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)