:22.180 --> 00:13:23.480 Well, where are you now? 00:13:23.900 --> 00:13:26.020 We are in the wilderness. 00:13:27.200 --> 00:13:28.460 We are in the wilderness. 00:13:28.700 --> 00:13:30.460 And the wilderness is this vast, 00:13:30.680 --> 00:13:33.660 life-threatening place that's parched by the sun. 00:13:34.240 --> 00:13:37.140 The wilderness is full of thirst and hunger. 00:13:37.260 --> 00:13:40.260 The wilderness is full of serpents and scorpions. 00:13:40.259 --> 00:13:42.080 And within this context, 00:13:43.139 --> 00:13:47.980 the people of God experience his faithful protection 00:13:47.980 --> 00:13:50.039 and his generous provision 00:13:50.039 --> 00:13:53.019 and his covenant commitment to us. 00:13:53.720 --> 00:13:55.080 Notice in verse six, 00:13:55.899 --> 00:13:59.259 Moses says, the Lord, our God. 00:13:59.319 --> 00:14:01.220 He doesn't say the Lord, a God, 00:14:01.439 --> 00:14:03.419 or the Lord, the God. 00:14:03.480 --> 00:14:05.460 He says the Lord, our God. 00:14:05.580 --> 00:14:08.299 We know his name and he knows us. 00:14:08.299 --> 00:14:09.899 And the wilderness is this place 00:14:09.899 --> 00:14:13.379 where we found that our identity 00:14:13.379 --> 00:14:16.620 was not built on the sand of our situation, 00:14:17.279 --> 00:14:19.599 but our identity was built on the rock 00:14:19.599 --> 00:14:21.899 of our relationship with the Lord, 00:14:22.019 --> 00:14:23.799 who's our God. 00:14:25.199 --> 00:14:27.539 And frankly, the wilderness is this place 00:14:27.539 --> 00:14:30.500 where many people opt out of the Christian life. 00:14:31.620 --> 00:14:34.500 We begin with this great Egypt liberation. 00:14:34.740 --> 00:14:37.279 We begin with this great explosion of joy, 00:14:37.279 --> 00:14:38.620 but we're not ready. 00:14:39.179 --> 00:14:41.159 And maybe people haven't told us to be ready 00:14:41.159 --> 00:14:44.259 for the testing ground that is the desert, 00:14:44.379 --> 00:14:46.699 this dry and barren place 00:14:46.699 --> 00:14:50.620 where our life is desperately dependent on God. 00:14:51.480 --> 00:14:53.240 Some of you might know the great work, 00:14:53.360 --> 00:14:54.279 The Pilgrim's Progress. 00:14:54.500 --> 00:14:56.259 Anyone read this book, The Pilgrim's Progress? 00:14:56.459 --> 00:14:59.179 It maps out for us the dangers 00:14:59.179 --> 00:15:03.500 that are typical to a Christian in the wilderness. 00:15:03.500 --> 00:15:05.779 Places like the Slough of Despond, 00:15:06.779 --> 00:15:10.159 Vanity Fair, Doubting Castle, 00:15:11.019 --> 00:15:12.820 The Giant Despair, 00:15:13.639 --> 00:15:15.019 The Mountain of Error. 00:15:15.100 --> 00:15:18.360 These are all the markers on the landscape 00:15:18.360 --> 00:15:21.159 of our journey through the wilderness, 00:15:21.340 --> 00:15:23.379 this great second stage of the journey. 00:15:23.519 --> 00:15:24.960 Where did you come from? 00:15:25.000 --> 00:15:26.399 I came from Egypt, 00:15:26.899 --> 00:15:28.200 but I left that behind. 00:15:29.019 --> 00:15:29.840 Well, where are you now? 00:15:29.840 --> 00:15:33.580 I'm in the wilderness where I'm being seriously tested. 00:15:34.580 --> 00:15:36.379 Well, where are you going next? 00:15:37.080 --> 00:15:38.519 We're going to the promised land. 00:15:39.259 --> 00:15:40.740 We're going to the promised land. 00:15:40.840 --> 00:15:43.220 We stand on this borderland 00:15:43.220 --> 00:15:45.879 of the destiny for which we were designed, 00:15:45.980 --> 00:15:47.660 but we need to press into it. 00:15:47.720 --> 00:15:49.500 We need to take hold of it. 00:15:49.560 --> 00:15:52.139 And that's what Moses is saying in verse eight. 