Deuteronomy 2-3, “History Lessons Continued”

Introduction:

We’re in the great book of Deuteronomy – a 2^nd telling of the Law Moses gives in a series of addresses as the Hebrews prepare to enter into the Promised Land after their long journey. Deut follows the basic format of a covenantal treaty between a king & his people, and we’re still basically in the prologue where the history between the parties is being reviewed.

Ch 1 took the Hebrews from Egypt to their rebellion at Kadesh Barnea, when after seeing multiple examples of the miraculous power and provision of God [], they saw the opposition (instead of relying on God’s promises), feared for their own tails & ran away from what God offered to give them on a platter.

So that’s it, right? No – Israel spent roughly 38 years wandering in the wilderness (long enough for an entire generation to die out in discipline), and once they were ready to go, God takes them for a kind of ‘trial run’ as they encounter various nations on the east side of the Jordan. How they reacted is the remainder of the history Moses is going to take them through before he gets to the law.

Deuteronomy 2 (NKJV)
1 “Then we turned and journeyed into the wilderness of the Way of the Red Sea, as the Lord spoke to me, and we skirted Mount Seir for many days. 2 “And the Lord spoke to me, saying: 3 ‘You have skirted this mountain long enough; turn northward. 4 And command the people, saying, “You are about to pass through the territory of your brethren, the descendants of Esau, who live in Seir; and they will be afraid of you. Therefore watch yourselves carefully. 5 Do not meddle with them, for I will not give you any of their land, no, not so much as one footstep, because I have given Mount Seir to Esau as a possession. 6 You shall buy food from them with money, that you may eat; and you shall also buy water from them with money, that you may drink.

A. Why not attack Esau? 2 reasons:

a. They’re family – Esau & Jacob (Israel) were brothers. Feuded much in their day (due to Esau’s complacency towards his birthright & Jacob’s conniving to get it), but supposedly reconciled in Gen 33 after Jacob had been humbled by Laban (his father-in-law). They seem to have met again only once after that (death of Isaac), and apparently Esau’s children nursed the grudge.

i. As we’ve been forgiven (much!), may we always be quick to forgive & not let grudges get established. (root of bitterness – Heb 12:15)

b. God gave them THEIR land just as God is giving Israel its own land. We don’t know that God made a covenantal agreement with Edom, but it was still His gift to them, and Israel had no right to take what wasn’t theirs.

i. Israel wasn’t going to Canaan to build an empire; they were gaining an inheritance. Likewise, some in Christendom believe it’s their right to declare dominion over all the earth; they miss the fact that we’ve been given an inheritance…we simply receive what God graciously gives us. We don’t have to take anything by force…

7 “For the Lord your God has blessed you in all the work of your hand. He knows your trudging through this great wilderness. These forty years the Lord your God has been with you; you have lacked nothing.” ’

A. God is faithful! He’s going to provide for the Hebrews exactly what He thinks they need…thus they don’t need to go coveting after everyone else’s land.

B. It comes down to a matter of trust. God has always been faithful to provide for us in the past; why do we doubt Him for the present? [Joshua & memorial stones] Joshua 4:6-7 (6) that this may be a sign among you when your children ask in time to come, saying, ‘What do these stones mean to you?’ (7) Then you shall answer them that the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord; when it crossed over the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. And these stones shall be for a memorial to the children of Israel forever.” []

i. We can ALWAYS trust the Lord! Want your own memorial stone? Look to your salvation…what more do we need? []

8 “And when we passed beyond our brethren, the descendants of Esau who dwell in Seir, away from the road of the plain, away from Elath and Ezion Geber, we turned and passed by way of the Wilderness of Moab. 9 Then the Lord said to me, ‘Do not harass Moab, nor contend with them in battle, for I will not give you any of their land as a possession, because I have given Ar to the descendants of Lot as a possession.’ ”

A. MAP – Exodus

B. Moab had the same exemption as Esau…they were family. Descendants of Lot through his eldest daughter. (Ewww factor…)

C. Makes it all the more sad that the Moabites hired Balaam to try to curse Israel…

10 (The Emim had dwelt there in times past, a people as great and numerous and tall as the Anakim. 11 They were also regarded as giants, like the Anakim, but the Moabites call them Emim. 12 The Horites formerly dwelt in Seir, but the descendants of Esau dispossessed them and destroyed them from before them, and dwelt in their place, just as Israel did to the land of their possession which the Lord gave them.)

A. Possible this was an editorial insert by Joshua (note past tense in vs. 12) – still would be considered inspired Scripture.

13 “ ‘Now rise and cross over the Valley of the Zered.’ So we crossed over the Valley of the Zered. 14 And the time we took to come from Kadesh Barnea until we crossed over the Valley of the Zered was thirty-eight years, until all the generation of the men of war was consumed from the midst of the camp, just as the Lord had sworn to them. 15 For indeed the hand of the Lord was against them, to destroy them from the midst of the camp until they were consumed.

A. Reiteration of the judgment from the rebellion…every single person over the age of 19 died in the wilderness. Imagine 38 years of circling in the desert, knowing that whatever you did, you were just waiting to die.

a. Many people are in that same boat! They’ve heard the gospel, but refuse to trust Christ & simply wait out their days. What a sad existence – what unnecessary grief. God has so much more for us than that; He desires the whole world to come to repentance and faith in Christ!

B. God was “against” them?!?! Wow. If there’s one place we don’t want to be, it’s on the side of receiving God’s judgment. He is an all-consuming fire (Heb 12:29) & God’s wrath will be revealed against all ungodliness & unrighteousness (Rom 1:18).

a. Thanks be to God that the wrath we deserved was poured out on Jesus at the Cross!

16 “So it was, when all the men of war had finally perished from among the people, 17 that the Lord spoke to me, saying: 18 ‘This day you are to cross over at Ar, the boundary of Moab. 19 And when you come near the people of Ammon, do not harass them or meddle with them, for I will not give you any of the land of the people of Ammon as a possession, because I have given it to the descendants of Lot as a possession.’ ”

A. Same thing as Moab. Ben-Ammi was the brother of Moab (of Lot’s younger daughter), thus the Ammonites were protected by right of relation to Israel.

20 (That was also regarded as a land of giants; giants formerly dwelt there. But the Ammonites call them Zamzummim, 21 a people as great and numerous and tall as the Anakim. But the Lord destroyed them before them, and they dispossessed them and dwelt in their place, 22 just as He had done for the descendants of Esau, who dwelt in Seir, when He destroyed the Horites from before them. They dispossessed them and dwelt in their place, even to this day. 23 And the Avim, who dwelt in villages as far as Gaza— the Caphtorim, who came from Caphtor, destroyed them and dwelt in their place.)

A. Again, the same thing as Moab…previously giants dwelt in the land, and Ammon came in & drove them out.

B. Anyone note the irony here? Both Moab and Ammon drive out the giants in their respective lands because God had given them the land…and they don’t actually SERVE the Living God. Yet Israel – who saw the daily miraculous provision of God was too afraid of the giants to actually enter their land…

24 “ ‘Rise, take your journey, and cross over the River Arnon. Look, I have given into your hand Sihon the Amorite, king of Heshbon, and his land. Begin to possess it, and engage him in battle. 25 This day I will begin to put the dread and fear of you upon the nations under the whole heaven, who shall hear the report of you, and shall tremble and be in anguish because of you.’

A. Note that for 400 years Israel had the promise of inheritance – but never actually had anything. The promise was just that: a promise. To possess it, they actually had to move in obedience to the Lord. [] Likewise, we have been saved (praise God!) from the penalty of sin, and we’ve been promised the victory over the power of sin. But we’ve got to be willing to actually follow the Lord Jesus in it. (We can’t blame Christ for failing to deliver us from alcoholism if we’ve got a trip to the liquor store permanently put in rotation on our schedule.)

a. Does that mean Christians never fall? Paul knew it well! Romans 7:15 For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do. [] But however often Paul fell into sin, he didn’t dwell in sin…it wasn’t an activity that he looked forward to in order that he might seek forgiveness afterwards (Rom 6:15).

b. So what’s the difference? Christians aren’t under condemnation when we fall (Rom 8:1) – but rather when we fall in our flesh we also fall upon the gospel of grace!

26 “And I sent messengers from the Wilderness of Kedemoth to Sihon king of Heshbon, with words of peace, saying, 27 ‘Let me pass through your land; I will keep strictly to the road, and I will turn neither to the right nor to the left. 28 You shall sell me food for money, that I may eat, and give me water for money, that I may drink; only let me pass through on foot, 29 just as the descendants of Esau who dwell in Seir and the Moabites who dwell in Ar did for me, until I cross the Jordan to the land which the Lord our God is giving us.’

A. (MAP – Exodus) Moses had been promised victory; but he still wanted to be diplomatic. Amen! They were promised the victory, but still sought to be gracious.

30 “But Sihon king of Heshbon would not let us pass through, for the Lord your God hardened his spirit and made his heart obstinate, that He might deliver him into your hand, as it is this day.

A. Like Pharaoh, God hardened Sihon’s heart. [] Walvoord notes that the Hebrew seems to indicate the Lord confirmed the hardness that was already there and allowed him to suffer the consequences of his sin.

31 “And the Lord said to me, ‘See, I have begun to give Sihon and his land over to you. Begin to possess it, that you may inherit his land.’ 32 Then Sihon and all his people came out against us to fight at Jahaz. 33 And the Lord our God delivered him over to us; so we defeated him, his sons, and all his people. 34 We took all his cities at that time, and we utterly destroyed the men, women, and little ones of every city; we left none remaining. 35 We took only the livestock as plunder for ourselves, with the spoil of the cities which we took.

A. Victory as promised…

36 From Aroer, which is on the bank of the River Arnon, and from the city that is in the ravine, as far as Gilead, there was not one city too strong for us; the Lord our God delivered all to us. 37 Only you did not go near the land of the people of Ammon—anywhere along the River Jabbok, or to the cities of the mountains, or wherever the Lord our God had forbidden us.

A. Great precedent! As long as Israel obeyed the Lord, they experienced victory…when they disobey the Lord, they’ll experience defeat.

a. Why are we so surprised when things work out the way God says they’re going to work? You’d think He was omniscient or something. J He IS! And He always knows best…

Deuteronomy 3 (NKJV)
1 “Then we turned and went up the road to Bashan; and Og king of Bashan came out against us, he and all his people, to battle at Edrei. 2 And the Lord said to me, ‘Do not fear him, for I have delivered him and all his people and his land into your hand; you shall do to him as you did to Sihon king of the Amorites, who dwelt at Heshbon.’

A. Don’t fear! Why? Because God has “delivered him…” Note the past tense – this is a foregone conclusion! Because God is in charge of the victory, the victory is assured.

a. Same with us – God’s victory over Satan is assured! The end of the book has already been written…

B. How could they know this? Past experience…He had already given them Sihon, so there was no reason to doubt He could give them Og. (back to the memorial stones…)

3 “So the Lord our God also delivered into our hands Og king of Bashan, with all his people, and we attacked him until he had no survivors remaining. 4 And we took all his cities at that time; there was not a city which we did not take from them: sixty cities, all the region of Argob, the kingdom of Og in Bashan. 5 All these cities were fortified with high walls, gates, and bars, besides a great many rural towns. 6 And we utterly destroyed them, as we did to Sihon king of Heshbon, utterly destroying the men, women, and children of every city. 7 But all the livestock and the spoil of the cities we took as booty for ourselves.

A. ‘No survivors?! Were the Hebrews an incredibly cruel genocidal people?’ No. The Hebrews were God’s instrument to deliver His justice to a group of peoples who had filled up the measure of their wrath for over 400 years. They sacrificed their children in horrific ways – they were cruel people who engaged in ritualistic pagan prostitution. God shows His righteousness in delivering His justice AND God shows His love in mercifully cutting out the cancer from spreading elsewhere.

a. Some times the Bible will present things that are tough for us to understand. Whenever we come across something we DON’T understand about God, we need to fall back on what we DO know about God. What do we know about God? Exodus 34:6-7 (6) And the Lord passed before him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth, (7) keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and the children’s children to the third and the fourth generation.” [] All this perfectly revealed in Christ Jesus!

B. Took the spoil here…this wasn’t to be an assumed pattern, as Achan would find out regarding Jericho. (Josh

8 “And at that time we took the land from the hand of the two kings of the Amorites who were on this side of the Jordan, from the River Arnon to Mount Hermon 9 (the Sidonians call Hermon Sirion, and the Amorites call it Senir), 10 all the cities of the plain, all Gilead, and all Bashan, as far as Salcah and Edrei, cities of the kingdom of Og in Bashan.

A. MAP (Israel)

11 “For only Og king of Bashan remained of the remnant of the giants. Indeed his bedstead was an iron bedstead. (Is it not in Rabbah of the people of Ammon?) Nine cubits is its length and four cubits its width, according to the standard cubit.

A. Big bed…and a big coffin! 13½ feet long & 6 feet wide. This giant was no match for the Living God. Neither was Goliath… Neither is Satan!

12 “And this land, which we possessed at that time, from Aroer, which is by the River Arnon, and half the mountains of Gilead and its cities, I gave to the Reubenites and the Gadites. 13 The rest of Gilead, and all Bashan, the kingdom of Og, I gave to half the tribe of Manasseh. (All the region of Argob, with all Bashan, was called the land of the giants. 14 Jair the son of Manasseh took all the region of Argob, as far as the border of the Geshurites and the Maachathites, and called Bashan after his own name, Havoth Jair, to this day.) 15 “Also I gave Gilead to Machir. 16 And to the Reubenites and the Gadites I gave from Gilead as far as the River Arnon, the middle of the river as the border, as far as the River Jabbok, the border of the people of Ammon; 17 the plain also, with the Jordan as the border, from Chinnereth as far as the east side of the Sea of the Arabah (the Salt Sea), below the slopes of Pisgah.

A. MAP (Israel)

B. Review of stopping short of the promised land… []

a. Was no one among the Hebrews to occupy the newly conquered land from Og & Sihon? Sure – but it wasn’t supposed to be ALL that they occupied. God had so much more for them! (Unger) “What they received was good, but what they refused to receive was better. Many believers appropriate the truth of justification by faith (Rom 3-4), but they never recognize their position in Christ (Rom 6:1-10) and claim the power of it (Rom 6:11).” (i.e. dead to sin, alive to God in Christ)

18 “Then I commanded you at that time, saying: ‘The Lord your God has given you this land to possess. All you men of valor shall cross over armed before your brethren, the children of Israel. 19 But your wives, your little ones, and your livestock (I know that you have much livestock) shall stay in your cities which I have given you, 20 until the Lord has given rest to your brethren as to you, and they also possess the land which the Lord your God is giving them beyond the Jordan. Then each of you may return to his possession which I have given you.’

A. Summary of the compromise. The women & children could stay, but the men of age would need to cross over and fight.

B. Reuben, Gad, and ½ Manasseh may have dwelt beyond the Jordan (to their detriment), but they needed to participate in the battle with their brethren. It’s a good reminder that we’re ALL in the Body of Christ. What affects one of us affects all of us. Thus we rejoice with those who rejoice & weep with those who weep (Rom 12:15).

21 “And I commanded Joshua at that time, saying, ‘Your eyes have seen all that the Lord your God has done to these two kings; so will the Lord do to all the kingdoms through which you pass. 22 You must not fear them, for the Lord your God Himself fights for you.’

