Spiritual Maintenance
Notes
Transcript
Reading:
21 Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ready for every good work.
22 So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.
Introduction:
In 2019 my family and I moved from Fort Myers Florida to Silverwood, Michigan.
May of 2020 we fond ourselves “quarantined” in our homes.
Armed with Clorox wipes, toilet paper, Amazon and better internet for streaming.
I remember people saying that it was the least T.P.’d time in our nation.
People requested for people to t.p. their homes.
I believe there were a lot of people that realized at the swipe of the finger you could have in 3 days whatever you ordered.
People noticed that they had all this time and enjoyed the down time with their families.
So much so that people began re-arranging their work schedules to spend more time home and not working.
There was another thing that could’ve been awesome.
People took up the opportunity to try and learn the hobby they said they never had enough time to learn.
Many people ordered a lot of items, like musical instruments, crocheting, artistic endeavors, home renovations, gardening, etc...
I want to see where people are at in those hobbies they took up. It’s 5 years later.
Actually I would love to see the facebook market place flooded with the hobbies people haven’t learned; but just need to unload because they don’t have the time anymore.
Here are some quotes from that time:
“At the beginning of lockdown I ordered 15 balls of yarn and started crocheting a blanket. For a while all I did was crochet while watching everything in the Star Wars universe, but half a blanket later I had fallen out of love with crochet and couldn’t bring myself to even look at it. Learning Chinese was also short lived, I downloaded some apps which I never opened.” -Unknown
“I took on embroidery right at the beginning of isolation, as my housemate is amazing at any sort of creative activity that takes up countless hours and lots of focus, she has big cottage-core energy. Anyway, for some reason I thought that embroidery would be a perfect activity for someone who can barely read three pages of a book due to constant overstimulation. I think I managed to get a quarter of the way through an embroidery of a peach before I decided to put the piece in my drawer and never pick it up again. Essentially I have the attention span of a goldfish and the special attentive nature required for embroidery is not something I possess.” –Isabella, 21
“I bought a ukulele a while back, but put off practicing and making a meaningful effort to learn until a couple of weeks ago. I like that it’s small and portable and not too loud so I don’t have to worry about disturbing my roommates, but I can take it out on the porch, too. It was more challenging than I thought it would be, but spending time learning something new, without any pressure to be great at it, has given me a low-stakes way to focus on something outside of the stress of the situation. I think I’ll be able to stick with it even after life gets busier again.” –Aura 37
I would love to show you some pictures of the baking fails from quarantine; but they are so disturbing you may loose your appetite for lunch.
Here’s the point for this memory lane:
Unless it was brought up, we aren’t thinking of how our routines changed during the quarantine process.
People forgot or didn’t stick to the hobbies they planned to learn.
We all recognize that history is good for us to understand to see the patterns so we don’t repeat them.
Much like the hobbies people forget about History too.
This is what were going through here in Exodus 23.
Going over history to know the God we serve, and how His laws guide our lives towards righteousness.
God recorded this so we have the relevant and important history.
He has provided the harsh laws with consequences; then the ethical laws to govern a person’s morality.
Today we continue in Exodus with the ethical laws for us to know how to:
Maintain our Morality (1-9)
Maintain our Morality (1-9)
1 “You shall not spread a false report. You shall not join hands with a wicked man to be a malicious witness.
2 You shall not fall in with the many to do evil, nor shall you bear witness in a lawsuit, siding with the many, so as to pervert justice,
The ethical standards God gives us can be picked out by the statement: “You shall not”.
The last of the “you shall not’s” are here in verses 1-9.
These laws carry an overarching point:
Be honest!
God expects honesty with what we say and what we do!
1 “You shall not spread a false report. You shall not join hands with a wicked man to be a malicious witness.
A witness who is lying, in our court system can be held accountable .
