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Lord forgive us for honoring our adversity as if it had any power over you. Bless our motivation to seek you and allow us to find you. Lord, help us to live in peace with one another and encourage us to do our part to spread your Kingdom in our world during this breath we call life. Lord, use our thoughts and our words to your glory as we seek to honor you.
Response to Deuteronomy 4:1-49
A Chapter With Many Answers: Deuteronomy 4:1-43
I have heard some pastors say recently that we will never have all the answers. I am sure they are right. Unfortunately, I think many of the answers we thought we had were wrong - but that keeps the Bible a readable book with many treasures, both new and old. A good read for any child of God. This chapter addresses so much theology, its absolutely amazing. I will give some interpretation here, but know that the things I share are only my own understanding. I would love to hear your thoughts.
I am going to assume the story line is easy to understand as Moses speaks to the Israelites, but I am going to apply these teachings to our own lives as we reach for the goals that are set before us today.
References to Fullness of Life
verse 1 states "Follow them so that you may live" I suggest this speaks of a good life on earth and does not speak of good works providing eternal life, as I understand salvation to be a free gift from God. As Moses speaks of going in and taking possession of the land, I again see a time of peace and the Kingdom of God on earth as He becomes Lord of all of our lives. If this cannot happen on earth, how can we imagine it will happen in heaven. Serious change is required in all of our lives to live as families, communities, nations, and as a Kingdom of God. It starts with these observations found in Deuteronomy 4.
Verse 2 "Do not add to what I command you and do not subtract from it, but keep the commands" This line is repeated in Revelations 22:18-19. The words have served to keep the Torah pure within the land of the Israelites and has served to keep the books of the Bible pure through a couple millenium. However, there have been books which have been removed and there have been interpretations. In Jesus ministry, He condemned the Pharisees for afflicting the people with the laws - they had added much and Jesus claimed these were the laws of man. He summarized the law and the prophets by stating the first commandment was to Love God, and the second was to Love man. This did not detract as long as we see each of the laws through the filter he saw them. The law was given to help men, not to afflict them, or to make one man better than another.
References to Impurity in Worship (Who God is Not)
vs. 3 No false Gods or idols - God destroyed everyone who followed the Baal of Peor"
vs. 16 Don't act corruptly making any graven image or even considering God to be man or woman.
vs. 17-18 Don't imagine God as any part of His Creation - no images as that may mislead you.
vs. 19 The worship of the sun or moon or animals was and is common - It is misleading and wrong.
vs. 23 No graven images for God is a jealous God and refuses to be belittled by any stupid images.
vs. 28 Your seeds of holiness will find soil within impure fields of worship where they will shine and grow.
Of Seedtime and Harvest, Refinement and Mission
vs. 11 The mountain burned as people gathered and the Law as given - an offering in fellowship and awe.
vs. 20 You were in the fiery furnace of life and evil on this earth, but God has called you out to be Holy.
vs. 21 The man of God shall tell sinners of the coming peace, but may only see the peaceful land from afar.
vs. 22 Life is short, yet we must each do our part to bring about the Kingdom of God on earth.
vs. 24 God is a devouring fire - burning away defilement in ideologies and sowing seeds of purity.
vs. 26 You will be harvested, you will be destroyed, yet, thereby, seeds of His word will be spread.
vs. 27 As in the fire on the mountain, seeds of the Kingdom will be spread throughout the world.
vs. 30 The trials within an unholy land create perseverance, maturity, holiness, and new seeds.
vs. 34 Through adversity, signs, wonders, and frustrations, God plants seeds of holiness and light.
vs. 36 Out of the fire, are you a chosen seed? - to face trials toward maturity - and share God's Love?
vs. 37 He called you to be a blessing. It is not you who saves, but He who chose to speak through you.
Assurance and Satisfaction in Life Available through Patient Obedience
vs. 1 Follow his instructions so that you may live and enjoy life
vs. 2 Keep these commandments of love - they are not burdensome and they are all encompassing.
vs. 8 Learn to live in love according to God's word and people will want some of what you've got!
vs. 9 Stay invested and share your faith with your children that wisdom and knowledge will not pass away.
vs. 25 Honor God's sovereignty and holiness within your families and avoid His refining fires.
vs. 31 Through the cycles of life and death, seedtime and harvest, God remains merciful with his reward.
vs. 33 Witness the love of God, even in the face of destruction and death. Be still and know that He is God.
vs. 35 Have you been called to be a light in the darkness and point its victims toward peace with God?
vs. 38 Through His power, you shall overcome adversity and find healing for nations through your witness.
vs. 41 Find refuge within the house of God. Find replenishment and strength for each new day.