A. Reminder #1: don’t fear! [] Why? Because God Himself fights for them…you can’t ask for anything/anyone more powerful!

a. If God is for us, who can possibly be against us? … Satan and all His minions of Hell may rise up in a unified battle against us & the world may seem like it’s crashing down around us, but we are still protected by the hand of God & NOTHING can overpower Him! [Job…]

B. Reminder #2: remember experience… God has a perfect track record…

23 “Then I pleaded with the Lord at that time, saying: 24 ‘O Lord God, You have begun to show Your servant Your greatness and Your mighty hand, for what god is there in heaven or on earth who can do anything like Your works and Your mighty deeds? 25 I pray, let me cross over and see the good land beyond the Jordan, those pleasant mountains, and Lebanon.’

A. Moses is basically begging God to let him cross over…

B. Moses may have been disciplined by the Lord, but note the immensity of his faith! He had seen the vast miracles of God […], and still he proclaimed, “God, You have just gotten started – I haven’t seen anything yet!”

a. We have been born again, justified, …. [], and Jesus has just gotten started. We haven’t seen anything yet!!

26 “But the Lord was angry with me on your account, and would not listen to me. So the Lord said to me: ‘Enough of that! Speak no more to Me of this matter. 27 Go up to the top of Pisgah, and lift your eyes toward the west, the north, the south, and the east; behold it with your eyes, for you shall not cross over this Jordan.

A. Is Moses blaming the people? A bit. Is it deserved? Sure. But as we saw in Ch 1, Moses still bears personal responsibility.

B. Can we get to a point where God actually asks us to stop praying about something? Apparently Moses did. We have the glorious privilege of coming boldly before our Abba Father in prayer, but sometimes a “no” from the Lord is going to remain a “no.” We need be both honest in our prayers, and willing to submit to God’s perfect will…whatever that may be. [Jesus in the Garden…]

C. Note God’s mercy here! Moses deserved his discipline; but he certainly didn’t deserve to see the promised land – and that’s exactly what God showed him… (PIC – Mt Nebo…Pisgah is a particular peak on the mountain)

28 But command Joshua, and encourage him and strengthen him; for he shall go over before this people, and he shall cause them to inherit the land which you will see.’ 29 “So we stayed in the valley opposite Beth Peor.

A. Instead of having Moses enter the land, God tells Moses to start transitioning leadership to Joshua. (Great model for anyone “passing the torch” – command/charge, encourage, and strengthen/equip them…)

B. Why? Because Joshua is the one who will cause the people to inherit the land.

a. Perfect picture of what Jesus (Yeshua) does with us. We cannot enter into the rest of the Lord by our own efforts. We cannot enter into victory over sin through our own vain attempts to follow the law. But Jesus can!

Conclusion:

With that, Moses brings the whole nation of Israel up-to-date in their history, in preparation for reviewing the law prior to the conquest. Overwhelmingly, Moses keeps presenting one lesson over & over: TRUST GOD. An entire generation of Hebrews lost out on God’s blessing and promise simply because they did not trust God to be the same yesterday, today, and forever. He had ALWAYS provided for them, and would continue to ALWAYS provide for them.

How many blessings have we missed out on simply because we didn’t trust the Lord? He is so good to us and has promised us so incredibly much through the Scriptures – yet often we ignore the memorial stones God has provided for us, and end up failing in our flesh yet again. May God help us not rely on our flesh, but continually run to the grace of Christ Jesus & the true rest we find in Him.

Walking in Holiness

Introduction:

For 3 chapters, Paul has really been giving the Thessalonians a review of what had happened since he left town. He praised God for what God had done through them (Ch 1) – he reminded them of his own character & conduct (Ch 2) – he told them what Timothy had reported back to him (Ch 3)…and in all of it he praised God & prayed that God would continue to help them grow in Christ. In Ch 4, Paul finally starts to get to what he wanted to say in the letter to begin with.

As most people know, the main subject of 1 Thess is the Rapture – but before Paul gets to that, he looks at another idea 1^st: holiness. Logically, this makes perfect sense – whenever it is that the Lord Jesus calls us home, we’re going to be here prior to being called there. Thus the question is: what do we do in the meantime? Be holy! Whether it’s holiness in our bodies, or relationships, or work ethics – God calls us to holy purity because HE is holy.

1 Thessalonians 4:1-12 (NKJV)
1 Finally then, brethren, we urge and exhort in the Lord Jesus that you should abound more and more, just as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God; 2 for you know what commandments we gave you through the Lord Jesus.

A. ‘Commandments?! What commandments? I thought we were under grace!’ Amen…we ARE under grace. (Paul would be writing something TOTALLY different to them if they were not!) But just because we’re saved from wrath doesn’t give us license to sin in wantonness. We have been saved from the results of the law of Moses & placed under the law of Christ (Gal 6:2). Following the commandments of the NT isn’t an attempt to ‘keep us saved’ or to justify us; it’s simply living out the life Christ calls us to by the power of the Spirit.

a. The whole idea is that this is not optional for the believer. ‘Commandments’ is really a military term referring to orders given by a superior officer. The head of the church is Christ Jesus, and His orders were passed along to the Thessalonians (and us) by the apostles.

B. What is Paul asking them to do?

a. “abound more & more”: In what? Love (Ch 3:12). Paul’s going to explain this more in depth later.

b. Walk in such a way as to please God: vs. 3-12 go into the details of how this takes place, but here we get our motivation. Why do we seek purity/holiness? Because it pleases God! Why wouldn’t we want to walk in such a way that the God who saved us, forgave us, gave us life, and adopted us into His family is pleased? To please Him and give Him glory is our highest motivation!

C. Is Paul laying a guilt trip on them? Absolutely not! He’s urging & exhorting them in the Lord Jesus. This is indeed a command, but not a harsh barking order…rather it’s a brotherly exhortation from someone who cares deeply about their ongoing relationship with Christ.

3 For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you should abstain from sexual immorality;

A. Want to know the will of God for your life? It’s your “sanctification”…i.e. our holiness. Two ways to look at the idea of “holiness/sanctification”:

a. What you are immediately upon salvation. God saves us & sets us apart from the world for His purpose.

b. What your life gradually becomes after you’ve been born again. Again, this is the work of God in our lives – but it’s not a precise moment; it’s a process. Over time as God transforms us by the renewing of our mind through the Word (Rom 12:2), we become more & more like Christ in our character…ultimately conformed to the image of God’s Son (Rom 8:29). Contextually, this is what Paul’s referring to – the work of God played out in the actions of the believer.

B. BTW: The Bible is filled with answers to “What’s the will of God for my life?” People often ask…[] Give thanks in everything (1 Thess 5:18) – Doing good (1 Pet 2:15) – To repent (2 Pet 3:9) – Believe on the Son (1 John 3:23)…and much more! God definitely DOES have a will for your life & it starts with us trusting Christ by faith…

C. The 1^st area of sanctification Paul addresses: holiness of the body… Starts by telling them what NOT to do: “abstain from sexual immorality.” Gk porneia (‘pornography’) – includes all forms of sexual conduct outside of the relationship of husband/wife. Greco/Roman culture was famous for a cavalier attitude in sexual relationships – it was common for a man of relative upstanding character to be married for posterity, maintain one (or several) concubines for pleasure, and to regularly visit temple prostitutes for pagan worship (or just on a whim). (Of course, our own cultural attitude isn’t much better!)

a. Christians are to abstain from this stuff. Our bodies are more than a collection of fleshy organs needing to satisfy temporary needs – our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit, thus we include Him in every sin we commit in sexual immorality. 1 Corinthians 6:17-19 (17) But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him. (18) Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body. (19) Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? []

b. Is this just prudish legalism? Far from it! The marriage bed is undefiled (Heb 13:4) & husbands/wives are encouraged not to stay away from each other except for limited periods of fasting & prayer (1 Cor 7:5). But we need to keep in mind that sex is intended to be the culmination of the marriage relationship, when God spiritually makes 2 people 1 flesh (Gen 2:24) – thus anything outside that is a perversion of what God made for good.

4 that each of you should know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor, 5 not in passion of lust, like the Gentiles who do not know God;

A. What SHOULD they do? Understand how to possess their own “vessel in sanctification and honor.” Scholars debate the meaning of “vessel” a bit – some think Paul is referring to husbands treating their wives with honor (as the weaker vessel – 1 Pet 3:7). Others think Paul is referring to one’s own body. Contextually, all the other exhortations have to deal with one’s own walk with Christ – so the “body” seems to make most sense.

a. Part of this is simply self-control – which should grow in the life of a believer through the Holy Spirit as they are changed by the love of Christ. Whereas “porneia” is a work of the flesh (Gal 6:19), self-control is the outworking of the Spirit. Galatians 5:22-23 (22) But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, (23) gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. [] Again – the will of God is our sanctification (holiness being set apart for His glory). As we grow in Christ, we’ll grow in the love of God, including self-control.

B. Illustrates it by contrasting it with the poor example of the Gentiles. They possess their vessels “in passion of lust.” IOW, even animals only mate when nature makes it necessary…for someone given over to sexual immorality, they become a slave to their lusts. For them, it’s not fulfilling a drive – it’s giving themselves over to debauchery.

a. Interesting that Paul uses the Gentiles as the example. After all, aren’t the Thessalonians mostly Gentiles? Yes. BUT the Thessalonians are Gentiles who DO know God. [] Notice that makes all the difference in the world. We are no different in our capacity for debauchery & sin than anyone else…but we have been born again by the Holy Spirit & we know God!

i. We’ve mentioned it many times in the past – don’t give into the lie that says, “You don’t have a choice in sin.” Baloney! You’ve been made a new creation in Christ (2 Cor 5:17) – you’ve been born of His Spirit (John 3:5)…you don’t HAVE to sin. You’ve been freed from the power of sin over your life! []

b. Why didn’t Paul say the same thing about the Jews? Because the Jews (mostly) did live moral lives; but most of them did not know God – if they had, they would have recognized Christ Jesus. ….

i. Many non-Christians are extremely moral people; but they’re not truly good (because only God is good)…the most moral, giving, upstanding citizen is still a sinner in need of a Savior.

6 that no one should take advantage of and defraud his brother in this matter, because the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also forewarned you and testified.

A. Christians should never be one to take advantage of one another…whether in business or otherwise. All the decisions we make in our relationships with one another should be based in the love of Christ & love does not seek its own (1 Cor 13:5).

B. Specifically, Paul’s giving the context of sexual immorality. One of the most common defenses given regarding sexual sin is that it’s a “victimless crime…” Wrong. When we engage with sexual immorality with one another (whatever the specific act: be it adultery, pre-marital, or pornography), we are taking advantage of & defrauding someone else…even if they don’t realize it. It robs them from experiencing true agape love & destroys any testimony of Christ because a Christian did this to them.

C. God will avenge. Strong words! Is Paul saying that God will punish Christians in the afterlife for these things? No – our punishment was poured out on Christ Jesus at the cross. BUT God will allow us to face the consequences of our actions here. [Moses warning Reuben & Gad, Num 32:23 – sin will find you out] Galatians 6:7 Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. []

7 For God did not call us to uncleanness, but in holiness.

A. Want a summary of sanctification? There it is! We WERE unclean (1 Cor 6:11), but Jesus saved us out of that. Since He saved us from it, we’re not to go back & dwell in the filth – He’s saved us to be holy.

B. ‘Is Paul saying that the Christian life is a life of works? Is he saying we’re supposed to go back to the law?’ Absolutely not. But neither are we to be lawless…our faith is demonstrated out by our works (faith w/o works is dead – Jas 2:17). We are saved by grace through faith – and that includes past, present, & future… Thus HE is the one who sets us apart to live holy lives by His grace! []

a. Note that DOESN’T mean we live in sinless perfection. If sinless perfection were possible for man to achieve, than Jesus would never have had to die on the cross. [] Sin is inevitable (and if we claim we haven’t sinned, we’re lying). So what does a holy person do if they sin? Simply confess, receive forgiveness, and move on. (1 John 1:8-9)

8 Therefore he who rejects this does not reject man, but God, who has also given us His Holy Spirit.

A. There are some who would reject the idea of purity is body/spirit simply because they don’t like being ‘told what to do.’ Paul’s basically saying, “I’m not the one telling you do to this; God is. If you’re rejecting this teaching, you’re rejecting God’s authority.”

B. What’s the relationship of the Holy Spirit to holiness? We can’t experience the latter without being indwelt by the former. The world objects to the idea of purity saying “It’s impossible – you’re flesh & blood just like anyone else.” The Word responds saying, “With men it is impossible, but not with God; for with God all things are possible.” (Mark 10:27)

a. Underscores the idea that although our lives are to be holy; it’s not us who makes them that way. This is a work of God the Spirit – this is an outcropping of His grace!

C. Theology break: Note that the Holy Spirit comes from God the Father (also John 14:16). He also proceeds from Christ Jesus (John 15:26, 16:7). Emphasizes the TriUnity of the Godhead. God the Son is fully equal to God the Father because all 3 Persons within the Trinity have the same character, same power, same essence. [Final cause of split between East & West church in 1054 (Nicene Creed).]

9 But concerning brotherly love you have no need that I should write to you, for you yourselves are taught by God to love one another;

A. 2^nd area of holiness: Holiness in relationships. What do interpersonal relationships look like when set apart by the grace of Christ Jesus? They look like love b/c God is love. (1 John 4:8)

B. “brotherly love” = philadelphia (Not the birthplace of the Cheesesteak ) – talking about the ‘love’ relationship between friends. [] Even this kind of relationship should be characterized by a deeper love: the love of Christ (“love one another” = agapao). Should be instinctual for Christians – we’re new creations in Christ & have a new nature since we are now part of the Body of Christ…thus we should (super)naturally love one another.

a. Keep in mind that love is THE defining characteristic of a believer in Christ. John 13:34-35 (34) A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. (35) By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” [] Does this mean we’ll never have conflicts with one another? Of course not. But when conflicts arise, we need to keep the love of Christ at the forefront.

10 and indeed you do so toward all the brethren who are in all Macedonia. But we urge you, brethren, that you increase more and more;

A. Increase more & more in love? What on earth does THAT look like? (Wiersbe) “How does God cause our love to “increase more and more”? By putting us into circumstances that force us to practice Christian love. … The difficulties that we believers have with one another are opportunities for us to grow in our love. This explains why Christians who have had the most problems with each other often end up loving one another deeply, much to the amazement of the world.” Ever look at conflicts as an opportunity to love? J Great perspective!

a. Goes back to what Paul was saying about “abounding more & more” in vs. 1. If there’s one area we want to grow in our Christian walk, it’s love! As we mature in the faith and deepen our understanding of the magnitude of love demonstrated for us at the Cross, it should cause us to naturally grow in the love and grace we show others. We were forgiven much, so we love much.

B. Worth reiterating: we should have a preferential love for one another in the church 1^st. The Christians as Thessalonica showed their love in a practical way to the other churches in Macedonia. Principle affirmed throughout the NT: John 13, Jesus called us to love “one another”… Gal 6:10 “do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith.”

a. [GAiN – humanitarian aid to the church AND to the lost]

11 that you also aspire to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you,

A. 3^rd area of holiness: practical day-to-day life. 3 main areas…

B. Leading a quiet life: Not speaking of silence; but rather of a quiet heart. Paul’s exhorting the church not to go about stirring up trouble or to be restless. All of us have different personalities, but we don’t need to be frantic – we find our rest in Christ Jesus & have peace.

