YOU CAN DO THIS DEUTERONOMY 30:11-20 MAIN IDEA I expect God to do many great things through you in the coming year and for years to follow. I. YOU ARE WELL EQUIPPED (VS 11-14) You have received much training in how to read, interpret, and apply God s word. A. A VISION FOR SUCCESS (11) B. A MAP FOR SUCCESS (12-13) C. A DESIRE FOR SUCCESS (14) II. YOU UNDERSTAND THE CHOICES (VS 15-18) Every individual and every church has to understand there are only two choices; to follow God or to reject God. A. THE TWO CHOICES AVAILABLE (15) B. THE RESULTS OF GOOD CHOICES (16) C. THE RESULTS OF BAD CHOICES (17-18) III. YOU MUST MAKE A CHOICE (VS 19-20) My prayer and desire for you as individuals and as a church family; is that you choose to love God, love one another, and love the lost. A. MY DESIRE FOR YOU (19) B. REVIEWING THE CHOICE (20a) C. THE GLORIOUS FUTURE OF DEVON CHURCH (20b)
You Can Do This Deuteronomy 30:11-20 It is really hard for me to believe that we have passed 25 years together. I was totally convinced that God called me here 25 years ago and I am still convinced of that today. You have been a joy to serve. You have become a permanent part of my life. There is so much I d like to say to you but I ll try to keep it short. Moses took the whole book of Deuteronomy to say good-bye to Israel. He then went up the mountain to die. I m just saying good-bye; I m not planning on going up a mountain to die. The message I have for you is the main idea of this morning s text. I EXPECT GOD TO DO MANY GREAT THINGS THROUGH YOU IN THE COMING YEAR AND FOR YEARS TO COME. In other words, I think I have given to you all I have. I would only be holding you back if I stayed any longer. You will now go on to a bright future using all your talents, abilities, and resources. I am confident of that. Like Moses told the Israelites in verses 11-14, I know that you are well equipped to take hold of the future God has for you. We know the Israelites went on to conquer the Promised Land and they still exist today as a nation over 3,500 years later. I believe this church will go on until the Second Coming of Christ. I. YOU ARE WELL EQUIPPED (VS 11-14) In verses 11-14, along with Moses I would like to affirm that you are well equipped to carry on this ministry. YOU HAVE RECEIVED MUCH TRAINING IN HOW TO READ, INTERPRET, AND APPLY GOD S WORD. I have done my best to give a balanced and in-depth instruction in the Bible. I have preached through 40 entire books of the Bible and one third of the book of Psalms. That means we have studied carefully through almost two thirds of the entire Bible. If we were to count all the other kinds of studies, we have probably touched every book in the Bible. Like Moses discipled Joshua, Caleb, and others to lead, I have spent a lot of time with many of you. I m confident that you know how to lead, that you have solid theology, and are able to make good solid Biblical decisions. Verse 11 reminds us that we must have a vision for success. Moses put it like this, This command I am giving you today is not too difficult for you to understand, and it is not beyond your reach. That was a daunting task he laid before them. 40 years earlier, they faced this same choice to enter, conquer, and possess the Promised Land; but they were afraid and disobeyed God. Because of that disobedience, the nation had to wander the dessert for 40 years. And yet, Moses is confident they will succeed this time. The task that lays ahead for you is that you must continue to love God, love one another, and love the lost. You don t need any gimmicks or slick presentations. I know all of you and I can say with confidence that you are a loving congregation. You have proven over the years that you love God, you love one another, and you love the lost. I have seen that love in action over and over again. In fact, you have loved me and my family in ways that have touched us deeply and in ways we will never forget. I am certain that this is a loving congregation. I know you will care for one another and this church. There is no doubt in my mind. Page 2
In addition to a vision for success, verses 12-13 show us a map for success. Moses told the people that the map was not in heaven or in some distant land. Pastor Mike, Pastor John, or some other clergy doesn t have to travel to heaven or across the sea to get it and bring it back. He told the people that the message was close at hand to each person. The message was on their lips and in their hearts. I have spent many hours with you; teaching how to study, meditate on, and live out the commands of the Bible. Our goal is not simply to be able to quote Scripture, or talk good theology, or simply know things about God. Our goal is to know God and allow Him to live through our lives. The Apostle Paul put it this way to the church in Rome: 1And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. 2Don t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect (Romans 12:1-2 /NLT). I think life in Christ is not so much me doing things for Christ; rather it is letting Christ live His life through me. Again, this is not some hidden treasure map that we have to get lucky to find. It is not written in a code that requires a secret key or some esoteric knowledge. Jesus made the map simple; notice I said simple, not easy. Listen to the map as laid out by Jesus: Page 3 16 For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. 17 God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him. John 3:16-17 / New Living Translation 29 The most important commandment is this: Listen, O Israel! The LORD our God is the one and only LORD. 30 And you must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength. 31 The second is equally important: Love your neighbor as yourself. No other commandment is greater than these. Mark 12:29-31 / New Living Translation 34 So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. 35 Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples. John 13:34-35 / New Living Translation The map is simple. God first loved us even though we were unlovable. God demonstrated His love by sending Jesus in the flesh to suffer and die to set us free. Jesus redeemed us by His act of love. We are to surrender all we have and all we are in love back to God. We demonstrate our love for God by obeying His commands and allowing Him to work in us and through us. Finally, we are called to live sacrificial othercentered lives of love. That s a simple enough map; but it takes a great deal of courage and humility to live it out. Nevertheless, that s the life Jesus invites us to share with Him.
