CHRISTIANS ARE GOD’S SPECIAL PEOPLE (Outline)
MARCH 19, 2023 – Lent 4 – DEUTERONOMY 7:6-11
INTRO.: People like to feel special. We feel good know that we matter to someone. How comforting to know how much we matter to the Lord. Today’s text reminds us that our loving, heavenly Father considers all of his followers to be special people. Very special. "But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, the people who are God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light" (1 PETER 2:9). CHRISTIANS ARE GOD’S SPECIAL PEOPLE. I. Made holy to know God’s love. II. Made holy to show God’s love.
I. GOD MAKES CHRISTIANS HOLY BY HIS LOVE.
A. Verse 6. God is speaking through Moses to Israel, God’s chosen people.
1. The Lord calls them holy because he has chosen them as his own. His treasured possession.
2. The Lord chose Israel to be his own from among all the nations on the earth. Special.
B. Verse 7. It was only by the Lord’s love that they were his chosen nation.
1. It was not that Israel was a large nation. Or numerous. They actually were few in number.
2. Only by God’s choice was Israel special. Holy. Treasured possession. God’s grace and love.
C. Verse 8. Why did the Lord choose Israel to be his own? First, because of his love for them.
1. The Lord also remembered his promise made to their forefathers. Adam and Eve. Abraham.
2. Because of his love and by his power the Lord God delivered from their slavery in Egypt.
D. With miraculous power the Lord gave freedom to Israel after spending centuries as slaves in Egypt. They were saved by grace. Jesus spoke to the Jewish leaders about the truth setting them free. They responded that they were not slaves. Sadly, all too many feel that way today. Scripture reminds us that everyone who sins is a slave to sin. We confess that we are sinners. All of us. All the time. Even our righteous acts are like filthy rags. Our sins sweep us away. Even more sadly too many false prophets do not talk about sin. So called gatherings of believers are blinded by false teachers. "While they promise these people freedom, they themselves are slaves to corruption, for a person is a slave to what has control of him" (2 PETER 2:19). Who/What is our master? Money? Glory? Anger? Worry?
E. What are we to do? How can we set ourselves free? These are questions Satan wants us to ask. We look to ourselves. We expect to solve our own sinfulness. It is impossible. That is exactly why the Lord shows us his love. We cannot save ourselves. We cannot do enough – never, ever – to win salvation. Or to please God. Such is the soul destroying false preaching all too many churches promote Sunday after Sunday. On our own we are lost and condemned creatures. "So you are no longer a slave, but a son. And if you are a son, then you are also an heir of God through Christ" (GALATIANS 4:7). Here is God’s great love for us. By grace the Lord has adopted us into his family. An inheritance in heaven!
F. Followers of Christ rejoice that God has opened your eyes to see his love. Ears to hear God’s great love. Hearts to know and believe just how much the Lord loves you. Me. Every Christian. Never ever does the Lord leave us or forsake us. Even though we may wander off. Our loving, heavenly Father finds us. Restores us. “He will also keep you strong until the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful, who called you into fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord" (1 CORINTHIANS 1:8,9). God is faithful. Forever. We have fellowship with God through Christ, our Lord. We are blameless only because of the blood of Jesus Christ. Special people by God’s choice, love.
CHRISTIANS ARE GOD’S SPECIAL PEOPLE. We are made holy by knowing God’s love.
II. GOD MAKES CHRISTIANS HOLY FOR SHOWING HIS LOVE.
A. Verse 9. The Lord loved Israel. Chose them to be his own. Delivered them from slavery. Pharaoh.
1. The Lord God did all tis so Israel would know the Lord God is their God. Faithful God.
2. Their God kept his promise. Showed his mercy for thousands of generations. Boundless mercy.
B. Verse 10. Not everyone heard or listened to God’s word. They cut themselves off from God’s love.
1. When people reject the Lord the Lord will eventually reject them.
2. Pharaoh kept hardening his heart. God rejected him. Destroyed his army.
3. God delivered Israel into the Promised Land. They rejected him. Enemies defeated Israel.
C. Verse 11. God’s encouragement was for Israel to listen. Pay attention to his laws. God’s word.
1. They were not to follow the Lord’s commandments out of fear.
2. Israel knew God’s love. Lived in God’s love. They could/would show God’s love to others.
D. The Lord gave Israel the Ten Commandments. They needed them. Came out of centuries of slavery. Israel only did what they had been told. Freedom was new. They did not have any direction of what to do. Or not to do. We need direction in our lives. The Ten Commandments are our guidelines. They point us the Lord. His will. Way. The Lord’s commandments are not burdensome. Jesus was asked which was the greatest commandment. Answer: Love the Lord your God. Bonus answer: Love your neighbor as yourself. Ten Commandments summed up in the word love. Hours before his betrayal Jesus taught his disciples about love. "A new commandment I give you: Love one another. Just as I have loved you, so also you are to love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another" (JOHN 13:34, 35). They would now face loveless actions of loveless people. We are given the same direction. Love your enemies. Pray for those who persecute. Love one another.
E. We are not going to love our enemies without knowing the Lord’s great love for us. By faith we know how much our heavenly Father loves us. By grace we see the result of the love of Jesus in our daily life. The Lord God of Armies does not ask or expect anyone to do what they cannot do. By the strength of knowing Christ lives in us we can show love. "And he died for all, so that those who live would no longer live for themselves but for him, who died in their place and was raised again" (2 CORINTHIANS 5:15). Christ died for us! That is love. Sacrificial love. Now we can, want to live lives of love for him.
F. Our world cries out for love. Many people seek to feel special. Valuable. We have the love of the Lord Jesus Christ alive in us. The joy of Easter is what our world needs to hear. Even if they do not know it. Christ did die. Was buried. Rose again from the dead. For our sins. For the sins of the world. We praise his holy name. "I will sing of the mercies of the LORD forever. With my mouth I will make your faithfulness known through all generations" (PSALM 89:1). Share God’s mercy of eternal salvation.
CONCL.: Christian friends you are God’s special people. In our loveless, angry society the Lord God has shown us his love. The divine love which is ours by grace we live to show to others. We know what Jesus did. Others need to know the Truth also. "He gave himself for us, to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people who are his own chosen people, eager to do good works" (TITUS 2:14). We are special people because we are eager to do what is good. Our sins are forgiven. Freely. Fully. God loves you, me, and all sinners. Only CHRISTIANS ARE GOD’S SPECIAL PEOPLE. Made holy to know God’s love. Made holy to show God’s love. Special. Amen. Pastor Timm O. Meyer
LENT 4 readings: ISAIAH 42:14-21; EPHESIANS 5:8-14; JOHN 9:1-7, 13-17, 34-39; (PSALM 27)
SERVICES: 8:00am @ McCook (Sun) / 10:30am @ Redeemer (Sun) / NCF 1:00 Min. (Sat) & 12:00 Med. (Sun)
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