The God Who Renews

Bible Passage: Deuteronomy 10:1-22

Summary: In Deuteronomy 10:1-22, Moses reminds the Israelites of God's covenant with them, urging them to remember His mercy and greatness. This passage emphasizes the importance of renewal in one's relationship with God and the need for a heartfelt commitment to loving Him and others.

Application: This sermon encourages believers to renew their commitment to God through remembrance of His faithfulness. It helps Christians in their struggles by prompting them to realign their lives with God's will, inspiring them to live out their faith in tangible ways, and fostering a deeper sense of community and service.

Teaching: The sermon teaches that renewal in our relationship with God requires intentional remembrance of His goodness, leading to a life that reflects His love and justice. It emphasizes the responsibility of God's people to uphold the faith and to act upon it in their daily lives.

How this passage could point to Christ: This passage points to Christ as the ultimate fulfillment of the covenant relationship that God established with His people. Just as the Israelites were called to remember God's works, Christians are called to recognize that through Jesus, God's covenant is renewed and expanded to all nations.

Big Idea: Our journey of faith is marked by renewal through the remembrance of God's faithfulness, compelling us to live in love and service.

Recommended Study: You might consider examining the historical context of Israel's covenant renewal in Deuteronomy. Explore how the themes of law and obedience in this passage inform New Testament teachings about grace. Additionally, scrutinize various translations of the text in Logos for nuances that could enhance your message about renewal and its implications for the Christian life.

Introduction:

Good morning! We just had an amazing weekend with our students at summit weekend! Im praying special prayers over the leaders who spent their weekend making it a blast of a weekend. It is a bittersweet moment for this morning as i get to preach one final time here at Parkview before we move to plant Grove Church Crestview. But what better text to look at than our text this morning. Turn with me in your copy of God’s word and stand as we honor the reading of God’s word.

READ DT 10:1-22

TEXTUAL CONTEXT:

We are still in the “REMEMBRANCE” phase of DT.

30 times in DT the verb remember/do not forget is used!

We were reminded last week of the story of the golden calf. (Retell the golden calf/it sets up the stage for the Israelites.)

Problem: We often times forget who we are worshipping. Our worship becomes stale…legalistic…boring…It’s not God whose changed, but us.

We begin to feel like God is distant, or that God is not interested in you. It isn't God who has ran…it’s us. It’s not God who isn’t interested in you…its you who isn’t interested in God. WHERE THAT LEADS US IS TO A PLACE OF RENEWAL. JUST LIKE THE ISRAELITES NEEDED TO BE RENEWED.

Renewal starts with remembrance.

MPT: Renewal of God’s people through remembering God’s faithfulness. (Renewal inwardly and outwardly.)

MPS: We can experience renewal of our worship, inwardly and outwardly, by remembering God’s faithfulness.

Let’s look at Four pictures of renewal!

1. Renewal Begins with God

Deuteronomy 10:1-5

Explanation: Moses says, hey remember that story of God giving the new tablets? The Israelites needed to be renewed by God after totally casting him aside to worship like they saw from the Egyptians. they took the people out of Egypt, but it took a while longer to take the Egypt out of the people. It took CONSTANT renewal. Moses says remember when God renewed his covenant with his people DESPITE their evil and sin. This renewal began with God! God initiated renewal by giving Moses the new tablets. It was to represent a fresh start for His people.

Application: Who here today has been living distant from God? Who here has had their focus on everything but God? Who has been living their life caught up in the worship of other things? When you look at the throne of your heart…is it God or something/someone else? Who is like the prodigal son and has wandered off to do things their way? We are prone to wander. What or who are you worshipping? Here is the AMAZING truth about God. He is seeking your renewal. Remember this: Renewal begins with God. He isn’t the one running, we are. DESPITE YOUR SIN, GOD WANTS TO RENEW YOU!

Illustration: STORY FROM SUMMIT WEEKEND! Its built into student ministry, moments of renewal each year.

Christo-nection: If you are here and don’t follow Jesus. Jesus renews us through His death on a cross! Dying in our place renewing a right relationship with God! Its a great practice to remember your salvation. We can experience renewal of our worship by remembering God’s faithfulness!

In what areas of your life do you feel distant from God, and how can you address that?

2. Remember the Journey

Deuteronomy 10:6-11

Explanation: Don’t miss in these verses a big truth to renewal. What did they need to remember about this? Im missing the connection here. Moses reminded them of some journey moments. GOD WAS THEIR THROUGH IT ALL. Through the good, the heartbreak, leadership transition, commissioning, and blessing of a particular tribe.

Application: Here is a word for this church this morning i don’t know all who this is for: In the transition of leadership, HE IS THERE. In the good times of joy in your life, HE IS THERE. In the battle with cancer, HE IS THERE. In the commissioning of a church plant and missionary family, HE IS THERE. Remember anew today that GOD is with you. He hasn’t left you. God equips His people for the journey of faith, sustaining us through transitions and challenges, urging believers to lean on Him.

