Remembering God's Love
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Introduction
Introduction
Almost over…We’ve almost made it…4 days and we finish Jumanji.
I said it last week and I’ll say it again, it has been a year for the history books for sure. I appreciate what someone said this last year about living during these times and that was try living as the Israelites in Egypt, in the desert, taking over the promised land, and so on.
We don’t get to determine the timeframe in which we exists, thats up to God. We do however get to determine how we will live in that timeline.
If there was a group of people that could have grumbled, moaned, and complained, it was the Israelites. Between Egypt and the time they conquered the Promised Land, they dealt with battles, famine, lots of walking, and various other problems.
Life wasn’t easy. And just like us…they got to use their hindsight to look back and remember what had happened.
And as we know…especially this year…Hindsight is 2020…get it?
Why do we say that though? Because 2020 represents perfect vision and look back on events that have taken place in our lives we can almost always say something like “I should have done this…I should have said that...”
And it’s not wrong to look back and grow from experiences but we should be careful to not get focused on just ourselves. We have the privilege and honor of looking back on our lives and seeing not just what we did but also, what God did.
Today, our message is titled “hindsight: Remembering God’s Love” and I want us to take a look at God’s love through the lens of the life of the Israelites and what all that love does for us.
In order to do so we are going to be looking at 2 separate passages and going through a large number of verses today. I don’t see that as a problem though.
Let’s start in Deuteronomy 11.
Deuteronomy is part of the first 5 books of the Bible known as the Pentatauch. In it we find much of the law and events that took place during the exodus.
Today we are looking at a passage of scripture where the Israelites are told to recall the great things God has done.
Follow along with me as I read and ask yourselves “How does God’s love affect me?”
Deut 11:1-20
1 Therefore thou shalt love the Lord thy God, and keep his charge, and his statutes, and his judgments, and his commandments, alway.
2 And know ye this day: for I speak not with your children which have not known, and which have not seen the chastisement of the Lord your God, his greatness, his mighty hand, and his stretched out arm,
3 And his miracles, and his acts, which he did in the midst of Egypt unto Pharaoh the king of Egypt, and unto all his land;
4 And what he did unto the army of Egypt, unto their horses, and to their chariots; how he made the water of the Red sea to overflow them as they pursued after you, and how the Lord hath destroyed them unto this day;
5 And what he did unto you in the wilderness, until ye came into this place;
6 And what he did unto Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, the son of Reuben: how the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed them up, and their households, and their tents, and all the substance that was in their possession, in the midst of all Israel:
7 But your eyes have seen all the great acts of the Lord which he did.
8 Therefore shall ye keep all the commandments which I command you this day, that ye may be strong, and go in and possess the land, whither ye go to possess it;
9 And that ye may prolong your days in the land, which the Lord sware unto your fathers to give unto them and to their seed, a land that floweth with milk and honey.
10 For the land, whither thou goest in to possess it, is not as the land of Egypt, from whence ye came out, where thou sowedst thy seed, and wateredst it with thy foot, as a garden of herbs:
11 But the land, whither ye go to possess it, is a land of hills and valleys, and drinketh water of the rain of heaven:
12 A land which the Lord thy God careth for: the eyes of the Lord thy God are always upon it, from the beginning of the year even unto the end of the year.
13 And it shall come to pass, if ye shall hearken diligently unto my commandments which I command you this day, to love the Lord your God, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul,
14 That I will give you the rain of your land in his due season, the first rain and the latter rain, that thou mayest gather in thy corn, and thy wine, and thine oil.
15 And I will send grass in thy fields for thy cattle, that thou mayest eat and be full.
16 Take heed to yourselves, that your heart be not deceived, and ye turn aside, and serve other gods, and worship them;
17 And then the Lord’s wrath be kindled against you, and he shut up the heaven, that there be no rain, and that the land yield not her fruit; and lest ye perish quickly from off the good land which the Lord giveth you.
18 Therefore shall ye lay up these my words in your heart and in your soul, and bind them for a sign upon your hand, that they may be as frontlets between your eyes.
19 And ye shall teach them your children, speaking of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.
20 And thou shalt write them upon the door posts of thine house, and upon thy gates:
Pray
Notice first that
1. God’s Love Delivers
1. God’s Love Delivers
Here in this passage we have Moses addressing the Israelites and tells them at the beginning “therefore” which points back to the previous writings which are all about God’s deliverance out of Egypt and then Says “I’m not talking to your children…they weren’t there…you were...”