C. Minding our own business: Paul’s going to reiterate this in 2 Thess – apparently there were busybodies in the church that weren’t leading a quiet life & causing trouble among the other believers. (Robertson) “It is amazing how much wisdom people have about other people’s affairs and so little interest in their own.” [] The tendency is for us to reverse what Jesus taught in the Sermon on the Mount (Matt 7:3-5). We think we’ve got merely a speck in our own eye, so we want to attend to the log in our brother’s. In truth, it’s the opposite. What we consider minor in our own life is what needs to be majorly addressed 1^st.

a. So what do we do if we see a brother/sister in the Lord doing something we don’t agree with? Shouldn’t we bear one another’s burdens & restore someone who’s overtaken by any trespass? Yes – absolutely (Gal 6:1-2). But we need to make sure that it’s restoration instead of meddling. Ask some questions:

i. Is it sin? By whose standards? Oftentimes we might see someone doing something we might disagree with – but it may not meet the Biblical definition of sin. [dietary regs & Sabbath] Romans 14:4 Who are you to judge another’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls. Indeed, he will be made to stand, for God is able to make him stand. []

ii. Overall the guiding criteria for how to approach it is in love. If we can’t do that, we may need to wait until a point in which we can.

D. Working productively: It’s possible that the church was so excited about the coming rapture (which is a good thing), that they got lazy & stopped working (which is a bad thing). [Millerites - 1843] Paul encouraged them to work hard – which went against the grain of the Greek culture…

a. Christians should be known as the best workers…we work for the Lord! (Col 3:23)

12 that you may walk properly toward those who are outside, and that you may lack nothing.

A. All this ends up being a witness to those who are outside of Christ! When Christians are quiet (not raising Cain), tending to their affairs (not poking their nose in their neighbor’s business), and working hard to support their families, it wins the respect of non-believers…at the very least, it provides them with less ammunition with which to speak poorly about Christ. 1 Peter 3:15-16 (15) But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear; (16) having a good conscience, that when they defame you as evildoers, those who revile your good conduct in Christ may be ashamed. []

B. Practically speaking, it also ensures we are provided for… Amen for Christian charity, but we are not to purposefully & willfully incur it. He who refuses to work, doesn’t eat (2 Thess 3:8).

Conclusion:

So why does Paul spend so much time (here & other epistles) writing about holy living? It is because he believed that we could work our way to a better salvation? That we could improve upon the grace of Christ? Of course not…perish the thought!

Over & over again, the Bible instructs us to live lives of holiness not because of any merit of our own – but simply because GOD is holy. He is utterly holy…which is the very reason Christ Jesus died for our sin. If salvation required anything less than absolute perfection, the Cross would never have existed. But in comparison with Him, there is nothing holy other than what He sets apart as holy. As a believer in Christ Jesus, God set you apart. As a church, we are a holy priesthood & holy nation (1 Pet 2) – thus our lives are to reflect that spiritual truth. Not because we are able (we’re not!), but because HE is able & He does so because of Christ through the Holy Spirit.

To someone who isn’t a believer in Christ, all this talk about holiness probably doesn’t make any sense. After all, why not live for today & enjoy all the indulgences this world has to offer? Again, the disconnect is that someone who thinks that doesn’t truly grasp the sheer holiness of the Creator God (Whom we all must face). This is the same God of Whom the prophet Isaiah (after he was already being used by God to prophesy) cried out upon seeing Him, “Woe is me, for I am undone! Because I am a man of unclean lips…” (Isa 6:5). This is the same God of Whom the Bible declares that all of our very best works are like filthy bloody rags in comparison to Him. And we must face Him on Judgment Day. At that time, it’s not going to matter how many people we helped or how much money we gave to good causes – what we’ll be judged for is every sin that ever crossed our hands, lips, and heart. The good news? Forgiveness is available through Christ Jesus! That’s the reason He died on the Cross & rose again from the grave – to pay the penalty you & I deserved for all eternity.

Deuteronomy 1, “Learning from the Past”

Introduction/Background:

I’m a pretty careful person when travelling. I love to travel; but I seriously dislike problems when travelling…so I generally try to get as much prepared in advance as possible. (Travel itineraries, hotel info, passport copy, etc.) – that way, if something comes up on the road, I’m ready for it.

In a sense, that’s what Moses is doing with the Israelites. They’re about to enter the Promised Land – but before they go in, Moses wants them to be as prepared as possible. Keep in mind that Moses has seen 1 full generation of Hebrews die off in the wilderness because of their rebellion against God – so he wants to do whatever he can to help prevent that from happening to future generations. Thus before the Hebrews go into Canaan, Moses presents a series of speeches to reiterate everything that their fathers forgot.

“Deuteronomy” literally means “second law”…not that there’s anything drastically new in this book – but it’s a retelling of the law that Moses had originally been given over 40 years by God in the wilderness. Interestingly enough, it follows the basic structure of an ancient treaty: it reviews past relationship between king & people, describes the details of the covenant, the results from obeying/breaking the covenant, and the provisions for it to be perpetuated. In addition, it was to be read aloud to the congregation every 7 years, and it seems that the future king was supposed to personally make a hand-written copy for himself in order that he would know God’s commands.

Since it’s so Hebrew-centric, does Deuteronomy have anything for NT Christians? Absolutely! Outside of Psalms, Deut is quoted more often in the NT than any other book…and it’s quoted more by Jesus than ANY other OT book. Overall, it demonstrates the love and grace of God for His people. Not only is it a 2nd-chance opportunity for the nation to remember their covenant with God before moving into the promised land – it’s an overwhelming invitation for them to love God Himself. IOW, Deuteronomy isn’t merely a formal book of laws; it’s covenant showing the relationship between God and His people.

Deuteronomy 1 (NKJV)

Vs 1-2.

A. This is the last book of Moses… Some question authorship, but it’s pretty clear these are his words. Interestingly enough, in his previous 3 books (since Moses wrote, but didn’t appear in Genesis) Moses comes across as the political/civic leader…here, he’s almost entirely presented as prophet.

__a. Sets up the idea that there is a prophet greater than Moses to come: Jesus Christ! (John 1:17 – law thru Moses; grace & truth thru Jesus)

B. Location: “this side of the Jordan” = the plains of Moab…exactly where Numbers left off (Numb 33:49). The picture is of Moses at their final camp before the conquest giving them one last talk before going in.

C. How long COULD it have taken for them to get there from Sinai/Horeb? 11 Days. How long DID it take? 38 years…see vs 3.

__a. It’s amazing to know the difference that can occur between walking in obedience to God and in obedience to our flesh!

Vs 3-4.

A. So at this point, they have gotten a taste of the conquest, but it took them FORTY years to get it. From Egypt, they went to Mt Sinai & spent two years there receiving the Law & constructing the Tabernacle. From there, it should have been pretty straightforward, but they spent 38 years in judgment after their rebellion. Moses is going to recount this in depth…

B. Praise God for His abundance of mercy! Has it ever taken you a while to learn a lesson? Maybe you’re there now… [] The good news is that repentance can happen at any time! (1 John 1:8-9) Don’t put it off!

Vs 5-8.

A. Crucial point: WHY did the Hebrews inherit the land? Was it due to their good works and worship of God? No. (They didn’t do that, anyway!) … It was SOLELY based on the grace and promise of God alone! God swore to give the land to Abraham, etc., and He was going to deliver on that promise, no matter what.

__a. Our God is FAITHFUL! He will ALWAYS keep His word, because God is perfectly holy. (Balaam’s attempted curse) Numbers 23:19 “God is not a man, that He should lie, Nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good? [] God unconditionally promised to give the land to Abraham (Gen 12), so it was going to be given. [] Like we were saying Sunday, we can stand firm on the promises of God!

Vs 9-11.

A. Was the land the only promise from God to Abraham? No – God also promised Abraham an innumerable nation to come from him (Gen 15:5). God delivered on that, too! The fighting force of Israel was over 600K…estimated total population between 2-5 million. (Don’t think it’s very big? Imagine being promised by God to have your kids grow into the size of Dallas. )

B. Pop quiz: what was the 3rd promise to Abraham? That all the nations would be blessed through the Messiah…all the nations were to be blessed through Abraham, because it was through Abraham that Jesus was to come. And of course Jesus came to His own, but His own did not receive Him – so now all who do receive Him have the right to become children of God (John 1:11-12).

- Because the nation had grown so large (2-5 Million), you can imagine the administrative headache for one man….

Vs 12-17.

A. Recounts the advice from Jethro (Exo 18)…

Vs 18.

A. Could be a reference to how Moses commanded the judges, but seems to be more a reference to the 10 Commandments – came 2 chapters later in Ex 20. Why doesn’t Moses go into depth with them? He will in Ch 5; this is simply a brief overview of their history.

Vs 19-21.

A. Check out everything God was doing for them! God led them by a cloud by day & a pillar of fire by night… God was giving them a prosperous land flowing with milk & honey to be their home… God was promising military victory – they wouldn’t have to worry about the outcome of the battle; they simply needed to go where God told them to go. It’s hard to get more assurance than this!

__a. When we’re standing on the promises of God, we never have to fear or be discouraged!

Vs 22.

A. Whose idea was this? Moses says here that the people came forward and asked to send spies, but in Numb 13 it says the Lord told Moses to send the spies. Probably best thought of as the people asking for spies, and the Lord allowing them to go through with it.

__a. Was this a lack of faith on their part? Possibly…but it’s also wisdom to count the cost before going to war (Luke 14:28-33). Whatever the case, it gave the Lord one more opportunity to prove Himself to the Hebrews (in His grace), so He allowed it.

Vs 23-25.

A. In the end, what did the spies learn? Nothing that the Lord hadn’t already told them…God had repeatedly told them that (1) it was a prosperous land, and (2) they’d have to evict the people who were already there.

__a. We need to take God at His word!

Vs 26-28.

A. Note this wasn’t merely a moment of doubting (though Moses will show them their lack of faith); this was sheer blasphemy and rebellion.

__a. Assigned false motives to God: God is indeed angry with the wicked every day (Ps 7:11), but God absolutely loved the Hebrew people and had showed them grace upon grace.

__b. Denied the power of God… [] NEVER doubt the power of Almighty God! He created the universe in 6 days – He raised Jesus from the dead – what could possibly be out of His reach?! Jeremiah 32:27 “Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh. Is there anything too hard for Me? [] He even saved sinners like you & me – nothing is too difficult for Him!

Vs 29-33.

A. Of all people, the Hebrews should have known better! They saw the power and provision of God 1st hand for 40 years…

B. Not only is God powerful enough to do it, His character is completely different than what they imagined. God didn’t hate them; He loved them as a father loves his son…

Vs 34-36.

A. Here’s a sobering thought: God is angered by sin. It’s not merely that He doesn’t like it; sin makes Him angry. At its core, sin is open rebellion against the God who gave us life. We are (in essence) telling Him, “I don’t care what You think – I want to do things MY way.” If we disobeyed an earthly judge, we’d be held in contempt of court. How much more when we disobey & rebel against Almighty God?

__a. This is exactly why the Cross is such a picture of the love of God for us…we were His enemies! Romans 5:7-8 (7) For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. (8) But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. []

B. Caleb stood out among the rest. Why? “He wholly followed the LORD”. Caleb didn’t care about the giants in the land…all he knew is that God had promised them the land, and that was enough! If God is for us, who can be against us? (Rom 8:31) So sure was Caleb of the promise of God, that when the conquest came to a close, Caleb still ready to take on more giants without the rest of the Hebrew army. Joshua 14:11-12 (11) As yet I am as strong this day as on the day that Moses sent me; just as my strength was then, so now is my strength for war, both for going out and for coming in. (12) Now therefore, give me this mountain of which the Lord spoke in that day; for you heard in that day how the Anakim were there, and that the cities were great and fortified. It may be that the Lord will be with me, and I shall be able to drive them out as the Lord said.” []

__a. May we have the faith of Caleb! To say, ‘Lord, I trust You! Give me whatever mountain You see fit & I’ll go there simply because You are with me…’

Vs 37-38.

A. Is Moses whining a bit here? Perhaps – we’ll hear this several times throughout the book. But it took a lot for the meekest man on the planet to lose his cool the way he did. [Striking the rock at Kadesh-Barnea] In a real sense, Israel provoked Moses to his sin… Easy to picture it – how would you respond if you had 2-5M people whining and complaining to you every day about how God wasn’t providing when you were the one who had to face God for it?

B. Yet that doesn’t excuse Moses in the slightest. He is responsible for his own actions. He was specifically called by God to represent God to the people & thus Moses had a responsibility to represent Him correctly.

__a. People often give the excuse of “I didn’t know it was wrong.” Simply not true! We DO know right from wrong because God has given us a conscience – the law of God is written on our hearts (Rom 2:15) & creation bears witness that there is a Creator God that all of us must answer to (Rom 1:20). Not a single soul is going to be able to stand before God on Judgment Day & plead ignorance. In the presence of His ultimate righteousness, no self-righteousness of ours will be able to stand.

__b. Again, this should call us back to the grace shown by Christ Jesus! At the cross, He paid the debt for ALL our sin – which was the reason He could proclaim “It is finished!”

C. BTW – did Moses ever set foot in the promised land? He couldn’t go in with Israel (that was the Lord’s discipline); but he did go there with Christ at the Transfiguration. The grace of our Father God is truly amazing!

Vs 39-40.

A. God showed grace to their children…somewhat ironic b/c it was their children the people were so worried about dying in battle going up against the giants (Num 14:3).

__a. Possible evidence here for some unknown ‘age-of-accountability.’ [] The Bible doesn’t have a specific verse that declares anything, but gives some hints with David’s faith to see his dead son again (2 Sam 12:23), and here. What exactly IS the age? No telling…but God is fully just, and He knows what would be appropriate. We can trust Him to do right.

B. God showed judgment to the parents – they were now going to have to die in the wilderness. Their Red Sea journey would be a death march as an entire generation died off.

C. We will either face God in His grace or His judgment! The universalists have one thing right: one day, all human beings WILL see God. But few will be saved. For those who have received Christ Jesus as Lord, our judgment has already been poured out on Him – and we will forever enjoy His grace.

Vs 41-46.

A. Too little, too late. After realizing what had been lost, they wept & tried to go back to the original plan…unfortunately for them, God had already proclaimed the judgment.

B. Question: Were the Hebrews sorry? After all, they recognized they had sinned (vs. 41). No…if they were truly sorry, they would not have continued to actively rebel against God… 2 Corinthians 7:10 For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death. []

__a. How SHOULD they have responded? Instead of seeking what they thought was best for them, they should have sought the Lord. Even Ninevah knew better when hearing their declaration of judgment from Jonah…they repented in dust & ashes. The Israelites simply (and tragically) tried to reclaim what they assumed was rightfully theirs. [] ANYthing we get is from the Lord! As Job knew, the Lord gives & the Lord takes away…but in ALL things, blessed be the name of the Lord! (Job 1:21)

__b. Are you experiencing the discipline of God? Then praise God that He loves you enough to discipline you as His child! And then seek His face in repentance, blessing the name of the Lord for whatever He does – because He is worthy.

