Deuteronomy 1- The Faithful and the Faithless

Jon Beck

My sermon notes for Sunday morning, Aug. 2nd as we walk through the book of Deuteronomy. Remember, these are my personal study notes and not a manuscript of the sermon.  They are provided to help you follow the sermon as you listen each week. The church provides a live stream of the service each Sunday at 10:45 on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/firstbaptistavonpark/  We also provide the services through our website by Sunday afternoon at www.fbcap.net

INTRO THOUGHTS:

  • What does true faithfulness to the Lord really look like?
  • TRUE BELIEF=TRUE RESPONSE – TRUE RESPONSE=TRUE BELIEF
  • How often do I say…How can they respond and react that way, they have been Christians for so long.
  • FAITHFULNESS IS THE NATURAL RESPONSE TO GOD’S DIVINE GRACE.

God is faithful to keep His covenant promises – vv. 6-11

take possession of the Land sworn to your fathers – v. 8
  • Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob

Bless you as He has promised – v. 11

  • to keep His Word.  Then and Now
  • Bless…what does that mean?

His people can trust Him and not lose hope – v. 21

Exodus 3:7-8 – A Land flowing with Milk and Honey

  • Unwilling to go. They wanted no part of it.
  • Forgot the power and providence of God.
    • Ps. 78:11, 42

The Lord’s Instruction

  • Take the Land
  • Do not fear
  • Do not be dismayed (discouraged)

Notice what they did rather than listen to and trust in God’s word/promises

  • Formed a committee
  • Believed the majority

Yet, it takes real faith and trust – vv. 26-32

Yet they would not go – v. 26

But rebelled against His command – v. 26

  • Suppressed the truth. Rom. 1:18

Grumbled in their hearts – v. 27

  • It was not really against Moses, but against God. (He is not who He says He is.)

The people and the cities are greater than we are – 28

  • WELL OF COURSE THEY ARE…BUT NOT GREATER THAN GOD.

How soon we forget about the glory and greatness of God

  • The Lord goes before you – v. 30
  • He will fight for you – v. 30
  • Just as He did in Egypt before your eyes – vv. 30-31
  • No greater miracle than our salvation… how quickly we forget what God is able to do!

Yet, in spite of this Word, you do not believe the LORD your God – v. 32

  • They WALKED BY THEIR SIGHT, NOT BY GOD’S
    • Hebrews 3:7-19
  • We need to always remember who GOD IS. (His vision compared to ours)

God gives people the desires of their heart – vv. 34-38 (Psalm 37:4)

Not one of them shall see the good land I swore to give to your fathers – v. 35

Except, Caleb and Joshua.  Because he has wholly followed the LORD! – vv. 36 & 38

  • Numbers 13:30 tells us rather than grumbling, they were encouraging the people to trust in the LORD.

What about us today.

  • Are we faithful or faithless?
  • Do we really know, hear, and believe the Words of the LORD?
  • Do we believe more in the power of the enemy or the power of God?
  • Do we trust in the provision of the God? (ALL THAT HE HAS MADE AVAILABLE TO HIS OWN)
  • Can we enter His rest?  Hebrews 4:1

SCRIPTURE:

Hebrews 3 – [1] Therefore, holy brothers, you who share in a heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our confession, [2] who was faithful to him who appointed him, just as Moses also was faithful in all God’s house. [3] For Jesus has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses—as much more glory as the builder of a house has more honor than the house itself. [4] (For every house is built by someone, but the builder of all things is God.) [5] Now Moses was faithful in all God’s house as a servant, to testify to the things that were to be spoken later, [6] but Christ is faithful over God’s house as a son. And we are his house, if indeed we hold fast our confidence and our boasting in our hope.

[7] Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says,

              “Today, if you hear his voice,

              [8] do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion,

                             on the day of testing in the wilderness,

              [9] where your fathers put me to the test

                             and saw my works for forty years.

              [10] Therefore I was provoked with that generation,

              and said, ‘They always go astray in their heart;

                             they have not known my ways.’

              [11] As I swore in my wrath,

                             ‘They shall not enter my rest.’”

              [12] Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. [13] But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. [14] For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end. [15] As it is said,

              “Today, if you hear his voice,

              do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.”

              [16] For who were those who heard and yet rebelled? Was it not all those who left Egypt led by Moses? [17] And with whom was he provoked for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness? [18] And to whom did he swear that they would not enter his rest, but to those who were disobedient? [19] So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief. (ESV)

Hebrews 4:1 – Therefore, while the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us fear lest any of you should seem to have failed to reach it. (ESV)

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