Everyone grab a pen or a pencil. Now, take your bulletin and I¡¦m going to practice ¡§Preacher¡¦s Prerogative¡¨ and re-title my sermon. I gave this sermon its original title a month or so ago when I went away on a retreat day. I read this chapter, drew up an outline and the title printed in your bulletin ¡§Do You Want God¡¦s Blessing or God¡¦s Curse?¡¨ is the title I came up with that day. After thinking about it and studying, I changed my mind. I¡¦ll explain more about why in just a moment. Both titles are based on my text for this morning. Please turn to¡K
TEXT: Deuteronomy 11:26-28 (READ)
Now, the reason I changed my title is this: I DON¡¦T LIKE TO THINK OF GOD AS SOMEONE WHO CURSES ANYONE.
However, it is clear from this passage as well as other places in the Bible that¡K
PROPOSITION: We can either choose God and benefit from the BLESSINGS that come from following Him, or we can reject God and walk out from under His hand of blessing and protection, bringing upon ourselves a CURSE.
It is not God¡¦s nature to go around putting CURSES on people. In fact, God wants to BLESS you! He loves you with an everlasting love that continuously reaches out to you over the course of your lifetime. He wants you to have a great life. Jeremiah 29:11 ¡V ¡§¡¥For I know the plans I have for you,¡¦ declares the Lord, ¡¥Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.¡¦¡¨ Jesus said it like this in the New Testament, ¡§I have come that you might have life, and have it to the full.¡¨ ¡V John 10:10. We know, through the story of Job, that God puts a protective ¡§hedge¡¨ or covering around the righteous. In that situation, the devil had to ask for and receive permission to do the awful things to Job and his family that he did.
But when we move out from under God¡¦s protective covering by our own willful sin and disobedience, God is forced to remove His hand of BLESSING and He basically ¡§gives us what we ask for.¡¨ A good example of this principle is our own country, the United States of America. Founded on Biblical principles, we once were a God-fearing country. Our currency still reads, ¡§In God we Trust.¡¨ But through sin and rebellion America continues to move further and further away from the God of our Fathers. We are walking out from under His providential hand of blessing and protection. And as we choose to walk away, God is ¡§giving us what we ask for.¡¨ WE elected ungodly leaders in Washington and so we get ungodly decisions and results. 33 million aborted babies is a CURSE on our land! AIDS and 30/40 strains of STD¡¦S is not something God wants for America or any people group, but when you regularly promote sexual promiscuity over abstinence, this is the result you get. CURSE instead of BLESSING.
So my basic premise for this message is that OUR WILLINGNESS TO CHOOSE GOD OVER SIN WILL DETERMINE WHETHER WE RECEIVE GOD¡¦S BLESSING OR WE WALK OUT FROM UNDER HIS BLESSING INTO UNPROTECTED TERRITORY, BRINGING UPON OURSELVES A CURSE. If you reject God, you willfully forfeit His covering/blessing.
Now, I¡¦d like to go on at this point but I would be unrealistic if I didn¡¦t let you know that I am aware of several instances in the Bible where God himself severely judged sinners. The following things happened directly at the hand of the Lord and, although I still believe God¡¦s basic nature is to BLESS, I certainly would say these judgements fall into the category of DIVINE CURSES.
„h It¡¦s starts in Genesis, Chapter 3 where Adam and Eve¡¦s original sin brought a curse not only upon them but also on the entire human race! Vs. 17 - ¡§Cursed is the ground because of you¡K¡¨
„h Noah and the flood in Genesis, Chapter 6. Vs. 12 & 13 ¡V ¡§God saw how corrupt the earth had become¡¨ and said to Noah, ¡§I am going to put an end to all people, for the earth is filled with violence because of them.¡¨
„h The destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah in Genesis, Chapter 19.
„h The Egyptian plagues in Exodus 7-11 ending with the death of the firstborn children in each family came directly from the hand of God. NOTE: Remember, God gave them all the chance to be spared this last deadly plague through the shed blood of the Passover Lamb.
„h In Exodus, Chapter 32:35 - ¡§¡Kthe Lord struck the people (of Israel) with a plague because of what they did with the (golden) calf Aaron made.¡¨
„h God detailed serious punishments for sin in Leviticus, Chapter 20.
„h In Numbers 16, God caused the earth to swallow up a group of people who rebelled against Moses and his leadership and in the same Chapter sent down fire from heaven to incinerate 250 men and a plague that killed 14,700 people who had also joined the rebellion. In Number 20, God sent poisonous snakes among the people for the same reason.
„h He struck Miriam with Leprosy in Numbers 12.
„h In I Samuel 16 & 18, God sent an ¡§evil/injurious spirit¡¨ to torment Saul for his disobedience.
„h Because of David¡¦s sin in II Samuel, Chapter 12, God did not allow the son born to him through his adulterous affair with Bathsheba to live.
