Welcome to Delight in Grace, the teaching ministry of Rich Powell. Pastor of Grace Bible Church in Winston-Salem. In Deuteronomy chapter 29, the children of Israel stand on the cusp of a new life in the Promised Land. And so near to the completion of this forty year journey, With so much ahead of them to look forward to, God calls on them to look backward. to see his faithful provision and protection.
He wanted them to see that they had not reached this place in their own strength. but because of his loving purpose. Here is the point If they walked forward into their future without a heart for him, they would only find emptiness and disaster on their doorstep. May the Lord challenge our hearts. to remember.
in this message titled, The Things That Are Revealed Belong to Us. You're listening to part two of a message first preached on October 27th, 2024.
So for the people of Israel, for too much of it, it's just been as they come through the wonderful things that God does, it's just each of them is just a really cool event. along the way of the journey. God showed up at that moment. Do you think like that? You're going through life and You know, life goes on and then in certain moments God shows up.
This is what the people of Israel were doing. And here's what it means when it says, the Lord had not yet given them a heart to understand. Or eyes to see, or ears to hear. They were not in tune with God's purpose. in Providence.
They were not in tune with it. In other words, they did not understand, they did not see his continual sustenance and care of them. all along the way. Every day, every moment of the day. That God, in His sovereignty and His goodness, He is weaving together.
connecting all the dots. And what they did not at this point understand, what they did not understand, and this is where many, many people today are. They did not understand that God is not just an assistant. To my life, he's not just an additive to your life. He is the point.
to your very existence. That's what they did not understand at this point yet. It's kind of like I remember being playing basketball in high school. I was not a starter, except one time when the point guard was out, I started.
So I was the first man off the bench. Mm-hmm. And basketball coach in you know, we would have we would have um Reh uh say rehearsals, you know. Practice. Rehearsals is a different thing, you know?
Yeah. Where our coach, our coach would make us throw all kinds of 100 free throws, 100 free throws. You're exhausted after practice. You gotta throw a hundred free throws. Because what did you do in practice?
You ran these things called suicides.
Okay, it is utterly exhausting. And he's making you run these things. Your lungs are burning, your calves are burning. And then, after doing that, you've got to throw 100 free throws. And you think he's just filling your time with busyness.
What you don't know all along, this is, you know, I'm in high school. What do high schoolers know, right? You know, they don't see the big picture, but the coach does. He says because You're going to build your stamina and your mobility. And he says, throwing those hundred free throws, sometimes, oftentimes, a game comes down to the free throw line.
So the coach sees the big picture. This is what Israel was missing at the time. Let me give you an example. I got this from Brian Ward. There was a group of people.
Brian, I'm sorry if I slaughter this. You can correct me later, okay? But I'm just going to give them the very generals. You know, there's a group of people, Russians and Americans, traveling somewhere in Russia, a very vast country, right? And they're on a bus, and then the bus breaks down.
And there's a group of Americans on the bus. They all had to get off the bus. And they're like, what do we do now? The Russian believers, however, had a different response. You know what their response was?
I wonder why God had us break down here. Do you see the difference in paradigms there? For one, it's like life goes on. Oh, let's just hope God shows up sometime. And the other one is: every step we take, God is there.
God is in it. Every step we take.
So, this is what Moses is saying, the Lord is saying to the people of Israel. It begins back in chapter 4, verse 29, where he says, You're going to be scattered. Listen, in times, when you forsake me, you're going to be scattered to other lands. Because that's what happens. When you forsake God.
He says, but from those lands you will seek me, and you will find me if what? If you seek me with. All your heart. What is that? That's at the level of desire.
There is nothing about the walk of faith with the God of Israel that has to do with simply conformity. conforming to a standard. That is not the faith. of scriptures. God wants our Hearts.
And then in chapter 6, verse 5, the Shema. Hear old ears of the Lord our God. The Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God. What?