“A witness charged with perjury can face steep monetary fines, probation, jail time, and even problems with security clearances and gainful employment. Perjury is often considered obstruction of justice because it compromises the integrity of the entire justice system.” -Legal knowledge base.com
The court systems reliability to find true judgment is based on peoples honest testimonies.
Their words carry a lot of weight.
God asks that we give honest testimonies.
Regarding one another.
But more importantly about Him!
We are supposed to tell everyone what He has done for us.
Of the answered prayers, of the wisdom provided, of the doors He has opened.
Most importantly: Of His salvation of our souls.
The dishonesty of a testimony may subvert justice to someone who actually deserves it.
When we allow people to get away with things without any fear of the law or justice that will be served, they learn something.
I can get away with it; it doesn’t change their desire from wrongdoing to righteousness.
It isn’t helping them grow it is actually enabling them to continue.
Some people desire wrongdoing; but the believer should desire righteousness.
Desiring righteousness (Moral Purity) is expected from the one we represent as ambassadors.
Desiring righteousness and pursuing it for our lives should be a top priority.
21 Whoever pursues righteousness and kindness will find life, righteousness, and honor.
1 “Listen to me, you who pursue righteousness, you who seek the Lord: look to the rock from which you were hewn, and to the quarry from which you were dug.
That pursuit doesn’t just benefit us, it builds others up as well.
1 “You shall not spread a false report. You shall not join hands with a wicked man to be a malicious witness.
2 You shall not fall in with the many to do evil, nor shall you bear witness in a lawsuit, siding with the many, so as to pervert justice,
3 nor shall you be partial to a poor man in his lawsuit.
Verses 1-3 are a safeguard for not only yourselves; but also for others.
Each Israelite was responsible for the building up of one another.
How do we know that, because God is consistent from the Old Testament to the New Testament.
We can read many times about doing things for the building up of one another, and to prefer others more than self.
The body of Christ must elevate one another so the Testimony is how awesome and powerful He is.
The principal is supported in the next 2 verses.
4 “If you meet your enemy’s ox or his donkey going astray, you shall bring it back to him.
5 If you see the donkey of one who hates you lying down under its burden, you shall refrain from leaving him with it; you shall rescue it with him.
Are you always going to get along with everyone?
Will you have issues from business deals made between you and others?
Just think of all the things that can go wrong, and you suddenly have an “enemy” or at least someone that you are at odds with.
Maybe it actually is a situation where you don’t like that person at all.
All of that is to be pushed aside according to verses 4-5.
Why?
God super cedes the issue you have with that person.
Even though they are mad at you, when you see that they need help you take on the responsibility of loving them through the problem.
You are showing yourself, that person, and everyone watching that you don’t have a problem with that person; they have a problem with you.
Yet in helping you are keeping a bridge intact, when the bridge is burnt reconciliation can be extremely difficult, and maybe not possible.
When you see it from that point of view it helps your heart focus on fixing what is broken.
As we are instructed:
32 Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.
18 All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation;
The Lord left us a goal in every conflict: reconciliation.
He reconciled His enemies and so we can reconcile ours also.
From reconciliation we are given verses 6-8 which requires our honesty!
Honesty in our speech or our testimonies.
Honesty in our conduct.
6 “You shall not pervert the justice due to your poor in his lawsuit.
7 Keep far from a false charge, and do not kill the innocent and righteous, for I will not acquit the wicked.
8 And you shall take no bribe, for a bribe blinds the clear-sighted and subverts the cause of those who are in the right.
These are obviously talking about a court of law and the point for us to be honest.
It supports the point with the reason.
You could be tempted to promote self-interest over justice.
Don’t do that!
Uphold the honest and self-less choice to promote justice for no gain at all.
Maintain our Honor (10-19)
Maintain our Honor (10-19)
Honor can be defined as:
“To revere; to respect; to treat with deference and submission, and perform relative duties to.” -Noah Webster
Why do people honor others?
Typically a deep respect or admiration for someone.
The choice of the individual to show honor reveals what they think of the other person.
