FOUNDATIONS FOR PEACE

DEUTERONOMY 26:5-10
February 16-18, 2013
First Sunday in Lent
Pastor Tim Smith

5 Then you shall declare before the LORD your God: “My father was a wandering Aramean, and he went down into Egypt with a few people and lived there and became a great nation, powerful and numerous. 6 But the Egyptians mistreated us and made us suffer, putting us to hard labor. 7 Then we cried out to the LORD, the God of our fathers, and the LORD heard our voice and saw our misery, toil and oppression. 8 So the LORD brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, with great terror and with miraculous signs and wonders. 9 He brought us to this place and gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey; 10 and now I bring the firstfruits of the soil that you, O LORD, have given me.” Place the basket before the LORD your God and bow down before him. (NIV) This is the word of the Lord.

Early in this book of Deuteronomy, Moses repeats the Ten Commandments for the people just before they crossed over into the Promised Land. Forty years had come and gone since God had given them the commandments on Mount Sinai, and Moses preached this series of sermons to the new generations across the Jordan from Jericho. Almost everything between the Commandments in chapter 5 and the verses before us in chapter 26 are an explanation of the Ten Commandments, with whole chapters focusing on this or that aspect of marriage laws, prohibitions against every form of idolatry, worship regulations, the use of God’s name, about theft, bearing false witness, moving boundary stones, and parents’ responsibility for their children. Now, in the chapter before us, Moses turns to the time in the very near future when Israel would take possession of the Promised Land and begin to settle down there.

In this passage, we see a piece of Old Testament liturgy for a special worship service.

In this passage, we see a confession of faith—a creed—that was not only suggested but commanded by God for the people to use in this special worship service.

In this passage, we see that the rescue from Egypt—the Exodus—was one of many examples of the way God visibly showed his salvation to his people. A picture of the way Jesus Christ rescued all mankind from our bondage to the slavery of sin.

In this passage, we are reminded that just as the Israelites were rescued completely from their bondage to Egypt and didn’t bring any of it along with them to Canaan, so also we are rescued completely from our bondage to sin, and this salvation is in every way a free gift, given to us by the grace of God through JESUS, who is OUR GREAT DELIVERER.

The special worship service in which these words were to be used only happened once. Moses told the people that this was to take place after they had entered into the land of Canaan and planted their crops. Then, just as the crop was first beginning to come up, they were to cut the firstfruits as an offering to the Lord. This was different from the annual offering of the firstfruits, which Moses described earlier in Deuteronomy and was to be a yearly gift for the priests. Here, God commanded that not just the firstfruits of the year’s planting, but the very first appearance of the Israelite’s crop ever planted was to be cut, and given to the Lord.

Before this, they had never planted crops in Canaan. Abraham, Isaac and Jacob were vagabonds—Jacob himself is the “wandering Aramean” in this creed; this confession of faith. He and his fathers had no land at all in Canaan, none that is, except one grave.

Doesn’t that remind us that in God’s plan, left ourselves, we owned nothing at all of God’s great plan for eternity—nothing that is, except one grave. Our own grave. That’s what sin does. Sin slams the door on God’s wide open vista of eternal bliss and eternal joy, and it encloses us in the curse of death, of exclusion from paradise, of eternal torment with no escape, no reprieve, not even a fifteen minute break twice a day.

Let’s look again at Israel in our text. In just a few words, Moses recalls the whole story of the Exodus “The Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, with great terror and with miraculous signs and wonders. He brought us to this place.” With one Hebrew verb form, the word “brought,” Moses summarizes God’s role and ours. This is a form of a word meaning “to come” or “go.” It’s a form of the word that always means “caused to come”—and so in English we translate that the Lord “brought.” Israel did not do it on their own, but the Lord caused them to come to this land of Canaan, this land “flowing with milk and honey.”

If the Lord had not brought them, if the Lord had not caused them to come, they would never have made it. There were constant dangers and obstacles all the way:

The pursuing Egyptian army. Their first reaction when they saw the Egyptians pursuing was not to turn to God, but to run away. Yet the Lord stopped their running and put them back on track to get to the Promised Land.

The Red Sea. At the Red Sea, they decided to turn on Moses and accuse him of bringing them to certain death. But the Lord brought them through on dry ground.

Starvation and No Water – these obstacles led to the people actually considering going back to Egypt where, they said, they had it so good. But the Lord put food and water into their mouths through miracles in the desert, and still some of them complained.

Snakes in the desert—these were a punishment because the people complained about the food and water God provided and the leadership of Moses. But God also gave them a way to be saved from the snakes, a way that was based entirely on faith.

There were enemy nations who would not let them pass. There was the giant Og, King of Bashan, and Sihon, King of the Amorites—but the Lord gave them victory and put them on the Road to the Promised Land.

There were nations who should have been friendly—who were relatives of the Israelites—who also did not let them pass. Edom, Moab and Ammon were all related by blood through Abraham’s nephew Lot and Jacob’s brother Esau—and the Midianites, relatives of Moses himself by marriage—but the Lord gave them victory after victory and brought them closer and closer to the Promised Land.