How do you personally remember God's faithfulness in your life?

3. Respond in the Heart

Deuteronomy 10:12-16

Explanation: Renewal starts with remembering, and leads us to be transformed from the heart to our hands! Moses now answers a question, what does God require of you? he tells them in the context of the question! to fear God, walk in his ways, to love him, to serve him with ALL OF OUR BEING, and to keep the commandments he set before them! Circumcise your hearts!

Application: Now, PARKVIEW. What does the Lord require of you?! CHECK YOUR HEART THIS MORNING CHECK! You may be seeking renewal in all the wrong things…Do you want renewal? fear the lord—>walk in his ways, love him—>serve him with whole being, know YHWH—>keep his commandments.

The law was never supposed to be what earns your salvation but point to the fact you couldnt fulfill the law! PRAISE GOD IT IS BASED ON JESSUS FULFILLING THE LAW.

Matthew 5:17–20 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.”

follow me on this train of scriptures!! SO WHY THE LAW?!?!? WHY DT?!?

Illustration:

Colossians 2:11–12 “In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead.”

Galatians 3:19–29 “Why then the law? It was added because of transgressions, until the offspring should come to whom the promise had been made, and it was put in place through angels by an intermediary. Now an intermediary implies more than one, but God is one. Is the law then contrary to the promises of God? Certainly not! For if a law had been given that could give life, then righteousness would indeed be by the law. But the Scripture imprisoned everything under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe. Now before faith came, we were held captive under the law, imprisoned until the coming faith would be revealed. So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith. But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor…”

Christ is the one who enables this heart transformation by His Spirit. Examine your own hearts renew today your desire to be renewed by God, to live out love and justice, this internal renewal leads to a visible life of service.

I call this INWARD RENEWAL. Ask God to inwardly change your desires to match his. Love what God loves. Hate what God hates.

Heart change begins renewal inwardly, and then FLOWS outwardly. Which leads us to our final point today…

In light of God's mercy and greatness, how can you transform your worship to be more heartfelt and genuine?

4. Reflect God’s Love to Others

Deuteronomy 10:17-22

Explanation: Moses begins to once again fix their eyes on God, his nature and his work. God is YHWH, Lord oof lords, great, mighty, awesome, trustworthy, judge, loving, caring. He encourages them to serve God, hold fast to him. Then tells them how they are to be as a people!

Application: As we fix our eyes on God this morning. Do you know this truth about our God? God is worthy of praise. HE is lord AND savior of our lives! Because of these attributes, our call is to follow God and be little beacons of light in a dark kingdom! We fix our eyes to be transformed and actions flow out of our salvation from God. We don’t work diligently for God because we have to earn our salvation! Jesus salvation is not based on our good moral choices. Spiritually dead people can make good moral choices. Jesus salvation is a once and for all, salvation. So do we just need to sit and let God work? THOSE ARE IMCOMPATIABLE, BECAUSE GOD WORKS THROUGH HIS SPIRIT IN HIS CHURCH! We are not saved based on what WE do, but on what CHRIST has done!

Illustration:

It’s like this. You know when you like something and you cant stop talking about it. Food. Hobby. Sport. Musician. Movie. You may like something enough to get a tattoo of it on your arm like me…May the Fourth be with you. or if you were raised in the early nineties those weren't allowed in church so you put a decal on your car instead lol It could be crossfit. If you have ever met someone who does crossfit. Its allllll about crossfit. You see these things aren't bad at all! But we talk about what we love.

See this…If God has captured your heart, you desire to serve him. So ask yourself the question, Does God have my heart? If he does we will desire to reflect his love to others!

What is one change you can make this week that aligns with living out God's love and justice?

Conclusion:

SUMMATION: Moses reminds the Israelites of God's covenant with them, urging them to remember His mercy and greatness. Just as the Israelites were called to remember God's works, we as Christians are called to recognize that through Jesus, God's covenant is renewed and expanded to all nations. Our journey of faith is marked by renewal through the remembrance of God's faithfulness, compelling us to live in love and service.

We can experience renewal of our worship, inwardly and outwardly, by remembering God’s faithfulness.

Lets Pray.

RESPONSE/INVITATION:

Coming back to the heart of worship. The Gospel. Jesus in our place. What i love about this text is it shows an important truth about the God of the Bible. Our God is a God of multiple chances. Not just second or third. But again and again. Over and over God renews his people.

I feel led this morning to call out to the person in this room who has at one point trusted in Jesus, but has ran off and done things on their own. Someone who has ran far from God and feels like God doesn’t care for them anymore or sees them not as His child. He wants to renew you. Today. Run to Jesus.

Do you know him? Do you love him? Follow Christ. be renewed by him.

COMMUNION:

We take communion to remember and rehearse the gospel each time we take it!

Luke 22:19–20 “And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.”