Episode Transcript
[00:00:01] Speaker A: How do we remember that he won't fail because he's never failed before.
He's always faithful.
You can have a seat.
My name is Jim Beach, I'm an elder here. And this is a communion Sunday this morning.
It's a really fitting time. Sorry if you didn't get any. Get the elements, you can raise your hand, somebody will come around and bring it to you.
But it's a really fitting Sunday because it's the last Sunday of our Moses series we've been going through.
And the Lord's Supper is actually a Passover meal.
And the Passover was a kickoff of the. A week long festival where everyone would travel to Jerusalem for this festival. And really the theme of the whole thing was to remember, to remember what God, God did for them.
To remember the Exodus story, really the whole life of Moses and that, all that, all that story. They would be telling these stories that day and that whole week to remember how God freed them from slavery.
And they heard all the same stories. We got to talk about the last several weeks together.
All these things were fresh on their mind.
How they took the blood of the lamb above their doorpost, all the plagues, concluding with that one.
How they were free and that when their enemies chased them, God parted the sea and he made a way.
They're wandering and they're. We also heard about how they're complaining in the wilderness.
Complaining really is a.
It always comes from a lack of remembering who God is.
You know, I myself, I confess I'm a complainer. I don't know if you are, but I don't always do it out loud. I know that I'm not supposed to complain, but in my head and just personally to God, I find myself complaining all the time.
It's a lack of remembering.
And so they had this festival where everyone would come to Jerusalem and they would bring a perfect unblemished lamb to sacrifice and remember the Passover.
And they would have this Passover meal every year to remember. But this, this day when Jesus was up there in the room with the disciples, it wasn't just a normal Passover.
All the ones that came before were pointing ahead to this day and they were all outside, outside the doors are all bringing their lamb.
But at this meal there was a perfect lamb already there. He was the one speaking to them.
And at that meal he says, no one takes my life from me.
I lay it down on my own accord.
And he's standing there saying it as the perfect one that we failed to be.
Jesus is the perfect unblemished lamb laying down his life freely for us.
And the next morning he would be nailed to a cross.
You know, some think that the Christian life is about trying real hard.
I don't know if you're brand new to church and you're investigating for yourself to see if it's for you or if you've been in church for many years.
But we have this way as humans to make it about our own, like, efforts, like trying hard to be what God wants us to be or something. That's not really what the Christian life is about.
It's about remembering who God is and what Jesus did for us and how it transforms our hearts and then aligning our life with that truth.
And take the bread.
Jesus there with the disciples.
They're going through. They have a whole way that they would tell the stories and then they would do different things to remember what God did that night. He took the bread and it says the Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, he took bread and he gave thanks and he broke it. And he said, this is my body, which is for you.
Do this in remembrance of me.
In the same way, after the supper he took the cup on this Passover, he said, this is the cup. This cup is the new covenant in my blood.
Do this whenever you drink it in remembrance of me.
Jesus, thank you for being the perfect lamb that died in our place so we could be set free not just from earthly slavery and oppression, but from our slavery to sin.
Thank you. We can remember you.
[00:06:00] Speaker B: Amen.
[00:06:23] Speaker C: Calling on the God of Jacob Whose love endures through generations I know that you will keep your covenant I'm calling on the God of Moses
[00:06:49] Speaker B: the one
[00:06:50] Speaker C: who opened up the oceans I need you now to do the same thing for me.
[00:07:09] Speaker B: Oh God oh God, I need you oh God, my God, I need you now How I need you now
[00:07:22] Speaker D: oh
[00:07:23] Speaker B: rock oh rock of ages I'm standing on your faithfulness on your faithfulness.
[00:07:42] Speaker C: I'm calling on the God of Mary Whose favor rests upon.
I know with you all things are possible I'm calling on the God of
[00:08:05] Speaker B: David who made a shepherd boy courageous
[00:08:15] Speaker C: I may not face Goliath But I've
[00:08:19] Speaker B: got my own giants oh God, my God, I need you oh God, my God, I need you now How I need you now oh rock oh rock of ages I'm standing on your faithfulness on your faithfulness oh God, my God, I need you oh God, my God, I need you now How I need you now oh rock oh rock of ages I'm standing on your Faithfulness on your faithfulness.
[00:09:17] Speaker E: Your faithfulness.
[00:09:28] Speaker C: You heard your children.
You hear your children now. You are the same God.
You are the same God.
You answered prayers back then and you will answer now. You are the same God.
You are the same God.
You were providing that you are providing. Mighty yes you are.
[00:10:01] Speaker B: You are the same God.
[00:10:04] Speaker C: You are the same God.
[00:10:08] Speaker B: You moved in power then, God move in power now.
[00:10:14] Speaker C: You are the same God.
[00:10:18] Speaker B: You are the same God.
You are a healer.
You are a healer now.
You are the same God.
You are the same God.
You were a savior God. You're a savior now. You are the same God.
You are the same God.
Oh God, my God, I need you. Oh God, my God, I need you now.
How I need you now.
Oh rock, oh rock ages. I'm standing on your faithfulness.
On your faithfulness.
Oh God, my God, I need you. Oh God, my God, I need you now.
