A TIME TO REFOCUS
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Sermon Tone Analysis
A
D
F
J
S
Emotion
A
C
T
Language
O
C
E
A
E
Social
Joshua 8:30–35
Joshua 8:30–35
Refocus: To look again at that which has become blurry or indistinct with the desire that the image will become sharp again.
Refocus: To look again at that which has become blurry or indistinct with the desire that the image will become sharp again.
Intro: Ill. Context and why they were in this location.
• A beautiful place
• An historic place
• A prepared place
God used this time at Ebal and Gerizim to focus Israel’s thinking and to remind them why they were in the Promised Land in the first place.
They were not there only to defeat their enemies, to claim the land, and enjoy their new home.
They were there primarily to serve the Lord, and to honor Him; to be a witness to the lost pagans around them about the glory of their God.
They needed to be reminded, and so do we. It’s a little too easy for us to allow our spiritual lives to become blurry. There are times when we need to refocus on the things that matter most in life.
This message had already been preached by Moses in Deuteronomy before the people entered the land, and now after a defeat and a blessing, Joshua was to by God to preach it again.....
How about you? Has your view of God to become blurry?
Have you wandered from the place of blessing, service and surrender?
ILLUSTRATION: The people of the church of Ephesus:
1 Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write; These things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks; 2 I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars: 3 And hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name’s sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted. 4 Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. 5 Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent. 6 But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. 7 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.
This passage has something to say about that today.
The mountains of Ebal and Gerizim represented a place of either cursing or blessing to Israel, depending on what they did with what they learned there.
Their experience reveals some areas of life where we also need to learn focus or possibly REFOCUS .
Notice these areas with me today.
I. REFOCUS ON GOD’S GRACE—Salvation—Wonder
I. REFOCUS ON GOD’S GRACE—Salvation—Wonder
17 For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.
A. The burnt offerings had to do with sin-vs. 31
A. The burnt offerings had to do with sin-vs. 31
Altar built on Ebal, the mountain of cursing. A reminder of sin, and its consequences. Ill. Pro. 13:15; Rom. 6:23—Sin is a killer! Ill. What it kills.
15 Good understanding giveth favour: But the way of transgressors is hard.
23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Only one sacrifice for sin: blood—Heb. 9:22.
22 And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.
13 But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.
18 Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; 19 But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:
7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.
The sinner was to bring a sacrifice to the priest. The sinner placed his hands on the head of the animal, symbolically transferring his sins to the animal. The animal was then slaughtered and burnt on the altar.
It was a picture of a sinless substitute dying in the place of the guilty. The burnt offering spoke of sin, cleansing, and forgiveness.
B. The peace offerings had to do with fellowship-vs. 31
B. The peace offerings had to do with fellowship-vs. 31
The grateful worshiper would bring a sacrifice to the priest. The animal would be killed and a portion offered up to God on the burnt altar. The rest would be prepared and eaten by the priests and the worshiper. It was to be a time of worship and gratitude for the Lord’s provision, presence and peace.
It pictured rejoicing, fellowship, and a reminder of God’s blessing.
No tools—a reminder that salvation is by grace alone. Not by our works, or our religious adornments.
8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
5 Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;
That altar was a reminder that they were sinners, but they could be saved from the curse of the law through the grace of God.
The Law says, “Thou shalt not.” But, God knows that we will! He knows that we cannot be good enough, holy enough, or righteousness enough to please Him and earn our own salvation.
That is why He sent a perfect substitute. God sent Jesus Christ into this world to die on an altar of wood, a Roman cross, to die as a substitute for sinners.
God sent Jesus to do for us that which we could never do for ourselves, 2 Cor. 5:21.
21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
He sent Him to die on that altar to provide a way whereby we might be save by the grace of God, apart from our own efforts or religious works, Eph. 2:8–9.
The grace of God is still the only hope we have!
17 For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.
11 But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved, even as they.
24 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:
3 That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.
By the way, the altar was built before the Law was read. A means of cleansing was provided before the problem of sin was highlighted.
I. Refocus On God’s Grace
II. REFOCUS ON GOD’S GUIDELINES—Service—Walk
II. REFOCUS ON GOD’S GUIDELINES—Service—Walk
Ill. Context—Deut. 27–28. Their “amen’s” voiced their commitment to honor the law and their understanding that keeping it meant blessing, while disobedience meant cursing.
A. When the Law was read and the people voiced their ascent to it, they were making a commitment to honor, obey and pass on the Law of God to the next generation.
A. When the Law was read and the people voiced their ascent to it, they were making a commitment to honor, obey and pass on the Law of God to the next generation.
