Whatever can go wrong, will.
The Big Story Book • Sermon • Submitted
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Transcript
Big Idea:
Big Idea:
God’s love saves us from our wickedness.
Intro:
Intro:
Hi Everyone! Welcome to Church Online!
Any space fans here? I love space. A lot of my favorite movies and shows are based in space. And I think it’s really cool that NASA landed its rover on Mars this last week. Did you listen to the sound recordings from Perseverance? Probably the most exciting 18 secs of wind you’ll hear!
Part of Perseverance’s mission is to “pave the way for human exploration on Mars.” While I think that is kinda cool, it’s also scary! I’ve been watching a lot of space shows lately and one thing that seems to constant is Murphy’s Law - “Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong.” And a lot can go wrong in space. And when it does, you’re doomed! We weren’t built to survive those worlds. Mistakes can lead to death.
And strangely, that ties into this week’s stories. As you know, we’re in a sermon series titled, “The Big Story Book,” discussing:
Familiar Bible stories and hopefully looking at them in new ways.
Seeing how the OT & NT are part of one “Big Story” that reveals God’s plan to save the world.
Discovering Jesus as the most important person in the “Big Story Book.”
Last week, we started off with the story of Noah’s Ark. And once again, we’re going to jump a head in the biblical timeline. In fact, from Noah, I’m going to try and summarize the rest of the book of Genesis - and half of Exodus - in just a few minutes.
During football season, there’s a show called the “fastest 3 minutes in football” where ESPN host Chris Berman runs down the highlights from all of Sunday’s games in 3 minutes. This will be the “fastest 3 minutes of biblical history,” starting from Noah and ending in the Exodus (the 2nd book of the Bible).
Ready? Here we go [play song?]
Following the flood, Noah and his family were given God’s blessing to be fruitful and repopulate the Earth. They did. The problem was sin continued to spread too. Once again, wickedness corrupts the earth.
Yet, once again, God chooses one man by grace. His name was Abram. He eventually is known as Abraham. God promised...
I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others. I will bless those who bless you and curse those who treat you with contempt. All the families on earth will be blessed through you.”
This promised nation started with one son - Isaac - who Abraham waited 75 years. Isaac had two sons named Jacob and Esau. Jacob had 12 sons - one named Joseph. Joseph’s brothers hated him. So, they sold him into slavery and he spent his life in Egypt.
But God poured out His grace on Joseph, because like Noah, Joseph walked with God. And Joseph was promoted to the highest position in Egypt - second only to Pharoah. By his God-given wisdom (which involved interpreting dreams), Joseph saves the world from famine, including his family that comes to live with him. And in Egypt, Joseph’s small family (descendents from Abraham) became a nation, just as God promised.
But 400 years later, Egypt enslaves the Israelites. Then, the king of Egypt ordered the Jewish male babies to be killed. However, one male baby was saved when put in a basket (mini-ark) and placed on the water. Pharaoh’s daughter found the baby and raised him as a prince. His name was Moses.
Moses grew up with everything. But one day, he looked with compassion on his people - the Hebrews (the Jews). He defended one and ended up killing an Egyptian. As a fugitive, he fled and hid for 40 years.
But then God spoke to Moses in a burning bush. He said, “Go save my people.” And Moses went back to Pharoah and said..
Afterward Moses and Aaron went and said to Pharaoh, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘Let my people go, that they may hold a feast to me in the wilderness.’ ”
And Pharoah was like, “uh, uh, uh… You didn’t say the magic word!”
So, God sends 10 plagues until Pharoah said “Uncle!” He finally let the Hebrews go and Moses leads them towards the Promised Land (Israel). But Pharoah was like, “just kidding!” And his army chases and traps them. On one side, the Red Sea ,and the other the Mighty Egyptian army! But Moses declares...
And Moses said to the people, “Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will work for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again. The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.”
Then, God does the miraculous...
Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the Lord drove the sea back by a strong east wind all night and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided. And the people of Israel went into the midst of the sea on dry ground, the waters being a wall to them on their right hand and on their left.
But when the Egyptians tried to pass, the waters crashed down on them. God supernaturally saves His people. And that’s where we pick up our story.
…Okay, sorry, that was like 4 or 5 minutes. I tried. While we quickly passed over some REALLY COOL Bible stories, the OT story I wanted to get to is Moses receiving the 10 commandments! [If you’ve seen a movie on it, type “Seen it” in the chat].
Moses & the 10 Commandments:
Moses & the 10 Commandments:
After the Red Sea, they eventually end up at Mount Sinai, which would be somewhere in modern-northeast Egypt, next to Israel and between the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea. This was the place God would personally meet with His people. And God starts by saying...
‘You have seen what I did to the Egyptians. You know how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. Now if you will obey me and keep my covenant, you will be my own special treasure from among all the peoples on earth; for all the earth belongs to me. And you will be my kingdom of priests, my holy nation.’ This is the message you must give to the people of Israel.”