How I need you now.
Oh rock, oh rock of ages. I'm standing on your faithfulness.
Your faithfulness.
Your faithfulness.
[00:12:07] Speaker C: You freed the captives.
You're freeing hearts right now. You are the same God.
You are the same God.
You touch the lepers then I feel your touch right now. You are the same God.
You are the same. Come along.
Yes you are.
I'm calling on the Holy Spirit.
Almighty river, come and fill me again.
Say that again.
Come and fill me. Me again.
May this be your prayer.
Come and fill me again.
Amen.
[00:13:27] Speaker F: There's this verse in.
[00:13:29] Speaker E: In Colossians and Where's Randy? He would know this or Colossians 3,
[00:13:34] Speaker F: I think where it says sing psalms,
[00:13:36] Speaker E: hymn and spiritual songs to one another.
And thank you, thank you for lifting
[00:13:42] Speaker F: your voices this morning.
[00:13:43] Speaker E: And it's ministered to me just singing along with you our praises to the Lord.
[00:13:50] Speaker F: We're continuing in worship time where we opportunity to give back. To give God thanks for all that he has given us.
[00:14:00] Speaker E: Time for our tithes and offerings and let's thank the Lord together.
Lord Jesus, thank you.
Thank you for all that you have given. Thank you for all the ways that you provide and you bless for our lives.
And Lord, we give these mornings tithes and offerings back to you. God, we desire to be faithful stewards of all that you've entrusted to us. And now we give back to you to use for your kingdom, for missions, for your kingdom to be known, for people to come to faith with you as well as lights in this building.
[00:14:42] Speaker F: Right?
[00:14:43] Speaker E: All that is part of it. And we just give this to you so we recognize it's from your hands we pray all this in your name, Jesus. Amen.
[00:14:53] Speaker F: So we have buckets in the center aisles. We pass them out either side. And if you're up in the balcony,
[00:15:00] Speaker E: that goes the opposite way from the outside to the inner.
[00:15:05] Speaker B: Sam.
[00:15:50] Speaker F: All right, well, my name is Adam.
[00:15:52] Speaker E: Just I get to serve here, executive
[00:15:55] Speaker F: pastor of ministry, involved in a lot
[00:15:58] Speaker E: of different pieces of the church here
[00:16:00] Speaker F: and today get to share God's word with you as we finish up about Moses and his life. So, but first, before we dig in this Wednesday night, Wednesday Night Kids begins. So, all right, you have a little
[00:16:15] Speaker E: more encouragement this in the second service than first service.
[00:16:19] Speaker F: It's not too late to sign up or to invite your friends or to bring, you know, your neighbor's kids along with us here to Wednesday Night kids starts at 6:30 on Wednesday. Scholarships are available. It's for K through 5th and ability.
[00:16:34] Speaker E: Just to help bring them to another
[00:16:36] Speaker F: opportunity to hear of God's great love for them.
You can pick up these small cards at the kids check in area today if you have want to give it as an invitation to someone. And if you're busy these next few weeks or the kids involved in an activity and then later on in the fall, they can join at any time as well.
All right, so Moses Week nine.
[00:17:04] Speaker E: We've made it, everyone.
[00:17:06] Speaker G: Whoo.
[00:17:07] Speaker F: We did it.
Looking at my notes, I was like, oh, we started this two months ago
[00:17:13] Speaker E: back in July, which feels like a
[00:17:15] Speaker F: long time ago, but we've made it. This past week, Sarah and I were taking a walk in Wildwood Metro Park. Anybody like going there and being in Wildwood, it's a great big place.
And we were walking down through that covered bridge along that path and then heading up towards the manor house, the big house that the strand of hands, you know, built and lived in. I got a picture for you to see because once you start getting to that hill, there's the big house there. There is a sign right in front of it that says building legacy.
Building a legacy. And I didn't know the full story of this, but back in 1974, so like 52 years ago, the Stranahans were looking to sell that property to sell their home. And the number one option was to sell it to developers to build houses, you know, more houses and have those be, you know, more neighborhoods. There was a. A small group of Toledoans that saw this great land and space and wanted to keep that for all of Toledo as a big park. And so they worked diligently and urgently that they are able to get A levy on the ballot that fall. And then Toledo voted to, like, raise that money to buy this property. So. So, yeah, then they did. And that's how we have wildwood here today.
I think it's significant why that's important for us today because they intentionally saw and had a vision to pass something on from themselves, something bigger than themselves, onto others, onto this next generation. So, I mean, we're 52 years removed from that. Did anybody vote in that levy?
Yes. Rita.
Thank you.
We won't ask you what you voted.
We'll assume you said yes to the vote. But Rita and everyone else that voted said, pass on this great legacy of wildwood to us and that we get to go and enjoy as we look. And we finish up on Moses life today. Guess what?
[00:19:39] Speaker E: Moses dies.
[00:19:41] Speaker F: All right, again, spoiler alert.
So we're gonna look at the end of Moses life and specifically in this book of Deuteronomy, and see, how did he end it? How did he finish? How did he finish? Well, and specifically, what legacy did Moses leave?