00:15:53.240 --> 00:15:54.860 Rather, the Lord is saying in verse eight, 00:15:54.860 --> 00:15:56.919 See, I have given you this land. 00:15:57.039 --> 00:15:59.300 Go in and take possession of the land 00:15:59.300 --> 00:16:01.800 that the Lord swore he would give to your fathers, 00:16:01.879 --> 00:16:04.259 to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, 00:16:04.620 --> 00:16:07.039 and to their descendants after them. 00:16:07.899 --> 00:16:09.899 You see, the whole first book of the Torah, 00:16:10.000 --> 00:16:10.759 the book of Genesis, 00:16:11.340 --> 00:16:14.399 is about how the God of grace 00:16:14.399 --> 00:16:16.360 makes a promise to Abraham 00:16:16.360 --> 00:16:19.019 to give him seed and land, 00:16:19.600 --> 00:16:21.800 to give him a people and a place, 00:16:21.799 --> 00:16:24.620 to give him kids and to give him a home 00:16:24.620 --> 00:16:26.679 where those kids can live. 00:16:26.759 --> 00:16:28.899 And here, now, the people of God 00:16:28.899 --> 00:16:30.679 are on the edge of that promised land, 00:16:30.759 --> 00:16:33.639 but they've got to claim that promise by faith. 00:16:34.219 --> 00:16:36.359 They've got to put their faith into action. 00:16:36.459 --> 00:16:37.979 And what that means for us 00:16:37.979 --> 00:16:39.859 is this risky mission 00:16:39.859 --> 00:16:43.219 to move into hostile enemy territory, 00:16:43.699 --> 00:16:45.919 to engage in dangerous warfare, 00:16:45.919 --> 00:16:48.620 and to go and build the kingdom of God 00:16:48.620 --> 00:16:51.759 together in the promised land. 00:16:52.639 --> 00:16:53.700 Now, as a quick aside, 00:16:53.899 --> 00:16:55.419 some of us, we read, 00:16:55.560 --> 00:16:57.120 and we're gonna read a lot in Deuteronomy 00:16:57.120 --> 00:16:58.759 about the conquest of Canaan, 00:16:59.259 --> 00:17:03.740 and that is a major doubt generator for us, 00:17:03.779 --> 00:17:06.160 a major barrier of belief for some of us. 00:17:06.299 --> 00:17:09.579 I have wrestled long and hard on this question 00:17:09.579 --> 00:17:13.400 that's given me great cognitive and emotional unrest. 00:17:13.579 --> 00:17:14.799 And if that's you, 00:17:14.900 --> 00:17:15.839 and you're here today, 00:17:15.940 --> 00:17:18.160 sort of tempted to set your Bible aside 00:17:18.160 --> 00:17:18.800 because of that, 00:17:18.840 --> 00:17:20.860 or set your faith aside because of that, 00:17:21.240 --> 00:17:24.759 I've written a six-page paper for you 00:17:24.759 --> 00:17:27.720 called The Scandal of Divine Violence in the Bible. 00:17:27.860 --> 00:17:28.800 You can email me. 00:17:29.180 --> 00:17:31.220 I would love to point you in the right direction, 00:17:31.560 --> 00:17:34.700 help you engage with some of the great thinkers 00:17:34.700 --> 00:17:35.720 on this question. 00:17:36.240 --> 00:17:39.000 There are good answers to this very important question, 00:17:39.000 --> 00:17:41.360 and I'd love to dialogue with you about that. 00:17:41.420 --> 00:17:42.920 We don't have time to talk about it today. 00:17:43.540 --> 00:17:46.660 But my main point is that to be a Christian 00:17:46.660 --> 00:17:51.080 is to experience the liberating grace of God 00:17:51.080 --> 00:17:53.180 that pulls you out of Egypt. 00:17:53.820 --> 00:17:56.660 To be a Christian is to have your identity, 00:17:57.300 --> 00:18:00.480 your covenant identity tested and proven in the wilderness. 00:18:01.420 --> 00:18:03.860 And to be a Christian is to be someone 00:18:03.860 --> 00:18:06.259 who's pressing in to the promised land, 00:18:06.259 --> 00:18:10.980 someone who's taking possession of all that God has given us 00:18:10.980 --> 00:18:13.500 in Jesus and by the Spirit. 00:18:13.619 --> 00:18:18.740 It's to be someone who's living out your missional purpose to pray, 00:18:18.900 --> 00:18:22.920 God, may your kingdom come on the earth as it is in heaven. 00:18:23.039 --> 00:18:26.740 God, may you enable us to make more and more disciples of Jesus 00:18:26.740 --> 00:18:30.379 so we can fill this place with his people. 00:18:30.380 --> 00:18:34.760 And God is very eager for us, Christ Church, 00:18:35.320 --> 00:18:37.200 to move in this direction, 00:18:37.340 --> 00:18:40.080 to move into this stage of the journey. 