With all your heart, with all your soul, and all your might. That you see, that's God's heart. That's what he wants. Fast forward. It is the Lord Jesus who made that.
Possible. And he says, all of this, that you may know. That you may know. Look at verse 6 with me. This could be enigmatic when you read it at first.
You have not eaten bread and have not drunk wine or strong drink, that you may know that I am the Lord.
Now, somebody could really take that out of context. Say, see, if you drink wine, you're not going to know the Lord. But if you don't drink wine Wait, you're not going to know the Lord? That's confusing, isn't it? What does he mean by this?
Now, think about it. Think about where Israel has been for the last 40 years. Can you say wilderness? Do you know what a wilderness is? When we think of a wilderness, we think of a lush, rich forest.
No, think of a desert. Think of a desert with nothing but rocks. And there's one color. What is that color? Brown, light brown.
Okay? Nothing grows In the Arabian desert, the Palestinian desert, nothing grows there.
So this is what the Lord is saying. You have not eaten bread and you have not drunk wine. Why? Because what do you need for bread? This is not a hard question.
You need to grow wheat if you're going to have bread. They didn't have that. You have not drunk wine. Why? What do you need for wine?
Grapes. Do grapes grow in the desert? They do not.
So what is the Lord saying here? I I alone. have provided for you. 40 years in the wilderness. Wow.
Why? Why did he say that? That you may know that I am the Lord your God. That you may know. That I am the Lord your God.
I am your sustenance and your security. Hear God saying that to you this morning. the God of heaven, the God of the universe, the God who created you, the God who died for you, hear him saying this morning, I am your sustenance and your security. I alone am your satisfaction. That God.
That's why we come here to make much of him. as we have this morning. What he's providing for them is empirical, experiential, convincing. that you may know. We've experienced this: that God is God, and He is our sustenance.
So he's preparing them for living in the promised land. Don't forget how God brought you here. They're going to cross over Jordan. They're going to go into the promised land. God's going to remove The godless, evil, wicked nations.
And he says, that you may know, so that when you get into the land, you may prosper. Look at verse 9 with me, that you may prosper. Therefore, keep the words of this covenant and do them, that you may prosper in all that you do. The word prosper. means to deal wisely.
In other words, to understand.
So when you get into the land The promised land you will see reality for what it is. And here it is, that all things are of him, through him, and to him. That's Romans 11.36, by the way. Do you remember what the Lord said to the people of Israel? In Deuteronomy chapter 8 and verse 3, he says, In the wilderness.
I led you through the wilderness these 40 years, and I allowed you to go hungry and be thirsty, so that you may know that. Man does not live By bread alone. But by the word of God. Our sustenance is not just about Material consumables. Food.
And stuff. Our sustenance has everything to do. with God's purpose. And God's will and His providence. And so, Israel here is being called to see God's faithful providence.
In retrospect, and to keep that in mind. And that's what you and I need to learn too. How has God brought us? How do we see God's faithfulness by looking back to see what God has done? We have such a propensity to say, God, show me where you're taking me and I will trust you.
No. Look back, look back and see what God has done, and see His faithfulness, recognize His providence. And trust him. For today, and tomorrow. This is what Israel was needing to learn.
Now Moses starts talking now about the fulfillment of the promise. as they are standing there. This is the portion that Daryl read for us earlier. He's coming to the conclusion of these series of sermons now in the plains of Moab. just to the east of the Dead Sea before they cross over the Jordan River.
Moses says verse 10, you are today, you are standing today. All of you before the Lord your God. This is it, this is the moment of ratification of this covenant. You're standing today, all of you. What is Moses saying there?
There is no explanation for the fact that you are standing here today. apart from God's providential care of you. There is no other explanation for it. You have defeated nations that are much greater than you. You have been in a wilderness for 40 years where nothing grows and here you are.
How do you explain that? God's providential care. 10. Is private instance protection? his purpose.
He has a purpose for this. And they are about to realize the fulfillment of this purpose. 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.
