Journey to Promise: Take Possession (Deuteronomy 31:1-3, 5-8; 33:44-47; 34:1-7)

 Sermon for Milledgeville & Centenary UMC

[Title Slide] Journey to Promise: Take Possession

(Deuteronomy 31:1-3, 5-8; 33:44-47; 34:1-7)

 

We are finishing today our time with Moses and the Hebrews and their time in the wilderness. God used the wilderness to shape His chosen nation and prepare them to take possession of the Promised Land.

 

Be strong and courageous! Do not fear or tremble before them,
for the Lord your God is the one who is going with you.
He will not fail you or abandon you!”
Deuteronomy 31:6

Like Cecil B. DeMille’s Ten Commandments, we’re skipping a lot of Moses’ story and ending with his final words. Allow me to share a couple important stories we are skipping over.

 

While Moses was with God on Mt Sinai, the people strayed. Even though God told them not to make idols, they pressured Aaron to make them an idol to worship. [Slide] In DeMille’s The Ten Commandments, Edward G. Robinson played Dathan, a chief troublemaker. “We don’t know where this Moses is, see? He’s been gone 40 days! He’s dead, see? Who will lead us now?” [Slide] Aaron made them a golden calf and said, “These are your gods who brought you out of Egypt.” The people celebrated like Egyptians in pagan revelry.

 

[Slide] When Moses returned to camp and saw what was happening, he broke the stone tablets upon which were written the words of the covenant. He ordered the Levites to take their swords and kill every person who did not repent of their idolatry. 3000 were killed. It was a very sad day. Though unfaithful, God remained with Israel.

 

Moses sent 12 spies into the Promised Land. [Slide] They brought back a massive cluster of grapes hung on a pole between the shoulders of two of the spies. They reported that the land was indeed good and fertile, but they were afraid to take possession of the land because it was populated with fortified cities, powerful warriors, and even giants. Their report discouraged Israel. [Slide] Only Joshua and Caleb held fast to their faith in God. They wanted to obey God’s command to take possession of the land. God was with them, after all. The people refused.

Because of the people’s fear, God decided he was done with this grumbling, complaining, faithless generation. He’d see them all die in the desert and raise up a new generation that will take possession of the Promised Land.

 

[Slide] At Meribah, Moses loses his temper again, failing to do exactly as God commanded him. As a result, God denied Moses entry to the Promised Land. In 38 years of wandering after Mt Sinai, all the former slaves of Egypt died. Moses’ sister, Miriam, dies. His brother Aaron, the high priest dies. A new generation rises. Moses prepares them to take possession of the Promised Land by receiving a second instruction, the Book of Deuteronomy.

 

[Slide] 120 year old Moses, told the Israelites, “The Lord your God is about to cross over before you; He will destroy these nations before you…” (Dt 31:3) Be strong and courageous! Do not fear or tremble before them, for the Lord your God is the one who is going with you. He will not fail you or abandon you!” (Dt 31:6)

 

[Slide] Then Moses climbs Mt Pisgah and sees the Promised Land with his own eyes. The Lord shows all of it to him, and then Moses dies. Joshua leads Israel to take possession of the Promised Land.

 

The promise of the land of Canaan led Israel through the wilderness. God’s promise was their guiding principle.

 

God has a promise for us, too. We are promised an eternal home not built by human hands. We all hope in eternal life in heaven with God and all God’s faithful. But there is a promise much closer than that. [Slide] It is Jesus’ promise to be with us always in our mission to make disciples.

 

 

 

Jesus’ vision is to build heaven on earth. [Slide] His work is to bring the transformative love of God to every human heart. For two thousand years, Christians work to build God’s kingdom. Every congregation is an expression of the kingdom of heaven. Building the kingdom where God’s love reigns is our guiding principle.

 

[Slide] We pray every Sunday, “Thy kingdom come! Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” Where is the kingdom of heaven? Heaven is where God’s will is done. We are called to bring heaven, the reign of God’s love, to the lives of our neighbors.

 

As you consider our community, where do we need to help bring heaven to earth? [Slide] Where do we need a little Jesus? These little plastic figurines are popping up everywhere! Who needs hope that Christ is with us? Our mission isn’t about filling church pews. It is about bringing heaven to the hearts of our neighbors so that they might experience hope and the living presence of God. We are rich in the things of God. Share the wealth!