00:18:40.200 --> 00:18:41.200 Where did you come from? 00:18:41.480 --> 00:18:43.020 Egypt, but I left that behind. 00:18:43.940 --> 00:18:45.020 Where are you now? 00:18:45.040 --> 00:18:46.860 I'm in the wilderness, but I'm moving through. 00:18:47.020 --> 00:18:47.980 Well, where are you going? 00:18:48.220 --> 00:18:51.460 We're pressing in to the promised land. 00:18:51.600 --> 00:18:52.720 That is the journey. 00:18:52.860 --> 00:18:56.120 It's been the journey of God's people for millennia, 00:18:56.280 --> 00:18:58.320 and it's our journey as well. 00:18:59.099 --> 00:19:03.700 And Moses tells us that our journey requires active trust. 00:19:04.599 --> 00:19:07.339 Our journey requires active trust. 00:19:08.419 --> 00:19:13.179 God swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob to give them a home. 00:19:13.819 --> 00:19:14.779 He made a promise. 00:19:14.919 --> 00:19:15.700 He made an oath. 00:19:15.779 --> 00:19:18.960 He made an irreversible commitment to do that, 00:19:18.960 --> 00:19:23.679 but they and we have to receive that promise by trust. 00:19:23.680 --> 00:19:28.360 And Deuteronomy 1 is a window into the human heart 00:19:28.360 --> 00:19:31.279 that tells us we have trust issues. 00:19:32.500 --> 00:19:35.960 Everybody sitting here, including myself, has trust issues. 00:19:37.220 --> 00:19:39.440 You see, the story goes that the people of God 00:19:39.440 --> 00:19:41.560 were slaves for 400 years. 00:19:42.200 --> 00:19:44.539 They're coming back to their homeland. 00:19:44.820 --> 00:19:45.920 They have no other place to go. 00:19:45.980 --> 00:19:46.820 They can't be in Egypt. 00:19:46.960 --> 00:19:47.980 They can't be in the wilderness. 00:19:47.980 --> 00:19:49.500 They have to be somewhere. 00:19:49.680 --> 00:19:52.779 So they're coming back to this land that was theirs 00:19:52.779 --> 00:19:55.420 before they had to move out. 00:19:56.460 --> 00:19:58.420 And tribes have moved into their homeland, 00:19:58.620 --> 00:20:01.900 and they're going to be attacked when they're returning home. 00:20:01.960 --> 00:20:04.420 And God says to them, don't be afraid. 00:20:05.160 --> 00:20:05.920 Go up. 00:20:06.680 --> 00:20:08.039 Possess the land. 00:20:08.220 --> 00:20:11.920 Yes, there's going to be spears and arrows and enemies. 00:20:12.640 --> 00:20:15.980 But God says, I provided a place for you. 00:20:15.980 --> 00:20:19.120 And of course, they send spies out. 00:20:19.920 --> 00:20:21.960 The spies bring back the scouting report, 00:20:22.059 --> 00:20:24.940 and they say, indeed, the Lord is giving us a land 00:20:24.940 --> 00:20:27.920 that is very good, just like the original creation, 00:20:28.559 --> 00:20:30.720 just like the Garden of Eden that was very good. 00:20:30.819 --> 00:20:33.640 This land is flowing with milk and honey. 00:20:33.720 --> 00:20:37.200 This land is so fruitful and full of grapes and wine. 00:20:37.440 --> 00:20:39.980 All we need to do as the people of God 00:20:39.980 --> 00:20:42.839 is to carry out the mission of God. 00:20:42.839 --> 00:20:47.599 But we see that the people of God rebel against God. 00:20:48.519 --> 00:20:50.919 In verse 26, Moses says, 00:20:51.079 --> 00:20:52.579 but you were unwilling to go up. 00:20:53.159 --> 00:20:55.779 You rebelled against the command of the Lord your God. 00:20:55.859 --> 00:20:57.619 You grumbled in your tents and said, 00:20:57.720 --> 00:20:58.879 the Lord hates us. 00:20:59.220 --> 00:21:01.559 So he brought us out of Egypt to deliver us 00:21:01.559 --> 00:21:05.480 into the hands of the Amorites to destroy us. 00:21:05.480 --> 00:21:08.559 I mean, you almost have to laugh. 00:21:10.259 --> 00:21:13.599 Here we are, the people of God, 00:21:14.019 --> 00:21:17.720 and we declare that the greatest blessing from God, 00:21:17.819 --> 00:21:21.360 the surest proof of God's love for us, 00:21:21.460 --> 00:21:23.140 our deliverance from slavery, 00:21:24.039 --> 00:21:27.380 proves the real motives of your heart. 