There were more obstacles. There was a world-renowned false prophet who was hired to oppose them with a propaganda campaign. There was treachery and rebellion from within Moses’ own tribe and even from Moses’ own family. And there was the fear of the people because of the report of ten of the twelve spies—and it was this fear and this final frustrating sin that caused God to make them wait forty years before bringing them finally to the land.

Do you see what sin and doubt and self-centeredness and double-mindedness does to us? It detaches us from God’s plan for us. It makes us go places where God knows and we should know that we shouldn’t go. It keeps us away from places where God wants to bring us.

And what was God’s solution for our sins? Let’s go back to that word Moses used about the Children of Israel. God brought them. God caused them to come to place where he wanted them. It wasn’t about what they did with their own feet. It wasn’t about their Garmins or their GPS or their good maps—it was all about what God did.

And that’s what God has done for us through Christ. He has brought us back into his family, not because of anything we’ve done and not because of our eager faithfulness. But despite our sins, and because we were lost in those sins, he has brought us home.

Jesus has delivered us completely from our sins. Just as the Israelites didn’t bring any of their chains with them from Egypt, Jesus Christ had freed us from every part of our bondage to sin. There is no more price to be paid, no more blood to be spilled, no more time to be served. We are free.

Just as God delivered his people from Egypt through Moses, he has delivered us from sin through Jesus – Jesus Christ, our Great Deliverer.

That’s worth reminding each other about. That’s why God gave the Israelites this creed in Deuteronomy 26—this confession of faith to say on that one day when they brought their very first first-fruits of the land as an offering of thanks to God. And so we remind each other with statements of faith and creeds, as well. To remind ourselves and to remind one another of what God has done.

In particular, we say the Apostles’ Creed (9:30), which Martin Luther called “the Children’s Creed,” to remember the very basics of our faith. And we say the Nicene Creed (all other services) to remember especially the work of Jesus Christ our Great Deliverer.

Please stand as we say this (Nicene/Aposltes’) creed together, and encourage one another with the faith we share.

Luke 9:28-36
2/9-11/2013
Transfiguration Sunday
Pastor Don Sutton

Podcast: Download (Duration: 16:19 — 7.5MB)

Luke 9:28-36
28) About eight days after Jesus said this, he took Peter, John and James with him and went up onto a mountain to pray. 29) As he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning. 30) Two men, Moses and Elijah, 31) appeared in glorious splendor, talking with Jesus. They spoke about his departure, which he was about to bring to fulfillment at Jerusalem. 32) Peter and his companions were very sleepy, but when they became fully awake, they saw his glory and the two men standing with him. 33) As the men were leaving Jesus, Peter said to him, “Master, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.” (He did not know what he was saying.) 34)While he was speaking, a cloud appeared and enveloped them, and they were afraid as they entered the cloud. 35) A voice came from the cloud, saying, “This is my Son, whom I have chosen; listen to him.” 36) When the voice had spoken, they found that Jesus was alone. The disciples kept this to themselves, and told no one at that time what they had seen.

Introduction
In April of 2000 CBS aired a movie about a dysfunctional family with a control-freak father who insists that his wife and his three teenaged daughters accompany him on a weekend trip to the mountains. Flying in their private plane, they crash in a remote mountain area. With the dad barely surviving the disaster, it is up to the mom and the kids to take charge of the situation. Huddling in a tumbledown cabin, the family struggles to survive the elements–and an avalanche– forgetting their differences and working together as a team. The fact that they succeed in doing so and survive, results in the title -Miracle on a Mountain.

Today, however, we don’t depend on CBS for a plot. We look to passages from Luke 9 recounting the Transfiguration of Jesus – truly A Miracle on a Mountain. Then and there … Jesus is glorified
…. Moses and Elijah appear …. God the Father speaks.

1. Jesus is glorified
A.) In the Transfiguration Jesus is glorified. Luke reports, “28) About eight days after Jesus said this, he took Peter, John and James with him and went up onto a mountain to pray. 29) As he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning.” Matthew reports that Jesus face shone like the sun and his clothes became as white as the light. What an overwhelming sight that must have been! One minute Jesus looked the way he always looked. The next minute he looks entirely different, not reflecting a light from somewhere else, but radiating a light from within himself. The divine was shining through the human. The Son of God was manifesting himself through the son of Mary. The form of the servant was pulled aside and God was glowing through.

B1) Even though the glory of God is being revealed on that mountain we are told, “Peter and his companions were very sleepy.” But Luke continues, “But when they became fully awake, they saw his glory and the two men standing with him. 33) As the men were leaving Jesus, Peter said to him, ‘Master, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.’ (He did not know what he was saying.)” Peter is so overwhelmed by this glimpse of glory, he wanted time to stop. He wanted to preserve this marvelous moment and to continue to behold this glory.

2) Doesn’t this miracle tell us something about the glory that awaits us in eternity? It is grand and it is glorious. There is much about what awaits us in eternity that we don’t know. As Paul wrote to the Corinthians, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him (1 Cor 2:9).” Things will not be the same there as here. John wrote in revelation, “The old order of things will be remembered no more.” Our bodies will not be the same. Paul emphasized this to the Philippians, “But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.” Paul emphasized to the Romans, “I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.”

