Title: 4th of July Message: An Important Reminder Script: Dt. 8
Type: July 4th Where: GNBC 7-4-11/rw 7-5-15/7-4-21
Intro: Today we celebrate the anniversary of our nation’s independence. Many great Christian men were instrumental in our nation’s founding. Patrick Henry was one such man, a famous statesman and orator from Virginia, he served in the House of Burgesses, was a delegate to the Continental Congress, where before the Virginia Provincial Convention which was deeply divided between revolutionaries and loyalists, he uttered his most famous words: “Give me liberty or give me death.” During the Rev. War he became commander-in-chief of Virginia’s military forces, helped draw up the Virginia constitution, as well as several amendments to our Constitution which became known as the “Bill of Rights”. He became Virginia’s first governor and was re-elected by a grateful people 4 times! Now listen what this early and influential patriot said: “It cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often that this great nation was founded not by religionists, but by Christians – not on religions, but on the Gospel of Jesus Christ.” Henry’s Last Will and Testament was interesting. He bequeathed all of his property to his children. Nothing unusual there! However, the last paragraph of his will read: “I have now given everything I own to my children. There is one more thing I wish I could give them and that is Christ! Because if they have everything I gave them and don’t have Christ, they have nothing.” I love reading stories about our patriots and founders who gave so valiantly of themselves so we could be free. Yet, this am we need to be reminded of a solemn warning God gave another nation, 1000’s of yrs. ago who was experiencing the same htrill of independence after 400 yrs. of Egyptian slavery.
Prop: Today we’ll examine 3 cautions Moses gave Israel upon her independence that we would do well to heed as well.
BG: 1. Was an exciting time period in life of Jewish people. On verge of Promised Land. About to go in and conquer the land. 400 years of slavery, 40 yrs. of wandering. About to get own land.
2. Deuteronomy -- which means "the repetition of the law" -- consists chiefly of three discourses delivered by Moses shortly before his death.
Prop: Today we’ll examine 3 cautions Moses gave Israel upon her independence that America would do well to heed today.
I. Be Careful How You Live! Vv. 1-10
A. Be careful to do…
1. Israel was being exhorted to remember God’s faithful dealings.
a. v.2 – Israel was called to remember the Exodus and Wandering of 40 yrs. God proved to be supernaturally faithful to them – v. 4 – So much so that clothes and shoes didn’t wear out, and (meaningful to Poland Team this week!) feet didn’t swell up from years of walking! That’s supernatural!
b. You see, in all of this, God had a purpose, that Israel would learn humility. (vv. 2-3) Everything in our country today is a struggle for pride. Pride, pride, pride!, whatever. We dedicate an entire most on our Federal calendar to highlight behavior God says is an abomination. Humility takes the focus off our ourselves and onto others, especially God, as He provides and meets the needs of our lives. Everything in us strains against this notion, for to accept this as fact is to be humbled. And humility naturally leads to submission. That’s really the issue, isn’t it? We don’t want to admit that God is the giver of every good gift, because that would mean that we have to yield to his agenda. Humility, submission and obedience. Humility would yield to God’s design not man’s agenda.
2. Today, America would do well to remember God’s faithful dealings in our past.
a. Illust - Woody Allen is credited with saying, “If you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans.” We could add to it, “If you want to hear him laugh even louder, tell him how much you know.” Just because it’s true, however, doesn’t make it easy to accept. It’s hard to admit that we do not know as much as we think we know. And we certainly aren’t in control of as much as we’d like to think. We make our plans, but it is God who controls the outcome. We make our plans, but we understand that, if the Lord wills, we shall live let alone do this or that (James 4:13-15). John Ruskin said, “I believe that the first test of a truly great man is his humility. I don't mean by humility, doubt of his power. But really great men have a curious feeling that the greatness is not of them, but through them. And they see something divine in every other man and are endlessly, foolishly, incredibly merciful.” The modern notion of the “self-made” man, pulling himself up by his own bootstraps and, by the sweat of his own brow, climbing to the pinnacle of success is so deeply imbedded in our consciousness that any other possibility seems foreign. It’s humbling to recognize that God is more responsible for the achievements of our lives than we are, that we are people who have been given our abilities, time and opportunities.
b. “Be careful to do…” God gave Israel the five books of the Law so could be reminded of what to “do” by faith so as to remain in a right relationship with Him. Yes, Christianity is a religion of grace, but in reaction and grateful appreciation to and for that grace there are things we are to DO or not do so as to stay in that right relationship with Christ. Later this morning we will DO something that helps us to remember God’s ultimate example of faithfulness in His dealings with man. We will partake of the Lord’s table, Bread and juice cause us to reflect.