00:21:27.460 --> 00:21:28.720 You don't wanna give us this land. 00:21:28.799 --> 00:21:30.220 You wanna give us to our enemies. 00:21:30.900 --> 00:21:32.180 You don't wanna bless us. 00:21:32.180 --> 00:21:34.240 You want to destroy us. 00:21:34.299 --> 00:21:38.039 All that stuff about dismantling the empire of Egypt 00:21:38.039 --> 00:21:41.440 and all this stuff about making the impossible journey 00:21:41.440 --> 00:21:44.400 through the sea and through the wilderness possible for us, 00:21:44.620 --> 00:21:46.539 you didn't do that because you love us. 00:21:46.600 --> 00:21:48.720 You did that because you hate us. 00:21:50.259 --> 00:21:51.940 And we may not say that out loud, 00:21:52.759 --> 00:21:54.180 but we live our lives, 00:21:54.200 --> 00:21:57.460 and I think we think like this in a thousand different ways 00:21:57.460 --> 00:21:59.920 because it's the condition of the human heart. 00:22:01.880 --> 00:22:03.120 Back at the very beginning, 00:22:04.019 --> 00:22:05.940 in Genesis 3, there was a voice 00:22:05.940 --> 00:22:08.440 that was speaking to the heart of Adam and Eve 00:22:08.440 --> 00:22:10.259 that said, God doesn't love you. 00:22:11.120 --> 00:22:12.799 You can't trust God. 00:22:12.900 --> 00:22:14.240 God's holding out on you. 00:22:14.319 --> 00:22:16.299 He wants to keep you down. 00:22:16.400 --> 00:22:17.660 And that was in paradise. 00:22:17.980 --> 00:22:20.120 That was in the best of all possible places. 00:22:20.640 --> 00:22:22.440 And yet here we are in the wilderness, 00:22:22.440 --> 00:22:25.160 and we second-guess God. 00:22:25.920 --> 00:22:28.019 We assume the worst about God. 00:22:28.259 --> 00:22:30.240 Things aren't going totally right for us, 00:22:30.259 --> 00:22:31.660 and we say, God must hate me. 00:22:32.440 --> 00:22:35.320 And we just kind of ignore God. 00:22:35.360 --> 00:22:37.580 Anybody do that besides me? 00:22:39.039 --> 00:22:41.740 The people of God rebel against God. 00:22:41.820 --> 00:22:42.559 You were unwilling. 00:22:42.799 --> 00:22:43.340 You rebelled. 00:22:43.460 --> 00:22:44.000 You grumbled. 00:22:44.480 --> 00:22:45.160 And then it says, 00:22:45.320 --> 00:22:46.820 the people of God melted in fear 00:22:46.820 --> 00:22:48.059 before their circumstances. 00:22:48.519 --> 00:22:49.660 Verse 28. 00:22:49.660 --> 00:22:52.019 Where can we go? 00:22:52.140 --> 00:22:54.320 Our brothers have made our hearts melt in fear. 00:22:54.420 --> 00:22:57.680 They say the people are stronger and taller than we are. 00:22:57.740 --> 00:22:58.880 The cities are large, 00:22:59.180 --> 00:23:00.700 with walls up to the sky. 00:23:00.820 --> 00:23:03.320 We even saw the Anakites there. 00:23:04.860 --> 00:23:07.980 See, we not only pervasively misconstrue God, 00:23:08.060 --> 00:23:11.779 but we consistently catastrophize our situations, 00:23:11.960 --> 00:23:12.340 don't we? 00:23:13.000 --> 00:23:15.860 We say, God, the mission you've given us is too big. 00:23:16.580 --> 00:23:17.740 It's too overwhelming. 00:23:17.740 --> 00:23:18.580 It's too difficult. 00:23:18.579 --> 00:23:21.699 The obedience you're calling me to offer you 00:23:21.699 --> 00:23:24.419 is too scary and too hard. 00:23:25.460 --> 00:23:27.939 They say the people are stronger and taller. 00:23:28.039 --> 00:23:30.519 This place is full of Goliath-like warriors. 00:23:31.779 --> 00:23:33.539 These cities are so huge. 00:23:33.619 --> 00:23:36.379 Their walls are 40 feet high. 00:23:36.819 --> 00:23:38.039 In the book of Numbers, 00:23:38.139 --> 00:23:39.779 when this story is recounted, 00:23:39.879 --> 00:23:40.699 the people say, 00:23:41.159 --> 00:23:44.699 we seem like grasshoppers in our own eyes. 00:23:44.700 --> 00:23:47.920 We are like this big. 00:23:48.920 --> 00:23:51.700 And why do our hearts melt in fear? 00:23:52.900 --> 00:23:55.140 Well, what are our eyes fixed upon? 00:23:56.059 --> 00:23:58.360 They're fixed upon all the wrong things. 