Welcome to Delight in Grace. The Teaching Ministry of Rich Powell. Pastor of Grace Bible Church in Winston-Salem. The God of the Bible. is a dangerous beauty.
A consuming fire eliciting awe, and wander. Our God is also ever good. and ever faithful. Deuteronomy 9 has a lot to teach us about the character of God. and a lot to teach us about ourselves.
May our understanding of Him spur us to follow hard after our God. Let's listen to this message titled, A consuming fire is the Lord your God. This is part three of a message first preached on June 23rd, 2024, at Grace Bible Church in Winston-Salem. We need the grace of God every day. Because we have a tendency to slide into the rut of these ways of thinking, even as we are the children of God.
That's why every day we need the grace of God. What is it that God shows of Himself in Deuteronomy chapter 9? The people made it very clear. Look with me at verse 14. And God is speaking to Moses.
Moses is up on the mountain, right? Look at verse 14. Let me alone. That I may destroy them and blot out their name from under heaven, and I will make of you a nation mightier and greater than they.
Now you and I can read that. And here's what I want to really, really warn you about, okay? Don't create God in your image when you read a verse like this. This is not just an angry outburst on God's part. He's not throwing a temper tantrum here.
We just sang about a holy God. This is the right response of an infinitely holy God who is a consuming fire. He is simply communicating what these people deserve for what they have done. I want you to notice something. This is I actually laughed out loud.
Look at verse 12. Remember where Moses is? He's up on the mountain. He's receiving the law, the Ten Commandments, specifically two tablets written with the finger of God. And then God sees what's going down, what's going on down there at the foot of the mountain.
Right? And look at verse 12. Then the Lord said to me, Arise, go down quickly from here, for Your people. whom you have brought from Egypt have acted corruptly. Yeah.
He disowned them right there. Moses, these are your people. I do that with my wife sometimes. You see what your son did? You've never done that, have you?
I remember sometimes walking away saying, whose idea was it to have kids, right? I have to remember I was a kid once, right?
So But that's just, that's just, you know, they have turned aside quickly out of the way that I commanded them. Moses is your people that you brought out, and then God says, let me alone. He says, get out of my way. I'm ready to consume them. And that would be the just judgment of God.
Listen to me. Listen to me. Be grateful right now that God's. Action towards us is not based purely on his justice. Because if it was, you and I would be consumed.
We need the grace of God. We need the grace of God. It's like God is saying to the people of Israel, do I need to remind you about your freedom from slavery? Juneteenth, we just celebrated Juneteenth, June 19th. June 19th, 1965, when the final message went to people down in Texas: you slaves are free.
Do you know what? Not one of them said, no, I want to keep slavery. And what is what are these people doing here? No, we want to forget the freedom that God has given us. We want to continue to be slaves and worship metal.
that resembles an ox that eats grass. Doesn't make any sense. Sin is irrational, all of it. It is irrational. Who wants to go back to that slavery?
Have you forgotten who rescued you and how you were rescued? And this is why it's so important. Celebrations like a Juneteenth to remember that you have been set free.
So remember that you are free, and the banner is still up out there. Live as people who remember. And God sets up reminders over and over and over again. Remember who you are and that you are free.
So walk with me. He says. God shows himself here. As we read in Deuteronomy chapter 9. Where he says Um Let me alone, that I may destroy them and blot out their name from under the heavens.
You know what this is? This is, this is. Here's Sovereign prerogative. He could have done this, and he had every right to do this. Because he is a just and holy God.
And what they were doing was very corrosive. and corrupting. It is holy justice. It was his sovereign prerogative. What else does God show of himself?
He is merciful. He withheld. What was deserved. He's a merciful God. Thirdly.
He is gracious. Because what he's talking about here is history. And how do we begin chapter 9? You're about to go in to take the land. You know what that is?
That's the grace of God. Even after committing something as absurdly atrocious as the golden calf incident at the foot of Mount Sinai. He says, You're about to go in and take the land. He is gracious. We began last week by The invitation, hear God saying, Walk with me.
Walk with me. He is a person. We are persons created in His image. We were designed. to interact with him.
to have fellowship with him, to know him. to delight in him. And what we learn from Deuteronomy chapter 9. are four pillars of your walk with God. Four pillars of your walk with God.
Number one. is God's holiness. God's holiness is a pillar of your walk with Him. Because remember, I began by the question: what does fire consume and why does fire consume? Fire consumes because it purges what corrupts.
Listen to me, God's people here this morning. It is God's purpose in your life to consume what corrupts. And what obstructs your walk with him, your fellowship with him, your knowledge of him. and it is his purpose to consume what corrupts you. Not consume you.
but consume what corrupts you. Enter the grace of God. The blood of Jesus Christ. His son. Does what?
cleanses us from all sin. Hallelujah. Amen. Who wouldn't want to worship a god like that? I'll tell you who.
The person that is totally self-focused. But the holiness of God is a pillar of your walk with Him. He has taken care of your sin. On the cross of Jesus Christ. And he continues to In the cleansing work of the gospel in your heart and mind.
Here's the second The Hebrews chapter 12, let's read that. Hebrews 12 verses 10 and 11. They disciplined us for a short time, speaking of our fathers. as it seemed best to them, but He disciplines us for our good. That we may share his holiness.
Discipline leads to holiness.
Sometimes discipline is hard, sometimes it's painful.
Sometimes it hurts. Listen to me. It's okay. Accept it. Why?
Because He wants you to share in His holiness. He's in the process of cleansing you. For the moment, all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant. But later, it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. That is a pillar of your walk with God.
Here's the second one. The first pillar of your walk with God is His Holiness. The second one is God's promise. God's promise. Back in verse five.
He says, Not because of your righteousness or the righteousness of your heart are you going in to possess the land, but because of the wickedness of these nations the Lord your God is driving them out before you. and that he may confirm the word that the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. God's promise is a pillar of your walk with Him. His promise, his purpose ensures, his promise ensures that his purpose is realized. Thanks for joining us here at Delight in Grace.
You've been listening to Rich Powell, the lead pastor at Grace Bible Church in Winston-Salem. The Delight in Grace mission Is to help you know that God designed you to realize your highest good. and your deepest satisfaction in him. the one who is infinitely good. We hope you'll join us again on weekdays at 10 a.m.