And how did his life, like, end? How did he wrap that up?
So that's what we're going to be talking about. And with that, Moses had this bigger vision, just like the Toledo people, that there's something greater that this big narrative of God, God's big story, was bigger than him. And he wanted to make sure that next generation, as they entered the promised land, knew this and then continued to carry that on forward.
So where are we?
We're moving to the east side of the Jordan River. Let's pull up some maps, because those are fun.
Last Sunday, we left Moses and the people of God, they were wandering in the wilderness, right? For how long are they wandering?
It says it.
[00:20:51] Speaker E: Good job.
[00:20:52] Speaker F: And they're wandering in the wilderness for the 40 years. And we use that term, wandering loosely because they're actually being led.
In Deuteronomy, it does say that God led them. You led us.
And we remember that this tabernacle, there'll be a picture there. This tabernacle was then built, and it was like this big tent where God dwelled in the center of their community and then led them all around those 40 years.
And we get to this point in Deuteronomy where God says, okay, now it's time to go. And we're gonna head northeast. And we have the next map. I drew another line on it that goes up to the northeast to the east side of, like, the salt sea, also known as the Dead Sea. And they pass.
They get permission from Edom to pass by that's descendants of Esau. Then they go past Moab, descendants of Lot, and they finally get up to this area and the next one to basically the same latitude of like Jericho and Jerusalem, this place called Mount Nebo, into this area of the Amorites.
And it's there in this area, in this valley, and then on this later on this mountain that we're going to spend time as Moses then is imparting legends, legacy to the people.
Okay, so we're going to look at Deuteronomy 1 a little bit from chapters 3 and 4, then finally in chapter 34.
So let's start our clock.
There we go.
[00:22:40] Speaker E: Okay.
[00:22:43] Speaker F: Deuteronomy 1, verse 1. These are the words Moses spoke to all Israel in the wilderness east of the Jordan. Again, that's where we are. That is in the Arabah, opposite of Suf, between Paran and Tophel, Laban, Hazeroth and zizahab. It takes 11 days to go from Horeb to Kadesh barnea by the Mount Seir Road. In the 40th year, again 40 years, the 40th year, on the first day of the 11th month, Moses proclaimed to the Israelites all that the Lord had commanded him concerning them.
This was after he had defeated Sihon, king of the Amorites, who reigned in Heshbon and at Edrai. He defeated Og, king of Bashan, Sihon and Og Dun, who reigned in Ashtaroth, east of the Jordan, in the territory of Moab. Moses began to expound on this law. So he's speaking, he's proclaiming, then he's expounding on the law.
The Lord our God, verse 6, said to us at Horeb, you have stayed long enough at this mountain. Break camp and advance into the hill country of the Amorites. Go to all the neighboring peoples in the Arab and in the mountains, in the western foothills and the Negev and along the coast to the land of the Canaanites and to Lebanon as far as the great river of the Euphrates. That's where you're going to go, into this promised land. See, I have given you this land.
Go in and take possession of the land the Lord swore he would give to your fathers to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and to their descendants after them.
So a few pieces of like orientation and context is number one that about Deuteronomy.
Deuteronomy means the second law, or repetition of the law.
So Deuteronomy is this fifth book of the Torah that Moses recorded. Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, number Deuteronomy, all five of Them together are called the law. So like when Jesus in Matthew 5 says, I have not come to abolish the law.
This is the law that he's talking about.
When they're talking, when they use the word law in the New Testament, it's referring to this first five books, this Torah, this law.
The first telling was back when they first got the Mount Sinai. And now Moses is telling them it again because that generation had passed away.
Which leads to number two. A new generation needed to hear and
[00:25:14] Speaker E: know the character and the law of God.
[00:25:17] Speaker F: A new generation needed to hear, know what this law was and also who this God is.
So Moses tell them, proclaim to them,
[00:25:28] Speaker E: teach this to them,
[00:25:32] Speaker F: because they were
[00:25:32] Speaker E: born and raised in that wilderness.
[00:25:36] Speaker F: So Moses is going to proclaim to the Israelites all that the Lord had commanded them.
And Deuteronomy 34 chapters, and it's really him just telling them again and again
[00:25:47] Speaker E: and again and again, and then he dies.
[00:25:51] Speaker F: So point three is that in this, Moses is giving his last words.
He knows from what he did earlier, you know, he struck that rock, that he's not going to be entering the promised land, although he tries.
It's like the class president, you know, given the graduation address, the commencement, and then realize, this is the last time we're going to be together. So they just share everything. Or it's that coach that's retiring and they have the, their final, you know, pregame practice or pregame pep talk before they get out onto the field or the court, or it's the loved one that we have that as they're maybe laying in hospice care, is imparting their final words to us and their final
[00:26:40] Speaker E: words of wisdom or encouragement or instruction.
[00:26:43] Speaker F: These are Moses last words because he knows they are all going to go
[00:26:47] Speaker E: and he is not.
[00:26:50] Speaker F: So he's imparting these final words. It's his final farewell to them. And we're gonna do this in two different categories. First with Joshua, he has a specific person that he's been working with and he's going to give these words to Joshua. And then we're gonna then look at what he tells everyone to the people of Israel. So first of Joshua, and we're gonna look at Deuteronomy 3 at the end of it and then move into 4.