 

I once heard a church planter say that God needs to break our hearts for the lost. He said we should stand at the doors of Walmart weeping for unbelievers. 8 out of 10 of our neighbors have no church affiliation. In 2007, Pew Research reports that 78% of Americans identify as Christian. By 2023, that number has fallen to 62%.

 

Our greatest crisis is among young adults. Only 46% of Americans under the age of 25 believe in the existence of God. Over 36% of young adults suffer from anxiety, depression or other mental health challenges. Suicide is the second leading cause of death among our young people. They are literally dying from a godless, hopeless worldview.

 

 

 

 

We have the solution. It’s faith in Christ. We have been given the mission to bring life-saving faith in Jesus to our community, to the lost, lonely and broken. If we are going to be part of the solution, we must take possession of the land and build the kingdom of God here amongst our neighbors.

 

Jesus commissioned the Church to go and make disciples. [Slide] Work your FRAN Plan. List your Friends, Relatives, Associates and Neighbors who don’t have a church home. Choose five names and pray for them daily. Invite them to worship. [Slide] Don’t be afraid. Don’t be discouraged. The Lord is with you. God goes before you. He will not fail you. Keep inviting.

 

[Slide] We have inherited a church system that caters to religious consumers. We bring a consumer mindset into the church. If we don’t like the religious experience we get in one place, we’ll go buy it someplace else. With a consumer mindset, it’s all about me. There’s no sense of covenant community holding us together. Religious consumers don’t think the Great Commission applies to them. They think it’s someone else’s job.

 

Another aspect of consumer church is a constant effort to accommodate changing tastes and cultural preferences. [Slide] We behave like the Dr Suess Church. Would you like church in a box? Would you like it with a fox? Would you like church while you stand? How about with a rock band?

 

We have one vital offer for the world: Jesus. [Slide] Jesus is our sole product. He is the way, the truth and the life, God with us! Jesus brings healing, help and hope. Jesus restores us to a right relationship with God. Jesus opens heaven’s blessing to us. He is ready to pour out His blessings on all who will come to Him.

 

 

 

Our community of faith should feel like a taste of heaven, where God’s love reigns. We should be a place where lifelong friends are made. Some of us have that, but some are outside the friendship bubble. They need you to notice. They need you to turn outward and welcome them into friendship.

 

Why doesn’t the church act upon Jesus’ call to go and make disciples? [Slide] Comfort. Our desire to see church pews filled has more to do with our own comfort than it does a compassion for those who live without hope in Christ. Will you allow God to break your heart for the lost who live all around us? Will you sacrifice your personal comfort to go and make strangers into friends, friends into family, and family into world changing disciples? Be willing to experience discomfort, try new things, strike up conversations with strangers.

 

Often, I’ve heard families speak of their loved one as someone who never met a stranger. We need to be that kind of person. Christ is calling disciples who are interested in meeting new people.

 

Remember the word FORD, Family, Occupation, Recreation and Dreams

 

Tell me about yourself? What do you want to know?

Tell me about your family

What do you do for a living? Retired? From where?

How are you spending your retirement?

What do you like to do for fun?

Tell me, what are you looking forward to?

What are your dreams and aspirations in life?

 

You will learn a lot by asking these kinds of questions.

 

 

 

Don’t let comfort keep us stuck in Dr Seuss consumer church. Be willing to feel uncomfortable and practice meeting new people, so that you widen your circle of friends. Some of those friends will be glad to hear about your faith. Ask permission to share your story. Tell them how faith in Jesus has helped you.

 

[Slide] Besides comfort, fear keeps the church from acting upon the Great commission. We are afraid to act upon Jesus’ call to go and make disciples. We are afraid of rejection, hostility and being labeled a religious kook! Fear kept a generation of Hebrews from receiving the promise. As the song says, Fear is a liar!

 

Most people will likely appreciate an invitation to worship or some other church event from a trusted friend. 8 out of ten of our neighbors are without Christian friends. They are victims of lies about the church. They are lost, lonely, and hurting. [Slide] They need you to help them meet Jesus.

 

Remember Jesus goes before you. Trust that He walks with you.

Do not fear. Be strong and courageous!

 

Take Possession of the land, for Christ’s sake!