"FINAL WORDS, FINAL ACTS"
TEXT: DEUTERONOMY 29-34
INTRODUCTION
A. Today is our last Sunday studying from the book of Deuteronomy. It is our last Sunday to study from the books written by God’s faithful servant Moses. I have thoroughly enjoyed studying these 5 great books.
B. Next month we will be studying from the book of James. The book of James is a fantastic book. I want to encourage all of you to take part in these study. If you can’t be here on Wednesday, you can still pick up a list of study questions and do them at home.
If everyone here reads this book and takes seriously what it teaches, we will see some serious stuff start happening for the Lord. Let me challenge you know to be a part of this study, in fact I dare you, I even double dog dare you.
C. He arose early that day, before sunrise. And as he contemplated his last day on this earth, his last day with the people he loved, his mind went back and reflected on his many years.
He thought about the first time, when he was about 3 years old that his father and mother Amram and Jochebed told him about the basket, the Nile, and the hand of God.
He remember how afraid he was when he killed the Egyptian. And he will never forget the fear, the wonder and awe he felt as he stood before the burning bush and heard the voice of God CALLING HIM.
As the sun began to sneak over the distant horizon, Moses reflected on all the wonders that God had performed through him.
He still was amazed how God could use him, a mere man, to accomplish his will. "WHAT AN AWESOME AND MIGHTY GOD IS YAHWEH", HE SAID TO HIMSELF AS HE STOOD TO BEGIN HIS DAY.
Moses had many things he needed to do today, many final things to take care of before his departure. There are things that some one who knows that their time is short, must do in order to make ready for their trip, things that need to be done, so they can be sure that those who are left behind, are taking care of. There are final words that must be spoken and there are final acts that must be performed.
So there stood Moses, the morning sun shining above him. Standing tall and strong, he was 120 years old but in all those years he strength had not waned and his eyes had not grown dim. He was as strong as ever as he walked away from his tent to take care of this day’s business.
D. Today, as we survey chapters 29-34 of Deuteronomy we will study the final words and final acts of God’s faithful servant Moses. And as we hear his words and as we see his acts, we should be inspired and challenged by this great leader.
Let the final day of Moses inspire you to greater service to your God and Savior, and greater commitment to your Lord and King.
I. FINAL WORDS
Moses’ final words are important, the things he said to God’s people on that last day are very significant, and they have tremendous application for us as well.
A. MOSES GIVES THEM A REMINDER, of:
1. GOD’S POWER [29:2-4]
Moses reminds God’s people that it was with their own eyes that they saw the great wonders of God performed in Egypt. With their own eyes they saw the plagues of blood, frogs, gnats, flies, hail, boils, locust, darkness and the death of the first born of all of Egypt from the son of Pharaoh to the son of a slave girl.
With their own eyes they saw the mighty nation of Egypt, a nation that had oppressed them for nearly 400 years crumple and falls to her knees before the mighty hand of GOD, being swept away by the mighty waters of the Red Sea.
And though the people had seen this awesome display of God’s power with their own eyes, Moses said that most did not grasp the full significance of these acts and were spiritually blind.
Moses reminded the people of God’s power.
2. GOD’S PROVISION [29:5-8]
Moses here reminds God’s people of God’s provision during the 40 years of wilderness wandering. God provided them with clothing and sandals that did not wear out. God even, as Moses tells us in Deuteronomy chapter 8, kept their feet from swelling as well, during those years of desert walking.
Moses reminds them that God also provided them with food, as bread from heaven came down each day. They survived all those years in the wilderness, not by harvesting wheat and baking bread, or by harvesting grapes and making wine. They had not been sustained by their own labor or through their own efforts, but by the hand of their God.
God provided food and clothing in the wilderness
for them, and he also provided them protection form their enemies, as God went before them in battle, and they won great victories over King Og and King Sihon.
3. MOSES ALSO REMINDS THEM OF GOD’S COVENANT [29:9-15]
The people standing there that day were not merely standing before Moses, but they were standing in the very presence of God. Everyone of them from the leaders and officials to the aliens who are chopping wood, all are standing in the presence of the One True God even those who are yet to be born and are not there with them that day.