Why do you think Moses had to bring this reminder to their attention?
I wonder if they had some negative Nancy’s in their midst?
It’s not something that would be contrary to what we know about the Isralties.
Ex 16:2-3
2 And the whole congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness:
3 And the children of Israel said unto them, Would to God we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the flesh pots, and when we did eat bread to the full; for ye have brought us forth into this wilderness, to kill this whole assembly with hunger.
They weren’t the most appreciate of people. They complained about not having food as they went out into the wilderness…So God delivered them from their hunger
Ex 16:11-12
11 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,
12 I have heard the murmurings of the children of Israel: speak unto them, saying, At even ye shall eat flesh, and in the morning ye shall be filled with bread; and ye shall know that I am the Lord your God.
Look at that…they were having a difficult time and the Lord provided…THEN…about a year later we find in Numbers 11 a similar scene
Numbers 11:1-6
1 And when the people complained, it displeased the Lord: and the Lord heard it; and his anger was kindled; and the fire of the Lord burnt among them, and consumed them that were in the uttermost parts of the camp.
2 And the people cried unto Moses; and when Moses prayed unto the Lord, the fire was quenched.
3 And he called the name of the place Taberah: because the fire of the Lord burnt among them.
4 And the mixt multitude that was among them fell a lusting: and the children of Israel also wept again, and said, Who shall give us flesh to eat?
5 We remember the fish, which we did eat in Egypt freely; the cucumbers, and the melons, and the leeks, and the onions, and the garlick:
6 But now our soul is dried away: there is nothing at all, beside this manna, before our eyes.
Here they go again…Complaining about what God has done and the situation they are in.
As we look back on this year we can find much to complain about I’m sure. It wouldn’t take long to make a list of 10 things I hated about this year…what if we changed our perspective though.
What if we sought to identify 10 things God did for me this year…how long would that take?
I don’t think you’d get too far down that list before you realize how God has delivered you through 2020.
That’s what Moses is doing to the people here in deuteronomy, he is tell them to recall the great things God has done.
Moses says “You saw God’s greatness demonstrated in the plagues…You saw His strong hand demonstrated when the waters parted and destroyed the armies of Egypt, You saw His righteous anger demonstrated against Datham and Abiram...”
Now, those last two just to fill you in here…they were involved in a rebellion against Moses. Long story short God swallowed up them, their families, and their possessions. Burned up the 250 people who followed them, had a priest take the censures they brought to the tabernacle and spread out the ashes and hammer the censures to be flat so they could overlay the alter in the tabernacle. God didn’t take their actions lightly. They thought they could serve God however they wanted. Too often in America we can find ourselves telling the Lord “I’ll serve in this way and this way only” rather than saying “Lord, where would you have me to serve?”
Is it being on the worship team? Great. Is it mopping the bathroom? Great. Here I am Lord, send me.
God has delivered us from too much for us to believe we can determine how we will serve Him.
He’s calling them to recall the many ways God has delivered them and their people.
How has God delivered you this year? What has he brought you through? Instead of thinking of how awful 2020 was, let’s look back on how great our God is and what He brought you through and how you can best serve Him in the year to come.
Because God’s love delivers
God’s love also provides.
2. God’s Love Provides
2. God’s Love Provides
Look back at verses 8-20
Deut 11:8-20
8 Therefore shall ye keep all the commandments which I command you this day, that ye may be strong, and go in and possess the land, whither ye go to possess it;
9 And that ye may prolong your days in the land, which the Lord sware unto your fathers to give unto them and to their seed, a land that floweth with milk and honey.
10 For the land, whither thou goest in to possess it, is not as the land of Egypt, from whence ye came out, where thou sowedst thy seed, and wateredst it with thy foot, as a garden of herbs:
11 But the land, whither ye go to possess it, is a land of hills and valleys, and drinketh water of the rain of heaven:
12 A land which the Lord thy God careth for: the eyes of the Lord thy God are always upon it, from the beginning of the year even unto the end of the year.
13 And it shall come to pass, if ye shall hearken diligently unto my commandments which I command you this day, to love the Lord your God, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul,
14 That I will give you the rain of your land in his due season, the first rain and the latter rain, that thou mayest gather in thy corn, and thy wine, and thine oil.