„h In Acts, Chapter 5, Ananias and Sapphira were killed because they ¡§lied to the Holy Spirit.¡¨
I could go on, but I think you¡¦ve heard enough to get the point. I don¡¦t know if you picked up the pattern here but in every instance I mentioned, those who were punished by God were those who were willfully disobedient. Nowhere in history can you find a place where God poured out His wrath on the righteous. (That¡¦s the reason I believe the Church will not be here during the Great Tribulation.) Psalm 37:25 says, ¡§I¡¦ve never seen the righteous forsaken or the seed begging for bread.¡¨ And yet, sin places us at odds with a holy God. Even still, God loves the sinner.
So, with God we have always had this challenging mix of judgment and grace. In Exodus 34:6, God described Himself like this: ¡§The Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, (is) slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation.¡¨
¡§We need not fear God unless we stop FEARING GOD!¡¨
He extends to us today the same opportunity He offered to His people in Deuteronomy 11. BLESSING or CURSE. ¡§BLESSING if you obey the commands of the Lord your God¡K¡¨ ¡§The CURSE if you disobey the commands of the Lord your God¡K¡¨ Here¡¦s a tough question for you. Tough but necessary.
INTERROGATIVE SENTENCE: We all want good things from God, but are we willing to live in such a way that we deserve His blessing?
¡§Blessing or Curse: The Choice is Yours¡¨
HERE ARE THREE THINGS THAT BRING GOD¡¦S BLESSING INTO OUR LIVES.
I. LOVE GOD ¡V Deuteronomy 11:1&13. He must be your priority.
When asked by the Pharisees to quote what he considered to be the greatest Commandment, Jesus replied in Matthew 22: 37 ¡V ¡§¡¥Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.¡¦ This is the first and greatest commandment.¡¨
In other words, the greatest commandment is to make loving God your priority. God said to His people in Deuteronomy 11 the same exact thing. Vs. 13 ¡V ¡§¡Kif you faithfully obey the commands I am giving you today ¡V to love the Lord your God and to serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul ¡V (I will BLESS you.)¡¨
The problem today is, we still say we love God, but it¡¦s just lip service. There¡¦s a HUGE difference between telling someone you love them and really loving someone. Jesus in the N. Test. and Father God in the Old Test. said ¡§Love me¡Kand love me with ALL YOUR HEART, SOUL, MIND AND STRENGTH.¡¨ Most of us have experienced cheap love. We have felt the difference between the genuine and the counterfeit. ¡§Yeah, I love you baby ¡V now let¡¦s do what lover do and have sex.¡¨ Where¡¦s the love when a baby is born out of wedlock and the dude walks away on you?
¡§Do you take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold, from this dare forward, for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, for as long as you both shall live? If so will you please answer ¡¥I DO.¡¦¡¨ Where is the love when a husband and wife walk away from the commitment that you made to one another?
There is no BLESSING in cheap love! ¡§Oh, sure I love you, Lord.¡¨
We raise our hands and sing worship choruses on Sunday morning, but what you¡¦re doing on Friday and Saturday night tells God everything about how much you truly love Him! If you want God¡¦s BLESSING, you¡¦ve got to be passionate about serving and loving Him. He¡¦s got to be the priority of your life. For many of us, God is not our priority; He¡¦s an option! Another possible selection on our menu of things to do. Paul said in II Timothy 3:1-5 that among other things that will characterize those living in the last days, ¡§People will be lover of themselves, lover of money¡Kand lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God¡K¡¨
That pretty well sums it up. We love the things we love and we love God only if there¡¦s not something or somebody else we love more in our lives at the time. Listen, I can tell my wife, ¡§Honey, I love you¡¨ every day. Bring her gifts, cards and candy. But if she finds out I¡¦ve got another lover on the side she¡¦s going to know that she¡¦s not the priority of my life. In fact, she¡¦s my words would make her sick to her stomach. Many of us tell God we love him but we¡¦ve got other lovers on the side. Words are cheap. God knows if you¡¦re fooling around.
If you want God¡¦s BLESSING, make Him the priority of your life and really LOVE HIM WITH ALL OF YOUR HEART, SOUL, MIND AND STRENGTH. Are you really in love with God?
II. OBEY GOD ¡V Deuteronomy 11:1,8,13,18-22&32. True love is not based on emotion and feelings; it is a commitment. God does not want an emotional commitment; He wants your obedience.
If you want God¡¦s BLESSING, pay attention to the following words: OBEY. OBEY. OBEY. OBEY. OBEY. OBEY. OBEY. OBEY. OBEY! When we willfully disobey, history tells us that we walk out from under God¡¦s umbrella of BLESSING.