00:23:58.359 --> 00:24:02.379 When we look out there at the world, 00:24:03.179 --> 00:24:06.019 everything is so big that we're afraid. 00:24:06.779 --> 00:24:09.000 And we look in here at ourselves, 00:24:09.500 --> 00:24:11.939 we're afraid because we're so small. 00:24:12.919 --> 00:24:14.779 But where should our eyes be fixed? 00:24:16.699 --> 00:24:20.159 Our eyes should be fixed on I am who I am. 00:24:20.160 --> 00:24:23.900 Our eyes should be fixed on his mighty hand 00:24:23.900 --> 00:24:25.840 and his outstretched arm. 00:24:25.940 --> 00:24:29.700 Our eyes should be fixed on the wonderful works of God. 00:24:29.900 --> 00:24:32.000 Our eyes should be fixed on the fact 00:24:32.000 --> 00:24:34.240 that over and over and over, 00:24:34.820 --> 00:24:36.800 he exercises his power 00:24:36.800 --> 00:24:40.420 and service of his love for us. 00:24:41.460 --> 00:24:43.560 And this is what Moses tells the people 00:24:43.560 --> 00:24:44.880 in verse 29. 00:24:45.040 --> 00:24:45.380 He says, 00:24:45.380 --> 00:25:07.100 This is a leader of the congregation 00:25:07.100 --> 00:25:08.580 who absorbs their anxiety, 00:25:09.300 --> 00:25:10.380 he calms their fears, 00:25:10.500 --> 00:25:12.860 and he redirects their attention. 00:25:12.859 --> 00:25:14.179 And he says, 00:25:14.599 --> 00:25:18.799 Fix your eyes on the Lord of the Passover, 00:25:19.559 --> 00:25:21.459 the Lord of the Red Sea, 00:25:22.079 --> 00:25:25.139 the Lord of the water in the desert, 00:25:25.259 --> 00:25:27.839 the Lord of the manna when there was no bread. 00:25:27.939 --> 00:25:31.639 Fix your eyes on the glorious God of Sinai. 00:25:33.319 --> 00:25:34.879 But Moses says in verse 32, 00:25:35.019 --> 00:25:35.740 In spite of this, 00:25:35.819 --> 00:25:38.939 you did not trust in the Lord your God 00:25:38.939 --> 00:25:41.799 who went ahead of you on your journey. 00:25:42.859 --> 00:25:43.619 And this, of course, 00:25:43.679 --> 00:25:47.399 is the taproot of all of our pathologies. 00:25:48.459 --> 00:25:50.139 This is the poisonous spring 00:25:50.139 --> 00:25:52.219 from which flows all of our spiritual, 00:25:52.899 --> 00:25:54.199 relational, psychological, 00:25:54.659 --> 00:25:56.259 and social problems 00:25:56.259 --> 00:25:58.399 that we have trust issues. 00:25:59.139 --> 00:26:00.279 We don't want to trust 00:26:00.279 --> 00:26:03.719 the most trustworthy being in the universe. 00:26:03.720 --> 00:26:06.400 And it's sobering to me 00:26:06.400 --> 00:26:09.019 that none of this generation 00:26:09.019 --> 00:26:11.500 was willing to continue 00:26:11.500 --> 00:26:13.860 the venture of faith 00:26:13.860 --> 00:26:16.620 that they started out upon so strong. 00:26:17.720 --> 00:26:19.180 Well, all except for one. 00:26:19.900 --> 00:26:21.680 In verse 36, it says that 00:26:21.680 --> 00:26:23.839 except for Caleb, 00:26:24.720 --> 00:26:25.620 son of Jephunneh, 00:26:25.740 --> 00:26:26.640 he will see the land 00:26:26.640 --> 00:26:28.120 and I will give him and his descendants 00:26:28.120 --> 00:26:29.539 the land he set his foot on. 00:26:29.799 --> 00:26:30.180 Why? 00:26:30.180 --> 00:26:33.519 Because he followed the Lord wholeheartedly. 00:26:34.600 --> 00:26:37.000 Caleb is looking at all of the same facts 00:26:37.000 --> 00:26:39.220 that the whole congregation of Israel is seeing, 00:26:39.600 --> 00:26:42.120 but he sees them through the eyes of faith. 00:26:43.340 --> 00:26:45.960 Caleb is looking at everybody around him, 00:26:46.000 --> 00:26:46.860 the people of God 00:26:46.860 --> 00:26:48.640 who are abandoning God 00:26:48.640 --> 00:26:50.360 and refusing to trust in God 00:26:50.360 --> 00:26:53.019 and losing their confidence in God. 00:26:53.160 --> 00:26:53.860 And Caleb says, 00:26:54.000 --> 00:26:55.500 I'm not going to go with the flow. 00:26:56.420 --> 00:26:57.700 I'm going to swim upstream, 00:26:57.900 --> 00:27:00.180 not just upstream from the broader culture. 00:27:00.299 --> 00:27:01.400 I'm going to swim upstream 00:27:01.400 --> 00:27:03.619 from what all God's people are doing. 