You Have Been Around This Mountain To Long

“YOU HAVE BEEN GOING AROUND THIS MOUNTAIN LONG ENOUGH. Deut 2:1-7

IS. 57:1,2, 11-15

In our lives we need to be careful of going toward two extremes that have a devastating affect on us. 1.

Sitting at ease in our present comfortable position. In this I see that we like things the way they are and do

not want to change. Amos 6: “Woe to you who are complacent in Zion.” 2. The other is running to do things

without thinking it through. Both of these are contrary to the Bible which says, “Commit your way unto the

lord and He shall direct your paths.” Ps. 37: 5Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will do this:

6He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.” Pr.

16:3 "Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and your plans will succeed.”

I. THE DELAY. God was saying to his people, “You have been circling this mountain for to long of a time.”

This mountain was not where God wanted them to be. He had much, much more. Some had commented

that it is a blessed thing to saved from the wrath to come, but one can not just stay there and remain

spiritually healthy. I have heard and seen some that only live in the past because that was a safe time. Our

first comfort zone that we were expelled from was one in which we lived for nine months. We were fed, we

were warm, we had not worries, we did not need to worry about clothes, we were carried about to every

place we went and we were not disturbed about the conditions of the world. So it happened when we were

born we cried for we had been taken out of that safe environment. It was a cold world and we needed

attention and were helpless except for our little voices. For some of us the next big shock was there was

another creature that looked somewhat like us and they wanted the attention of the ones that had been

providing us love so we had to share. About the age of five we were then thrown out of our house to a room

full of other little people and a big person we did not know who was to teach us. We can remember the past

but we can not stay there.

God wants His people to move on and these people had been wandering in the desert for 38 years. Now

He says it is time for you to take possession of the land that I promised you. Where are you spiritually? It is

up to you where you want to be. Col 3 1-10 set forth what has been described as standing and state

of the Christian. The indicative statements describe the believer’s position in Christ: He is dead to

the world, he has been raised with Christ, he is with Christ in heaven, he has "taken off the old self"

and he has "put on the new self" . The imperative statements indicate what the believer is to do as a

result: He is to set his heart (or mind) on things above, he is to put to death practices that belong to

his earthly nature and he is to rid himself of practices that characterized his unregenerate self. In

summary, he is called upon to become in daily experience what he is positionally in Christ.

12Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion,

kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances

you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14And over all these virtues put on

love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. 15Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since

as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. 16Let the word of Christ dwell in

you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and

spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. 17And whatever you do, whether in word or deed,

do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. Ph 3:14I press

on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus."

II. THE DIRECTIVE. "Turn." The good land lay north of them and they needed to start going that way. They

did not have to dwell in the wilderness anymore but in the blessings that God wanted them to have. God had

provided for them in the wilderness but he had much more for them in the promised land.