[00:27:15] Speaker A: 4.
[00:27:17] Speaker F: So Deuteronomy 3, verse 21, 28.
At that time, I commanded Joshua, you have seen with your own eyes all that the Lord your God has done to these two kings.
[00:27:32] Speaker E: Remember the two Kings, Og and Sihon, right?
[00:27:39] Speaker F: The Lord will do the same to all the kingdoms over there where you are going.
Do not be afraid of them. The Lord your God himself will fight for you.
And at that time I pleaded with the Lord. So Moses is pleading with the Lord. Sovereign Lord, you have begun to show to your servant your greatness and your strong hand. For what God is there in heaven and on earth who can do the deeds and mighty works you do. Let me go over and see the good land beyond the Jordan, that fine hill country and Lebanon.
But because of you, Moses is saying to probably maybe Joshua or the people. The Lord was angry with me. He's just not taking responsibility and would not listen to me. God says, that's enough.
The Lord said, do not speak to
[00:28:25] Speaker E: any more about it, about this matter.
[00:28:29] Speaker F: Go up to the top of Pisgah and look west and north and south and east. Look at the land with your own eyes, since you are not going to cross this Jordan.
But commission Joshua and encourage and strengthen him. For he will lead this people across and will cause them to inherit the land that you see.
So how is then Moses supposed to build a legacy? What are the final words? The final parts with Joshua number one is that leadership, like faith, needs to
[00:29:01] Speaker E: be passed instilled from one generation to another.
[00:29:10] Speaker F: Leadership, like faith needs to be passed and instilled from one generation to another. We know that Joshua is not new on the scene. He didn't just arrive. He actually spent a lot of time with Moses. He was Moses aide. He actually went into the tent of meeting. Joshua was also one of the 12 spies that went up. But he came back and said, yes, let's go, let's obey.
So he and Caleb got to continue
[00:29:34] Speaker E: to live and eventually go.
[00:29:36] Speaker F: So Joshua has been around Moses and
[00:29:39] Speaker E: God says, but you also need to encourage him.
[00:29:45] Speaker F: How are we encouraged to build up this next generation?
How do we pass along our faith to others?
How do we raise up
[00:29:59] Speaker E: those around us that God's put into our spheres?
[00:30:04] Speaker F: One way that I think we see in scripture here is like Jesus. Moses applies what we call the be
[00:30:11] Speaker E: with dynamic or the be with factor.
[00:30:16] Speaker F: Just like Jesus says, come on, come to this, come to. He says to disciples, come, be with me, walk with me, be and do where I am.
So we see that Moses did that with Joshua so many times.
[00:30:29] Speaker E: Joshua is there with Moses. He saw and experienced what God was doing. And Moses imparted his own thoughts and his wisdom to Joshua as well.
[00:30:40] Speaker F: One of my lifelong mentors is a pastor. His name is Matt.
[00:30:45] Speaker E: He serves down in Bowling Green.
[00:30:48] Speaker F: And when I Was a student at Ohio State. He worked there and with the church and then would just like, mentor. And he would pass on his experience,
[00:31:00] Speaker E: his wisdom, his encouragement to me.
[00:31:03] Speaker F: And often it was, okay, Adam, let's just come on, come with me. And we'd go and I'd go do things with him and we'd go walk
[00:31:09] Speaker E: on the streets and we'd, you know, be encouraged.
[00:31:12] Speaker F: He gave me little pieces of leadership to do. And one of the things that he would do the of kind, kind of encourage, like the biblical knowledge understanding of Jesus. He would say, adam, what time is it? And we'd always have to look at the clock. Okay, right now it's 11:35. And so the goal is what is a passage of scripture from a book of the Bible?
[00:31:29] Speaker E: Chapter 11, verse 35.
[00:31:34] Speaker F: Oh, nice.
It is John 11:35, right?
[00:31:40] Speaker E: Okay,
[00:31:43] Speaker F: Fred, way to go.
Nailed it. That wasn't a plant either.
[00:31:50] Speaker A: That was.
[00:31:52] Speaker F: And so we would open up the scriptures and we would look and read them.
[00:31:54] Speaker E: We'd talk about God's word. We wanted to have that ready in
[00:31:58] Speaker F: our minds and our hearts. That's one of the be withs that
[00:32:01] Speaker E: he did with me.
[00:32:05] Speaker F: And he brought me other opportunities in leadership.
And when I did well, he encouraged. And when I didn't do well, he
[00:32:13] Speaker E: kind of brought some correction and then also sought to give me some insights and other opportunities.
[00:32:22] Speaker F: The question for us as we are
[00:32:24] Speaker E: thinking about leaving a legacy, is who are you building into?
[00:32:31] Speaker F: Who is someone in your life that maybe also needs to be building into you? So we want to make sure that
[00:32:36] Speaker E: the funnel's not empty, that we have someone building into us, that we're also building into others.
[00:32:41] Speaker F: But if someone would ask you, who are you building into for the gospel's sake,
[00:32:47] Speaker E: who would that be?