When things look down, keep in mind what is ahead. When you feel defeated, remember the glory that awaits you in eternity.

We are reminded of this as we see Jesus glorified – a miracle on a mountain.

2. Moses & Elijah Appear
A1) This miracle wasn’t the only miracle on a mountain -“Two men, Moses and Elijah, appeared in glorious splendor, talking with Jesus.” These two had lived and left the earth long before this mountaintop experience. Moses had died and had been buried east of the Jordan River 14 centuries before. Elijah, without dying, had been taken to heaven in a whirlwind accompanied by chariots of fire. Both Moses and Elijah had had mountaintop experiences before. On Mt. Sinai God had called Moses to serve him and on the same mountain God gave Moses his law. On Mt. Carmel Elijah defended God’s law he showed down the prophets of the false god Baal. In Moses and Elijah we have the “law and the prophets” represented. It is as if God is saying, “You see, the whole Old Testament ultimately points ahead to Jesus and the fact that he is the Messiah who would save all people.”

B1) Jesus Moses and Elijah discussed this. Luke recorded, “They spoke about his departure, which he was about to bring to fulfillment at Jerusalem.” This departure, literally “exodus,” was a reference to his suffering and death. Eight days before this Jesus had told his disciples, The Son of man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and he must be killed and on the third day rise again (Lk. 9:22).”

2) As the Old Testament prophecies foretold, and Moses and Elijah knew, Jesus had to die for the sins of the world. That was why Jesus came to this world – to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many. If he didn’t do this, he couldn’t return to glory. If he didn’t do this, we would have no hope of eternal glory.

3) We would forever be excluded from the glory of God and consigned to an eternity of grief with the devil. The sinfulness with which we are born would bring this consequence because as Paul wrote, “We were by nature objects of wrath (Eph 2:3).” In addition, one sin makes us deserving of this same consequence. James wrote, “For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it.” One withheld worship of God, one misspent dime, one tweet when you should be paying attention, one wasted moment – one sin – that’s all it takes to make us unworthy of God. Through Paul, God reminds us, “Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law.”

4) But through the same apostle God assures us, “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree (Gal 3:13).” Christ went to that cross. He hung on that tree. He went from the miracles on the mountain to experience what it is like to be in the depths of hell as he was separated from his heavenly Father when he cried out in grief, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me.” He suffered the grief you and I should suffer. He died the death we should die – not only physical but eternal. Now, as Isaiah wrote, “By his wounds we are healed (Is 53).” As a result we are forgiven and the crown of life awaits us.
It’s a miracle and amazing that the Son of God would do this. It was also a miracle that Moses and Elijah appeared on that mountain to discuss Jesus’ departure via the cross, then the tomb, from the tomb to the skies to glory at the right hand of God the Father.

3. God the Father Speaks
A) The third miracle on the mountain was God the Father speaking about his Son. Knowing what his Son will go through and knowing how the disciples will be tempted to question the identity of Jesus as he experiences his passion, God assures Jesus of his love. “While he was speaking, a cloud appeared and enveloped them, and they were afraid as they entered the cloud. A voice came from the cloud, saying, This is my Son, whom I have chosen; listen to him.” It’s as if God is saying, “Son, be assured that as you experience all kinds of grief, you are my chosen one.” Or, “My sons, as you see my Son suffering and dying, he’s the Messiah and this is part of the plan.”

B) As we go through the grief of time because of the effects of sin, God is with us to help us endure. God reminds us concerning those troubles, “These have come so that your faith – of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire – may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory, and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed (1Pe 1:7).” God assures us, “My grace is sufficient for you, my strength is made perfect in weakness (2 Co12:9).” “The Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express (Ro8:26).”

C1) But when God the Father spoke, he said of his Son, “Listen to him.” As Jesus is the Son of God and Savior of the world, he is also the source of truth, peace, joy and purpose. In a time when people are listening to voices from everywhere – the media, the ministers of false teaching, and the masters of humanism, materialism and hedonism – they are hearing messages that make messes of lives. If these messages we hear and take to heart, messes are what we will have in our lives.

2) What we need is to listen to Jesus. He tells us that life not about seeking treasures here that last only a while, but on having treasure in heaven that last for eternity. Jesus tells us that life is not about making a name for ourselves, but for making his name known among the nations. Life is not about the pursuit of pleasure, but taking pleasure in pursuing a Godly life to God’s glory. Jesus tells us that what is godly is good and what is ungodly is bad. He assures us Christians that even when in weakness and ignorance we have been bad, because of him God sees us as being good and loves us. Jesus tells us that even when we feel all alone, we are never really along – he’s with us. Jesus says that when we think we can’t, we can because with him all things are possible. Jesus says that even though we die, yet shall we live.

Listen to Jesus and enjoy his love. Listen to Jesus and have peace. Listen to Jesus and have joy. Listen to Jesus and have light. Listen to Jesus and live.