Welcome to Delight in Grace, the teaching ministry of Rich Powell, pastor of Grace Bible Church in Winston-Salem. In Deuteronomy 33, Moses gives the people his final words before his death. These departing words are full of blessings and encouragement for the people of Israel. Though Moses would not lead them into the Promised Land, the great warrior, protector, and provider, Jehovah God, had been their leader all along, and he would go before them. In this message titled, Who is like you, a people saved by the Lord?
Pastor Rich breaks Moses's blessings on the people into five categories. This is part four of a message first preached on February 2nd, 2025. To hear other messages in this series, you can visit our podcast at www.delightingrace.com. There is no other and no greater object of trust or means of satisfaction than this God. Keep your focus on Jehovah, number one, his uniqueness, number two, his nearness, his nearness.
Look at verse 26 again in the second. Who rides through the heavens to your help through the skies in his majesty. The eternal God is your dwelling place and underneath are the everlasting arms. Aren't those beautiful word pictures? He rides through the heavens to rescue you.
luke 951 it's a pivotal verse in luke's gospel jesus set his face to go to jerusalem he knew what awaited him at jerusalem he set his face to go to jerusalem so moses says to the people of israel keep your focus on jehovah his uniqueness, his nearness. He is a very present help in time of trouble. Psalm 46.1 says that he's my refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Also Hebrews chapter four, verse 16, we are invited to draw near to the throne of grace to find help in time of need. The very throne room of God, the one who created the universe and holds it all together, he invites us into his throne room you reckon we're going to find help there yeah grace to help in time of need and let's not forget as we've already mentioned he's indwelt us with his spirit the spirit of adoption the spirit of truth the spirit of power all of those are his names and they are a reflection of who he is to us and what he does for us.
So keep your focus on Jehovah Number one is uniqueness Number two is nearness number three your unmatched security in him your unmatched security in him safety and satisfaction so romans eight right if the lord is for us who can be against who brings a charge against god's elect it is god who justified in all these things all these things might be true of us death famine nakedness sword peril all those things are true they don't separate me from the love of god i'm securing him i'm securing him and his security is life giving look at verse 28 so israel lived in safety jacob lived alone in a land of grain and wine whose heavens drop down dew that's life giving those are life giving words. It's a life, a live, a word picture of giving life. And for that reason, we need to keep our focus on Jehovah for the fourth, in the fourth way, our satisfaction in him is his glory. Our satisfaction in him is his glory. Verse 29, happy are you, O Israel, who is like you, a people saved by the Lord.
The church can say the same thing. That doesn't mean that we're called to be like Pollyanna's happy, happy, joy, joy all the time. It does mean that we are blessed by God and it does mean that we can live with a disposition of joy, even in times of lament and hardship. Hardship and joy are not mutually exclusive. Go back to the two givens.
Number one, you are the object of God's loving concern from eternity. Number two, God will take you through hard things. And so our satisfaction in him is his glory. As recipients of his grace, we don't lose sight of the goodness of God and the joy that is before us. We are blessed.
I will never forget. We met a young, my wife and I met a young lady. She was from California. Her mother had passed away. And I said, how are you?
And she said, I am blessed. I've never forgotten that. Because it's true.
Now, some people, if you say I am blessed, People are going to think you're arrogant.
Okay. Blessed is a monosyllabic word. One syllable. I am blessed Can you say that Do you know what it means I am blessed Can you say that Do you know what it means Is it a reality for you I hope it not just something you say because that's a good thing for a Christian to say. Can you sense the blessing of God upon you in the day to day.
The more I am satisfied in God, the more he is glorified in me. It's a truth. All of this is true today of God's people, of the church. We are called to be a blessing to the nations. And so what we need to contemplate and remember is because all of these blessings are realized for us in Jesus Christ.
If you are here today and you are not in Christ, you cannot realize these blessings. And I invite you to him. but if you are in Christ all of this is yours all of it is yours I want us to read scripture together as we end today and I have changed the pronouns because Paul used third second person and I'm changing them to first person okay and so this is from first Peter 2 verses 9 and 10. This is the church. This is what God calls us.
This is inspired scripture. This is the word of God, and this is who we are, the church. Ready? Let's read this together. We are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that we may proclaim the excellencies of him who called us out of darkness into his marvelous light.
Once we were not evil, but now we are God's people. Once we had not received mercy, but now we have received mercy. There's the grace of God. And you know, as you begin reading this, you're like, boy, this is making us sound pretty important. and then it takes you to the reality doesn't it you're only there just because of the mercy of god it's not because of how special you are it's because of god's grace and mercy and the the position that he gives us as a chosen race a royal priesthood a holy nation a people for his own possession why?
why are we called that? that we may proclaim his excellencies and as we proclaim his excellencies that can only be true when we are satisfied in him and when we proclaim his excellencies we become a blessing to the nations that what Israel was called to do That what we are called to do Bow your heads with me for a moment now, please. Moses invoked, proclaimed all these blessings from God upon the people of Israel, God's chosen people. Taking them into the land, they had a specific mission. Messiah would come.
And they received the blessings of God. But they did not remain satisfied in him. And I want you to ask yourself a question in this moment and answer it honestly. how satisfied am I in God can you confess that honestly before him what is he showing you in your heart even in this moment can you acknowledge that God is good that he has lavished his grace upon you. Father, work in our hearts, even this morning, Lord, in this moment.
We are your people and you have lavished your grace upon us, Lord. All the spiritual blessings that are ours in Jesus Christ. Father, move us in our hearts and minds to find you as our greatest desire, our deepest satisfaction. That indeed, the world in which we live will be blessed because of our presence in it as the people of God. Thank you, Father, that you are the God of our salvation.
there is no one like us, a people saved by the Lord because you are our salvation. Your grace and your mercy and your love have been lavished on us because you have met the demands of your holiness and your justice in our place through Jesus Christ. Thank you for your grace. we pray this in Jesus name Amen