We understand honor, we choose to show that all the time.
Anytime the star spangled banner is sung, we stand hand over our heart and sing too.
We stand here because we choose to show honor to the Word of God.
We pray with our head bowed and eyes closed to show ourselves in a more honorable position.
Many other ways you recognize too.
Illustration:
There was a father and son who farmed and suddenly the dad died.
The son didn’t have the money to pay for the farm, it all had to be auctioned.
Every farmer showed up on auction day, along with the son.
He was nervous and scared of not having enough to buy the farm.
The auction started, no one bid; the room was silent.
The son put a bid for all he had.
He bought the farm.
When asked by a reporter the surrounding farmers simply stated how much they respected his father for always helping everyone else and being a good neighbor.
This was a way they could show their honor to the boy’s dad.
Have you ever noticed those those who don’t choose to show honor to others?
What do you think of them and what kind of lives do they typically show.
Mostly self centered and disrespectful.
Honoring things isn’t just a choice to show respect and appreciation.
It reveals where our hearts are.
When there isn’t anything that we really honor, it seems to be because we are the main character of our story and we are the most important.
How can we honor the Lord?
By listening to our Him.
He teaches us about agriculture along with ethics; but it requires obedience and trust.
10 “For six years you shall sow your land and gather in its yield,
11 but the seventh year you shall let it rest and lie fallow, that the poor of your people may eat; and what they leave the beasts of the field may eat. You shall do likewise with your vineyard, and with your olive orchard.
12 “Six days you shall do your work, but on the seventh day you shall rest; that your ox and your donkey may have rest, and the son of your servant woman, and the alien, may be refreshed.
God in His wisdom taught everyone to reflect the same timeline that He created the world with.
Work six days and rest the seventh.
When we believe the Lord and we choose to show honor by obeying His direction and wisdom: We are better for it.
He isn’t doing it for His good, it is for us.
It is all for us!
Similar to how He teaches us to care for those who are without and can’t provide.
He says allow them who need it to gain from the blessings God has provided to you.
God also in His wisdom: reminds us that our bodies and minds need rest too.
Most importantly we should on that 7th day worship Him and focus on Him all day!
There are a lot of benefits to not working that seventh day, many that we probably don’t realize.
“That is a whole day I could get a lot done”, ...then we attempt to justify whatever it is that we want to get done.
A tidbit of information: as of may 2025 there are 64 new chick-fil-a restaurants that opened in our nation.
There are 25-30 set to open in Michigan by 2028.
Have you ever gotten out of church and had a hankerin for certain food?
When we lived in Florida I don’t know how many times I pulled into a Chick-Fil-A parking lot on the way home from church, only to remember they are closed on Sunday.
Logically it doesn’t make sense to have 1 day less revenue than any other chain restaurant.
I guess the owner had faith that God would provide for that 1 day.
God does the same with us: When we trust Him, He provides, even when it doesn’t seem logical.
As we read God’s word we find a statement that doesn’t fit with the context of what is being talked about.
This is one of those moments, verse 13.
13 “Pay attention to all that I have said to you, and make no mention of the names of other gods, nor let it be heard on your lips.
In the topic of honoring the Lord:
God expects Israel’s loyalty.
All the other god’s they left in Egypt are never to be mentioned again.
It is only God!!
This loyalty and honor will be shown through the keeping of the feasts.
The feast of Unleavened Bread.
The feast of Harvest.
The feast of Ingathering.
14 “Three times in the year you shall keep a feast to me.
15 You shall keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread. As I commanded you, you shall eat unleavened bread for seven days at the appointed time in the month of Abib, for in it you came out of Egypt. None shall appear before me empty-handed.
16 You shall keep the Feast of Harvest, of the firstfruits of your labor, of what you sow in the field. You shall keep the Feast of Ingathering at the end of the year, when you gather in from the field the fruit of your labor.
