Get Off The Mountain

Deuteronomy 1

1 These be the words which Moses spake unto all Israel on this side Jordan in the wilderness, in the plain over against the Red sea, between Paran, and Tophel, and Laban, and Hazeroth, and Dizahab.

2 (There are eleven days’ journey from Horeb by the way of mount Seir unto Kadeshbarnea.)

3 And it came to pass in the fortieth year, in the eleventh month, on the first day of the month, that Moses spake unto the children of Israel, according unto all that the LORD had given him in commandment unto them;

4 After he had slain Sihon the king of the Amorites, which dwelt in Heshbon, and Og the king of Bashan, which dwelt at Astaroth in Edrei:

5 On this side Jordan, in the land of Moab, began Moses to declare this law, saying,

6 The LORD our God spake unto us in Horeb, saying, Ye have dwelt long enough in this mount:

7 Turn you, and take your journey, and go to the mount of the Amorites, and unto all the places nigh thereunto, in the plain, in the hills, and in the vale, and in the south, and by the sea side, to the land of the Canaanites, and unto Lebanon, unto the great river, the river Euphrates.

8 Behold, I have set the land before you: go in and possess the land which the LORD sware unto your fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give unto them and to their seed after them.

9 And I spake unto you at that time, saying, I am not able to bear you myself alone:

10 The LORD your God hath multiplied you, and, behold, ye are this day as the stars of heaven for multitude.

11 (The LORD God of your fathers make you a thousand times so many more as ye are, and bless you, as he hath promised you!)

I. Moses returns from a slaughter. He’s old and gray and weary from his battle.

· 40 years Israel has wondered in the wilderness.

· 40th year, 11th month, 1st day. Almost 41 years.

· God spoke to Moses and said, “Enough is Enough”.

Our church birthed some 23 years ago. Some have stayed but many have faultered and were left by the way side.

· God is speaking to HIS church as in days of old and says, “Enough is Enough”

· It’s time to quit running around in circles, bound and cranky, and go through to the land of milk and honey.

II. Notice that Moses had to take care of a little business before the group could proceed. (VERSE 4). There are 5 obstacles want to point out.

· Moses was Pastor.

· Sometimes before the church can go on for God the Pastor has to take care of a little business.

· He must slay some obstacles:

1. Tradition - Mark 7

9 And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition.

· “Well Grandma did it this way! Mommy always did it that way! “

· “People don’t need to come to church until they clean up their life! “

· “If it was good enough for King James, it’s good enough for me.”

· Tradition will keep us from fulfilling God’s Will.

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2. Doubt – Matthew 17

19 Then came the disciples to Jesus apart, and said, Why could not we cast him out?

20 And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.

· “Well we tried that before and it failed!”

· “We lost families because we didn’t taylor to the needs of the people!”

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3. Pharisee’s and Saducee’s – Matthew 23

15"Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as you are.

· “I was here long before you came and I’ll be here long after your gone!”

· It wasn’t the lost and sinner that crucified our Saviour, it was the church. The one’s that thought they had all the answers.

· Those that like to set back and judge, complaining about the piece of thread in someone else’s eye when they have a piece of wood in their eye.

4. Procrastination – Matthew 8

21 And another of his disciples said unto him, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father.

22 But Jesus said unto him, Follow me; and let the dead bury their dead.