00:27:04.500 --> 00:27:06.380 And I'm going to remain loyal. 00:27:06.579 --> 00:27:08.819 And in fact, the Hebrew says, 00:27:08.960 --> 00:27:12.839 he completely filled himself with the Lord. 00:27:14.099 --> 00:27:15.559 And this book of Deuteronomy 00:27:15.559 --> 00:27:17.579 is here for us to learn 00:27:17.579 --> 00:27:19.240 how to be a church community 00:27:19.240 --> 00:27:21.940 that's full of Caleb-like men 00:27:21.940 --> 00:27:23.720 and women and children 00:27:23.720 --> 00:27:27.900 who are full of trust 00:27:27.900 --> 00:27:32.440 and full of a wholehearted willingness 00:27:32.440 --> 00:27:34.759 to follow our God 00:27:34.759 --> 00:27:37.339 wherever he's leading us to go. 00:27:38.079 --> 00:27:38.400 Amen? 00:27:39.120 --> 00:27:42.140 So our journey requires active trust 00:27:42.140 --> 00:27:43.759 and it requires active trust 00:27:43.759 --> 00:27:45.700 in the living God. 00:27:45.759 --> 00:27:47.660 And I think I can do this last part really quick. 00:27:47.660 --> 00:27:50.200 Sociologist Christian Smith, 00:27:50.380 --> 00:27:52.759 he researches the common beliefs 00:27:52.759 --> 00:27:54.720 among American youth 00:27:54.720 --> 00:27:57.920 and he summarizes those beliefs 00:27:57.920 --> 00:28:01.560 by calling it moral therapeutic deism. 00:28:02.440 --> 00:28:06.360 Moral therapeutic deism says that God exists, 00:28:06.500 --> 00:28:08.580 but he's not particularly involved in our lives. 00:28:09.200 --> 00:28:11.019 He's kind of remote and distant. 00:28:11.240 --> 00:28:13.040 He's this divine butler, 00:28:13.180 --> 00:28:14.519 this cosmic therapist 00:28:14.519 --> 00:28:17.940 that is helping us out from time to time, 00:28:18.019 --> 00:28:20.139 but it's not really personally connected to us. 00:28:20.700 --> 00:28:21.720 And what I want us to see 00:28:21.720 --> 00:28:23.579 is that Moses deconstructs, 00:28:23.680 --> 00:28:24.519 radically deconstructs, 00:28:25.279 --> 00:28:27.379 this vision of God. 00:28:28.160 --> 00:28:29.480 He says in verse 30, 00:28:30.599 --> 00:28:32.559 the Lord your God who is going before you 00:28:32.559 --> 00:28:33.720 will fight for you 00:28:33.720 --> 00:28:35.279 as he did for you in Egypt 00:28:35.279 --> 00:28:37.059 before your very eyes. 00:28:37.059 --> 00:28:39.619 This is not a remote and a weak God, 00:28:39.619 --> 00:28:42.000 but he's a present and strong fighter 00:28:42.000 --> 00:28:46.339 who wars against all that would enslave us 00:28:46.339 --> 00:28:47.579 and oppress us. 00:28:47.639 --> 00:28:49.379 And Moses goes on in verse 31. 00:28:50.339 --> 00:28:50.779 He says, 00:28:50.859 --> 00:28:52.099 in the wilderness you saw 00:28:52.099 --> 00:28:54.319 how the Lord your God carried you 00:28:54.319 --> 00:28:55.939 as a father carries his son 00:28:55.939 --> 00:28:57.399 all the way you went 00:28:57.399 --> 00:28:59.359 until you reached this place. 00:28:59.419 --> 00:29:02.519 This is not a distant and uncaring God. 00:29:02.639 --> 00:29:05.539 This is an involved and compassionate father 00:29:05.539 --> 00:29:06.700 who carries us 00:29:06.700 --> 00:29:09.319 when we cannot carry ourselves. 00:29:10.359 --> 00:29:11.759 The living God 00:29:11.759 --> 00:29:15.059 is a fighter and a father. 00:29:15.740 --> 00:29:16.619 And he's proven 00:29:16.619 --> 00:29:18.279 that he can be relied upon 00:29:18.279 --> 00:29:20.240 to meet all of our needs. 00:29:20.299 --> 00:29:21.420 And this living God 00:29:21.420 --> 00:29:23.420 reveals himself to us 00:29:23.420 --> 00:29:24.180 most fully 00:29:24.180 --> 00:29:26.059 in Jesus Christ. 00:29:27.200 --> 00:29:27.759 In Jesus, 00:29:27.759 --> 00:29:29.559 this God takes on flesh 00:29:29.559 --> 00:29:32.259 to live the one true human life. 00:29:32.259 --> 00:29:34.619 After his baptism, 00:29:34.819 --> 00:29:36.339 he goes out into the wilderness 00:29:36.339 --> 00:29:37.480 for 40 days, 00:29:37.559 --> 00:29:39.460 just like Israel was in the wilderness 00:29:39.460 --> 00:29:40.500 for 40 years. 