And if there isn't anyone, then I'd spend some time with the Lord.
Okay, God, who do you really want me to be instilling faith into?
[00:33:01] Speaker F: The second thing that Moses is doing with Joshua?
God says, you make sure you encourage him.
So number two, everyone could use a
[00:33:11] Speaker E: little bit or a word of encouragement.
[00:33:14] Speaker F: Is anybody, like, super full of encouragement? You're like, yeah, I don't need any.
I think we all could probably use some encouragement because life is hard.
Life is scary. And I think as Joshua was looking ahead into what he had to do.
One, he already knows the people are ornery, but he has to go in and has to now fight all these. And so what's the word say? It says, do not be afraid. Cause the Lord your God himself, will fight for you.
We have a God who wants to fight our battles.
So Moses encourages Joshua, this God that has been leading us all around the wilderness, he is gonna go with you.
He's going to fight the battles for you.
Remember what happened when they crossed and the parting of the Red Sea? What did they need to do? They just needed to be still.
Watch God work.
[00:34:20] Speaker E: Watch the Lord do his thing.
We all need a bit of encouragement.
Keep going.
You can do it.
[00:34:34] Speaker F: Don't give up.
[00:34:38] Speaker E: I know it's hard.
One step at a time.
Is there someone that needs encouragement in your life?
How can you bring those words of encouragement to them?
This week,
[00:34:57] Speaker F: a third thing with Moses and Joshua, which I think it's a
[00:35:02] Speaker E: valid excuse that we often will give.
What if I mess up or I don't know enough?
[00:35:09] Speaker F: And I simply put this point number three, Moses wasn't perfect. And neither are you.
Just in case you thought you were.
[00:35:18] Speaker E: You're not.
I'm not.
No one here in this space is perfect. So
[00:35:26] Speaker F: what we do know is that we're called to build into others, to pass that faith, to tell the next generation. And we also are imperfect. And so we need to rely upon Christ in our lives.
The passage that reminded us of Moses and how he struck the rock and didn't obey. And so there was a consequence there.
And so sometimes we think of Moses as this really big, great, awesome guy who did everything right, but he didn't.
I think what we commend Moses for
[00:36:00] Speaker E: was his faith and his just his longevity and keep going and not giving up and his desire for obedience.
[00:36:16] Speaker F: Jesus speaks to Paul in 2 Corinthians 12.
And Paul was struggling with the thorn
[00:36:24] Speaker E: in his flesh and those struggles. And Jesus says to him, my grace is sufficient for you, for my power
[00:36:34] Speaker F: is made perfect in weakness.
[00:36:38] Speaker E: When I am weak, then I am strong.
[00:36:42] Speaker F: So if we think about trying to mentor someone or build into someone else, this might seem like a huge, big, overwhelming task that we're going to fail and stumble at. Guess what? We will trip. We will stumble. We're not going to get it right every time.
But be encouraged because God is with us. And be encouraged. You're not perfect.
But the God that we love and we serve is the Holy Spirit that indwells in us.
And his grace is sufficient.
For when I am weak, he is strong.
[00:37:19] Speaker E: So Moses is passing this on to Joshua.
He's leaving a legacy.
[00:37:27] Speaker F: And now we get to all the
[00:37:29] Speaker E: people of Israel back in that plateau in that valley across from Jericho.
[00:37:37] Speaker F: What does he instruct the Israelites.
Moving at the end of Deuteronomy 3
[00:37:43] Speaker E: into chapter 4, he turns his attention,
[00:37:47] Speaker F: verses 1 and 2 says, Now, Israel, hear the decrees and laws I am about to teach you. And if we've done Deuteronomy 6 before, I didn't do that because we've done it before. But the same word here in chapter four Now, Israel, Shema, ah.
The decrees, live them.
Hearing means actually living it and obeying its action. Now, Israel, hear the decrees and laws I'm about to teach you.
Follow them so that you may live and may go in and take possession of the land the Lord, the God
[00:38:22] Speaker E: of your ancestors is giving you.
[00:38:25] Speaker F: Do not add to what I command you, or do not subtract from it, but keep the commands of the Lord
[00:38:32] Speaker E: your God that I give you.
[00:38:36] Speaker F: We can pull out a lot of
[00:38:37] Speaker E: pieces here, but one is number one, be good stewards of what God is giving.
[00:38:45] Speaker F: I think what he reminds them, you're going to go into this land and it's not because of you earned it.
[00:38:52] Speaker E: I think something that Jim had shared about. When we reflect upon the grace of Jesus, it's not something that we earn, but it's given by God.
[00:39:03] Speaker F: This is the land the Lord, the
[00:39:05] Speaker E: God of your ancestors is giving you.
So be a good steward for them.
[00:39:14] Speaker F: For us.
[00:39:15] Speaker E: God's entrusting much.
Be good stewards of what God is given.
[00:39:23] Speaker F: I think a word which they get
[00:39:25] Speaker E: in trouble with later on and Moses
[00:39:27] Speaker F: even warns them about, is like, you're going to forget that all this stuff, and you're going to get proud and prideful by what you do with your own hands.