Conclusion:

The overwhelming lesson from Israel’s history is their lack of faith in God. He had provided over & over & over, and every time, Israel denied His faithfulness and rebelled against Him. BUT – when we look at the history from God’s perspective, we get a totally different picture. From there, the overwhelming picture is one of grace.

From Israel’s very 1st rebellion (which occurred before they ever left Egypt by the Red Sea!), God had every right to bring ultimate judgment on the people & start over again with Moses (or someone of His choosing). But because God is “The LORD, the LORD God, merciful & gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness & truth,” (Ex 33:6), He was faithful to His promises to Abraham and showered mercy and grace down upon a people who did not deserve it in the slightest.

In the same way, we are rebellious by our very nature! Yet God in His love showers mercy and grace down upon us – who do not deserve it at all. Why does He do it? Because Jesus Christ DOES deserve it. And for His sake, the Father loves us as well. Praise be to God!

Believing ALL the promises of God

One of our favorite things to do is to eat at a good Chinese buffet. It’s all-you-can-eat & you can go up & down the aisles customizing your plate exactly how you see fit. As fun (and delicious) that is to do at a restaurant, it’s downright unhealthy to do that with our Bibles. Yet that’s exactly how some people treat the promises God gave us in the Scriptures…just pick & choose what they like, while disregarding the stuff that doesn’t appeal to them.

The problem with this is that ALL the Bible is necessary for us (2 Tim 3:16-17)…and (even if we don’t like it or agree with it) ALL the Bible is true. Thus it behooves us to take God at His word & simply believe Him for what He says…whether it’s regarding triumph or trials.

This is where Paul finds himself in regards to the Thessalonians. He had encountered many trials (as did the church itself) & he was afraid that they were going to chuck it all in the face of difficulties – even though God had promised difficulties were going to come. So he was pretty desperate to find out how they were handling it & was rather pleased at the report.

1 Thessalonians 3 (NKJV)
1 Therefore, when we could no longer endure it, we thought it good to be left in Athens alone, 2 and sent Timothy, our brother and minister of God, and our fellow laborer in the gospel of Christ, to establish you and encourage you concerning your faith,

A. When did Paul go to Athens? After Berea (Acts 17:15). Luke doesn’t record quite everything that happened, but apparently Timothy had been sent back to check on the church (remember, Paul had to leave suddenly). Acts 18 picks up with Paul going to Corinth, but mentions Silas & Timothy coming from Macedonia (Acts 18:5) – the location of Thess & Berea.

B. Note the description of Timothy (and I’m not saying that because he’s got a great name! J). Paul goes into depth with him – possibly because of his youth & relative inexperience at the time. Calls him a:

a. “brother”: not merely a brother in the Lord, but a brother in ministry with Paul & Silas – hinting at a trusted relationship.

b. “minister of God”: had a reputation for serving the Lord.

c. “fellow laborer in the gospel”: Shared in the work that was to be done…Timothy didn’t watch it take place; he took part in it.

d. The bottom line is that Timothy had proven character – which was the reason Paul was comfortable sending him to the young Thessalonian church. No one is perfect (outside of Christ), but we need to be able to trust that our teachers/pastors are truly serving the Lord…

e. What exactly is Timothy’s relationship with God? Many translations say “co-worker of God”; NKJV & others “minister of God.” This is actually one area in which Greek manuscripts differ. The majority of manuscripts use the word διάκονος (deacon) = “minister/servant” whereas some others leave out this word entirely. This is one instance where I’m going to show my bias for the Majority Text – because although we ARE co-workers with God in that He has entrusted the Great Commission to us (1 Cor 3:9); we are not co-workers in that we are equal with Him…He is still God & we serve Him.

C. What did Timothy do as a laborer in the gospel?

a. Establish/strengthen the church: The idea is to be made stable/set firm. The church is built by Christ Jesus on the rock of the gospel of Christ Jesus…and every aspect of our growth must be solidly based on Him & Him alone.

i. One way of ensuring this takes place? By sticking close to the word of God!

b. Encourage the church: Greek should sound familiar = παρακαλέω… We share in one of the same ministries of the Holy Spirit, to come along side one another in the church & comfort each other with the same comfort with which we’ve been comforted (2 Cor 1:4).

c. We (as a church) STILL need to be strengthened and encouraged! We may not experience daily persecution (though it’s not as impossible for us as we may think) – but we ARE in a spiritual battle. Against the devil – against temptation…we are in a fight that is only won by Jesus Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit! Thus we need to be established in Jesus, and encouraged by His Comforter.

3 that no one should be shaken by these afflictions; for you yourselves know that we are appointed to this. 4 For, in fact, we told you before when we were with you that we would suffer tribulation, just as it happened, and you know.

A. Which afflictions? The various riots breaking out in every city Paul preached in. … (Thess & Berea no exception!)

B. It would be easy (even understandable) for a young church to be “shaken” by this. Greek literally speaks of a dog wagging its tail – and the church could easily have been tossed to & fro wondering “What’s going on around here?”

a. Ever get the impression that once someone gets saved that life is supposed to get easy? It never quite works out that way! This is one reason it’s so important to be firmly established (vs. 2) – it helps prevent us from being shaken (vs. 3)…

C. Paul was “appointed” to this. Jesus told him to expect tribulation & afflictions… [Jesus instructing Ananias - Acts 9:16, “he must suffer for My name’s sake.”]

a. Are we “appointed” as well? Without a doubt…it’s simply part of being a Christian. 2 Timothy 3:12 Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. []

b. We shouldn’t be surprised when troubles come! Jesus specifically told us to expect it! John 16:33 These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” []

i. (Guzik) “Some believe that affliction means God is angry at the believer. The truth is that affliction means that God loves us enough to give the best when we may only desire what is easy. The symbol of Christianity is the cross, not a feather bed. Affliction is just part of following Jesus; therefore Paul recognized that Christians are appointed to affliction.”

ii. With promises like that, some people surely wonder: “Why on earth would I EVER follow Jesus? Who wants to be persecuted?” The answer: no one wants to be persecuted. But no one wants to spend eternity in Hell either. We don’t follow Christ Jesus to have a good life or an easy life; we follow Christ Jesus so that we might have everlasting life, forgiven by His grace.

5 For this reason, when I could no longer endure it, I sent to know your faith, lest by some means the tempter had tempted you, and our labor might be in vain.

A. So Paul understood that his persecutions were going to be tough for the church to handle… That’s why he sent Timothy to them…

B. Ever have a tragedy shake your faith? … That’s what he was afraid of for the church… … Satan takes advantage of those times to tempt us away from Christ…

a. No matter what’s going on around you – no matter what you’re enduring – no matter what the devil is whispering in your ear…hold fast to the promises of God! Jesus promised He would never leave us nor forsake us (Heb 13:5) – that He would be with us always, even to the end of the age (Matt 28:20) – that He cares about our most basic needs (Matt 6:31) – that He would come back and receive us to Himself (John 14:3) – and much more! We need to take Christ at His word & simply believe Him!

b. It’s interesting that in our spiritual warfare, we’re instructed to take up the sword of the Spirit (the word of God) & yet still stand fast (Eph 6). What’s the picture? Of the believer holding fast to God’s inspired word and trusting Him through faith to endure every battle we encounter. … …

6 But now that Timothy has come to us from you, and brought us good news of your faith and love, and that you always have good remembrance of us, greatly desiring to see us, as we also to see you—

A. Apparently the church held fast to the gospel & didn’t think less of Paul (despite the rumors)…

B. They were also growing in the Lord – Timothy had brought “news of your faith and love.” Remember that the church had eventually become an example to the whole region of the gospel of Christ – some of the most prominent ways that was evident was through their faith (trust in the truth of God) & love (outworking of the grace of God)…

7 therefore, brethren, in all our affliction and distress we were comforted concerning you by your faith. 8 For now we live, if you stand fast in the Lord.

A. In the midst of his trials, all Paul wanted to know was whether or not the church was standing fast in Christ…and when he found out, he was comforted.

B. That’s not only reflective of the heart of a pastor; that’s truly good news for any church fellowship in the body of Christ! So many people leave the grace of Christ to chase after legalistic trips – or they leave the sufficiency of Christ to chase after magical signs – or the leave the truth of Christ to chase after the philosophy of man… We need simply to stand fast in the Lord!

9 For what thanks can we render to God for you, for all the joy with which we rejoice for your sake before our God, 10 night and day praying exceedingly that we may see your face and perfect what is lacking in your faith?

A. They thanked God for the church… They rejoiced before God for the church… They prayed abundantly for the church… Amen! What a terrific response to a good report coming back from Timothy. They could thank God for what He was doing in the lives of the believers as He strengthened them & matured them in Christ. They could rejoice in praise for their faith. They would pray that God would continue to help them grow.

a. ‘Wait a minute…if Paul was thanking God for their faith, why would he pray for something that was lacking in it?’ Answer a question with a question: do we ever want to stop growing in Christ? Who would want that?! There’s always more to learn of His truth – there’s always more experience of His grace…

B. How did they pray? (1) Consistently: night & day…whenever they thought of the church. (2) Fervently: exceedingly (‘superabundantly’)…with passion & intensity. (3) Eagerly: to see them face to face again. (4) Sufficiently: that they would be matured & made complete in Christ. Great model for intercession among the church!

- Gives an example of their daily prayers here as he launches into one…

11 Now may our God and Father Himself, and our Lord Jesus Christ, direct our way to you.

A. The request is simply that Paul might see them again, but he bathes it in theology.

a. OUR God and Father: When we are born again by the Spirit of God, we are all brought into the same family of God. There may be all kinds of different church congregations and fellowships – but there is only ONE church.

b. He is both God AND Father: He is the Almighty Creator God for Whom the universe fits within the palm of His hand – He is everlasting and is perfectly righteous, holy, and just because He is GOD. At the same time (because of Christ Jesus), He is our loving Abba Father who invites us to come boldly before His throne of grace in our times of need.

c. our Lord Jesus Christ: By linking Him with God the Father, Paul is affirming that Christ is God the Son. Both are equally powerful and equally authoritative – both the Father and Lord Jesus are the One able to actually direct Paul back to Thessalonica.

d. Why is all this important? We need to understand Who it is that we pray to! We don’t raise our hands to the Hindu god Vishnu – we don’t make requests to the Islamic idea of Allah…we pray to the One True God – fully revealed in the Lord Jesus Christ!

12 And may the Lord make you increase and abound in love to one another and to all, just as we do to you,

A. Increase and abound in love: The idea with both words is that their agape love would be superabundant – both in quantity and quality… There are a lot of doctrines we hold dear that can sometimes cause division in the church when we put too much emphasis on them… But if there’s one thing a Christian is not going to be able to ‘overdo it’ in, it’s in loving one another!

a. Great Commandment – Matthew 22:38-39 (38) This is the first and great commandment. (39) And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ []

b. New Commandment – John 13:34-35 (34) A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. (35) By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” []

c. Summary of all the law – Romans 13:10 Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law. []

d. To put it lightly: we are commanded to love one another! J This is the law of Christ (Gal 6:2) – and it is fulfilled the only way law is ever fulfilled: by the grace of Christ! It can seem impossible to love one another as Christ loved us – and it is, without the Spirit of God working in us…

B. To whom?

a. To one another: The church. Not that the world isn’t important, but as a Body of Believers, showing agape love to one another should hold a position of priority.

b. To all: their neighbors. Who’s our neighbor? Jesus was asked the same question (Luke 10:29) – told the parable of the Good Samaritan.

C. Their example? Paul’s missionary team. [] What a great place to be in maturity – that we could be an example of love to new believers!

13 so that He may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all His saints.

A. What does it mean that Jesus would “establish our hearts blameless in holiness”? Just as Paul prayed that the church would grow in their love, he also prays that they would grow in their holiness. Note he doesn’t write of sinless perfection (impossible) – only that they would be blameless.

a. Keep in mind this takes place in exactly the same way as our super-abundance in love: by the grace of Christ! Jesus is the one that sets us apart to begin with (making us holy) – and through His Holy Spirit He empowers us to grow in Him, so that our lives are increasingly holy as we are transformed by the renewing of our mind.

b. Emphasized by the fact that we want to be found blameless before God the Father. In comparison with perfect holiness, what does it matter if man doesn’t think we’re so bad? We need to be found blameless before GOD – and that only happens through Christ Jesus.

B. When do we need to be found blameless? At the coming of Christ. There’s a bit of disagreement on what exactly Paul refers to here.

a. Rapture? – Some think Paul is exhorting the church to be ready to be caught up at any time. Great exhortation! We certainly wouldn’t want to be caught sinning at the very moment that Jesus calls us to Himself in the twinkling of an eye – we want to grow in holiness.

b. 2^nd Coming? – Others think Paul is showing the church is already with Christ in heaven at the Bema Seat & would be found blameless in holiness as the wood, hay, & stubble is burned away in preparation for Christ’s 2^nd Coming in Judgment.

i. My personal opinion: the 2^nd Coming. Note who’s accompanying the Lord Jesus on His return: the church! Gives us a great idea of the timing of the rapture – it’s got to be a separate even from Christ’s 2^nd coming because we’ve got to be with Jesus in order to return with Jesus… He establishes us holy before Him so that we might be with Him at His coming.

c. Whatever the case, make no doubt about it – Jesus Christ IS coming again & every one of us will stand before Him (either in His grace or in His judgment). Are we ready to see Him face-to-face? What if it’s today?

Conclusion:

It’s interesting as we look over those last verses starting with vs. 9 that what Paul was praying for overall for the church was that they’d increase in faith, hope, and love. That their faith would be perfected – that their love would superabound – and that they would remember their hope of eternity epitomized by Christ’s coming. In the end, he seemed to have a lot of confidence that the church would do just that, because they were standing firmly on the promises of God.

Take Jesus at His word! (All of it!)

- Heeding His warnings about trials will help us have faith to endure them when they come. We won’t be tossed to/fro like a wagging dog-tail – we’ll be established and encouraged as we are strengthened day-by-day by the bread of the word of God.

- Believing His promise to return will help us be ready for when He does. Not that we’d ever be able to look forward to the day we see Jesus with pride (God forbid; we are saved solely by His grace!); but that we can look forward with assurance knowing that the work He has begun in us, He will be faithful to complete.

Maybe you’re here as a skeptic today – someone who doesn’t really believe that what the Bible says is true…and so you don’t think that you can trust the promises of God. You need to consider one very important fact: every single promise that the OT made about the 1^st coming of Jesus Christ (over 330 of them) came true. God has a perfect track record in keeping His promises…and because of those prophecies we can know without a shadow of a doubt that Jesus really is the Son of God risen from the dead. Because THAT is true, we can know that every other promise He makes is true…which includes all the promises of judgment because of sin.

God is so holy and so righteous that all sin will be punished – everyone from murderers & idolaters to liars will have their part in the lake of fire (Rev 21:8). This is not God’s will for you! He is so good and so loving that He sent His only Son to die on the cross to take the punishment you deserved so that you can be forgiven and spend eternity with Him. But you must respond to that offer of grace! [How? Repentance & Faith]

The Word and the Christian

Have you ever wondered what it was like to be a Christian in the early 1^st century? Obviously, it didn’t take long for the church to be corrupted by false doctrine coming in (Paul’s letters deal with a lot of it!) – but sometimes we can get a romanticized idea of what the early church was like: everyone sitting around a table, worshipping through the Lord’s Supper, doing miracles all day, and seeing 1000’s come to Christ. That wasn’t exactly the case…

Living out a faith that was unrecognized by the Roman authorities and viewed as a heretical cult from the Jewish population in the empire meant that the church lived in dangerous times. Purifying, to be sure! But even the act of conversion meant that someone might be taking a life/death stand. And yet, Paul is overflowing with joy! Why? Because people are being saved.