Verse 14 describes a desire for success. The more we fall in love with Jesus, the more we desire to be like Him. The Holy Spirit puts in our hearts the desire to obey God and then gives us the ability to pull it off. If our hearts are filled with the love of God, then the love of God will come out of our mouths. We will speak words of love, salvation, and redemption. Our acts will be acts of love motivated by the Holy Spirit and our thoughts will be filled with the loving acts of God. We will be thankful and prayerful people. Again, I know you can do this. YOU HAVE RECEIVED MUCH TRAINING IN HOW TO READ, INTERPRET, AND APPLY GOD S WORD. II. YOU UNDERSTAND THE CHOICES (VS 15-18) I d like to just remind you even though I know that you understand the choices as laid out in verses 15-18. EVERY INDIVIDUAL AND EVERY CHURCH HAS TO UNDERSTAND THERE ARE ONLY TWO CHOICES; TO FOLLOW GOD OR TO REJECT GOD. Moses laid out the two choices for the Israelites in verse 15. He said the choice was between life and death; prosperity and disaster. If someone came up to you today and said, I m giving you a choice; would you like to live a prosperous life; or would you like to experience disaster after disaster and die a miserable death? I don t think it would take us long to respond; I would like to live a prosperous life and enjoy a blessed death at the end. I think everyone in the world would answer that question the same. However, the problem is in defining life, death, disaster, and prosperity. First of all, the world defines a prosperous life as having plenty of wealth, health, power, notoriety, and pleasure. Jesus said that all these things pass away and have no eternal value. The Bible defines death as being separated from God and from His love. Jesus made these two comments about living a prosperous life: Page 4 10 The thief s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life. John 10:10 / New Living Translation 6 Jesus told him, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me. John 14:6 / New Living Translation For the believer, living the rich and satisfying life all depends on the lover you go through life with. Jesus promised to journey all through life with us. Walking with Jesus is the only way to find true peace, joy, and contentment in this life, and enjoy heaven forever in the afterlife. So the only choice is to give your life to Jesus in faith or reject Jesus and do your own thing. The results of good choices are listed in verse 16. Walking with God brings all sorts of good things in this life. Look the fact is that we are all human. We will all get sick, suffer, and experience setbacks and betrayals. We will all experience the pain of having loved ones suffer and die. We will experience highs in life and lows in life. The benefit of loving and traveling with God through life is that He will be there to comfort us in times of suffering. He will be there when we die to personally escort us to heaven.