[00:39:34] Speaker E: You're going to forget
[00:39:38] Speaker F: one thing that reminds me of where things come from.
I've kind of grown up in church
[00:39:45] Speaker E: in a lot of different churches, different.
[00:39:49] Speaker F: Some liturgical, some high church, some low church. And you don't need to know what those terms mean. But, you know, we pass buckets. People are like, what's a bucket? I don't even know what this bucket's for. But early on we had offering plates,
[00:40:04] Speaker E: and they were goldish with a velvet center, and you'd pass those.
[00:40:07] Speaker F: And I grew up in a church that would pass that. And then you would be stewards and
[00:40:12] Speaker E: you would give because it's all from God.
[00:40:15] Speaker F: And once that would happen, then there was this organ would play, da da da, da da da da da. And then everyone would stand up and say, praise God, from whom all blessings flow.
And that is just a reminder to praise the Lord.
[00:40:34] Speaker E: Often I would find myself with my hands this Open. God, I praise you, because from you all blessings flow.
Everything that we have is from the Lord and God is asking, I'm giving
[00:40:52] Speaker F: this all to you.
[00:40:54] Speaker E: Please steward it well.
Do not forget where it comes from.
Do not forget the source of it all.
So Israelites, I leave this legacy. Don't forget where it all comes from when you enter this land.
It's about dependence upon the Lord.
[00:41:23] Speaker F: Moving on to the second thing, Verses five through seven.
See, I have taught you decrees and the laws of the Lord my God commanded me so that you may follow them in the land you are entering to take possession of.
Observe them carefully, for this will show your wisdom and understanding to the nations who will hear about all these decrees and say, surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people. What other nation is so great as to have their gods near them the way the Lord our God is near us whenever we pray to him? So number two word to like the people is follow and observe the ways of the Lord. So to put God on display
[00:42:04] Speaker G: when
[00:42:04] Speaker F: you enter this land, when you go to this new land, guess what? There's gonna be people there. And how you live, how you obey, how you treat one another, how you talk to one another, how you treat and talk to them, how you do business is gonna put God on display one way or the other.
Cause we live by what we believe in, who our God is.
And so when you enter the land, you will put God on display so that they may know that the Lord
[00:42:34] Speaker E: is God and who he is.
[00:42:37] Speaker F: So as we go out this week and as we think about leaving a legacy, it starts with how we treat one another, how we love one another, how we respect and honor and support
[00:42:47] Speaker E: and encourage one another, and how also we treat them.
That witness puts God on display.
[00:42:58] Speaker F: What Jesus says in Matthew 5, right,
[00:43:00] Speaker E: you're the light and you do this, and what you do will glorify my Father in heaven, Right?
[00:43:08] Speaker F: It's what they, what is seen, what we say, how we act, how we
[00:43:15] Speaker E: respond, how we treat others. It matters.
[00:43:22] Speaker F: Verse nine.
Moses says, only be careful and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them fade from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and to their children after them.
So number three, Caution. Beware of the riptide or the riptides. Have you ever been to the ocean where these waves come in? And sometimes I don't know how someone else who knows oceans better, the water comes in and it kind of gets caught and then it finds the way through. And it creates this pull, this riptide that can pull you out.
And so people are known just to be like swimming. And then they enter this space and all of a sudden they fade and get swept out to sea.
Moses is warning them.
He says, be careful.
Watch yourself closely.
Don't forget
[00:44:26] Speaker E: or let them fade from your heart.
Beware of the riptides.
[00:44:32] Speaker F: Because you're going to go into this land and you're going to see the people on your left and on your right. And you're going to notice and you're going to like what they do, what they wear, how they worship, their lower G, false gods.
[00:44:41] Speaker E: And you're going to want to mimic that.
Be aware.
[00:44:47] Speaker F: Paul writes in Romans 12,
[00:44:50] Speaker A: do not
[00:44:51] Speaker E: follow the behaviors and customs of this world.
So we are warned as well, not only for ourselves, but also this next generation.
Beware of the riptides.
[00:45:09] Speaker F: Fourth, God is still the same.
[00:45:11] Speaker E: We just sang about it.
[00:45:13] Speaker F: God is still the same God yesterday, today and forever. Verses 23 and 24. Be careful not to forget the covenant of the Lord your God that he made with you. Do not make for yourselves an idol in the form of anything the Lord your God has forbidden. For the Lord your God is a
[00:45:30] Speaker E: consuming fire, a jealous God.
[00:45:36] Speaker F: So Moses, he's leaving with them all these things. But then he's also saying, but this is who God is.
Letter A God is a consuming fire.
God is holy.
God is holy, meaning God cannot be in the presence of anything that is not holy.
And when that happens, there's a consuming that happens, there's a fire, and there's usually a death.
And so we know that we are not holy.
We make mistakes, we do things wrong, and we have a word called sin for this.
So we're reminded that a holy God cannot be in the presence of unholy people.
And if it was so, then this unholiness leads to death, an eternal death,
[00:46:38] Speaker E: a spiritual death, an earthly death.
[00:46:42] Speaker F: So God needs to find a way,
[00:46:45] Speaker E: because he loves us, to make it possible for us to be with him.