References to Purity in Worship (Who God Is and What He Requires)
vs. 4 Make God Lord of your life and live!
vs. 5 Love God and Love man and fill the land He has promised with Peace.
vs. 6 Gain wisdom and understanding from the word of God, People will take notice and follow your lead.
vs. 10 Gather together in the assembly with your children and hear of the great things God has done!
vs. 12 Hear the word of the Lord, Know Him in Spirit and in Truth, but you shall not see Him, no images.
vs. 13 Write the law of the Lord within your mind and upon your heart. Love God and Love Humanity.
vs. 14 Speak of the word of the Lord diligently so that there might be peace in the land.
vs. 15 Seek no form of God in your fellowship before the Lord and as you present your offerings
vs. 23 Remember the power and glory of God displayed in Israel as witnessed in His word.
vs. 25 We must remember the Lord of our youth and keep worship within our families pure and Holy
vs. 29 In unclean lands, your seed will seek after me in remembrance of you and they will find me.
vs. 32 Consider his-story since the beginning of time and see His hand at work in fire, seedtime, and harvest.
vs. 39 Remember that God is Lord of Heaven and Earth. The adversary has no power - God alone is God.
vs. 40 Follow his basic instructions before leaving earth and teach them to your kids, tell of His Love.
vs. 42 Keep the light on for sinners and saints seeking refuge in forgiveness from truly repentant hearts.
vs. 43 Understand that God is God and offers refuge and salvation through nations, tribes, and tongues.
(a favorite verse) Deuteronomy 4:29 "But if from there you seek the LORD your God, you will find him if you look for him with all your heart and with all your soul" (Repeated in Jeremiah 29:13)
Preparation For a Reminder of the Law For a New Generation Deuteronomy 4:44-49
The beginning of Deuteronomy has been a recap of the history of the Exodus from the Sinai Peninsula through the victories over the Amorites east of the Jordan. the Israelites were in posession of all the land from the Arnon gorge (east from the center of the dead sea (see smaller inlay)) to Mount Hermon as reflected in the following map. http://bibleatlas.org/full/sirion.htm The Arnon gorge is also at the southern end of this map reflecting verse Deuteronomy 4:49 http://bibleatlas.org/full/pisgah.htm .
Prepare for the beauty of the law of God as He shared it with his children throughout the world throughout all time. Prepare to know the will of the Lord as we prepare to enter the promised land, crossing our own Jordan Rivers and marching on to Zion and the Kingdom of God.
Response to Luke 6:37-7:10
"Let God Be the Judge" Luke 6:37-45
A favorite chapter for many who read the New Testament books is Romans 1 as it blasts the world with condemnation for their sin. Unfortunately, there is a very important paragraph hiding in the break in chapters. Romans 2:1-4 states; "You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge the other, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things. Now we know that God's judgment against those who do such things is based on truth. So when you, a mere man, pass judgment on them and yet do the same things, do you think you will escape God's judgment? Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, tolerance and patience, not realizing that God's kindness leads you toward repentance?
Well said as it is in complete agreement with our reading for today from Luke 6:37-45. Why is it that so many in our world refuse religion? Because they think righteous people think they are going to Hell? Why do we so easily look down our noses at persons we consider to be of ill repute and chase them off the front porch of our houses of God? Why do people worldwide imagine the people in other countries or of other faiths are infidels? How dare we make claims that other cultures are serving the devil when they believe they are seeking God! How dare we make a claim that someone who believes Jesus Christ is their savior doesn't understand the right Jesus! According to Matthew 12:31, such judgment represents "blasphemy", the unforgiveable sin. We must not hold our fellowman in judgment. Jews made this mistake with their prophets. The Church made this mistake with the reformers! We must allow for new ideas and allow for the Spirit's work as he continues to refine His children in preparation for His glory! We have so much to learn from one another. Religions of hatred and judgment have caused our societies to outlaw religious practices. This must stop as it does not reflect the Love the Father has for His children, nor any of the fruits of His Spirit.