Unbelievers have no such comforts to take them through the difficulties of life. One truth that keeps us going during our times of trials is that we know God works all things for good to those who love Him and are called according to His will. What more could anyone ask for or hope for than to know that God loves them and will never leave them or forsake them? Those who have walked with Christ for any length of time can testify to the fact that knowing Jesus loved them and was present with them in the difficult times of life was extremely comforting to them. Who wouldn t want that? Well there are some who choose to reject the free offer of salvation and relationship with Jesus. Verses 17-18 describe the results of bad choices. Too many people in our culture today have chosen to reject Jesus and make themselves gods in their own world. The thing about worshiping false gods is that one is never satisfied and never finds genuine peace. Idols give us immediate satisfaction, then the satisfaction wears off and we need more and more to achieve the same level of satisfaction. In the end idols leave us exhausted, drained, and unhappy. When we chase after the idols of wealth, power, notoriety, and pleasures of all kinds; we will be left discouraged and disappointed in the end. But the most devastating result is being separated from the joy of knowing God in this life and spending eternity in hell forever separated from God and His love. On just this point alone Jesus asks this question: 26 And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul? Matthew 16:26 / New Living Translation So it s possible for people to amass all sorts of wealth, power, notoriety, and pleasure in this life; and then end up spending an eternity in hell. On the other hand, some people may suffer in this life but spend eternity in heaven. The only One Who guarantees our entrance into heaven is Jesus. He offers salvation freely; but everyone must accept that offer. I trust you as individuals and a church family will make this a priority to tell people to know, love, and follow Jesus. That s the most important decision anyone can make. The two choices are to follow Jesus or reject Jesus. The consequences are either eternal death, forever separated from God; or life, a relationship with God in this life and eternal life with God in heaven. EVERY INDIVIDUAL AND EVERY CHURCH HAS TO UNDERSTAND THERE ARE ONLY TWO CHOICES; TO FOLLOW GOD OR TO REJECT GOD. I have tried to keep these choices before you. It is your calling and mission as a church to continually remind each other of these choices. As a church, present these choices to people who come to attend and visit. With love present these choices to your family, friends, neighbors, coworkers, classmates, and people you come across in everyday life. I know you can do this. III. YOU MUST MAKE A CHOICE (VS 19-20) You are equipped to make this church a vibrant church. You have already made the choice to love and follow Jesus and we have consistently presented people with the choice to love and follow Jesus. I m pretty sure you have already made this commitment but just to make sure, verses 19-20 remind us that you must Page 5
make a choice. MY PRAYER AND DESIRE FOR YOU AS INDIVIDUALS AND AS A CHURCH FAMILY; IS THAT YOU CHOOSE TO LOVE GOD, LOVE ONE ANOTHER, AND LOVE THE LOST. Moses gave the last 40 years of his life shepherding the nation of Israel. He went through many ups and downs with them. He knew they could enter, conquer, and settle the Promised Land. He knew God could make them into a great nation. The only variable was if they would follow God and take their inheritance. We know that under the leadership of Joshua, they did succeed. Moses prayed for the nation and often interceded for them. Now it was time for Moses to die. It was time for Israel to move on to a new era without him. Moses wanted more than anything else for Israel to succeed and become a great nation. My desire for Devon Church is that you take everything I have taught you, multiply it by the power of the Holy Spirit, and do a great work here. I know you have the heart, the desire, and the will. I know you love God and that God loves you. My desire is that you share that love with one another. I pray that Devon Church continue to be a place where people can see and feel Jesus as they talk and interact with you. The first half of verse 20 reviews the choice. You have a lot of knowledge, experience, and resources to share with one another. Continue to commit yourselves to obeying God s commands. That s the way we can demonstrate our love for Him. His primary command is to love others the way He loves you. Take time to think about God s grace. Take time to think about where you would be and where you would be going had Jesus not decided to die for you and redeem you. Life would be bitter and death would be worse. And then think about the fact that God loved you so much, He took on human flesh, suffered, and died to redeem you and save you. God, through the finished work of Jesus says to us and individuals: Page 6 11 For I know the plans I have for you, says the LORD. They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. Jeremiah 29:11 / New Living Translation God has brought us through some difficult times. The fact that we are in existence and that I can have so much hope for your future is a miracle. We are here today not because we are so holy, clever, or faithful; we are here today by the miraculous grace of God. That grace will bring you into a prosperous future. I think the glorious future presented to Israel in the second half of verse 20 can also be applied to Devon Church. Israel became a nation and took over the land. They too have gone through their ups and downs; and yet they still exist today. I pray that you will still be preaching and living the Gospel until the day Jesus comes for His church at the Second Coming. MY PRAYER AND DESIRE FOR YOU AS INDIVIDUALS AND AS A CHURCH FAMILY; IS THAT YOU CHOOSE TO LOVE GOD, LOVE ONE ANOTHER, AND LOVE THE LOST. I know you can do this. One of the Apostle Paul s favorite churches was the church at Ephesus. Here is how his good-bye went to them. I feel the same way about you: 24 But my life is worth nothing to me unless I use it for finishing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus the work of telling others the Good News about the wonderful grace of God 27 for I didn t
shrink from declaring all that God wants you to know 31 Remember the years I was with you my constant watch and care over you night and day, and my many tears for you. 32 And now I entrust you to God and the message of his grace that is able to build you up and give you an inheritance with all those he has set apart for himself. 33 I have never coveted anyone s silver or gold or fine clothes 35 And I have been a constant example of how you can help those in need by working hard. You should remember the words of the Lord Jesus: It is more blessed to give than to receive. 36 When he had finished speaking, he knelt and prayed with them. 37 They all cried as they embraced and kissed him good-bye. 38 They were sad most of all because he had said that they would never see him again. Then they escorted him down to the ship. Acts 20:24-38 / New Living Translation I know you can carry on and go far beyond where I was able to lead you. I am a better person for having been in relationship with you; I hope you are better for having been in relationship with me. May God richly bless you and all your families. I love you and will never forget you. Thanks for making this a blessed 25 years for me and my family. Page 7