Three important things:
God says, “I saved you.”
God says, “I love you.” You are My special treasure.
God says, “I want to be with you.” He went to great lengths so they could have genuine relationship.
Moving on, God continues with...
Then the Lord told Moses, “Go down and prepare the people for my arrival. Consecrate them today and tomorrow, and have them wash their clothing. Be sure they are ready on the third day, for on that day the Lord will come down on Mount Sinai as all the people watch. Mark off a boundary all around the mountain. Warn the people, ‘Be careful! Do not go up on the mountain or even touch its boundaries. Anyone who touches the mountain will certainly be put to death.
Two more important things to notice:
God says, “You need to clean up.”
God says, “Here’s an important rule: Don’t go past the boundaries.”
This is significant because it tells us there was a problem. Yes, God saved them, loved them, and wanted relationship, but something MORE WAS NEEDED to make this relationship work. Which is why He give 10 more Rules… The 10 Commandments:
Body:
Body:
Then God gave the people all these instructions:
“I am the Lord your God, who rescued you from the land of Egypt, the place of your slavery.
“You must not have any other god but me.
“You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind or an image of anything in the heavens or on the earth or in the sea. You must not bow down to them or worship them, for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God who will not tolerate your affection for any other gods. I lay the sins of the parents upon their children; the entire family is affected—even children in the third and fourth generations of those who reject me. But I lavish unfailing love for a thousand generations on those who love me and obey my commands.
“You must not misuse the name of the Lord your God. The Lord will not let you go unpunished if you misuse his name.
“Remember to observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. You have six days each week for your ordinary work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath day of rest dedicated to the Lord your God. On that day no one in your household may do any work. This includes you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, your livestock, and any foreigners living among you. For in six days the Lord made the heavens, the earth, the sea, and everything in them; but on the seventh day he rested. That is why the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and set it apart as holy.
“Honor your father and mother. Then you will live a long, full life in the land the Lord your God is giving you.
“You must not murder.
“You must not commit adultery.
“You must not steal.
“You must not testify falsely against your neighbor.
“You must not covet your neighbor’s house. You must not covet your neighbor’s wife, male or female servant, ox or donkey, or anything else that belongs to your neighbor.”
After this, Moses tells the people God’s rules for relationship, and the people say, “All the words that the LORD has spoken we will do.” (24:3).
Following this, God invites Moses back onto Mt. Sinai for 40 days. God’s glory covers the entire mountain. God gives Moses more rules and also puts the 10 commandments on the stone tablets.
The tablets were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God, engraved on the tablets.
Crazy. It’s a pretty miraculous story of God’s personal presence. I mean, if we had time to read the entire story, we’d discover that people witnessed (heard and saw) God speaking to Moses. And Moses spent 40 days alone with God. He even got His autograph - 10 times.
But what’s the point of this story? Is there a purpose to the 10 Commandments? Does God want us to follow rules so we become good people?
I think it’s more than that. Especially since we (humans) aren’t very good rule-keepers. In fact, when it comes to following rules, Murphy’s Law is a constant: Whatever can go wrong, will go wrong.
For example, while Moses spent 40 days on the Mountain with God, guess what? Everybody else broke the rules!
When the people saw how long it was taking Moses to come back down the mountain, they gathered around Aaron. “Come on,” they said, “make us some gods who can lead us. We don’t know what happened to this fellow Moses, who brought us here from the land of Egypt.”
So, they gathered all their gold, melted it, and made a golden calf as an idol...
… Now, think about this:
God supernatural saved these people multiple times. They witnessed the 10 plagues in Egypt. They saw the Sea open before them. They even saw bread fall from heaven and water pour out of a rock (we’d didn’t talk about those things). They heard God speaking to Moses and saw God’s glory cover the mountain.
God told them: I love you and want to be with you. You just have to follow these rules for it to work. And if you think about it, they weren’t difficult rules. They are very reasonable!
But a few days later, what happens? Everything goes WRONG! They break the 1st and 2nd rule! They worshiped another god and made an idol!
I mean, how dumb do you have to be? And there’s more dummy-ness... after Moses spends 40 days with God, he comes down and is like, “What in the world?” He breaks the stone tablets in anger, finds Aaron (his brother and the appointed leader in his absence) and smacks him in the back of the head like, “What are you doing dummy?!?”
And listen to Aaron’s dumb response...
So I told them, ‘Whoever has gold jewelry, take it off.’ When they brought it to me, I simply threw it into the fire—and out came this calf!”
Put the “face palm” emoji in the chat! This dude deserved to be smacked. Moses would’ve been like, “Oh, you mean how I stuck out my hand and it just happened to do this?” [smack]
But still… you gotta wonder, how did this happen? It happened because, “Whatever can go wrong, will go wrong.” We are descendants of Adam & Eve. We are born sinners. We inherited their rebellious spirit. Which means:
We aren’t able to be good.