17 Three times in the year shall all your males appear before the Lord God.
18 “You shall not offer the blood of my sacrifice with anything leavened, or let the fat of my feast remain until the morning.
19 “The best of the firstfruits of your ground you shall bring into the house of the Lord your God. “You shall not boil a young goat in its mother’s milk.
They will all be kept 3x a year by the Israelites.
Another verse doesn’t seem to fit.
19 “The best of the firstfruits of your ground you shall bring into the house of the Lord your God. “You shall not boil a young goat in its mother’s milk.
This passage probably refers to the magic ritual which was practiced.
Denouncing any relationship to pagan practices and serves as a basis for kosher practices where dairy and meat were separated.
Again God requires Honor and Loyalty from those who follow Him.
Jesus said it much harsher.
Luke 9:57-62
Basically everyone said they would follow Him; but had things to get done first.
62 Jesus said to him, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”
God says He want’s 100% of us, not most of us.
The disciples all dropped what they were doing immediately and followed Him.
They left and gained Hope.
God asks us in the next section to:
Maintain our Hope (20-33)
Maintain our Hope (20-33)
20 “Behold, I send an angel before you to guard you on the way and to bring you to the place that I have prepared.
21 Pay careful attention to him and obey his voice; do not rebel against him, for he will not pardon your transgression, for my name is in him.
22 “But if you carefully obey his voice and do all that I say, then I will be an enemy to your enemies and an adversary to your adversaries.
They left Egypt to arrive in the Promised land.
The land that was promised to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and now this people as a whole.
Their hope was to reach that land of peace and plenty.
The journey is them obeying by faith in God for the end-goal.
The angel spoken of, I believe is the Lord.
It is the same word used before they came through the sea.
The angel stopped Pharaoh from getting to Israel.
God is teaching them Trust His leading and remember His wonderful works when you begin to waiver in your faith.
Especially considering that when you waiver it is easier to fall back into idol worship.
23 “When my angel goes before you and brings you to the Amorites and the Hittites and the Perizzites and the Canaanites, the Hivites and the Jebusites, and I blot them out,
24 you shall not bow down to their gods nor serve them, nor do as they do, but you shall utterly overthrow them and break their pillars in pieces.
25 You shall serve the Lord your God, and he will bless your bread and your water, and I will take sickness away from among you.
It’s easy for us to waiver in our hope.
Unless we recognize the truth:
Verses 26-33 God tells all that He will do on their behalf and ours.
Fighting the battles.
26 None shall miscarry or be barren in your land; I will fulfill the number of your days.
27 I will send my terror before you and will throw into confusion all the people against whom you shall come, and I will make all your enemies turn their backs to you.
28 And I will send hornets before you, which shall drive out the Hivites, the Canaanites, and the Hittites from before you.
29 I will not drive them out from before you in one year, lest the land become desolate and the wild beasts multiply against you.
He provides a general timeline:
30 Little by little I will drive them out from before you, until you have increased and possess the land.
He outlines the land given by Him:
31 And I will set your border from the Red Sea to the Sea of the Philistines, and from the wilderness to the Euphrates, for I will give the inhabitants of the land into your hand, and you shall drive them out before you.
Have you noticed that when everything is going really well, we tend to overlook some things.
As I did construction I was always skeptical of those days when everything was working well, nothing was wrong, we had all the materials, and it was being done quick.
I just knew that it was too good to be true.
When everything is going well in our lives we tend to let our guard down and the once protected areas of our life are now vulnerable.
God reminds Israel of this same danger.
32 You shall make no covenant with them and their gods.
33 They shall not dwell in your land, lest they make you sin against me; for if you serve their gods, it will surely be a snare to you.”
Don’t fall into the trap to think that you did any of this yourself and you accomplished this yourself.
Conclusion:
With God it is possible to Maintain:
Our Morality
Being clean before Him.
Our Honor
Our worship of Him.
Our Hope
Our desire for Him.
-Pray!