Context: Paul had only been in Thessalonica for a period of weeks (to perhaps just a month or two) by the time he had to leave suddenly. So he writes this letter to reinforce the teaching that he had begun with the church in order to help them have a solid foundation to their faith. So far, he’s commended them for their work of faith, labor of love, and patience of hope in their walk with Christ (as they served as an example to others) – and defended himself (and thus the gospel) from some rumors that had cropped up about him & the ministry there. Now he turns his attention back to the church as he looks at their testimony & responds to it in joy.

1 Thessalonians 2:13-20 (NKJV)
13 For this reason we also thank God without ceasing, because when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you welcomed it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which also effectively works in you who believe.

A. For which reason? Because God had called them into “His own kingdom & glory” (vs. 12). Gave the whole missionary team reason to be exceedingly thankful…and it’s a good reason! People have gone from death to life & Paul & the team was able to be used by God to make it happen. So they thanked God without ceasing!

a. The Great Commission is not merely a command from our King – it’s an incredible privilege! God has chosen to use people like you & me to share Jesus with the world…it’s something to thank God for.

B. When Thessalonica received the word, they welcomed it. Could be translated “accept” – but the idea is one of receiving a visitor, or to embrace. They took the word of God to themselves. How come they could welcome it? Because they recognized the truth behind it as the very word of God.

a. We have been entrusted not with the words & wisdom of men; we’ve been entrusted with the very word of God! Sometime we take the Bible for granted – but when we do, we forget what we are holding: the words specifically breathed out by the Holy Spirit and preserved for us today in order that we would know, be saved by, and follow Jesus Christ. Do we recognize it as such? This isn’t just any book!

i. In order to receive the word, they had to hear the word. Faith comes by hearing & hearing by the word of God (Rom 10:17). (Courson) “People ask why we spend so much time teaching Bible studies…It is because we firmly believe that this is the very Word of God, and that it will radically alter and influence any person who spends time in its pages.”

ii. Do we worship the Bible? Absolutely not…we worship the God who gave us the Bible. But what a privilege it is to have it! What an invitation it is for us to receive & welcome it!

C. What’s different about the word of God than the word of man? The word of God works…there is effectual power behind the word of God because it IS the word of God. Hebrews 4:12 (12) For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. []

a. This is one reason is behooves us to get the Word of God into our hearts – we are effectually changed by it, and it guards us from sinning against Him. (Ps 119:11)

b. Note that the Word only effectively works in those who believe. Does it not work in those who don’t? Yes & No. The word of God is true regardless of our belief…[] BUT, the word of God is incomprehensible to those who don’t believe. 1 Corinthians 1:18 For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. [] It is effectual (energeo) & it is powerful (dunamis)!

D. Note that “believe” is present tense. Do you believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God right now? It doesn’t matter what you believed in 4^th grade; what do you believe today?

14 For you, brethren, became imitators of the churches of God which are in Judea in Christ Jesus. For you also suffered the same things from your own countrymen, just as they did from the Judeans,

A. They didn’t just receive the word; they kept the word & took it to heart as they followed Christ. Remember that other churches had later become imitators of Thessalonica (1 Thess 1:7) – but when they 1^st received the gospel, they themselves needed to imitate someone; thus they imitated the original churches in Judea…they learned from other Christians what it meant to follow Christ.

a. Who are we imitating? Whether we realize it or not, we are learning from someone’s example. Who are we setting up as spiritual examples/teachers for us? What’s the standard we measure those teachers by?

B. One thing they learned? How to live out the word & endure persecution…see vs. 15.

15 who killed both the Lord Jesus and their own prophets, and have persecuted us; and they do not please God and are contrary to all men,

A. Is Paul blaming the death of Jesus on the Jews? Can he be viewed as a father of anti-semitism? No! Paul consistently prayed for his Jewish brethren – to the point of wishing himself damned if it meant their salvation (Rom 9:3). The problem is a crossroads between history & distortion. The historical fact is that the Jewish leaders of Jerusalem specifically called out for Jesus’ crucifixion (even when offered a choice around it)…and they whipped up a mob in their favor. The distortion is that we forget that ALL of the disciples were Jewish & indeed Jesus is the Jewish Messiah. Over the centuries, some within the church have taken the few & projected it upon the entire Jewish race…and some real atrocities have taken place by those who called themselves “Christian.” …

a. Keep in mind the real reason God sent Jesus to die on the cross was for OUR sins. He was wounded for our transgressions & bruised for our iniquities. The Cross is not something to blame anyone for; it’s something to thank God for – the demonstration of His love & the payment for our sins!

B. So what IS Paul doing? Simply stating the fact… Persecution from the Jewish leadership at the time was the rule (not the exception) & whether it was the prophets or the apostles, the results were the same.

a. ‘Did they really persecute their own prophets?’ Yes! Jesus affirmed this… (Matt 23:31-36) It makes sense, when you think about it. They were quick to persecute the apostles who spoke the word of God; why not those who spoke it before Christ? Persecution is nothing new – it’s been around since Cain & Abel.

C. Persecution does not please God (for obvious reasons), but it is an unavoidable fact. We can be assured that we will experience persecution at some point (John 15:20 – 2 Tim 3:12). As we saw last week, the question is: will we be ready to respond to it when it happens?

16 forbidding us to speak to the Gentiles that they may be saved, so as always to fill up the measure of their sins; but wrath has come upon them to the uttermost.

A. The problem with Paul’s persecution? Not his own safety – but that it prevented the gospel of Christ from going forth! []

B. Historically speaking, the wrath of God did come down upon the Jewish nation in 70AD. Absolute devastation was brought by the Romans upon Jerusalem (and the whole nation)…which is one reason the revival today of Israel as a sovereign nation is so interesting from a prophetic perspective.

C. Wrath is coming upon those not saved by the blood of Christ (as proclaimed through the gospel)…and in fact, it seems to be building up over time. Saw something similar with the nations of Canaan – Genesis 15:16 But in the fourth generation they shall return here, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.” []

a. Why does God allow nations & peoples to go on sinning? Why does He allow them to “fill up the measure of their sins”? I suggest that even this is an act of God’s mercy. Every day that goes by is another day that God gives them an opportunity to repent. At our very 1^st sin, God has every right to destroy us in righteous anger…yet He doesn’t. He is longsuffering with us & allows us immeasurable opportunities to fall to our knees & ask for forgiveness. But eventually His justice must break forth – and it is just & it is perfect.

b. Thus people need to be saved!

17 But we, brethren, having been taken away from you for a short time in presence, not in heart, endeavored more eagerly to see your face with great desire.

A. Referring to his quick departure from town in Acts 17:10 (had to leave under cover of night due to the mob…).

B. “taken away” literally means “to be orphaned” – speaks of not only the suddenness of Paul’s departure, but his relationship with the church. It was like being ripped away from family that he couldn’t wait to get back to.

i. That’s exactly what we are in the Body of Christ: family! We are brothers & sisters together in the Lord Jesus; born again of His Spirit – adopted by His Father – joint heirs together in eternity.

18 Therefore we wanted to come to you—even I, Paul, time and again—but Satan hindered us.

A. Can Satan hinder us from the work of God? Yes! [Daniel 10 – received a vision & mourned for 3 weeks] Daniel 10:12-13 (12) Then he said to me, “Do not fear, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand, and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard; and I have come because of your words. (13) But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days; and behold, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I had been left alone there with the kings of Persia. [] We don’t know exactly what happened, but he was hindered by the work of the demonic realm…

a. We need to keep in mind that although the WAR is already decided & won (Jesus wins, in case you were wondering ) – we still have many battles to face. With certainty, we have an enemy that hates God, hates us & will do everything he & his forces can possibly do to try to hinder the work of God & the gospel going forth into all the world.

B. ‘But I thought God was sovereign?!’ God IS sovereign – but He’s not fatalistic… Though the Lord Jesus has been given all authority in heaven & on earth – though God has always been on the throne, He has allowed Satan to roam during this time…and thus he can stop godly people from doing godly things. He’s actually looking to do this very thing – 1 Peter 5:8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. []

a. Here’s the good news: He that is in you is greater than he who is in the world! (1 John 4:4)

19 For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Is it not even you in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at His coming? 20 For you are our glory and joy.

A. What is it that can possibly motivate Paul & others to endure such relentless persecution? The fact that people are being saved by Christ Jesus!

a. Hope: Generally speaks of the believer’s hope of heaven through Christ & contextually that still the case – but with a twist. Like a parent with his kids, Paul not only has a confident hope for himself, but a confident hope for the church – that they would also stand firm on the promises of Christ & live forever with Jesus.

b. Crown: Greek speaks of the wreath or crown given to the victor of an athletic contest. Paul fought the good fight & persevered & the proof of that would be the various souls brought to Christ through his ministry.

i. It’s been often said, “You can’t take it with you.” But even though you can’t take stuff with you to heaven; you can help bring people. What a joyous celebration it’ll be at the Bema Seat of Christ to see how Christ saved so many!

c. Glory & Joy: We can rejoice in our salvation! Our conversion may be the glory of those who gave us the gospel, but ultimately all the glory belongs to God!

B. The Lord Jesus Christ IS coming! One of the resounding themes of 1 Thess is the idea that the Lord Jesus Christ is coming for His church. Every chapter mentions it in some way & Ch 4-5 go into it in detail. Why does Paul emphasize it so much? Because he was waiting for it! Jesus could literally call us home at any moment – there’s not a single thing stopping Him from doing so outside of the timing of God the Father. This is one reason we can have such a joyful hope: because as Christians we can live every day with great expectation as we prepare to meet our King.

a. ‘Oh come on. Christians have been saying that for nearly 2000 years.’ Yes – and for 2000 years, the Lord could have called us home at any time. J The fact that it’s been so long shouldn’t be discouraging; it should be something to praise God for – it’s a direct testimony to His mercy in allowing more people to be born-again into the Kingdom of God! 2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. []

b. Rest assured that day IS coming. Are you ready? Are you prepared to be in His presence? Whether you believe in Jesus or not, you WILL stand before Him one day: either as your Savior or your Judge. Every day you’re alive is another day you’ve been given to be prepared and to seek His forgiveness.

Conclusion:

Was it tough living as a 1^st century Christian? Sure, but what a testimony to the church at Thessalonica!

• They received/welcomed the word – they recognized it for what it was: the very word of God to be embraced & received into their lives.
• They kept the word – they didn’t merely hear it, they appropriated it to their own lives as they imitated the church in Judea.
• They lived the word – they stayed faithful to Christ despite the persecutions that abounded around them. The spiritual & physical battle was intense, but they never gave up their walk with Christ.
• The result? They were prepared to meet the Word – Jesus Christ Himself!

One day we WILL see Jesus face to face. Are we ready? Even as believers, we need to ask ourselves this same question. There are many who receive the word, but then never do anything with it & become couch-potato Christians who are tossed to & fro by the world. That’s not God’s will for you at all! Who among us does not want to hear the words “Well done, good & faithful servant!”? As we recognize God’s word for what it is, we’ll take it to heart & be transformed by it – so that when we’re confronted with the spiritual battle that’s guaranteed to come we’ll be ready to live it out.

If you know you’re not a believer in Jesus Christ, you’re in another boat entirely. Again, you will meet Jesus one day – but you’re definitely not ready. What will you be able to say when you’re called to give an account for every word spoken, every deed done, and every thought that you dwelt upon in your mind? Who can stand? Every lie, lustful thought, and blasphemous word brings conviction & no amount of “good works” will be able to balance it out (all our good works are like filthy rags in comparison to God). Friend, you need to experience the grace of God & His forgiveness – and that’s only available through Jesus Christ. He died on the Cross as punishment for your sins & rose again on the 3^rd day promising new life to those who believe.

Getting Ready for the Good Stuff – Numbers 34-36

Introduction:

Out of the 5 books of Moses (the Penteteuch), Numbers is by far the most tragic as it is the continual story of a nation’s lack of trust in God. They complained about hunger & thirst in the midst of God’s provision – they rebelled against their leadership – they turned away from God’s promise – they died in the wilderness.

Yet it’s precisely because of all these failures and faithlessness that the sheer faithfulness of God shines so radiantly! God met their physical needs through manna and water – God personally led them through the wilderness with the glory of the Lord – God visibly demonstrated who it was He desired to lead Israel – and though God punished the nation in their rebellion, a generation died out (not the entire nation) and God STILL prepared them to enter the land of Promise! Truly God had shown Himself to be faithful & merciful & gracious beyond compare to a people who utterly deserved the outpouring of His wrath!

Likewise we deserved the same thing. There is nothing unfair about an everlasting punishment in Hell because our sin is exactly that sinful & abhorrent. Yet in His great love and grace, He sent Jesus to take our punishment upon Himself so that we might be forgiven and brought into the promise. 1 Peter 1:3-5 (3) Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, (4) to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, (5) who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. [] Amen!!

As we close Numbers, this is exactly what God is doing with Israel. He has showered His mercy upon them & preparing them to receive their inheritance in the land. There a few things God needs to settle with them before moving them into the conquest: (1) a retelling & review of the Law (coming in Deut), (2) establishing borders, (3) provide for the Levites, and (4) to ensure their inheritance stays within the tribes it was given.

Numbers 34 (NKJV)
1 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Command the children of Israel, and say to them: ‘When you come into the land of Canaan, this is the land that shall fall to you as an inheritance—the land of Canaan to its boundaries.

A. No question about this. No ifs/ands/buts…they WILL come into the land of Canaan. God unconditionally promised it to Abraham back in Gen 12 & they WILL receive it…it’s just a matter of whether or not God will have to discipline them along the way (which He does).

a. God is going to be faithful, no matter what! Let God be true & every man a liar (Rom 3:4) – if God’s made a promise, He WILL keep it.

B. Vs. 3-12 outlines the borders. [MAP] Very specific – for good reason. They’re about to enter a land for conquest. They need to know how far they’re going to be going under the Lord’s protection & where that protection will end. God didn’t call Israel to form a world empire; simply to receive what He was giving them…

a. Sometimes we get this mixed up in Christianity – we think we’re supposed to conquer the world for Christ. Not so. We’re supposed to spread the gospel of Christ & make disciples of all the nations – any ‘conquering’ is going to occur through the Lord Jesus & Him alone… []

C. Why is this important? This is the land that God gave Israel. [] Interesting considering the Mideast conflict & peace process. Whatever land negotiations take place, God has the final say. They (Israeli & Palestinian alike) just don’t know it yet.

13 Then Moses commanded the children of Israel, saying: “This is the land which you shall inherit by lot, which the Lord has commanded to give to the nine tribes and to the half-tribe. 14 For the tribe of the children of Reuben according to the house of their fathers, and the tribe of the children of Gad according to the house of their fathers, have received their inheritance; and the half-tribe of Manasseh has received its inheritance. 15 The two tribes and the half-tribe have received their inheritance on this side of the Jordan, across from Jericho eastward, toward the sunrise.”