We can’t follow rules.
We will never choose God on our own.
It means, “Whatever can go wrong, will go wrong.”
The Bible says it this way...
As the Scriptures say,
“No one is righteous—
not even one.
No one is truly wise;
no one is seeking God.
All have turned away;
all have become useless.
No one does good,
not a single one.”
Even Moses couldn’t follow the rules. He was a man of faith, who loved God, and spoke to God “as a man speaks to a friend,” but he wasn’t able to enter the Promised Land because he broke the rules...
So, what’s the point of the rules? Why did God give the 10 commandments in this OT story? Well, I think our NT story can help us...
Nicodemus:
Nicodemus:
In the book of John, we meet a man named Nicodemus. He was a Pharisee - meaning, he was an expert in God’s laws (all 613 rules God eventually gave Moses). Additionally, he was a RULER. He was one of the TOP experts in rule-following. Yet, we read...
After dark one evening, he came to speak with Jesus. “Rabbi,” he said, “we all know that God has sent you to teach us. Your miraculous signs are evidence that God is with you.”
The sense is… “I’m an expert rule-follower, but I get the feeling this isn’t enough. It’s not enough to make us right with God. And I believe You have to come to teach us what’s missing.”
Jesus says...
Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God.”
And Nicodemus replies, “What the heck? What does that mean? How is that possible?”
Jesus replies...
Jesus replied, “I assure you, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit. Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life.
Jesus says, “You need something NEW! Your humanity isn’t enough. Your will-power isn’t enough to follow God. You human strength isn’t enough. Your rules are not enough!”
So then, what’s the purpose of God’s rules? The apostle Paul, who also was once a Jewish rule-following expert (like Nicodemus) said, “Why, then, was the law given? It was given alongside the promise to show people their sins...” (Gal 3:19 NLT).
He goes onto say, “The Scriptures (or the Law) declare that we are all prisoners of sin, so we receive God’s promise of freedom only by believing in Jesus Christ.” (Gal 3:22).
And finally adds, “The law was our guardian until Christ came; it protected us until we could be made right with God through faith.” (Gal 3:24).
Why was the law given? It was given to help all of us come to the point of where Nicodemus was. To a realization that we NEED MORE. That what we’re doing on our own isn’t ENOUGH.
Rules are helpful, but they aren’t the answer. Especially since we are sinners. We are expert rule-breakers. No matter how hard we try, we fail. And that’s the true purpose of the law: To show us we need HELP! Because the part that has the capacity to respond to God - our spirit - is dead! Therefore, we need something new! Something DIFFERENT.
That’s what Nicodemus sensed. And that’s why Jesus says, “You must be born again!”
So, how can we be born again? Jesus says...
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
We are “born again” to new life the moment we turn from our sin (our old life) and put our faith in Jesus (and what He did on the Cross for us). The moment we realize, “I need MORE because I can’t get right with God on my own!” The moment God’s law or rules show us, “I need a Savior. I need Jesus!”
In that moment of faith, the Holy Spirit gives LIFE to your spirit. You receive a new heart. God removes your heart of stone (one that rejects or rebels against God) and gives you a heart of flesh (one that not only responds to God’s rules, but also desires to live for God because our new life is filled with His love).
Paul, an ex-rule-follower, born again by faith in Jesus, described it this way...
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.
If today, you’re stuck in an endless cycle of “Whatever can go wrong, will go wrong,” maybe it’s time for something new. It’s time to surrender your life to Jesus by faith.
Response:
Response:
When the NASA rover landed on mars, they said it is “ready to begin seeking signs of past life.” While that’s a really cool statement for space exploration, it’s a terrible motto for our spiritual lives. Our past life is broken and enslaved to sin. It’s trapped in rebellion and rule-breaking. Leave that behind! It has no ability to make us right with God or add anything eternally valuable to our lives.
When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the obligation to do right. And what was the result? You are now ashamed of the things you used to do, things that end in eternal doom.
Today is the day to leave the old behind and live in the new. What does that mean for you?
Are you a ruler-follower who never gets it right?
Are you a constant rule-breaker but notice that’s not working out either?
What ever the case, today is a new day. And you can find new life in Jesus. He can give you a new heart and spirit. He makes your right with God. He perfectly kept all the rules so you don’t have to. And if you need Him to make you new today, call upon His name.
Let’s pray together...
Father, we recognize that we are sinners. Whatever can go wrong, will go wrong. Because our human nature is cursed. We need to be born again. We need new life found in Jesus. Today, we turn from the old life and put our trust in Jesus. Gives us a new heart and a spirit that is FULLY ALIVE. Not only that, but help us to LIVE IN THIS NEW LIFE! Change our thinking! The old has passed away. That sinner, that rule-breaker, that rebellious person is dead. I am a new creation in Christ. That’s my identity now. May my life match my new identity! In Jesus name, amen.
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