00:29:40.599 --> 00:29:40.980 And there, 00:29:41.359 --> 00:29:42.900 he too is tempted. 00:29:44.019 --> 00:29:46.819 Will he journey with the living God 00:29:46.819 --> 00:29:48.740 by exercising active trust? 00:29:49.500 --> 00:29:52.579 Or will he too rebel against God 00:29:52.579 --> 00:29:53.960 and melt in fear 00:29:53.960 --> 00:29:55.640 and refuse to trust? 00:29:56.819 --> 00:29:58.359 And guess which book of the Bible 00:29:58.359 --> 00:30:00.059 Jesus is meditating on 00:30:00.059 --> 00:30:00.599 out here 00:30:00.599 --> 00:30:02.140 in his wilderness temptation? 00:30:02.259 --> 00:30:03.480 And guess which book of the Bible 00:30:03.480 --> 00:30:04.859 Jesus is quoting 00:30:04.859 --> 00:30:07.500 in his great wilderness struggle? 00:30:08.400 --> 00:30:10.400 It's the book of Deuteronomy. 00:30:11.220 --> 00:30:11.940 And here, 00:30:12.299 --> 00:30:13.299 the Son of God 00:30:13.299 --> 00:30:15.859 succeeds at every point 00:30:15.859 --> 00:30:16.379 where we, 00:30:16.500 --> 00:30:17.839 the people of God, 00:30:17.960 --> 00:30:18.279 fail. 00:30:19.079 --> 00:30:19.339 Right? 00:30:19.460 --> 00:30:20.420 We are unwilling, 00:30:20.619 --> 00:30:22.559 but he proves himself willing. 00:30:23.420 --> 00:30:24.940 We are afraid, 00:30:25.700 --> 00:30:27.079 but Jesus is courageous. 00:30:28.099 --> 00:30:29.819 We refuse to trust, 00:30:29.819 --> 00:30:31.460 but Jesus follows the Lord 00:30:31.460 --> 00:30:32.579 wholeheartedly 00:30:32.579 --> 00:30:34.019 and we're told he goes out 00:30:34.019 --> 00:30:34.659 from the wilderness 00:30:34.659 --> 00:30:35.919 and he begins to proclaim 00:30:35.919 --> 00:30:38.480 everywhere the gracious rule 00:30:38.480 --> 00:30:40.679 and the liberating reign of God 00:30:40.679 --> 00:30:42.259 and the core of that message 00:30:42.259 --> 00:30:43.000 is what? 00:30:43.779 --> 00:30:45.000 I want all of you 00:30:45.000 --> 00:30:46.439 to begin calling God 00:30:46.439 --> 00:30:47.539 Abba, 00:30:47.960 --> 00:30:48.439 Father. 00:30:49.639 --> 00:30:50.359 Jesus says, 00:30:50.359 --> 00:30:52.319 I am the way to the Father 00:30:52.319 --> 00:30:54.479 and my Father is anything 00:30:54.479 --> 00:30:56.579 but distant and uncaring. 00:30:57.519 --> 00:30:58.639 He is an involved 00:30:58.639 --> 00:31:00.079 and compassionate Father 00:31:00.079 --> 00:31:02.000 and he wants to carry you 00:31:02.000 --> 00:31:04.459 like a father carries his daughter. 00:31:05.459 --> 00:31:06.879 He wants to carry you 00:31:06.879 --> 00:31:09.119 like a father carries his son. 00:31:10.319 --> 00:31:12.519 Won't you let God carry you 00:31:12.519 --> 00:31:14.979 through all the ups and the downs, 00:31:15.139 --> 00:31:16.019 through all the twists 00:31:16.019 --> 00:31:17.639 and turns of your life? 00:31:17.640 --> 00:31:18.280 Jesus says, 00:31:18.400 --> 00:31:20.200 won't you let my Father 00:31:20.200 --> 00:31:22.280 carry you all the way home 00:31:22.280 --> 00:31:23.820 to the promised land, 00:31:24.140 --> 00:31:25.380 all the way to where 00:31:25.380 --> 00:31:27.140 the heavens come down 00:31:27.140 --> 00:31:27.720 on the earth. 00:31:27.840 --> 00:31:29.620 Let my Father carry you 00:31:29.620 --> 00:31:31.420 all the way to that place 00:31:31.420 --> 00:31:32.880 where he has many, 00:31:33.240 --> 00:31:34.400 many rooms 00:31:34.400 --> 00:31:36.640 for us to dwell. 00:31:37.520 --> 00:31:40.360 See, Jesus had so saturated himself 00:31:40.360 --> 00:31:41.960 in this vision 00:31:41.960 --> 00:31:43.500 that God is our Father 00:31:43.500 --> 00:31:46.240 who wants to carry us. 00:31:46.240 --> 00:31:48.019 And in Jesus, 00:31:48.220 --> 00:31:49.779 we not only meet God our Father, 00:31:49.880 --> 00:31:50.620 but in Jesus, 00:31:50.819 --> 00:31:53.039 we meet God our fighter, 00:31:54.019 --> 00:31:55.799 the God who fights for us. 00:31:56.620 --> 00:31:58.200 When we meditate 00:31:58.200 --> 00:32:01.759 on Christ hanging on his cross, 00:32:02.440 --> 00:32:03.700 what do we see? 00:32:04.980 --> 00:32:07.299 Do we see a weakling? 