Jesus quoted the book of Deuteronomy more than any other source. Over eighty times he referred to its pages. Three times during His temptation in the wilderness He quoted from this book. That in itself should arouse our curiosity about the spiritual wisdom in its pages.
When you read the first chapter of Deuteronomy you realize it is a book about renewal. The Hebrews were renewing their covenant with God before they took possession of the Promised Land.
They had become apathetic while wandering around in the wilderness for forty years. Actually, you could take the "a" off the word; they weren’t just apathetic, they were pathetic. There didn’t seem to be any excitement in their lives. They were dry and indifferent and spiritually shallow. So God gave them some instructions to follow in order to renew their enthusiasm and rid them of their apathy.
Some of you here today may be feeling a little apathetic. You’ve been wandering around in your own little wilderness for one reason or another. But you sense the need for renewal. You crave renewal. You long for fresh energy. You’re looking for a way to get out of your rut. I’m glad you came today because the Word of God has good news for you!
In fact, for four Sundays, beginning today, we’re going to look at various actions you can take to jump-start your enthusiasm for life! The title of this series is, "Who Cares About Apathy?", and I want to tell you right up front that God cares about apathy and He cares about you! So He gave us instructions in His Word on overcoming it.
"You have stayed long enough at this mountain", God told the Israelites in verse 6. Its like God is saying, "It’s time to get motivated." Some of you can identify with that. You’ve been in a slump long enough and its time to break out.
"How do I do it?", you might ask.
Today we’re going to deal with the first step God gave His people in Deuteronomy chapter one. Its found in verses 9 through 18.
Moses said to the people in verse 9 - At that time I said to you, "You are too heavy a burden for me to carry alone. (10) The LORD your God has increased your numbers so that today you are as many as the stars in the sky. (11) May the LORD, the God of your fathers, increase you a thousand times and bless you as he has promised! (12) But how can I bear your problems and your burdens and your disputes all by myself? (13) Choose some wise, understanding and respected men from each of your tribes, and I will set them over you."
(14) You answered me, "What you propose to do is good."
(15) So I took the leading men of your tribes, wise and respected men, and appointed them to have authority over you - as commanders of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties and of tens and as tribal officials. (16) And I charged your judges at that time: Hear the disputes between your brothers and judge fairly, whether the case is between brother Israelites or between one of them and an alien.
The first step to your renewal is involvement in a small group.
Moses appointed leaders all the way down to groups of only 10 people in size. this was the only way their individual needs could be accomodated. There were simply too many people for him to interact with on a personal relationship basis.
Why are small groups helpful to your spiritual renewal?
1. You need a small group to maintain closeness.
Your small group might take the form of a Sunday school class, or it might be a youth group, a prayer group, or a home Bible study group. The point is, the smaller size will enable you to better know one another’s needs, know what to pray about, how to be an encouragement and what’s going on in each other’s lives.
You’ll have someone with whom to share your hopes and dreams as well as your hurts and pains. Involvement in a small group is one of the ways you can help keep yourself from burning out as a believer.
Large group meetings, like when the church comes together for corporate worship, are needed too. But large gatherings can’t do everything that small gatherings can do. Small groups create an even greater sense of caring and belonging.
One of the primary reasons that Alcoholics Anonymous is so successful in helping people is because it utilizes the small group approach. Bill Wilson, one of the founders of AA, and his friends found out that when they met regularly to talk about their weaknesses, downfalls, and near-downfalls, that it gave them a sense of strength to overcome their temptation to drink.
Where did Wilson get the original idea? From a minister named Sam Shoemaker. Where did Shoemaker get the idea? You guessed it - from the Bible!
2. You need a small group to serve others.
Serving others is a great renewal tool for several reasons. When you serve others you are less focused on your problems. And, of course, you have other people that are focused on your problems for you!
Makes me think of the newspaper story about a circus performer. The headline read, "Circus Contortionist Gets Foot Stuck On Shoulder."
"Circus workers accustomed to seeing a contortionist wrap his body into strange shapes at first ignored his pleas for help when he told them he’d gotten his right foot stuck on his left shoulder."
According to the Associated Press (7/13/01), Berkine, A Netherlands National Circus performer known by his stage name, became trapped in the painful position while rehearsing for a show in Gillingham, southeastern England.
"I think the problem was that I did not warm up very well," he said. "I just became stuck...It was frightening because it was really hurting me and because I could not move."
Berkine, 21, of Kazakhstan, said his circus co-workers at first ignored him when he shouted for help. "Because the guys watch Berkine every night, they thought he was joking at first, but then realized he was being serious," circus producer Chris Barltrop said.
Sometimes you get in tough situations that you can’t get out of by yourself. It’s good to have a small group of friends around to untangle you! A group you can serve and be served in.
3. You need a small group for spiritual formation.
Ever wonder why Jesus only chose twelve apostles? There were several reasons, but one thing this small group approach did was give the members a greater sense of accountability.
If you knew there were others keeping up with what’s going on in your life you would be more conscientious about how you live as a believer.
Some of you are "lone ranger" Christians. You’ve bought into the "rugged individualism" concept so much that you’ve forgotten you’re not alone on the planet. You have unhealthly hangups about not opening up to other people. You don’t want to share your struggles with others because you don’t want them to know you don’t have it all together. Here’s a revelation for you: we already know you don’t have it all together. None of us has it all together. We need one another.
You may think that if you open up to a small group that you won’t be loved. Something you should consider is that, if you don’t open up it will be more difficult for others to love you.
Listen to what the Bible says in Ecclesiastes 4:9-12.
(9) Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: (10) If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up! (11) Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? (12) Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.
Maybe there have been times in your life that you felt sorry that you didn’t have any close friends. Let me ask you, what have you done to make friends? Are you too busy to take the time to get involved in a small group? Are you too self-sufficient?
You need the accountability of a small group. Your spiritual life will be formed by your interaction with others.
On March 10, 1974, Lt. Hiroo Onada was the last World War II Japanese soldier to surrender.
Onada had been left on the island Lubang in the Philippines on December 25, 1944, with the command to "carry on the mission even if Japan surrenders." Four other Japanese soldiers were left on the island as Japan evacuated Lubang. One soldier surrendered in 1950. Another was killed in a skirmish with local police in 1954. Another was killed in 1972. Onada continued his war alone.
All efforts to convince him to surrender or to capture him failed. He ignored messages from loudspeakers announcing Japan’s surrender and that Japan was now an ally of the United States. Leaflets were dropped over the jungle begging him to surrender so he could return to Japan. He refused to believe or surrender.
Over the years he lived off the land and raided the fields and gardens of local citizens. He was responsible for killing at least 30 nationals during his 29 year personal war. Almost a half million dollars was spent trying to locate and convince him to surrender. 13,000 men were used to try and locate him.
Finally, on March 10, 1974, almost 30 years after World War II ended, Onada surrendered his rusty sword after receiving a personal command from his former superior officer, who read the terms of the cease-fire order. Onanda handed his sword to President Marcos, who pardoned him. The war was over.
Onada was 22-years-old when left on the island. He returned a prematurely aged man of 52.
Onada stated, "Nothing pleasant happened in the 29 years in the jungle." (Taken from a 1974 Newsweek magazine article.)
Don’t live in self-imposed isolation when God has a plan for your life to be interwoven with the joy and fellowship of others in a small group!
I challenge you to personally commit to involvement in a small group today. It will help renew your energy. It will spiritually restore your enthusiasm. It may not happen overnight. But it will happen. Make that decision today and stick with it.