[00:46:52] Speaker F: Because in his nature he is holy.
We continue what Moses says in 27:29. The Lord will scatter you among the peoples, and only a few of you will survive among the nations to which the Lord will drive you there. You will worship man made gods of wood and stone. So he's already talking about Moses is already, I know you're going to go into the land and you're going to be led astray.
They didn't have the Holy Spirit. The conviction internal, like we have the indwelling Holy Spirit, but you're not going to follow. And eventually you're going to get led astray, Which cannot see or hear or eat or smell.
But if from there you seek the Lord your God, you will find him if you seek him with all your heart and with all your soul.
So in Deuteronomy, Moses warns them that they will drift, they will fade.
But even here, we think the gospel
[00:47:56] Speaker E: is only in the New Testament, that
[00:48:00] Speaker F: God knows you're going to drift. God knows we're going to drift, right? This holy God, he knows it all.
And then Moses reminds us, guess what?
We also have a seeking God,
[00:48:13] Speaker E: that
[00:48:14] Speaker F: when we are adrift, you can return.
But if from there you seek the Lord your God, you will find him. God's not going to run away. He's not going to forsake us.
So letter B. God welcomes those who are far off.
[00:48:35] Speaker E: This is the good news that we are. Reminded God is holy, we are not.
But he still pursues us.
We still seek him and he seeks us.
[00:48:52] Speaker F: Reminded in Luke 15.
[00:48:55] Speaker E: The stories and the parables of the lost coin, the lost sheep and the lost son.
All, when they are found, have great rejoicing.
So God is.
[00:49:10] Speaker F: This is who God is, People of Israel. God's a consuming fire. He's also a God that welcomes those that are far off. And let her see. God abounds with compassion and mercy.
Verse 30. When you are in distress and all these things have happened to you, then later days you will return to the Lord your God and obey him for the Lord your God is a merciful God and he will not abandon you or destroy you, or forget the covenant
[00:49:37] Speaker E: with your ancestors, which he confirmed to them by oath.
[00:49:40] Speaker F: Whether it's Jonah being frustrated at the compassion and the mercy of God, or Jesus looking upon the crowds and having compassion and mercy. Or if it's John writing about the turning and the compassion of God to forgive.
[00:49:59] Speaker E: We have the whole gospel consuming fire.
God pursues us and then we turn and receive the mercy of God.
The compassion of God.
Return to the Lord and seek him.
[00:50:21] Speaker F: Moses ends his journey.
You know, this one that started in the Sinai wilderness. And this direction to go. And you're going to lead my people out. And he does faithful. And they follow and they go out to Sinai. Then they're wandering for 40 years. And then here we get to this
[00:50:41] Speaker E: moment, this culmination for Moses and his life.
His legacy was to get them there.
And he did it well.
[00:50:54] Speaker F: And he's reminding them of who God is.
Now we get to the end.
[00:51:00] Speaker E: Deuteronomy 34:1 through 5.
[00:51:04] Speaker F: Then Moses climbed Mount Nebo from the plains of Moab to the top of Pisgah, across from Jericho. There the Lord showed him the whole land, from Gilead to Dan, all of Naphtali, the territory of Ephraim and Manasseh, and all the land of Judah as far as the Mediterranean Sea, the Negev, and the whole region from the Valley of Jericho, the City of Palms, as far as Zoar. Then the LORD said to them, this is the land I promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob when I said, I will give it to your descendants.
I've let you see it with your
[00:51:33] Speaker E: eyes, but you will not cross over into it.
[00:51:38] Speaker F: And Moses, the servant of the Lord,
[00:51:41] Speaker E: died there in Moab.
As the Lord had said,
[00:51:53] Speaker F: The sand ran out
[00:51:58] Speaker E: on the days of Moses life.
[00:52:03] Speaker F: There is a Psalm, Psalm 90, that's
[00:52:07] Speaker E: entitled a Prayer of Moses.
[00:52:10] Speaker F: We get after this series, we get some context in verse one. Lord, you have been our dwelling place throughout all generations.
[00:52:16] Speaker E: Yes, God is a dwelling place.
[00:52:18] Speaker F: But the verse that sticks with me, verse 12 teach us to number our
[00:52:25] Speaker E: days that we may gain a heart of wisdom.
[00:52:33] Speaker F: You see, for each of us,
[00:52:41] Speaker E: The time runs out.
[00:52:49] Speaker F: We don't know when,
[00:52:53] Speaker E: but it does.
Moses says, teach me to number our days and give me a heart of wisdom.
A couple years ago, this verse just stuck as I read through Psalm 91 day, and
[00:53:22] Speaker F: not in a morbid way,
[00:53:26] Speaker E: but I said, yes, Lord, I want to number my days.
I want each and every day that I live to be with you at the center.
I want to be reminded that every day that I get with my wife, every day that I get with my kids, every day that I get to work, put my hands to work is a gift.
I don't want to take it for granted. I just want to be a good steward.
[00:53:58] Speaker F: So on that day, the help of
[00:54:01] Speaker E: Google, I figured out on average a male in the US how many, how
[00:54:10] Speaker F: old would I go?