A. Outlines the borders for Reuben & Gad & ½ Manasseh on the other side of the Jordan. They may have stopped short of what God originally had in store for them, but God is still faithful to provide for His people.

16 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 17 “These are the names of the men who shall divide the land among you as an inheritance: Eleazar the priest and Joshua the son of Nun.

A. Talk about the wisdom of God! God didn’t leave it up to the various tribes to fight it out once they got there…knowing human nature they would have ended up destroying themselves before they ever got around to the general conquest! Instead, God put it into the hands of Israel’s spiritual & national leaders to guide them through the process…

a. Keeping in mind that both Eleazar and Joshua were both types of Christ (the high priest & the chief prophet/deliverer) – it makes a great picture of how reliant we are on Christ for every aspect of our walk with Him. …

B. Also another reminder that Moses won’t be going into the land. [] God is faithful in both the promises we like & the promises we don’t. We don’t like being disciplined by Him, but it’s a sign of His love for us (Heb 12:6) – He truly loved Moses, but had to discipline him for misrepresenting God’s grace to the people.

a. Keep in mind Moses didn’t merely lose his temper (which was rare) – he misrepresented the gospel. The rock was Christ (1 Cor 10:4) & Christ only needed to be smitten once & that once was the only sacrifice needed for all time (Heb 10:12). [] It is vitally important that we present the gospel correctly – anything other than salvation through the grace of Christ alone becomes a works-based gospel & thus NO gospel at all! …

18 And you shall take one leader of every tribe to divide the land for the inheritance.

A. Vs 19-28 lists them all out…

B. Tedious? To us perhaps, but not to them. God called each of them by name! Can you imagine what it would have been like to see your name written in the Holy Scripture? J

a. It’s better than that for you. As a Christian, your name is written in the Book of Life!

29 These are the ones the Lord commanded to divide the inheritance among the children of Israel in the land of Canaan.

A. Summary. The land was the LORD’s to give…thus He was the One who decided which people were called to help divide the land.

a. Interesting to me that when we think about “ministry” today, we almost always envision something to do with teaching or music…yet these men were called by God to this task no less than Joshua or Eleazar were called by God. God calls politicians, accountants, carpenters, farmers, etc., FAR more often than He does pastors & missionaries. We are all a kingdom of priests & whatever it is God has gifted us to do, THAT’s what we’re to use for His glory.

Numbers 35 (NKJV)
1 And the Lord spoke to Moses in the plains of Moab by the Jordan across from Jericho, saying: 2 “Command the children of Israel that they give the Levites cities to dwell in from the inheritance of their possession, and you shall also give the Levites common-land around the cities. 3 They shall have the cities to dwell in; and their common-land shall be for their cattle, for their herds, and for all their animals. 4 The common-land of the cities which you will give the Levites shall extend from the wall of the city outward a thousand cubits all around. 5 And you shall measure outside the city on the east side two thousand cubits, on the south side two thousand cubits, on the west side two thousand cubits, and on the north side two thousand cubits. The city shall be in the middle. This shall belong to them as common-land for the cities. [incorporated pasture land just outside the city walls]

A. Remember the Levites didn’t get an inheritance of the land, because the Lord Himself was their inheritance (Num 18:20).

a. Likewise, although there are many blessings God gives to us as believers in Christ – by far the best is our very salvation & adoption into His family! All sorts of Christians go seeking after “the glory” or “the stuff” – but all that pales in comparison with Christ Himself!

B. However, the Levites still need a place to live! God provided it for them among the various tribes throughout the land…

a. Why weren’t they all placed around Jerusalem or Shiloh (or where ever the Tabernacle was)? Isn’t that where they were needed the most? Let me suggest to you that God spread out the Levites so that His ‘representatives’ would be scattered throughout Israel. True, they could help people throughout the land prepare their sacrifices – but just their presence brought a reminder of God to the people.

b. God desires to use you in the same way! 2 Corinthians 2:15 For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing. [] When Christ is in you, the world around you knows it! They can help but be affected by the fragrance of Christ emanating from your life. (And if they don’t, there’s a problem…)

6 “Now among the cities which you will give to the Levites you shall appoint six cities of refuge, to which a manslayer may flee. [more about this in a moment] And to these you shall add forty-two cities. 7 So all the cities you will give to the Levites shall be forty-eight; these you shall give with their common-land. 8 And the cities which you will give shall be from the possession of the children of Israel; from the larger tribe you shall give many, from the smaller you shall give few. Each shall give some of its cities to the Levites, in proportion to the inheritance that each receives.”

A. 48 total cities for the Levites – proportionally given from among the various tribes of Israel.

9 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 10 “Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: ‘When you cross the Jordan into the land of Canaan,

A. They don’t know how they’ll be crossing the Jordan yet, but they definitely will be crossing it. It’s going to be an event to remember as the waters dry up in a fashion reminiscent of the Red Sea (Josh 3). In the meantime, they’ll have to trust the Lord that they’ll actually get there. For 2-5M people without an Army Corps of Engineers to build bridges everywhere they go, you can imagine that this task was looming on the horizon for them.

i. God calls us to walk by faith & not by sight (2 Cor 5:7)…and this can be really tough at times. We don’t always understand what’s going on around us (not unlike the Israelites) – but we have to trust that God is always in control.

11 then you shall appoint cities to be cities of refuge for you, that the manslayer who kills any person accidentally may flee there. 12 They shall be cities of refuge for you from the avenger, that the manslayer may not die until he stands before the congregation in judgment.

A. Cities of refuge… God’s provision in the midst of a vigilante culture…

13 And of the cities which you give, you shall have six cities of refuge. 14 You shall appoint three cities on this side of the Jordan, and three cities you shall appoint in the land of Canaan, which will be cities of refuge. 15 These six cities shall be for refuge for the children of Israel, for the stranger, and for the sojourner among them, that anyone who kills a person accidentally may flee there.

A. Spread out around the land. [Map]

B. This law is available to everyone: Hebrew, stranger, sojourner…none is exempt from the protection God offers. [] Makes a great parallel to our salvation in Christ – we are all under a death sentence, under which there is no escape outside of fleeing to Christ who is our Rock of Refuge (Ps 62:7). Hebrews 6:17-18 (17) Thus God, determining to show more abundantly to the heirs of promise the immutability of His counsel, confirmed it by an oath, (18) that by two immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we might have strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope set before us. []

16 ‘But if he strikes him with an iron implement, so that he dies, he is a murderer; the murderer shall surely be put to death. 17 And if he strikes him with a stone in the hand, by which one could die, and he does die, he is a murderer; the murderer shall surely be put to death. 18 Or if he strikes him with a wooden hand weapon, by which one could die, and he does die, he is a murderer; the murderer shall surely be put to death.

A. Just because someone fled to a city of refuge doesn’t mean that he’s innocent. This isn’t like when people would run into a church claiming “sanctuary” from crimes… God is absolutely just & His justice will be carried out…

B. Does the Bible make a distinction between an iron axhead accidentally flying off the handle & intentional murder? Apparently. “strikes” could also be translated “destroy/vicious blow” – it implies intent. IOW, if you purposefully threw a stone at your neighbor’s head & he died – you can’t claim ‘temporary insanity’ or call it a ‘crime of passion.’ In God’s eyes, it’s simple murder.

19 The avenger of blood himself shall put the murderer to death; when he meets him, he shall put him to death. 20 If he pushes him out of hatred or, while lying in wait, hurls something at him so that he dies, 21 or in enmity he strikes him with his hand so that he dies, the one who struck him shall surely be put to death. He is a murderer. The avenger of blood shall put the murderer to death when he meets him.

A. The avenger is actually the one to carry out the execution. Sounds so foreign to us today b/c our culture places capital punishment into the hands of the state specifically to remove avengers/family members from the process. Is our culture wrong? Not necessarily – power of execution affirmed by Romans 13…

a. Is God contradicting Himself in principle here? No! Two different standards for two different systems of government. For government run by men (be it elected officials or not), God places the power of the sword into the hands of the government to provide maximum opportunity for fairness. But Israel wasn’t originally run that way – it was a true theocracy run by God Almighty & administered through prophets, priests, and judges. Thus God placed the power of the sword into local hands for maximum opportunity for responsibility – and that only after God’s will was properly determined.

B. “avenger” = Hb “go ‘el / ga ‘al” = same word used to describe the kinsmen redeemer (re: Ruth).

22 ‘However, if he pushes him suddenly without enmity, or throws anything at him without lying in wait, 23 or uses a stone, by which a man could die, throwing it at him without seeing him, so that he dies, while he was not his enemy or seeking his harm, 24 then the congregation shall judge between the manslayer and the avenger of blood according to these judgments.

A. If not the 1^st recorded use of jury system, it’s definitely close!

25 So the congregation shall deliver the manslayer from the hand of the avenger of blood, and the congregation shall return him to the city of refuge where he had fled, and he shall remain there until the death of the high priest who was anointed with the holy oil. 26 But if the manslayer at any time goes outside the limits of the city of refuge where he fled, 27 and the avenger of blood finds him outside the limits of his city of refuge, and the avenger of blood kills the manslayer, he shall not be guilty of blood, 28 because he should have remained in his city of refuge until the death of the high priest. But after the death of the high priest the manslayer may return to the land of his possession.

A. Interesting stipulation here. Just because the manslayer may be found innocent, it doesn’t mean he can leave the city of refuge at any time. He’s (in essence) a willful prisoner within the gates of the city & endangers himself at any point that he decides to leave…

B. Does this have application to the NT believer? Yes! Our salvation is only found in Christ. We dare not look outside His protection for it. Interestingly enough, the sentence for the manslayer lasts as long as the high priest is still alive – yet when the high priest dies, the manslayer is fully freed. Jesus Christ as our High Priest died – and now we are free from sin & death!

29 ‘And these things shall be a statute of judgment to you throughout your generations in all your dwellings. 30 Whoever kills a person, the murderer shall be put to death on the testimony of witnesses; but one witness is not sufficient testimony against a person for the death penalty. 31 Moreover you shall take no ransom for the life of a murderer who is guilty of death, but he shall surely be put to death. 32 And you shall take no ransom for him who has fled to his city of refuge, that he may return to dwell in the land before the death of the priest.

A. Multiple witnesses…

B. No bribery. Everyone regardless of social status pays the same debt for the same crime. The wages of sin is death (Rom 6:23) & all are guilty; there’s no way of paying those wages outside of blood.

33 So you shall not pollute the land where you are; for blood defiles the land, and no atonement can be made for the land, for the blood that is shed on it, except by the blood of him who shed it. 34 Therefore do not defile the land which you inhabit, in the midst of which I dwell; for I the Lord dwell among the children of Israel.’ ”

A. Their behavior & disobedience of the Lord could “pollute” and “defile” the land…

B. God dwells among His people!

Numbers 36 (NKJV)
1 Now the chief fathers of the families of the children of Gilead the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh, of the families of the sons of Joseph, came near and spoke before Moses and before the leaders, the chief fathers of the children of Israel. 2 And they said: “The Lord commanded my lord Moses to give the land as an inheritance by lot to the children of Israel, and my lord was commanded by the Lord to give the inheritance of our brother Zelophehad to his daughters.

A. Review from Ch 27…

3 Now if they are married to any of the sons of the other tribes of the children of Israel, then their inheritance will be taken from the inheritance of our fathers, and it will be added to the inheritance of the tribe into which they marry; so it will be taken from the lot of our inheritance. 4 And when the Jubilee of the children of Israel comes, then their inheritance will be added to the inheritance of the tribe into which they marry; so their inheritance will be taken away from the inheritance of the tribe of our fathers.”

A. Legitimate problem…and we also see why this chapter was likely added on by Moses after he thought he had probably ended the book in Ch 35. God had told Moses the borders of the land & how to divide it among the children of Israel & now there’s a potential problem of the land changing tribal hands…

5 Then Moses commanded the children of Israel according to the word of the Lord, saying: “What the tribe of the sons of Joseph speaks is right. 6 This is what the Lord commands concerning the daughters of Zelophehad, saying, ‘Let them marry whom they think best, but they may marry only within the family of their father’s tribe.’

A. When did Moses speak to God about this? Dunno…but obviously he DID bring it to God in prayer… []

a. May we always be quick to our knees & the Scriptures. Too often we spout out advice based on what makes sense at the time – the problem is that the same advice might not make sense at another time. If we need wisdom about any given situation, all we need do is ask – God promises He will give it (James 1:5).

B. The solution? Have inheriting daughters marry within their own tribes. (Not quite as icky as it may sound to us…these tribes were quite big; there was a large enough gene pool to choose from).

7 So the inheritance of the children of Israel shall not change hands from tribe to tribe, for every one of the children of Israel shall keep the inheritance of the tribe of his fathers. 8 And every daughter who possesses an inheritance in any tribe of the children of Israel shall be the wife of one of the family of her father’s tribe, so that the children of Israel each may possess the inheritance of his fathers. 9 Thus no inheritance shall change hands from one tribe to another, but every tribe of the children of Israel shall keep its own inheritance.”

A. Why can’t the inheritance change tribes? Because it didn’t ultimately belong to the tribes! God gave the land; thus God decides who lives on the land…

10 Just as the Lord commanded Moses, so did the daughters of Zelophehad; 11 for Mahlah, Tirzah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Noah, the daughters of Zelophehad, were married to the sons of their father’s brothers. 12 They were married into the families of the children of Manasseh the son of Joseph, and their inheritance remained in the tribe of their father’s family.

A. Particular instance would have been ok – they had married some of their cousins. (Not unusual for the day – just look at Abraham & Sarah)

13 These are the commandments and the judgments which the Lord commanded the children of Israel by the hand of Moses in the plains of Moab by the Jordan, across from Jericho.

A. Summary for the entire book… If there were any doubts, this is the word of the Lord by the hand of Moses. Thus – this is every bit as much Scripture as the Gospels or Romans or any of our other favorite books we love to quote.  And every bit of it is necessary for our edification.

Conclusion:

So what’s the lesson from Numbers? Trust God! We have every reason in the world to trust God with every aspect of our lives, but we so often get distracted and think we can do it better ourselves…may it never be so! When we turn away from trusting God, we miss out on blessing after blessing that comes with following Christ.

Has there been something you’ve been ignoring God on? Is there an area of your life you haven’t trusted Him with? Take tonight to confess it & be done with it – there’s no reason to wait. His grace & mercy & love is just as available to you tonight through Christ as it was to Moses – and even more abundantly! We’ve seen the Cross – we’ve been raised with Christ from the grave – we’ve been empowered by the Holy Spirit. Why put yourself in the place of God’s discipline when we could simply enjoy His blessing? Be blessed – trust God.

You know us!

Have you ever been surprised at the things some people said about you? Maybe you had a conversation with somebody & you heard someone else talking about & thought, “Where on earth did they get THAT idea!? That’s not what I said.” You’d want to go back to the 1^st person & say, “Hey – you were there…you know better than that!”

That seems to be exactly what Paul is going through with the Thessalonians. He wasn’t able to spend as much time with the church as he perhaps would have liked (anywhere from 3 weeks to only a few months) – but after he had to suddenly leave town upon a riot breaking out (Acts 17), he learned later that rumors were flying around about him. Some groups of people in town had planted doubts in the mind of the church about Paul & thus Paul needed to do something about it.

