Welcome to Delight in Grace. The Teaching Ministry of Rich Powell. pastor of Grace Bible Church in Winston-Salem. This is part 3 of a message first preached on November 3rd, 2024. It's part of a series from Deuteronomy titled, It is Because the Lord Loves You.
To hear the whole message or others in this series, visit www.delightinggrace.com. He ordains the very next breath that you take. And when all is said and done at the end of it, when it's all done, He is the one before whom you will stand. Will you stand and kneel before him in joy and worship and adoration, or will you bow before him in defeat? and despair.
I can't say it more plainly than that. This is the God who is speaking to the people of Israel in the plains of Moab. in Deuteronomy chapter 30. A humble, a circumcised heart is a humble pursuit of God. From the heart.
A humble pursuit of God from the heart, to delight in His goodness, His mercy, and His steadfast love. To where day after day, hour after hour, you are feasting at his banquet table and not feasting out of the dumpster of consumables. Because they do not satisfy. We can be good stewards of them. But they do not satisfy.
So Moses tells the people of Israel, you have a very clear choice here. This chapter is broken up pervert in half. verses 1 to 10, and then verses 11 to 20. You have a very clear choice. Verse 11, for this commandment that I command you today is not too hard for you, neither is it far off.
And he speaks with exaggeration and even maybe an element of sarcasm here, like, who will ascend to heaven to receive the word that we have from God? Or who will go over the sea? No, listen, God has spoken. He's speaking of the clarity of truth here. Moses makes it clear to the people of Israel, the truth has been presented to you abundantly clear, and it is absolutely clear the choice that you have in front of you today.
The truth is near you. Why? Because God has spoken. God is never trying to say something He has spoken. And his will is clear.
His will is not unknown, it's not unreasonable, it's not beyond reach. But What he reveals will also reveal the sinfulness of the human heart. And so he says, look down with me at verse 15. We've referred to this before. See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil.
I have set before you today life and good, death and evil. If you obey the commandments of the Lord your God that I command you today, by loving the Lord your God, walking in his ways, keeping his commandments and his statutes and his rules, then you shall live and multiply, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land that you are entering to take possession of it. But if your heart turns away and you will not hear, but are drawn away to worship other gods and serve them, I declare to you today that you shall surely perish. You will not live long in the land that you are going over to possess, to enter over the Jordan, to enter and possess. I call heaven and earth to witness against you today that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse.
Therefore, choose life. that you and your offspring may live. It can't get any clearer than that, folks. That is abundantly clear. I have said before, in other words, all that corresponds and leads to death.
All that corresponds and leads to life as God intends it is good. Life and good. All that corresponds and leads to death is evil. And remember, death does not mean ceasing to exist, it means separation.
Something I want to point out here, it might be easily missed, but I want to point this out here. You have two choices, okay? Two. There is not a third option. And that's where most Westerners live today.
They believe they're in the third option. I don't care. That's not for me. That is not true. And I believe that is from the very effective ploys and tactics of the adversary of our souls.
There is not a third option. The choice is clear, with polar opposite outcomes. You love God or you hate Him. And hate does not necessarily have to mean, I despise him, I want him destroyed. Hate can mean.
I don't care. Indifference. is a form of hate.
So the choice is clear here. You have two options. And there is one thing that you cannot be towards God, and that is indifferent. As we conclude this chapter in this section. And this year in Deuteronomy.
Let me just say here at the end, at the end of this chapter, it becomes very clear, as is the overall tenor of scripture. is gracious invitation. The overall tenor of Scripture is gracious invitation. God's heart is for our hearts. What does that mean?
He wants our attitudes and our affections. He wants our thinking to be trained on him. He wants our desires to be anchored in him, his character and his purpose. And Thoughts, attitudes, and affections can be influenced and they can be invited, but they cannot be. Coerced.
The overall tenor of Scripture is gracious invitation, and that's why he says, Look with me. I call heaven and earth to witness against you today that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. What does it say next? choose life. that you may and your offspring may live.
That is an invitation. The choice is theirs. And how do you choose life? Verse 20. By loving the Lord your God, to love him is to draw near to him and delight in him.
And because of Jesus Christ, listen to me, because of his redemptive work, because he paid a debt that he did not owe, but we owed to the righteousness of God, he has made it possible for us to be reconciled to God. Because you've been reconciled to God, draw near to him and delight in him. And if you are not in him under yours this morning, the invitation is to you. Surrender yourself in faith to Jesus Christ so that you too can draw near to God. Because he desires your heart.
How else do you choose life? You love him. Secondly. Obeying his voice. Obeying his voice.
What does that look like? You trust him and you follow him. Because he's trustworthy and good. He is like what he has done. What has he done?
Looked at the cross. Obeying his voice. Follow in his steps? He's left steps for it. You know how he did that?
He gave us his son.
So that we can follow in his steps. Think about that. That's one main reason why Jesus became a man.
so that we could follow in his steps. Because his steps lead us to the Father. And then thirdly, Okay. holding fast to him. holding fast to him, He's not talking about Oh, life is so rough.
I just need to hang on to the Lord and I might make it through. Yeah. I encourage other people not to use this word, but listen to me. That's garbage.
Okay. That's not the gospel of grace. What is he saying holding fast to him? The Lord said, Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. What is he talking about?
Singular focus. Singular focus. The writer of Hebrews put it well. Keep your gaze. Fixed.
on Jesus Christ. Why? Because as Twilight Paris put it When the race is done, you'll run into his arms. Oh, again. He's the finish line.
He is your reward. Not stuff. He is is your reward. Keep your gaze fixed there. And that will keep you from being distracted by all the stuff.
It claims to deserve your allegiance and bring you satisfaction. Hold fast to him. Why? Well, he says it right here. He is your life and length of days.
He is your life and length of days. And Jesus said as much. This is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. It's pretty clear. And so I conclude today.
Quoting the psalmist. In Psalm 73, which I believe is what God is communicating to his people here, and he communicates to us today. Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion forever.
For behold, those who are far from you shall perish. You put an end to everyone who is unfaithful to you but for me. It is good to be near God. He wants your heart. heart this morning.
He doesn't want you to just follow a list of rules. He doesn't want you to be keeping up appearances. He wants your heart. Surrender yourself to him afresh this morning. And may we be challenged by those around the world.
Like the video that we saw this morning. To be truthful and to be faithful at any moment could mean You will step into eternity. May we be that. in such a thirsty and broken and dark world today. Stand with me, please.
Father, you have spoken. You have made yourself known to us. You've turned your light on into our darkness. And we thank you for that. Because you are good.
You are holy, you are just, you are righteous in all of your ways, and yet you are. compassionate. You are merciful. You are gracious. And you have steadfast love.
Father, may we leave here this morning as worshipers of you who continue our worship by walking with you and delighting in you. Every day, every hour. in every occasion. May our hearts be surrendered to you afresh this morning, Father. That you indeed will be our highest good and our deepest satisfaction.
that that would be manifest in our lives. That a dark and watching world will wonder. Edit. Find us faithful, Father. and again for our brothers and sisters around the world that suffer.
Father, fill them with an undeniable sense of your peace and your presence. and your joy. That Christ would be magnified. in their lives. and in ours.
For it's in his name we pray. Amen. You've been listening to Delight in Grace, the teaching ministry of Rich Powell, pastor of Grace Bible Church in Winston-Salem. To hear this message and others, check out www.delightandgrace.com. to discover how to live by grace.
Tune in with us on weekdays at 10 a.m. Yeah.