[00:54:11] Speaker E: How long would I go on average? And did the calculations, figured out how many days I've already lived. And roughly in my journal, every day
[00:54:20] Speaker F: I write down and subtract another day.
This week is significant for me because
[00:54:26] Speaker E: it's on this week that I lose a number.
[00:54:30] Speaker F: I go from the ten thousands down
[00:54:32] Speaker E: into the nine thousands.
I know there are days to rest and there are days to put the pedal down all the way.
There are days to raise and there's also days to cry.
But every day that we. It matters.
The question that we're left with at the end of this series.
As we think about the final legacy of Moses and the one that he left to Joshua and to the Israelites, we take some lessons from him, hopefully, then ask our own selves this week, what is the legacy that I am leaving?
What are the gifts that God has given me?
He wants to use in his whole grand narrative of life in his kingdom, and you get to be a part of it.
He's dwelling with every, every one of us, not alone as we walk each day.
If I would give you a word of encouragement, Be strong, be courageous.
Do not fear for the Lord, our
[00:56:03] Speaker B: God is with you.
[00:56:11] Speaker E: We're going to close with a new song. You might know this.
[00:56:16] Speaker F: It's called you'd remain.
[00:56:19] Speaker E: Another part of the chorus says, you go before me, you lead the way and when you say to follow I will not be afraid I cast my crowns down. A reference to revelation about all the
[00:56:38] Speaker F: things that we think we've built up and accomplished.
[00:56:39] Speaker E: It's nothing. We just give it to the Lord.
[00:56:42] Speaker F: And I lay down my life.
[00:56:47] Speaker E: May that be our legacy, that we lay down our lives through our Savior, Jesus.
Let's pray.
Jesus, we are grateful for the ways that you are always faithful with us.
We are grateful for the ways that you always want to welcome us.
You know that we have a tendency to drift and become distant.
We are never too far away from you.
Thank you for your mercy.
Yes, we thank you for your life and your death and your resurrection and holy spirit. We thank you, thank you for the way that you don't leave us alone. That you dwell within.
So as we go, may we leave a legacy.
A legacy is not about us, but a legacy that is about you.
That we would be pointing to you with our lives.
That every day, whether it's rest or work or everything in between, we respond with praise and gratefulness for what you have given.
Jesus. We love you and we thank you and we pray all this in your name.
[00:58:34] Speaker B: Amen.
Sam.
[00:59:08] Speaker D: Seasons will change, colors will fade But I know that you remain if the road changes course My compass, your voice and you will not God, lead me somewhere you've never been?
Cause you go before me, you lead the way?
[00:59:48] Speaker G: When you say to follow I won't be afraid.
Jesus, it's an honor to cast down these crowns.
What a privilege to lay my life down.
Cause I know that all I have gained will fade but you will remain.
[01:00:18] Speaker D: No one can steal what I've given away And I can't outgive all that you gave and no song I could sing is worth this robe and this ring
[01:00:43] Speaker G: But I'm gonna sing it any.
Jesus it's an honor to cast down these crowns what a privilege to lay my life down Cause I know that all I have gained will fade but you will remain and these treasures and life seem to break they mean nothing if you're not with me Cause I know that all I have gained will fade but you will remain
[01:01:33] Speaker B: you will
[01:01:34] Speaker G: remain you will remain again you will remain Cuz when I see your face I wish I'd given more away
[01:01:58] Speaker D: so
[01:01:58] Speaker G: don't let me waste a trial don't let me miss the chance to praise cause when I see your face I wish I'd given more away
[01:02:17] Speaker D: so don't
[01:02:17] Speaker G: let me waste a try don't let me miss the chance to praise to praise Cause when I see your face I wish I'd given more away pray so don't let me waste a trial
[01:02:38] Speaker B: don't let me miss the chance to
[01:02:41] Speaker G: pray Cause when I see your face I wish I given more away
[01:02:54] Speaker A: so
[01:02:55] Speaker G: don't let me waste a trial don't let me miss the chance to pray.
[01:03:05] Speaker B: Jesus it's an honor to cast down these crowns what a privilege to lay
[01:03:13] Speaker G: my life down Cause I know that all I have gained will fade by you will remain
[01:03:25] Speaker B: and these treasures that
[01:03:27] Speaker G: life seems to bring they mean nothing if you're not with me Cause I know that all I have gained will
[01:03:40] Speaker B: fade
[01:03:42] Speaker G: when I see your face I
[01:03:45] Speaker B: wish I given more away so don't
[01:03:52] Speaker G: let me waste a trial don't let me miss the chance to pray
[01:04:01] Speaker F: cause
[01:04:01] Speaker G: when I see your face I wish I given more away so don't let me miss a trial don't let me miss the child chance to pray.
You remain oh you remain.
[01:04:49] Speaker E: Church family thank you for choosing to worship together this morning.
As you go out this week encourage look for those to build into Most of all, be strong and courageous and do not be afraid for the Lord your God is is with you.
[01:05:07] Speaker F: Go out through the love of the Father, the grace of the Son, through
[01:05:10] Speaker E: the power of the Holy Spirit, go in peace. Amen.