00:32:08.299 --> 00:32:09.920 Or do we see someone 00:32:09.920 --> 00:32:12.579 who's warring on our behalf 00:32:12.579 --> 00:32:15.939 against all that sin 00:32:15.939 --> 00:32:18.059 which was enslaving us? 00:32:19.019 --> 00:32:20.759 When we look at Christ crucified, 00:32:21.039 --> 00:32:22.220 do we see a loser? 00:32:23.279 --> 00:32:25.019 Or do we see a victor 00:32:25.019 --> 00:32:26.259 who's gone before us 00:32:26.259 --> 00:32:26.980 on our journey 00:32:26.980 --> 00:32:28.839 to fight our enemies? 00:32:30.159 --> 00:32:31.980 When we look at Christ 00:32:31.980 --> 00:32:35.039 crucified on his bloody cross, 00:32:35.839 --> 00:32:37.119 do we see a man 00:32:37.119 --> 00:32:38.579 who's being trampled upon? 00:32:38.579 --> 00:32:40.779 Or do we see our God 00:32:40.779 --> 00:32:42.759 who's trampling down 00:32:42.759 --> 00:32:45.059 death by death? 00:32:46.099 --> 00:32:47.039 Because my friends, 00:32:47.179 --> 00:32:49.279 Jesus has gone ahead of us 00:32:49.279 --> 00:32:49.879 on our journey. 00:32:50.980 --> 00:32:52.500 And he has taken on 00:32:52.500 --> 00:32:53.379 all those things 00:32:53.379 --> 00:32:54.980 that are too big for us 00:32:54.980 --> 00:32:57.559 and too scary for us. 00:32:57.740 --> 00:32:58.559 All those things 00:32:58.559 --> 00:32:59.480 that really should 00:32:59.480 --> 00:33:00.659 cause our hearts 00:33:00.659 --> 00:33:02.359 to melt in fear. 00:33:03.419 --> 00:33:04.599 And all that stuff 00:33:04.599 --> 00:33:05.759 that could really destroy us, 00:33:05.759 --> 00:33:07.240 Jesus goes ahead of us 00:33:07.240 --> 00:33:10.299 and destroys it for us. 00:33:11.900 --> 00:33:14.920 This crucified yet risen one, 00:33:15.839 --> 00:33:17.539 he's the beloved son 00:33:17.539 --> 00:33:19.440 of our Father God. 00:33:20.879 --> 00:33:22.519 And he's the living God 00:33:22.519 --> 00:33:25.240 who fights for us 00:33:25.240 --> 00:33:27.220 and indeed has already won 00:33:27.220 --> 00:33:29.220 the battle for us. 00:33:30.160 --> 00:33:31.960 And Jesus, the living God, 00:33:32.039 --> 00:33:32.839 invites us 00:33:32.839 --> 00:33:34.939 and I hope you'll hear him 00:33:34.939 --> 00:33:36.299 in this sermon series 00:33:36.299 --> 00:33:37.139 inviting you, 00:33:37.319 --> 00:33:38.639 come follow me. 00:33:39.500 --> 00:33:41.639 Come follow me wholeheartedly 00:33:41.639 --> 00:33:43.259 into the promised land. 00:33:43.399 --> 00:33:44.359 Come follow me 00:33:44.359 --> 00:33:45.359 into new 00:33:45.359 --> 00:33:47.220 and abundant life 00:33:47.220 --> 00:33:48.139 with God. 00:33:48.299 --> 00:33:49.639 Come follow me 00:33:49.639 --> 00:33:51.159 as I fight the battle 00:33:51.159 --> 00:33:52.579 to turn this sad, 00:33:52.939 --> 00:33:53.419 old, 00:33:54.000 --> 00:33:54.980 miserable world 00:33:54.980 --> 00:33:57.939 into the joyous kingdom 00:33:57.939 --> 00:33:59.359 of my Father. 00:33:59.500 --> 00:34:01.119 Come follow me 00:34:01.119 --> 00:34:03.259 and let my Father 00:34:03.259 --> 00:34:04.319 carry you 00:34:04.319 --> 00:34:06.739 all the way home 00:34:06.739 --> 00:34:08.299 to the place 00:34:08.299 --> 00:34:09.400 you were meant 00:34:09.400 --> 00:34:10.480 to dwell. 00:34:12.219 --> 00:34:13.259 Our journey 00:34:13.259 --> 00:34:15.719 requires active trust 00:34:15.719 --> 00:34:17.519 in the living God 00:34:17.519 --> 00:34:18.339 and may he fill us 00:34:18.339 --> 00:34:18.940 with trust 00:34:18.940 --> 00:34:19.980 even today. 00:34:20.059 --> 00:34:20.839 In the name of the Father, 00:34:21.000 --> 00:34:21.239 Son, 00:34:21.679 --> 00:34:22.519 and Holy Spirit. 00:34:23.239 --> 00:34:23.519 Amen. 00:34:23.519 --> 00:34:23.679 Amen. 00:34:23.679 --> 00:34:23.739 Amen. 00:34:23.739 --> 00:34:23.759 Amen.