And they were NOT standing there to be just hanging out, "Wow this is like really cool to standing here in God’s presence, I kinda like this". No! they were standing there for a reason.
And the reason was that the Lord Their God, was entering into a covenant with them, an agreement with them, a relationship with them. Verse 12 reads, "YOU ARE STANDING HERE IN ORDER TO ENTER A COVENANT WITH THE LORD YOUR, GOD, A COVENANT HE IS MAKING WITH YOU (THEY COULD NOT MAKE A COVENANT WITH GOD UNLESS GOD MADE THE FIRST MOVE AND HE DID), A COVENANT HE IS MAKING WITH YOU THIS DAY AND SEALING WITH AN OATH, TO CONFIRM YOU THIS DAY AS HIS, PEOPLE, THAT HE MAY BE YOUR GOD."
B. MOSES WARNS THEM OF THE CONSEQUENCES OF TURNING AWAY.
[29:16-20]
God will destroy them and their land, and all of this destruction will be evident to the surrounding nations who will witness their fall.
[29:24-28]
And in [30:17,18], Moses again tell the people READ
Moses spends a lot of time warning the people not to turn away from God. They were not to be like, and live like, the other people in the world. They knew how their God expected them to act and they better not turn away. Moses goes into a lot of detail of exactly what will happen, if you don’t think God takes disobedience seriously I challenge you to read 28:15-68, here Moses describes in great detail the punishment the Israelites would experience if they disobeyed. (And tragically we will find out as we continue our study of the Old Testament,all of these curses came upon Israel because they disobeyed God).
Moses warns God’s people about the consequences of turning away from God, because the possibility is very real and the consequences are sure and severe.
C. MOSES LAYS BEFORE THEM THE CHOICE
[30:15,16, 19,20]
1. God’s people had a choice, they could choose to love God, to walk in all of His ways and to obey all His commands, listen to His voice, hold fast to His name, and they would live, or they could choose to turn away from God, walk their own way and die.
2. It doesn’t seem like that would be a hard choice to make, does it? To make a choice between life or death, seems like a pretty easy choice to make.
And to choose between a worthless idol and the Lord God Almighty again seems like an easy choice to make. It makes absolutely no sense to choose anything other than God. As Moses speaks with his people on this last day he makes some tremendous statements about the stupidity of not choosing God.
[32:6]; It makes absolutely no sense to rebel against God. He is God and we are not. He is our Creator, it is God who gave us life. No one can rebel against God and win, no matter what our immoral decadent society may think. Every knee will bow, one way or another, either in humble adoration or unrelenting terror..
[32:36-38]; The things that the Israelites would put before God, the false gods that they would worship and take refuge in, would not able to help them, they were worthless and they had no power to save or deliver anyone. If only the world and the uncommitted in church could get this message, If we seek shelter and refuge in anything other than God (money, our business, power, education, fame, glory, pleasure), when we hit bottom we will find that these things we worshipped, these things we gave our heart and soul to, really have no power at all. They can’t deliver or save anyone, only God gives us hope, peace and joy, only He can deliver.
Listen to vs [39].
Moses laid before them the choice, they couldn’t have it both ways, they had to choose between God and their own selfish desires.
D. MOSES ALSO HELD UP BEFORE THEM, THE STANDARD
[31:24-26]
1. After Moses had finished writing in a book the words of the law. After he had completed recording the Words of God from beginning to end. He called the Levities to him and told them to take the Word of God and place next to the ark of the covenant.
2. And why were they to do this?, the text says because the Law of God is to be the standard, the law would be a witness against them, a measuring stick of their obedience to God.
3. Moses knew that they were a stiff-necked bunch, and he saw how they were a rebellious people while he was with them, and he knew that they would continue to be rebel against God.
Even though time would move on, and they would be tempted to stray from the law. Even though many of their people WOULD go to the priests at the tabernacle and say, "COME ON PRIESTS LIGHTEN UP, THIS IS THE 90’S (1190 BC), THIS MOSAIC LAW STUFF IS TO OLD FASHION, TOO CONFINING, I AM SURE GOD WANTS US TO BE FREE FROM THAT STUFF NOW, YOU PRIESTLY DUDES NEED TO MOVE ON, YOU NEED TO GET WITH IT TIMES HAVE CHANGED, HEY WHERE DID YOU GET THOSE FUNNY LOOKING ROBES FROM ANYHOW."