The Ten Commandments—also known as the “Decalogue” Roughly, they are: (1) Worship no gods but God, (2) Do not worship idols, (3) Do not blaspheme God’s name, (4) Remember the Sabbath, (5) Honor your parents, (6) Do not murder, (7) Do not commit adultery, (8) Do not steal, (9) Do not bear false witness, and (10) Don’t covet.
See-Deuteronomy 27:14-26
See-Deuteronomy 27:14-26
• They were making a commitment that the Law of God would be the standard by which they lived their lives.
• They were making a commitment that they would teach the Law of God to all the following generation.
• They were making a commitment that their obedience to the Law of God would determine whether they were blessed or cursed as a people.
We are not saved by keeping the Law. Thank God, because no one can keep the Law perfectly, and that is the standard,
10 For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.
The Law serves as a standard for living.
Those who honor the Law will be blessed; those who do not will be cursed.
We know that as Christians we are not under the Law. The Law is not something that we have to pursue to try and attain the favor of God. The Law is not something we must keep in order to assure our salvation.
Yet, the Law is something that God has written in our hearts, “Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another,” Rom. 2:15.
We do not keep the Law in order to earn anything from God; we keep the Law because we love Him. We want to live for Him because He died for us. That is why the child of God lives a different kind of life than the world around him. The law should be our delight—
8 I delight to do thy will, O my God: Yea, thy law is within my heart.
B. The Law of God is not a means of salvation; it is a way to demonstrate our love for Him. The Law of God is not a harsh set of commandments; it is the standard for a life that seeks to honor God.
B. The Law of God is not a means of salvation; it is a way to demonstrate our love for Him. The Law of God is not a harsh set of commandments; it is the standard for a life that seeks to honor God.
36 Master, which is the great commandment in the law? 37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
Honoring the commandments of God is the saint’s way of saying, “I love You Lord!”
15 If ye love me, keep my commandments.
Honoring the Law of God puts us into a place of special blessing, and it brings His blessings into our lives—
21 He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.
We need to refocus on the truth that living by God’s standard brings us into a place of blessing, while refusing God’s standard for living brings us into a place of cursing.
I. Refocus On God’s Grace
II. Refocus On God’s Guidelines
III. REFOCUS ON GOD’S GLORY—Surrender—Worship
III. REFOCUS ON GOD’S GLORY—Surrender—Worship
A. Surrounded by their enemies, Israel put aside their fears, submitted to the will of God and worshipped.
A. Surrounded by their enemies, Israel put aside their fears, submitted to the will of God and worshipped.
We need to come to the place where we are not distracted and not deterred by the presence of the enemy-
8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:
Verse 33 tells us that the Ark of the Lord was in the valley between the two mountains. The Ark of the Lord represented the manifest presence of God Himself. On one side of the Ark was the mountain of blessing. On the other side stood the mountain of cursing.
The picture is clear! To be on the right side of the Lord is to be in a place of blessing, while to be on the wrong side of God is to be in a place of cursing.
There are no grey areas today.
There is only black and white.
There is only right and wrong.
Walk in the right, the Word of God, and you will be blessed.
Walk in the wrong, and you will suffer God’s punishment.
B. We need to reach the place where nothing is more important than living our lives as a statement of active, visible worship to His glory.
B. We need to reach the place where nothing is more important than living our lives as a statement of active, visible worship to His glory.
1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
His glory is all that matters—1 Cor. 10:31.
31 Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.
Conclusion:
Conclusion:
Where do you stand?
Are you on Ebal, the mount of cursing, or are you on Gerizim, the mountain of blessing?
Which side of the things of God are you on?
• Either we stand on the mountain of cursing, or we stand on the mountain of blessing.
• Either we are on the right side of God, or we are on the wrong side of God.
• Either we are doing what pleases Him, or we are doing what pleases us.
Where do you stand today?
• Are you saved? Have your sins been placed on the altar and taken away by a sinless substitute? Is your faith in Jesus Christ alone for your soul’s salvation?
• Are you honoring God’s Law by the way you live your life?
Are your priorities in order? If God says it is wrong, do you avoid it? If God says it is right, do you embrace it?
Can you say “Amen” to the blessings and the cursings of the Law of God?
Have you allowed some things to become blurry in your life?
Have you allowed some things to become blurry in your life?
A Time To Refocus
A Time To Refocus
There is still a place of surrender, sacrifice and service for all those who want the blessing of God on their lives.
Where are you in your personal relationship with Jesus Christ?
Do you need to reFocus?