15 And I will send grass in thy fields for thy cattle, that thou mayest eat and be full.
16 Take heed to yourselves, that your heart be not deceived, and ye turn aside, and serve other gods, and worship them;
17 And then the Lord’s wrath be kindled against you, and he shut up the heaven, that there be no rain, and that the land yield not her fruit; and lest ye perish quickly from off the good land which the Lord giveth you.
18 Therefore shall ye lay up these my words in your heart and in your soul, and bind them for a sign upon your hand, that they may be as frontlets between your eyes.
19 And ye shall teach them your children, speaking of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.
20 And thou shalt write them upon the door posts of thine house, and upon thy gates:
Here we see Moses relaying to the people a Promise of God to them about the Promised Land they are about to enter.
They are leaving Egypt where farmlands were irrigated by water from the nile. It was a very fertile plain where as long as the Nile was there, they had a means of watering.
The place they are going to though is not a fertile land with a river to provide for it. He tells them, I Jehovah God, will send the rain, I will provide this land. I will remove the enemies before you. I will take care of you. As long as....as long as what?
As long as you live by faith.
Deut 11:16-17
16 Take heed to yourselves, that your heart be not deceived, and ye turn aside, and serve other gods, and worship them;
17 And then the Lord’s wrath be kindled against you, and he shut up the heaven, that there be no rain, and that the land yield not her fruit; and lest ye perish quickly from off the good land which the Lord giveth you.
The Lord does not change. He is the same always. In very plain language He says here “ Follow me and I’ll provide for you. Worship anything else and I’ll stop providing for you.”
Too many people go through their year only acknowledging God on Christmas and Easter. It’s during these holidays we set some time aside for Him and wonder why our lives are not being blessed.
Christians will make a little time on Sundays for Jesus and not have any regard for Him throughout the week. In 21st America I don’t think any Christian would worship a golden calf but we’ve got some other idols we place in front of us. What’s an idol?
An idol is anything that takes your attention from God. Something you place between you and God.
What’s taking you away from worshipping God throughout the week? What are you allowing to detract from seeking Him daily?
Whatever that is, it’s an idol. It could be tv, phone, hobbies, personal desires to live in a way that isn’t glorifying to God.
(Calf Picture)
God loves you enough to provide for you…do you love Him enough to worship Him and Him alone?
He provides the rain, He provides your needs, so long as you live by faith following Him and Him alone.
Everything God does for us, I believe, has two parts. His and ours. Ours is simple, have faith and follow Him. I’m very careful when I say things like this to ensure that no one believes that if I’m following Jesus, my life will be easy. God doesn’t promise ease, He promises blessings.
As God’s love provided for the Israelites it can provide for you to.
What has God provided for you this year? Have you reflected and thought of the meals, the home, the car, the good health in those who had it? Or have you focused on what went wrong? Has your hindsight been affected by your pride and focus on you or have you looked back with God’s love in mind and seen how He delivered and provided?
God’s love also protects.
3. God’s Love Protects
3. God’s Love Protects
Look with me at our next passage over in 1 Samuel
1 Samuel 7:1-12
1 And the men of Kirjath-jearim came, and fetched up the ark of the Lord, and brought it into the house of Abinadab in the hill, and sanctified Eleazar his son to keep the ark of the Lord.
2 And it came to pass, while the ark abode in Kirjath-jearim, that the time was long; for it was twenty years: and all the house of Israel lamented after the Lord.
3 And Samuel spake unto all the house of Israel, saying, If ye do return unto the Lord with all your hearts, then put away the strange gods and Ashtaroth from among you, and prepare your hearts unto the Lord, and serve him only: and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines.
4 Then the children of Israel did put away Baalim and Ashtaroth, and served the Lord only.
5 And Samuel said, Gather all Israel to Mizpeh, and I will pray for you unto the Lord.
6 And they gathered together to Mizpeh, and drew water, and poured it out before the Lord, and fasted on that day, and said there, We have sinned against the Lord. And Samuel judged the children of Israel in Mizpeh.
7 And when the Philistines heard that the children of Israel were gathered together to Mizpeh, the lords of the Philistines went up against Israel. And when the children of Israel heard it, they were afraid of the Philistines.