Is this just a matter of Paul defending his record? Not likely…he had encountered far more persecution than just some rumors (though rumors surely hurt him emotionally). The problem with people doubting Paul’s credibility is that it casts doubt on the gospel as well, since that was his entire message while he was there. Thus he’s going back to them saying “Hey – you were there…you know better than that!”

As “Christians” we bear the name of Christ. Thus our character becomes vitally important in our witness to others. If we don’t model the gospel truth, we’re creating unnecessary stumbling blocks to someone else believing the gospel truth! That’s why it was so important for Paul to straighten this out so clearly…

1 Thessalonians 2:1-12 (NKJV)
1 For you yourselves know, brethren, that our coming to you was not in vain.

A. Appealing to the personal experience of the Thessalonians. We don’t know for certain who was spreading rumors against Paul, but there were undoubtedly many. From the history in Thessalonica, it seems most likely that the Jews in town consistently spoke against Paul & that they perhaps had started to persuade those in the church that Paul had taken advantage of them as a false teacher.

B. Why wasn’t Paul’s visit in vain? Because now they are “brethren” – they’re believers! Whatever Paul & co. went through, it was worth it because they heard the gospel & were born again…

2 But even after we had suffered before and were spitefully treated at Philippi, as you know, we were bold in our God to speak to you the gospel of God in much conflict.

A. Remember Paul’s history at Philippi (Acts 16)…he & Silas had been preaching there for some time (staying at the house of Lydia) when Paul finally got fed up with a demon-possessed slave girl who kept following him around. He cast out the demon & her owners were pretty upset they had lost a source of income (using the girl as a fortune-teller. They stirred up a mob & got Paul & Silas beaten & thrown in jail. They sang worship songs all night in jail & God sent an earthquake to shake things up & opened the prison doors…eventually converting the jailer. [Interesting what God uses to bring us to Christ!] The next day the authorities realized they were in trouble b/c they had beaten Roman citizens without a fair trial & tried to keep things quiet, but Paul demanded a public apology… Afterwards, finally went to Thessalonica.

B. In spite of the imprisonment & beatings, Paul & Silas still spoke the gospel boldly. In spite of the resistance of the town (the riot), they still spoke the gospel boldly… They were determined to keep preaching the gospel even though they could expect physical resistance.

a. We give up so quickly! We say, “Well brother, I wouldn’t want you to offend anyone. It might cause them to disagree with you & then everyone would feel uncomfortable.” Or… “I know they’re asking you to do something at work that’s unbiblical…but surely you don’t actually need to take a stand there – you need the job.” Paul KNEW he was probably going to get physically beaten in every city & he went in boldly with the gospel…

b. I don’t say this to give anyone a guilt trip…only to help us think through these situations before they occur. [Canada news] If it can happen there; it can happen here. We need to be prepared to know where we’re going to take a stand.

3 For our exhortation did not come from error or uncleanness, nor was it in deceit.

A. Paul’s defending his motives & teaching…

B. No error: Paul didn’t preach religious spiritualism – he didn’t preach philosophy – he didn’t preach “any” truth; he preached THE truth. By boldly proclaiming Jesus of Nazareth as the Son of God crucified for our sins & risen from the dead, Paul was declaring every other religious method/system as false and useless, with repentance/faith through Jesus Christ as the only truth. And he was right!

a. This can sound harsh to our relativistic culture today where people think “As long as you’re sincere in your belief, then you can believe whatever you want to believe & that will be true for you.” But truth is never relative. Disbelief gravity all you want, but don’t go stepping off a bridge expecting to float. Something has to be absolutely true in regards to sin, salvation, and eternity…and Jesus Christ proved it was Him (John 14:6) through His resurrection!

C. No uncleanness: Gk is referring to impurity – usually in a sexual sense. Paul had a lot of accusations thrown his way, but this would have been a pretty unusual one…but in the Thessalonian culture, it makes sense that his adversaries would have tried to make this one stick too. With all the false teachers/spiritual leaders blowing through town (being on the Egnatian Way…trade route between Rome & Asia), they were obviously trying to paint Paul as “just another” one of the rest. Obviously, he wasn’t & he consistently maintained a pure lifestyle.

a. Even if “uncleanness” refers only to impure motives, the thought is the same. Our lifestyle needs to reflect the gospel as much as our lips do. How many times have you been sharing Christ with someone when they told you that they didn’t want to have anything to do with it b/c they’d already seen what Christians were like on TV? Our witness affects everyone else’s witness as well…

D. No deceit: (Nelson’s) “a word used also of a fishing lure to catch fish, suggesting trickery.” Paul didn’t attempt a ‘bait & switch’ on the people…he gave them the gospel, doctrine, love, and little else. Again, because of all the false teachers sweeping through town for the sole purpose of taking advantage of taking advantage of unsuspecting people there, Paul is distinguishing himself from the rest.

a. Beware of turning the gospel into a sales pitch! People are never going to be persuaded into the kingdom of God (God has to draw them – John 6:44) & when we start ‘selling’ the gospel through gimmicks & trickery, people rightfully get suspicious. There’s nothing wrong with creative attention-getters…but we should always be honest with our intents.

4 But as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, even so we speak, not as pleasing men, but God who tests our hearts.

A. The gospel is something to be entrusted with…it’s something that the church has been given stewardship over. [Parable of the talents] God has entrusted us with something of FAR more value than a few talents of gold; He’s entrusted us with the good news of salvation and forgiveness through Jesus Christ. And since we have this stewardship, we need to remember what stewards do:

a. Stewards protect what they’ve been entrusted with… Like Paul preached without error, we want to preach the pure gospel of Jesus Christ. We don’t add to it through a gospel of legalism; we don’t water it down through a gospel of humanism; we don’t distract from it through a gospel of emotional sensationalism. We just simply proclaim and demonstrate the pure gospel of Jesus Christ.

b. Stewards use what they’ve been entrusted with… (Wiersbe) “Some Christians think that the church’s only responsibility is to protect the Gospel from those who would change it (Gal. 1:6–9). But we also must share the Gospel; otherwise, we are protecting it in vain.” Don’t be like the servant who buried his talent in the ground…use it!

B. Because Paul & Silas were approved stewards of the gospel (they were entrusted with it by God, just like us), they shared it in such a way to please God. Don’t miss this point! Too often we get the idea that we need to think up some way to please the ears of the person hearing the gospel – but that’s got things precisely backwards. The gospel belongs to God, so we share it in a way that pleases His ears – He’s the one we’re going to be giving an account to, so we seek to please Him. Do we want to be winsome? Sure – there’s no reason to be a jerk…our speech is to be graceful, seasoned with salt (Col 4:6). But whatever we share in the name of Christ, we want to ensure we do it in a way that pleases God 1^st.

a. We’re not going to be able to fool God on this account! We may be able to put on a show for people in the pews (or where-ever), but God knows! He tests the heart…

- Not only were their motives pure; their methods were as well…

5 For neither at any time did we use flattering words, as you know, nor a cloak for covetousness— God is witness. 6 Nor did we seek glory from men, either from you or from others, when we might have made demands as apostles of Christ.

A. Didn’t use “flattering words”: Love the way Swanson defines this – “flattering talk, blarney that gratifies one’s vanity.” Paul didn’t lay it on thick…he just spoke the simple truth.

B. Didn’t use “a cloak for covetousness” – i.e., not as a way to gain monetarily from the church. Paul never tried to trick the believers into supporting him; everything he did was with pure motives & out in the open.

a. Even goes so far with Timothy to tell him to watch out for teachers like this – 1 Timothy 6:5 useless wranglings of men of corrupt minds and destitute of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a means of gain. From such withdraw yourself. [] Beware teachers & ministries who seek to enrich themselves off of the church – they’re using the gospel as a cloak for covetousness.

C. Didn’t “seek glory from men”: Neither did Paul flatter the people nor did he expect to be flattered in return. He wasn’t looking for applause & adoration. Why? He was simply a steward! Stewards don’t get glory; they give glory to their Master.

a. Want a great test of an evangelistic or TV ministry? Look to see who the glory is being given to. People turn out in droves to a Billy Graham crusade, but the attention and focus is rarely on Billy; it’s always on the Lord Jesus. In comparison with some revivals on TV, the difference is striking! [] God’s glory is God’s; and He will not share it with another!

B. Didn’t make apostolic “demands”: Not only did Paul avoid trickery to gain a financial advantage – he also avoided obligating the church into giving money to him via guilt through his apostolic right.

- What did they do? Instead of burdening the church, they loved the church!

7 But we were gentle among you, just as a nursing mother cherishes her own children. 8 So, affectionately longing for you, we were well pleased to impart to you not only the gospel of God, but also our own lives, because you had become dear to us.

A. They were gentle & cherishing: Though not everyone has the same experience with their mother, it’s hard for language to envision a gentler picture of loving, caring, and nurturing than a mother with her newborn babe. Up at all hours of the night, caring for their every need: dressing, feeding, changing, comforting – mothers simply impart life to their children. That’s the kind of love and caring Paul says that he & Silas had for the church…

B. They were “pleased to impart” the gospel to them: 2 aspects to this…not only did they actually preach the gospel in Thessalonica, but they were fully pleased to do it. Was it work? Yes. Was it exhausting? Surely (see vs 9). Was it worth it? Absolutely! When a newborn is crying for (yet another) feeding at 3am, it’s hard to imagine a time when you’d want a child to be a baby again – but inevitably we look back with fondness because our love for our children makes it worth it. Same with Paul – it was work, but he was pleased to do it because it meant their maturity in Christ.

9 For you remember, brethren, our labor and toil; for laboring night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you, we preached to you the gospel of God.

A. How could Paul make the claim about imparting their lives to the church? Because they made a concerted effort not to be a burden to the church… [bi-vocational ministry] As long as the church wasn’t ready to support Paul, he wasn’t willing to burden them.

a. Does this mean Paul never ministered the gospel full-time? No – in fact, it would seem that Thessalonica helped him do just that while he was in Corinth…he robbed from Macedonia to minister to Corinth (2 Cor 11:8 ). [] The fact that they did support Paul’s missionary efforts speaks volumes about how quickly the church matured! They went from Paul giving freely to them & by the time he was on the road again after a few weeks, they were already supporting him in the ministry.

B. Bottom line: The ministry of the gospel is never about the minister; it’s to the glory of God & edification of the church. Finances should never get in the way or be a stumbling block to the gospel (and too often, it is!).

10 You are witnesses, and God also, how devoutly and justly and blamelessly we behaved ourselves among you who believe;

A. Their character reflected their message:

a. They were devout… Some translations say “holy” – which isn’t necessarily bad, but it’s not the normal word Paul uses for “holy.” He’s not referring to being set apart by God as a saint, but rather to his personal piety. Paul obviously never paraded his prayer life in front of people (per the Pharisee in Luke 18:11), but neither was his personal relationship with God a secret. He consistently modeled (right) spiritual living to those around him.

i. Do you do the same in your home? How would your spouse or children describe your prayer and devotional life? Again – not pretentiously or moving outside your personal “prayer closet”…but if our families don’t know anything about our relationship with Christ, it might say something about the quality of our relationship with Christ.

b. They were just… Speaking of righteous living. AMP = “upright” If “devoutly” refers to their relationship with God, then “justly” refers to their relationship with people. Paul was no hypocrite with what he preached…he lived it out too.

c. They were blameless… Not merely that they were factually innocent in regards to the charges & rumors, but that Paul & Silas lived in such a way that when charges were made the blame couldn’t stick. People knew them better than that.

11 as you know how we exhorted, and comforted, and charged every one of you, as a father does his own children,

A. The content of the message:

a. Exhortation – A call to action…moving doctrine from head to hands.

b. Comfort – An encouragement in trials…there was resistance, and Paul helped them through it.

c. Charge – A record of witness…Paul testified of the truth of the gospel & entrusted the same message he was a steward over to the newborn church. (Who was faithful in the proclamation of it! Ch 1:8 )

B. Interesting that Paul likens himself as both a mother and a father to the church. Like a mother, he nourished the newborn church with the milk of the Word. Like a father, he exhorted them to mature to the next level. (Not that parents can’t do both – but both ARE needed, no matter who the one is that does it.)

12 that you would walk worthy of God who calls you into His own kingdom and glory.

A. What was the summary of this exhortation/charge? That they “would walk worthy of God” – we’ve heard this before! (Col 1:10 & Phil 1:27) Ephesians 4:1-3 (1) I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, (2) with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, (3) endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. []

B. Does the way we walk really matter? Yes! Why? Because God called us “into His own kingdom and glory”… He’s saved us, forgiven us, given us new life, and given us a promise of eternity! If for no other reason, we should walk worthy of God simply because we’re so grateful! This isn’t a motivation of legalism; it’s one of love…

Conclusion:

It was precisely because Paul had walked worthy of God that he could exhort the Thessalonians to do the same. No matter what rumors were flying around about Paul, his conduct and character consistently matched his confession. And because of this, people not only heard the truth of the gospel, but saw it demonstrated before their very eyes & were saved.

Somehow we’ve bought into this idea in American Christianity that we can go off & live any way we please – fulfill every hedonistic desire – and then still expect people to respond to the gospel. They’re responding alright, but mostly they’re turned off by it! They see TV ministers trying to use the name of Jesus as a magic word for whatever toy they want at the moment. The most consistent image most unsaved Americans have of Christianity is that of hypocrisy. May we continually pray for true revival in the church! May we pray for a move of repentance to sweep our nation that all parts of the Body of Christ would stop seeking after the stuff & glory of the world & start seeking Christ alone.

Settling for Less – Numbers 32-33

Numbers 32 (NKJV)
1 Now the children of Reuben and the children of Gad had a very great multitude of livestock; and when they saw the land of Jazer and the land of Gilead, that indeed the region was a place for livestock, 2 the children of Gad and the children of Reuben came and spoke to Moses, to Eleazar the priest, and to the leaders of the congregation, saying, 3 “Ataroth, Dibon, Jazer, Nimrah, Heshbon, Elealeh, Shebam, Nebo, and Beon, 4 the country which the Lord defeated before the congregation of Israel, is a land for livestock, and your servants have livestock.” 5 Therefore they said, “If we have found favor in your sight, let this land be given to your servants as a possession. Do not take us over the Jordan.”

A. IOW, Gad & Reuben were ranchers/cattlemen…and the land of Gilead was good ranching land. They figured, “Hey, we’ve been here a while & it’s working out great for our herds – why not just stay?”

B. At first glance, this doesn’t sound too bad. But keep in mind that Gilead wasn’t what God originally had in mind for them. The WHOLE nation of Israel had been commanded to cross the Jordan River & possess the land; now 2 tribes are stopping short…

a. Keep in mind that the Land is a picture of the rest and inheritance we have in Christ (Heb 4). To go to the edge of the land & stop short of actually entering is to stop short of everything that God has for us. It’s to put ourselves at the whims of legalism (as we try to figure out for ourselves what is/isn’t pleasing to God) & to endanger ourselves for all sorts of worldly influences. [Mark 5: Legion-possessed man was in Gadarenes…land of pig farmers, etc.]

6 And Moses said to the children of Gad and to the children of Reuben: “Shall your brethren go to war while you sit here? 7 Now why will you discourage the heart of the children of Israel from going over into the land which the Lord has given them? 8 Thus your fathers did when I sent them away from Kadesh Barnea to see the land. 9 For when they went up to the Valley of Eshcol and saw the land, they discouraged the heart of the children of Israel, so that they did not go into the land which the Lord had given them.