If you stand in judgment on your fellowman, if you imagine anyone is going to Hell, you are unable to lead them. You have given the adversary a power he need not have! How can a sinner imagine God's grace on their own behalf and not on that of their fellowman? "Can a blind man lead a blind man? Will they not both fall into a pit(vs. 39)?" If Jesus told the sinner his sins were forgiven before that man even asked for repentance (Luke 5:20), who are we to hold another's sins against them? Are we greater than Jesus? Luke 6:40 states that we can be like Jesus, but we must see every man as saved by grace. If God chooses to send someone to Hell, there is absolutely nothing we can do about it. We must act like Moses in the Exodus and continue to pray for the salvation and forgiveness of our fellowman and believe that God has answered that prayer!
(vs. 41) Quit worrying about the sin in the world and find salvation within your own soul. Find that love within you that is missing for your fellowman. Release the power of the adversary where he has control of your emotions regarding your fellowman. In Jesus name, you can release his power in three little words! I forgive you! Forgive! Mend your relationships! You certainly may have been called by God to a greater righteousness than your fellowman, but that in no way makes you a better person in the eyes of God. We are all so far beneath a God who created the heavens and the earth that the blemishes in each of our lives is but a speck in our own eye and means virtually nothing to God. In fact, the speck we think we see in our brother's eye may in fact be the log in our own! Elihu said these words in Job 35:5-8 "Look up at the heavens and see; gaze at the clouds so high above you. If you sin, how does that affect him? If your sins are many, what does that do to him? If you are righteous, what do you give to him, or what does he receive from your hand? Your wickedness affects only a man like yourself, and your righteousness only the sons of men.
All of this does not mean that our trials on earth between brothers do not need to be dealt with, I truly believe they must. The circumstances of failure in life serve to mold us and to shape us and to mature us as individuals, but have little to do with eternal life - at least that's the way I read scripture. Without honor, families fail. If we break the municipal code, we go to jail. Life goes on.
(vs. 43-45) If we wondered what the tree represented in verse 43, we were told in verse 45 that Jesus is speaking of the heart of a man. Perhaps we can also consider the spirit of a child of God. If we say we have made our creator the Lord of our lives, but then show fruits of moral depravity, enmity, strife, jealousy, anger, selfishness, dissension, envy, how can we say we honor the Holy Spirit? Again, if the spirit of a man shows love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, or self control, how can we say that person does not have a heart for God?
Riding the Storm Out Luke 6:46-49
The teaching here is strong for those who consider themselves children of God. Although you are in the word, if your actions do not reflect the Love of the Father, your life is still missing that firm foundation. You are a ship adrift at sea and all that you attempt to hold on to is cast away. And yet, if you hear the word and honor God and reach out to your fellow man, your anchor holds and you are at peace. The storms of life may come, but you are not alone and you can rest secure.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m17af0XmPFo
Faith and a Prayer Luke 7:1-10
Imagine if you will this centurion's faith. He may not have seen Jesus, but He had heard of Jesus ministry. He sent word to Jesus with a faith and a knowledge that He could heal his servant without even showing up physically. How far away could he have been for that saving faith to work? How far away physically? How far in the space and time dimension? Do you have the faith of the centurion? Do you believe Jesus is right here, right now? Does He need to be? Does your faith depend on sight and touch? I wish I had the faith the centurion showed me that day!
Response to Psalm 68:1-18
Isaiah 33:1-2 Woe to you, O destroyer, you who have not been destroyed! Woe to you, O traitor, you who have not been betrayed! When you stop destroying, you will be destroyed; when you stop betraying, you will be betrayed.
O Lord, be gracious to us; we long for you. Be our strength every morning, our salvation in time of distress.
Isaiah 57:15 "For this is what the high and lofty One says - he who lives forever, whose name is holy: "I live in a high and holy place, but also with him who is contrite and lowly in spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly
and to revive the heart of the contrite."
Psalm 23:5 " You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows."
Isaiah 52:7; "How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, "Your God reigns!"
Psalm 44:3; "It was not by their sword that they won the land, nor did their arm bring them victory; it was your right hand, your arm, and the light of your face, for you loved them.
Luke 2:13-14; "Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lG6qx-CAIzA&feature=related
Response to Proverbs 11:28
"Whoever trusts in his riches will fall, but the righteous will thrive like a green leaf."
It is not always easy to trust a Psalm like this. It sure would be nice to have the comfort of riches. Certainly, if I were to have riches, I would keep my faith in God! But then again, I don't have riches, but I have God and that is more than I could have ever hoped for! He makes my heart sing!
Until Tomorrow
Rick
Thursday, March 25, 2010
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