And the priest would then walk to the ark pick up the Law of God and say, "this is the standard, MY BROTHERS, GOD’S LAW HAS NOT CHANGED, IT IS STILL THE ONLY TRUE STANDARD, AND YOU, BETTER STRAIGHTEN UP.
God’s word is the standard regardless of what anyone may think. Even though some may think it’s okay to do it their way. EVEN THOUGH THE DO IT YOUR WAY ATTITUDE IS PREVALENT IN OUR CULTURE, IT is not something new, look what Moses says in Deut. 29:19, AS HE ANTICIPATES THE ATTITUDE AND THINKING OF THE DISOBEDIENT, I will be safe, even though I persist in going my own way". That attitude Moses says brings disaster.
SUMMARY::::::
WE TOO NEED TO BE REMINDED OF GOD’S POWER, HE IS STILL ALL POWERFUL; AND WE NEED TO REMEMBER GOD’S PROVISION, HE IS A GREAT PROVIDER; AND WE NEED TO REMEMBER THAT WE TOO HAVE ENTER INTO A COVENANT AN AGREEMENT A RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD. AND IT IS NO SMALL THING TO ENTER INTO A RELATIONSHIP WITH THE LIVING GOD.
AND THERE IS A POSSIBILITY THAT WE TOO CAN TURN AWAY FROM GOD.
AND YES, THERE IS A CHOICE THAT IS LAID ALSO OUT BEFORE US, CHOOSE GOD AND LIVE, CHOOSE ANYTHING ELSE AND DIE.
AND GOD’S STANDARD, THE WORD OF GOD STILL PREVAILS. WHEN THIS SOCIETY AND THE WEAK WATERED DOWN SO CALLED CHURCHES, TELL US TO LIGHTEN UP IT’S THE 90’S, IT’S OKAY TO KILL BABIES, IT’S OKAY TO A HOMOSEXUAL IT’S OKAY TO HAVE SEX BEFORE MARRIAGE, IT’S OKAY TO PREACH AND TEACH ON THINGS THAT ARE UNSCRIPTURAL, TO HAVE A DIFFERENT WAY TO SALVATION OTHER THEN THE BIBLE WAY, OF FAITH, CONFESSION REPENTANCE AND IMMERSION (AS LONG AS YOU ARE SINCERE)....ETC. WHEN THE WORLD TELLS US TO LIGHTEN UP, TIMES HAVE CHANGED, WE NEED TO BE LIKE THE LEVITIES, WE NEED TO NOT BEND OR YIELD WHEN IT COMES TO TRUTH, AS WE HOLD UP GOD’S WORD, AND WE NEED TO PROCLAIM THAT GOD’S WORD HAS NOT CHANGED, AND REGARDLESS OF WHAT ANYONE THINKS OR FEELS, THE WORD OF GOD IS THE ONLY MEASURE OF TRUTH, AND IT IS A PERPETUAL WITNESS AGAINST ALL ACTS OF DISOBEDIENCE.
OUR BELIEF HERE AT ETCC IS W.B.T.B.S.!! AND WE STRIVE TO THE BEST OF OUR ABILITIES TO LIVE BY IT’S STANDARD.
E. MOSES KNEW THEY WOULD TURN AWAY SO HE ALSO TELLS THEM HOW TO COME BACK HOME [30:1-3]
The way to come back home to God, was and always has been, to turn away from the world (to repent; which involves changing our direction), to turn from the world and return to GOD. And it involves also as Moses wrote, "to obey all of His commands, with all of your heart and all of your soul". And when anyone does this, God with arms wide open will restore them, (WHAT AN AWESOME GOD WE SERVE).
MOSES FINAL WORDS TO HIS PEOPLE CONSISTED OF: A REMINDER, A WARNING, A CHOICE, A STANDARD AND A WAY BACK HOME.
IMPORTANT WORDS FOR THEM TO HEAR, AND IMPORTANT WORDS FOR US AS WELL.