B. Be careful to remember…
1. Remember that God isn’t an absent Parent and will discipline His children.
a. It is not fun being disciplined or corrected. Israel was warned they would be disciplined. In the NT we are told that God will discipline His wayward child. Discipline is a sign of God’s love for His covenant people. Why? Wants us to be conformed into the image of Christ. “For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son…” (Rom. 8:29)
b. Illust - In Discipleship Journal, Carole Mayhall tells of a woman who went to a diet center to lose weight. The director took her to a full-length mirror. On it he outlined a figure and told her, "This is what I want you to be like at the end of the program." Days of intense dieting and exercise followed, and every week the woman would stand in front of the mirror, discouraged because her bulging outline didn’t fit the director’s ideal. But she kept at it, and finally one day she conformed to the longed-for image. (Daily Bread, August 8, 1990.) Becoming like Christ takes discipline and transformation and time and patience. But happens.
2. Be careful to remember that the Lord will bring blessing on His children.
a. Through Moses, the Lord is telling the people of Israel that they shall be a blessed nation materially. (vv. 7-10) Israel was then, and still is today a blessed nation. Do you know that among the nations, Israel has one of the highest yield per arable acre of land today? During the time period of the Bible Israel’s agricultural production was higher than most other nations.
b. Illust – You know how blessed of a nation we are in America? In America, our poor are obese! Seriously. Poorest state in the Union? Mississippi. Highest rate of obesity. I have been in places in the world where there is want. Result? Hunger and privation. We are the land of plenty and yet we no longer recognize it is from God’s hand.
C. Applic: America…be careful!
II. Beware of the Danger of Forgetting! Vv. 11-17
A. Beware lest you forget. Forget what? The Lord! (America has forgotten the God of the Bible and replaced Him with a god made in our own image.)
1. Israel was being warned here not to forget her God.
a. Illust – “Beware” signs. Instill caution in our hearts. “Beware of Dog”, “Forget the Dog, Beware of the Owner!”. Beware is a caution and the caution is because we are so easy to forget. Illust: On Victory in Europe Day, PM W. Churchill broadcast to the British Empire that Germany had surrendered and that a final cease fire on all fronts in Europe would come into effect at one minute past midnight that night.[177][178] Afterwards, Churchill told a huge crowd in Whitehall: "This is your victory." The people shouted: "No, it is yours", and Churchill then conducted them in the singing of Land of Hope and Glory. With a few months the war-weary nation voted and Clement Attlee replaced Churchill. People were quick to forget the man who had lead the free world against Nazis, Japanese. Man is very fickle and forgets very easily.
b. Moses is in some ways giving here a farewell address to the nation that he has led the past 40 yrs. through wilderness wanderings. Moses was in some ways both religious and political/tribal leader of this nation. He knows that His days are about to come to an end. The nation is about to enter the Promised Land and he cannot lead. Wants to give final words of warning and advice.
2. America must be reminded not to forget her God!
a. The testimony of history has made it abundantly clear that not only nations, but also individuals, need to heed that warning. The greatness of a nation does not rest in its military power, technological advancement, or its national wealth. Righteousness & justice are the determining factors. Solomon, the wisest of men, said: "Righteousness exalts a nation; but sin is a reproach to any people." [Proverbs 14:34] And what is happening in the United States today? To a great extent, our modern objectives have become success, status, & security. Our permissive society turns freedom into license; rights into riots; & pornography into profit. Concern about a higher standard of living has resulted in some failing to live by any standard. Riches are elevated above righteousness, & science above the Savior. We abandon the moral law & then shake our heads in disbelief as crime increases.
b. This reminder has always been needed. In 1675 King Philips’ War would begin in the colonies. Native Americans, resentful of the increasing numbers of pilgrims, went on the warpath. For months, Cotton Mather, early Puritan preacher (1st person in the new world to receive an honorary doc.) had been preaching for the society to reform and return to God (Actually from Dt. 8!),had become wealthy and stubborn and cold. Had become prosperous and neglectful of worship and duty to God. IN the words of an earlier writer, God’s patience with the colonialists had come to an end. This was a spiritual battle. God had lifted His divine protection from them. And yet, again, God supernaturally intervened, when at just the right moment of the siege, an Indian, whose family had been wiped-out by King Philip for their Christian faith, went to the colonialists to teach them how to fight Indian style. Also, one lone man, was able to run 30 miles through Indian controlled forests to get militia back to the community in 2 days before massacred. (America we need to turn back to God…lest He remove His divine hand of protection from us.)
B. How could you and I forget the Lord?
1. Moses declares that Israel would forget if they neglected to keep His commandments, ordinances, or statues.
a. Actively fulfilling one’s religious vows, commandments, or priorities causes us to keep the Lord in the front of our minds and lives. That was what the Lord wanted for Israel. A nation that was set-apart (sanctified) for His purposes, for His use. And as such, they were to be separate, religiously, from the nations surrounding her. Standards, morals, diet, holidays, were to be different. Religion was to be different. Why? Because God wanted it so. God had led them. God had fed them past 40 yrs. How could possibly forget Him? And yet, this is the nature of man.
b. Look at verses 11-14. God was going to bless His covenant people. God always blesses His covenant people. But the danger is always in becoming PROUD! God’s people are to be a humble, not proud, people. Brother/sister, there is a major difference in being OWNER of what God has given you and being STEWARD over what He has given you. You can have much or have little and still not have this lesson learned. The OWNER thinks it is all his/hers and the stuff of life becomes his/her focus. Is afraid to use it. Afraid to share it. Afraid to use in God’s service because afraid of potential loss. Not the STEWARD! Recognizes that it is all God’s on temporary loan! God gives and God may take away or require. Feel blessed to be able to use for God’s purposes!