My mom and dad loved it when I would hug them and tell them that I loved them but I¡¦ll tell you something that proved my love for them. When it was Friday or Saturday night and I have an 11:00 PM curfew that I knew I wasn¡¦t going to make because the pizza was late so I went to the phone and dialed 256-5927 and said, ¡§Hey mom, Pizza Hut is really slow tonight and I¡¦m going to be a little late, is that OK?¡¨
¡§No problem son, just be home by midnight.¡¨
It was a simple thing to do but it meant a lot to a mom and dad who loved their boy to know that he was safe and in good company. If I broke curfew without the phone call there would be a CURSE on my schedule next weekend when I wanted to go hang out with my friends! Why? DISOBEDIENCE. Disobedience always carries a price tag. Another word for disobedience when it comes to our relationship with God is the word SIN. Sin always carries a price tag. My parents didn¡¦t stop loving me if I broke curfew and God won¡¦t stop loving you if you sin, but both cases of disobedience carried a penalty. Does God punish us for sin? He has a right, but in most cases, sin is punishment enough.
When you walk out from under His BLESSING through sin, you bring sin¡¦s CURSE upon/into your life. That¡¦s what sin is: A CURSE. God never wanted it for you. But it¡¦s all around us and God is our only protection. ¡§God is my rock, my shield, my shelter, my strong tower¡Kin Him I will trust.¡¨ But you don¡¦t get His protection from sin just because you gave him a big hug on Sunday morning and told Him that you loved him. You get His protection when you call Him up on Friday night and say, ¡§God, I¡¦m really struggling with temptation right now, but ¡¥Thy Word have I hid in my heart, that I might not sin against Thee.¡¦¡¨
God told Saul in I Samuel 15:22 when he sinned and tried to cover it up with a fancy sacrifice, ¡§To obey is better than sacrifice¡K¡¨
If you want BLESSING, BLESSING, BLESSING from God, then learn to OBEY, OBEY, OBEY. Are you living in sin and disobedience?
III. DON¡¦T FORGET GOD ¡V Deuteronomy 11:2,5&7. It is the responsibility of the current generation to pass on a living and active faith in God!
We are always just one generation away from forgetting God.
I have a renewed determination to live for God after saying a temporary goodbye to my godly Grandfather on July 5. As I addressed my family the day of Grandpa¡¦s funeral, I closed the service with the following challenge:
The legacy of men/women of God lives on when they die.
I doubt that he realized it, but when Gilbert Wilson got up from his knees on the sawdust floor of a Four Square tent meeting revival, he became a ¡§Patriarch¡¨. He allowed God to start something there through him that was meant to become a blessing to all those in his family who would come after him through generations to come. His son, Wendell and his two daughters Dorothy and Charlene came to know the life-giving touch of Jesus as a result of the faith of their father and mother. I stand here today as a minister of the gospel, in part, because Grandpa said ¡§yes¡¨ to Jesus. My brother and my cousins have been handed the truth and the life-giving message of Jesus Christ.
We have been handed a sacred trust! We have been blessed by God Almighty and handed a godly heritage that started with the man we have come to honor here today. He has ¡§Lived a Legacy.¡¨ He has ¡§fought the good fight, finished the race and gone on to receive the crown of righteousness as his reward.¡¨
Now it¡¦s our turn to take the baton and pass it on to the next generation. I¡¦m challenging my family today: don¡¦t drop the baton! Don¡¦t hand your children some empty religious beliefs that aren¡¦t backed up by actions! The reason we love and respect Gilbert Wilson is because he lived the truth! I¡¦m challenging you today to take up the torch! Carry the flame! ¡§Live a Legacy.¡¨ Live for Jesus!
The legacy of men/women of God lives on when they die.
Grandpa has done his part. Now it¡¦s our turn. ¡§May all who come behind us find us faithful!¡¨
If I want my children to experience the BLESSING of God in their lives, I am responsible to LOVE AND OBEY Him so that they see through my example that God is REAL. What will the current generation learn about God from you?
HERE ARE THREE THINGS THAT ARE AT STAKE
BLESSING CURSE
SPIRITUAL VICTORY (vs. 8,23-25) GOD¡¦S ANGER (vs. 17)
(When the Israelites disobeyed, they lost. ¡§We are more than conquerors through Christ Jesus¡K¡¨ BUT ¡§Without Him you can do nothing.¡¨)
LONG LIFE (vs. 9&21) LOSS OF LIFE (vs. 17)
(Obedience carries with it a BLESSING of long life. Sin and disobedience can prematurely shorten your life.)
SUCCESS & BLESSING (vs. 13-15) BLESSINGS LOST (vs. 17)
(If you honor God, He will honor you. Read Malachi 3:8-12.)
CONCLUSION: This whole message can be summed up by these three words: LOVE, OBEY AND REMEMBER. If you want God¡¦s BLESSING, LOVE Him with all your heart, soul, mind and strength. OBEY Him remembering that OBEDIENCE is better than sacrifice. REMEMBER the Lord your God and pass on a living and active faith to the next generation. If you fail to do these three things you can forfeit God-given BLESSING for the CURSE that comes when you walk out form under His umbrella of protection. So I ask you one more time:
Are you really in love with God? Or do you have other ¡§lovers¡¨ on the side? Is he your priority?
Are you living in sin and disobedience? Do you know Christ? The ultimate BLESSING is salvation.
What will the current generation learn about God from you? ¡§As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.¡¨ (Have families/individuals stand.)`