II. FINAL ACTS
A. PASSING THE TORCH (31:7,8: 34:9)
1. Moses was not going to be able to be their leader any more. But the job, the task, the work still needed to carry on. So Joshua the son of Nun was selected as the new leader of God’s people. Joshua had been with Moses on thundering Mt. Sinai, when Moses received the Law of God, and Joshua was one of the two spies who brought back a good report, because he has faith in the power of God.
Therefore God choose Joshua to be the new leader. And Moses in the presence of all of Israel, lays his hands upon Joshua, passing on to him the torch of leadership, as Joshua was filled with the Spirit Of Wisdom. What an incredible and dramatic scene this event must have been. Moses, the great leader of God’s people for 40 years, his time of leadership now ending. Beside him is Joshua God’s newly chosen successor. And Moses with powerful force, exhorts Joshua to be strong and courageous, and encourages Joshua with the promise, that the Lord will be with him.
And the people knew from that moment on, No longer would Moses be the one leading them, no longer would they hear his voice or see his face. With the passing of the torch they knew that Moses departure was imminent, a matter of hours.
B. BESTOWING A BLESSING (33)
1. Like Jacob in Genesis chapter 49, Moses in chapter 33 of Deuteronomy looked into the future of the tribes of Israel. Moses assumed the role of a father to the nation in these verse, giving each tribe a blessing.
2. Moses begins the blessing with a poetic description of the great manifestation of God/Yahweh at Mt. Sinai.
And the blessing concludes with a prayer of praise of God.
C. CLIMBING A HILL [34:1-5]
1. In obedience to the will of God, Moses climbed Mt. Nebo to the very top of the peak called Pisgah. There Moses viewed the promise land and there Moses died.
CONCLUSION/WRAP UP/TIE UP
1. In Deuteronomy 18:15 we read the following words of Moses to the people, "The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own brothers, you must listen to him".
2. And 1400 years later that prophet like Moses did arise, Jesus Christ God, the Son, referred to at times as the second Moses. As I studied the Final acts of Moses I could not help but think of the Final Words and Acts of Jesus.
As I read of Moses passing the torch and bestowing a blessing, I visualized the powerful event of Jesus blessing His disciples, and passing the torch of leadership to them, as He ascended into heaven to sit at the right hand of God the Father. And as I read of Moses in obedience to the will of God, walking up that mountain, climbing that hill, and there upon that hill to die. I thought of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior, who in perfect obedience to the will of God, in pain, in agony, his life’s blood pouring from His broken and battered body, His strength and energy waning, who walked up the hill called Golgotha and upon that hill he did die.
2. The Final Acts of Moses and Jesus are similar and so are their final Words. If I were to try to summarize all the words of Moses to his people before he left, I would do it this way, Moses stressed to the Israelites the importance, the necessity of being faithful to God, remaining in God and of obeying God.
Jesus Final Words were really to His followers were really the same.
[John 15]
"I AM THE VINE YOU ARE THE BRANCHES. IF A MAN REMAINS IN ME AND I IN HIM, HE WILL BEAR MUCH FRUIT APART FROM ME YOU CAN DO NOTHING. IF ANYONE DOES NOT REMAIN IN ME, HE IS LIKE A BRANCH THAT IS THROW AWAY AND WITHERS; SUCH BRANCHES ARE PICKED UP, THROWN INTO THE FIRE AND BURNED..... NOW REMAIN IN MY LOVE. IF YOU OBEY MY COMMANDS, YOU WILL REMAIN IN MY LOVE..
FINAL WORDS FINAL ACTS....
In Deut. 32:45ff we read:
The Words we shared today are not idle words, They are the Word of GOD!!!! They are your LIFE!!!
If you have never come to Christ in B-R-C B, NOW IS THE TIME!
AND IF YOU ARE LIKE A BRANCH THAT HAS LEFT THE VINE AND IS WITHERING ON THE GROUND COME BACK TO CHRIST NOW THROUGH REPENTANCE. NOW IS THE TIME!!
IF YOU ARE AN IMMERSED BELIEVER AND WANT TO JOIN THIS BODY NOW IS THE TIME!