A. Is Moses overreacting? Not at all! He saw the 1^st rebellion of Israel up front & personally. He knows exactly what happened when Israel said “no” to the Lord.

B. There’s another reason to be upset: a lack of faith can be contagious. Moses rightly fears that Reuben & Gad are going to discourage the rest of the nation from going over…after all, Israel doesn’t have the best of track records in trusting God.

a. How is a lack of faith contagious? Because it causes people to be apathetic. “I don’t know if I can really trust God for growth and His promises, so I’m just not going to do anything at all.” “Really? Me too, I guess.” Apathy is the opposite of what Christ Jesus calls us to in the gospel! It’s flat-out impossible to deny oneself, pick up one’s cross & follow Christ while being apathetic. The very act in picking up a cross requires a passion to follow Christ; who would do it otherwise?

10 So the Lord’s anger was aroused on that day, and He swore an oath, saying, 11 ‘Surely none of the men who came up from Egypt, from twenty years old and above, shall see the land of which I swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, because they have not wholly followed Me, 12 except Caleb the son of Jephunneh, the Kenizzite, and Joshua the son of Nun, for they have wholly followed the Lord.’ 13 So the Lord’s anger was aroused against Israel, and He made them wander in the wilderness forty years, until all the generation that had done evil in the sight of the Lord was gone.

A. The results of Israel’s rebellion: 40 years of a death march.

B. Did Moses really have to remind them of this? After all, the generation who died were their fathers & mothers. Yes! We need to be reminded of the consequences of sin! We don’t want to be like the fool who returns to sin over & over like a dog to its vomit (Prov 26:11)…thus we need to be consistently reminded that sin is truly sinful & an infinite offense against an infinite God.

a. Too often we think that the gospel is only for the unbeliever; but it’s not…it’s for the church too! As we’re reminded of the sinfulness of sin, we’re also reminded of the grace of God given to us through Christ Jesus & that gives us all the more reason to worship Him!

14 And look! You have risen in your fathers’ place, a brood of sinful men, to increase still more the fierce anger of the Lord against Israel. 15 For if you turn away from following Him, He will once again leave them in the wilderness, and you will destroy all these people.”

A. Here’s the danger: all of Israel will follow suit, rebel, and be destroyed by God in His righteous judgment.

16 Then they came near to him and said: “We will build sheepfolds here for our livestock, and cities for our little ones, 17 but we ourselves will be armed, ready to go before the children of Israel until we have brought them to their place; and our little ones will dwell in the fortified cities because of the inhabitants of the land. 18 We will not return to our homes until every one of the children of Israel has received his inheritance. 19 For we will not inherit with them on the other side of the Jordan and beyond, because our inheritance has fallen to us on this eastern side of the Jordan.”

A. Their solution? We’ll settle here, but still fight with the others…

B. Is this a good solution? Not really. It satisfies the immediate need, but still stops short of fully following the Lord into what He had planned for them. [] What God has in mind for us is good! Through Christ, He’s our Abba Father – why would we think it would be anything less than good? Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. [] Whatever this temporary world holds for us, we have a future with God Almighty! You can’t get any better than that!

a. Why stop short of anything the Lord has for us? God calls us to be continually transformed by the renewing of our mind (Rom 12:2) and to grow in our faith. If we’re not growing, something’s wrong!

20 Then Moses said to them: “If you do this thing, if you arm yourselves before the Lord for the war, 21 and all your armed men cross over the Jordan before the Lord until He has driven out His enemies from before Him,

A. Notice Who it is that is actually driving out the enemies: God. The conquest we’ll look at in Joshua isn’t a triumph of Israel; it’s a triumph of God that He allowed Israel to take part in. [] Important distinction; God’s glory is God’s alone…He doesn’t share it. (Nor should He.)

22 and the land is subdued before the Lord, then afterward you may return and be blameless before the Lord and before Israel; and this land shall be your possession before the Lord. 23 But if you do not do so, then take note, you have sinned against the Lord; and be sure your sin will find you out.

A. Moses agrees…

B. But Moses leaves them with a warning if they go back on their promise:

a. They will have sinned against the Lord. It’s not merely that they will have disappointed their brothers in the other tribes; they will have sinned against God Almighty. [Vertical sin vs. Horizontal sin] Psalm 51:4 Against You, You only, have I sinned, And done this evil in Your sight— That You may be found just when You speak, And blameless when You judge. []

b. Their sin will find them out. They won’t be able to sneak anything by. What they sow; that will they also reap (Gal 6:7-8). [] Sin is never truly hidden…it always has consequences. The question is: will we confess our sin & allow God to deal with the consequences in His mercy? Or will God have to use those consequences to get us to deal with the sin we should have confessed to begin with?

24 Build cities for your little ones and folds for your sheep, and do what has proceeded out of your mouth.” 25 And the children of Gad and the children of Reuben spoke to Moses, saying: “Your servants will do as my lord commands. 26 Our little ones, our wives, our flocks, and all our livestock will be there in the cities of Gilead; 27 but your servants will cross over, every man armed for war, before the Lord to battle, just as my lord says.” [They agree] 28 So Moses gave command concerning them to Eleazar the priest, to Joshua the son of Nun, and to the chief fathers of the tribes of the children of Israel.

A. Underscores the fact that Moses isn’t going over there with the rest of Israel…so he’s preparing the next generation of leadership for what needs to be done.

29 And Moses said to them: “If the children of Gad and the children of Reuben cross over the Jordan with you, every man armed for battle before the Lord, and the land is subdued before you, then you shall give them the land of Gilead as a possession. 30 But if they do not cross over armed with you, they shall have possessions among you in the land of Canaan.”

A. Isn’t this interesting? Moses tells the leadership that if Reuben & Gad go over to fight, it’s ok if they stay in Gilead. But if not, they had to forfeit Gilead & come over the Jordan. Why do they get to partake in a promised land that they didn’t help in procuring? Well…it’s not really that simple. They would come over the Jordan, but they wouldn’t get their own land. They’d be forfeiting Gilead PLUS any inheritance of their own. Instead, they’d have to ask their brothers for land from them. Thus, they’ve got a good motivation to keep their word!

31 Then the children of Gad and the children of Reuben answered, saying: “As the Lord has said to your servants, so we will do. 32 We will cross over armed before the Lord into the land of Canaan, but the possession of our inheritance shall remain with us on this side of the Jordan.”

A. Affirm for the 3^rd time their willingness to keep their promise. They now have 2-3 witnesses to what they’ve said.

33 So Moses gave to the children of Gad, to the children of Reuben, and to half the tribe of Manasseh the son of Joseph, the kingdom of Sihon king of the Amorites and the kingdom of Og king of Bashan, the land with its cities within the borders, the cities of the surrounding country.

A. Describes the extent of the land they received. Vs. 34-42 describe the different cities built by Gad & Reuben.

B. We’re not told why the ½ tribe of Manasseh also stayed behind…it’s possible they were allotted the land because they actually fought & dispossessed the people of it. – Numbers 32:39-40 (39) And the children of Machir the son of Manasseh went to Gilead and took it, and dispossessed the Amorites who were in it. (40) So Moses gave Gilead to Machir the son of Manasseh, and he dwelt in it.

Numbers 33 (NKJV)
1 These are the journeys of the children of Israel, who went out of the land of Egypt by their armies under the hand of Moses and Aaron. 2 Now Moses wrote down the starting points of their journeys at the command of the Lord. And these are their journeys according to their starting points:

A. We’re not going to read every location name (couldn’t pronounce some of them if I tried! J) – but Moses had apparently kept a log of the various locations that Israel had camped & Ch 33 is basically that record.

B. Interesting to me that God decided to keep all these very specific names in the Scripture. Of course most of these locations mean little to us today; but they meant a lot to the people who 1^st read of them! We need to put ourselves in their shoes – imagine reading a history of our people traveling through Houston to Centerville to Dallas to Terrell to Tyler…we’d certainly identify with it – that would be OUR history. Likewise for Israel, it was their history…

a. Also underscores the fact that our God is a God of details. There’s nothing that escapes His watchful eye…

3 They departed from Rameses in the first month, on the fifteenth day of the first month; on the day after the Passover the children of Israel went out with boldness in the sight of all the Egyptians. 4 For the Egyptians were burying all their firstborn, whom the Lord had killed among them. Also on their gods the Lord had executed judgments.

A. The exodus obviously begins with Passover… [review]

B. Were there other ‘gods’ for the Lord to judge? No – but God showed Himself to be the One True God by utterly upturning every so-called ‘god’ that the Egyptians worshipped…

5 Then the children of Israel moved from Rameses and camped at Succoth.

A. Verses 6-10 describe their journey out of Egypt. [MAP]

11 They moved from the Red Sea and camped in the Wilderness of Sin.

A. That’s probably the most nonchalant reference of the Red Sea crossing in all the Scripture! J

B. BTW – liberal scholarship likes to point out that “Red Sea” in Hebrew could be translated “Reed Sea”…thus perhaps Israel crossed a marsh land rather than (at minimum) the Gulf of Aqaba (extension of Red Sea along Sinai peninsula). BUT…to make this claim ignores the inspiration of the entire Scripture, including the NT. Hebrews 11:29 By faith they passed through the Red Sea as by dry land, whereas the Egyptians, attempting to do so, were drowned. [] Greek is a specific reference to the Red Sea!

a. Our God is a supernatural God! (By definition…) We need not be surprised when He does supernatural things. He created the heavens & the earth, so how hard could it be for Him to part the waters of the Red Sea? With God, nothing is impossible!

12 They journeyed from the Wilderness of Sin and camped at Dophkah. 13 They departed from Dophkah and camped at Alush. 14 They moved from Alush and camped at Rephidim, where there was no water for the people to drink.

A. Context? Exo 17 where Moses struck the Rock & God brought forth water.

15 They departed from Rephidim and camped in the Wilderness of Sinai.

A. Where they spent a year receiving the 10 Commandments, the rest of the ordinances, & constructed the tabernacle…

B. Vs. 16-36 document their journey from Sinai to Kadesh…but the question is: which journey to Kadesh? They went there twice: once almost straight from Sinai, but they rebelled – spent almost 40 years wandering while the oldest generations died off; then went back in preparation to enter a 2^nd time. There’s no real definitive consensus on which occasion it is…

a. Personal opinion? I believe this is the 1^st journey. Thus far in Numbers, the overwhelming opinion on the wilderness wandering is that it was a complete waste of time; thus Moses records no history of it whatsoever in the narrative of the book. So it would make sense that he didn’t record any stops along the way either. At the very least (if this is the wilderness wandering), this is all that’s said of the time…simply markers of time along the way until their national “time-out” is over.

37 They moved from Kadesh and camped at Mount Hor, on the boundary of the land of Edom. 38 Then Aaron the priest went up to Mount Hor at the command of the Lord, and died there in the fortieth year after the children of Israel had come out of the land of Egypt, on the first day of the fifth month. 39 Aaron was one hundred and twenty-three years old when he died on Mount Hor.

A. Moses & Aaron both misrepresented the Lord when Moses struck the rock the 2^nd time – thus both were disciplined by not entering the Land…Aaron obviously died 1^st.

B. Vs. 40-49 the final journeys until they’re ready to enter the Promised Land…

50 Now the Lord spoke to Moses in the plains of Moab by the Jordan, across from Jericho, saying, 51 “Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: ‘When you have crossed the Jordan into the land of Canaan, 52 then you shall drive out all the inhabitants of the land from before you, destroy all their engraved stones, destroy all their molded images, and demolish all their high places; 53 you shall dispossess the inhabitants of the land and dwell in it, for I have given you the land to possess.

A. What to do when crossing into the land:

a. Drive out the people: speaks of conquest… Israel wasn’t going there to make peace. God was judging the people for their wickedness (which had been building up since at least Gen 15:16). [] Keep in mind that God’s judgment on the Canaanites was both just & merciful. Not only was His judgment poured out on sin, but He prevented further generations from being raised up in a wicked culture (which included infant sacrifices to Molech, etc.).

b. Destroy the idolatry: Israel was to rid the land of anything that remotely had to do with the false gods of the Canaanites. Unfortunately they failed at this – proven by their many falls into idolatry & blasphemy during their history.

i. We’re never to compromise with sin & let it occupy a corner in our lives; we’re to declare war on it & do away with it! The minute we let it alone is the minute it’ll start drawing us away from God.

c. Dispossess the inhabitants: speaks of permanence… This was not a temporary stay for Israel; this was to be their permanent home where they would rest and enjoy the blessings of God. [] Likewise our rest is in Christ & we should be diligent to enter that rest (Heb 4:11) & remain in His grace.

54 And you shall divide the land by lot as an inheritance among your families; to the larger you shall give a larger inheritance, and to the smaller you shall give a smaller inheritance; there everyone’s inheritance shall be whatever falls to him by lot. You shall inherit according to the tribes of your fathers.

A. How to divide the land: fairly & proportionally to each tribe. There was a place for everyone. [] Likewise, Jesus told us in His Father’s house are many rooms…we don’t need to be worried about God running out of space. If He called you, He’s preparing to receive you for all eternity!

55 But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you, then it shall be that those whom you let remain shall be irritants in your eyes and thorns in your sides, and they shall harass you in the land where you dwell.

A. What happens if they fail? The people are going to be harassing irritants…a pain in their side that would never go away.

i. Again, sin cannot be ignored. It’ll always be nagging & pulling at us in temptation. If we’re not entrusting our whole lives to the Lord Jesus, we’re really not trusting Him at all. Let Him deal with those areas that we want to ignore – and let Him continue to conform you into His image.

B. BTW, why would they fail? Only if they didn’t do what God told them to do; He was the one Who had given them the land for a possession. The victory was already there, awaiting them…they merely needed to take it.

i. Praise God our victory is already won in Christ Jesus!

56 Moreover it shall be that I will do to you as I thought to do to them.’ ”

A. Sobering thought to end on. If Israel didn’t drive out/dispossess the people & destroy the idolatry, then the same judgments that fell on the Canaanites would fall on the Israelites. …

a. Why? Because they would be guilty of the same crimes! (Matthew Henry) “It was intended that the Canaanites should be put out of the land; but if the Israelites learned their wicked ways, they also would be put out. Let us hear this and fear. If we do not drive out sin, sin will drive us out. If we are not the death of our lusts, our lusts will be the death of our souls.”

Conclusion:

God’s got them ready! He’s preparing them to enter the Land & will do so shortly for them after giving them a few more instructions & a review of the law in Deuteronomy. This should be a joyful momentous occasion for the Israelites as they prepare for God to be glorified through His victory…but already they are falling short of what God has intended for them. Not only did Gad & Reuben neglect to possess the land – the entire nation will fail at destroying the Canaanites among them & God will indeed fulfill His promise in vs. 56 in the various captivities. How sad. They’re right on the cusp – and will indeed experience some of what God has for them…but ultimately fall woefully short.

How about us? Are we toying around with sin waiting for it to create unnecessary obstacles to God’s will for us? Time is so short – why waste any of it living outside what we know God has for us? Don’t settle for less! If there’s sin in your life, confess it, repent & be done with it. Then rest completely in Christ & live empowered by the Holy Spirit.