8 And the children of Israel said to Samuel, Cease not to cry unto the Lord our God for us, that he will save us out of the hand of the Philistines.
9 And Samuel took a sucking lamb, and offered it for a burnt offering wholly unto the Lord: and Samuel cried unto the Lord for Israel; and the Lord heard him.
10 And as Samuel was offering up the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to battle against Israel: but the Lord thundered with a great thunder on that day upon the Philistines, and discomfited them; and they were smitten before Israel.
11 And the men of Israel went out of Mizpeh, and pursued the Philistines, and smote them, until they came under Beth-car.
12 Then Samuel took a stone, and set it between Mizpeh and Shen, and called the name of it Eben-ezer, saying, Hitherto hath the Lord helped us.
Here we find the ark of the Covenant taken from the people in Israel for 20 years. Then the time came for the Israelites to go back and take it .
The Ark of the Covenant is what held the ten commandments, jar of Manna, and rod of Aaron. It is the box, for lack of better terms, that had the mercy seat on it where the presence of God resided in the tabernacle.
It was a very important piece to the Jewish Community.
It was taken by the Philistines to a city called Kirjath-jearim and now they are going to get it back.
notice what they do before they go forward...
1 Samuel 7:6
6 And they gathered together to Mizpeh, and drew water, and poured it out before the Lord, and fasted on that day, and said there, We have sinned against the Lord. And Samuel judged the children of Israel in Mizpeh.
They repented of their sin. they confessed they had not been following God, fasted to deny themselves and seek after the Lord, and then what did the Lord do?
1 Samuel 7:10-11
10 And as Samuel was offering up the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to battle against Israel: but the Lord thundered with a great thunder on that day upon the Philistines, and discomfited them; and they were smitten before Israel.
11 And the men of Israel went out of Mizpeh, and pursued the Philistines, and smote them, until they came under Beth-car.
Samuel offers a sacrifice and The Lord intervened in the battle, protecting the Israelites from a defeat by a larger army.
Then Samuel does something that we often neglect to do and is the purpose of this entire message
1 Samuel 7:12
12 Then Samuel took a stone, and set it between Mizpeh and Shen, and called the name of it Eben-ezer, saying, Hitherto hath the Lord helped us.
He erected a memorial. He took the time to stop, think, and establish something that would help them reflect on what God had done for them.
Here at the end of this year I’m asking you to look back and reflect on what God has done for you.
He has delivered you from some terrible things, He has provided great things for you, and He has and will protect you.
All it takes, is faithfulness to Him. Place no other idols before Him.
Seek First the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you.
Stop thinking life is about you and remember it’s about God and He will take care of you.
We get so wrapped up in America believing that its all about us. Self help books sell out each year, why? Because for some reason we beleive that looking to ourselves we will find the answers when in reality it’s when we look to God that we find what we truly need.
Let me ask again…How has God’s love affected you? Do you remember? What if you daily recalled what God did and lived as if He will keep doing it?
Time of Response
Time of Response
The things of this world are our concerns of the moment and God in His love for us will deliver us, provide for us, and protect us. However, the greatest thing He delivered us from is our sin. He provided a sacrifice in Jesus for us so that we wouldn’t fall victim to the penalty of our sin, death and hell. He protected us from our own unrighteousness and the eternity in hell that comes from it by sending Jesus to die for us.
Are you here this morning or listening online and not sure if this was your last year on earth you would go to Heaven?
The Bible says that when we believe by faith in Jesus, we are saved.
John 3:16
KJV 190016 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
God does love you. Loves you so much He sent Jesus to die for you.
Now you are faced with a decision…will you continue finding salvation in your own works or in the finished work of Christ?
Ephesians 2:8–9
KJV 19008 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
Your first have to admit your sinner
Romans 3:23
KJV 190023 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
I’m sure each of us could do that.Next you believe
Romans 10:9
KJV 19009 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
Then confess. Confess Jesus as your Savior and call out to Him
Romans 10:13
KJV 190013 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
IF you’d like to do that today I’d like to help.
“Dear Jesus, I know I’m a sinner, I believe you came to die on the cross and rose from the dead. I put my faith right now in you and ask you to come into my life and change me from the inside out. Amen.”
Following Jesus by faith means knowing God’s love will deliver you, it will provide for you, and it will protect you. Go into 2021 by faith and let God handle the rest.
PRAY