2. Practicing God’s Word helps to keep Your Love Towards Christ Fresh.
a. As a nation have we forgotten about our Lord? I think there is no doubt. As individuals, have we lost our first love and forgotten the Lord? In Rev. 2:4 is one of the most sobering verses in the Bible. Written to the Church at Ephesus: “But I have this against you, you have lost your first love.” We have some couples in our church newly married. You can see love in their eyes. Yet we also know couples married 20-30-40 years and can’t stand each other. Lost first love.
b. ILL. George Washington Carver held a peanut in his hand & looked up to God & asked, "God, what is in the peanut?" Carver said, "God answered, `You’ve got a brain. Find out for yourself.’" He started searching for all the secrets in the lowly peanut. He fell in love with his work, & gave his life to it. And mankind is the better for it. There is something tremendously fulfilling in doing something & experiencing the satisfaction of doing it well. But there is another side, isn’t there, when work begins to be monotonous, just something we do to get a paycheck, & the feeling of satisfaction is gone? The saddest example of lost love is when an individual loses his or her love for God. That is why this passage in Revelation is so tragic. It describes a church that once was alive & enthusiastic about the things of God.
C. Applic: America, beware of letting your love for Christ wane.
III. Be Careful to Remember! Vv. 18-20
A. Moses Challenged Israel to Remember the Lord, for from that relationship flows wealth.
(*Illust – History is full of markers of man’s cruelty towards man. Easy to do when not following Christ. )
1. What were the dangers that loomed so large in Moses’ mind? Why did he think they would forget to thank God for all the good things they received? There were three distinct dangers mentioned in this passage, dangers that are more than relevant for us as well.
a. Prosperity – Moses recognized that prosperity was a major threat to a grateful heart. “Otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied, when you build fine houses and settle down, and when your herds and flocks grow large and your silver and gold increase and all you have is multiplied, then your heart will become proud…” (12-14a). Pride – Prosperity can lead to pride. The two are so connected they are really one, but I wanted to deal briefly with pride on its own. As it continues in v. 14, “…then your heart will become proud, and you will forget the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.” Pride emerging out of prosperity will cause us to forget what God has done for us. Illust: This past year’s 2021 National Day of Prayer set an ignoble standard. President Biden’s proclamation never even MENTIONED God in it! We are so proud forget to mention God in our Day of Prayer Proclamation! Personal Accomplishment – It is no surprise that pride is closely connected to the feeling of personal accomplishment. Moses perceived that they would say “My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me” (17). What defines us in society? Our work, what we do, what we earn and what we have. It is a pride that is based not in what a person is, but what a person has. When we live in this kind of narcisistic egomania, where is God to be found? God becomes insignificant and a distant thought in terms of gratitude. This pride says: “I am important,” “I count,” and “I am!” And we replace the great “I AM” with ourselves. Do you find that counting your blessings becomes harder when there are too many to count?
2. v. 18 – This is an amazing verse. (Read aloud). That verse should make us grateful today.
B. American Needs to Remember from Where Our Wealth Originates. – God’s blessing!
1. Illust – Do you know that our Pilgrim fathers on the Mayflower had to decide whether to go to Guyana in S. America or the harsh New England coast? Thought the allurement to good weather and gold would be detrimental to their spiritual lives and devotion! Years ago a S. American president was visiting in this country and said as much: “People came to my land in search of gold. People came to your land in search of God!” Now, which S. American economy rivals America’s? NONE! Chile avg. per capita income is $15,000. America’s is $48,000! Guyana, where Pilgrims chose not to go – last year - $4,000 per person. We are 12x that amount!
2. Now, having said that, America is in financial straights right now. – (As of yesterday: $28.4 trillion in debt, that’s $85,500 per person, but $226,800 per taxpayer! The national debt has added 10 trillion in last 6 yrs! It’s not totally about economic policy, it’s about our arrogance and turning from God!
C. Applic: "Although Douglas MacArthur graduated from West Point at the top of his class, he continued to prepare himself for service to his country. He studied every military textbook he could get his hands on. He visited battlefields and personally reviewed the tactics which the victors and the losers used. While other young officers were playing cards or practicing their golf swing, MacArthur ignored the social whirl to make himself better prepared as a future leader. He even insisted on having his appendix removed just in case it would ever cause him to be incapacitated with an attack of appendicitis at a crucial time later in his career. Douglas MacArthur’s preparedness proved wise. As the key military leader in the Pacific theatre of operations during World War II, he had personally responded to his country’s call to duty years before the actual crisis of war by preparing himself to be a top general. Each Christian can have that kind of commitment to Christ’s rule and prepare himself or herself for service. Are you preparing yourself to serve Christ? Are you responding to His call by preparing now for service tomorrow! Don’t forget your God!.
