Deuteronomy 30, What Are You Capable Of?

Deuteronomy 30 and the Blessing, the Curse, and Return to the Lord

Deuteronomy chapter 30. Hear the word of the Lord and when all these things come upon you the blessing and the curse which I have said before you and you call them to mind among all the nations where the Lord your God has driven you and Return to the Lord your God you and your children and obey his voice and all that I command you today.

With all your heart and with all your soul. Then the Lord your God will restore your fortunes and have compassion on you and he will gather you again from all the peoples where The Lord your God has scattered you if your outcasts are in the uttermost parts of the heaven from there the Lord your God will gather you and from there he will take you and the Lord your God will bring you into the land that your father's possessed that you may possess it and he will make you more prosperous and numerous than your father's and The Lord your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your offspring.

So that you will love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul that you may live and the Lord your God will put all these curses on your foes and enemies who persecuted you and You shall again obey the voice of the Lord your God and keep all his commandments that I command you today the Lord your God will make you abundantly prosperous and all the work of your hand in the fruit of your womb and the fruit Of your cattle and the fruit of your ground for the Lord will again take delight in prospering you as he took delight in your father's.

When you obey the voice of the Lord your God to keep his commandments and his statutes That are written in the book of the law when you turn to the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul.

The Heart of the Problem Is the Problem of the Heart

For this commandment that I have commanded. I command you today is not too hard for you. Neither is it far off? It is not in heaven that you should say who will ascend to heaven for us to bring it to us.

That we may hear it and do it. Neither is it beyond the sea that you should say who will go over the sea for us and bring it to us that we may Hear it and do it. But the word is very near you. It's in your mouth and in your heart so that you can do it.

See I have set before you today Life and good. Death and evil if you obey the commandments of the Lord your God. That I command you today by loving the Lord your God with and by walking in his ways and by keeping his Commandments and his statutes and his rules.

Then you shall live and multiply and the Lord your God will bless you in the land that you are entering to take possession of It but if your heart turns away and you will not hear But are drawn away to worship other gods and serve them I declare to you today that you shall surely perish.

You shall not live long in the land that you are going over the Jordan to enter and possess. I call heaven and earth to witness against you today that I have set before you life and death blessing and curse therefore choose life.

That you and your offspring may live Loving the Lord your God obeying his voice and holding fast to him for he is your life and Length of days that you may dwell in the land that the Lord swore to your fathers to Abraham to Isaac and to Jacob.

Human Inability, the Law, and the Need for a New Heart

To give them may the Lord had his blessings to the reading of his Holy Word. Well, what are you capable of? What can you do? Of course you may ask well. Do you mean what I can do right now or what could I do if I set my mind to it?

If I if I worked hard to do it, yeah, those are two different things now right now. You're each capable of I assume of doing your jobs of your hobbies of all kinds of other things because you've had the training the experience and.

You have the talent you have the abilities. Even if some of those abilities you think are just so basic. But their abilities like the ability to make yourself get up and go to a shop every day get go to work.

So you're not fired or go to a shop where maybe you're the boss and no one's looking over your shoulder. You you could blow it off. You could stay home and just decide not to show up to work. But you go anyway day in day out.

That's an ability. You might think some parts of your job are easy like anyone can do them. Someone who visited here said about me. So all he does is talk. Yeah, that's about it. Some things look easy, but they're a lot harder than they look.

Running. Some people look at a long-distance runner and think I can do that. We had a guy here who played basketball here came every Sunday evening and he wanted to run with me on my old six-mile run.

I said sure come along but then I told Mary as we're about to head off. Be ready to go out and pick him up because he probably won't be able to finish. I was right. Running a restaurant seems easy for those who've never tried it.

That's that's when we get so many people trying to operate restaurants open them up. Because and so many of them fail they figure, you know, I can cook at home. Surely I can do it for a business. I've worked landscaping assembly line fast food as in restaurant warehouse security.

Substitute teaching and editing and by far the hardest work is restaurant work. Now some things are harder than they appear because they take a certain gift comedy. Either writing or speaking comedy is the hardest genre to do well in.

Cooking at least for me almost anything. I try to cook turns out badly. Surfing so I'm told. Music playing any musical instrument. It looks easy for those who do it. Well, but that's only because they have won the skill and they've applied themselves to make the most of that skill.

Learning new languages at least as an adult now children. They pick up whatever languages is around them whatever they grow up in but for an adult. The brain kind of like cement it gets hard and in most of us then find it hard to learn a new language.

It's a talent for an adult to learn a new language. Earlier this week Mary and I were watching women's gymnastics and getting ready for the Olympics that they make it look so easy all the stuff. They're doing but you know doing a backflip on a balance beam is incredibly hard.

I just find that amazing a backflip on a balance. I mean I could hardly stand up on the thing and they're doing a backflip and landing on it. Some of those things are hard like a backflip on a balance beam because they not only require a lot of practice and training but Also a lot of talent and no matter how hard maybe I if I know how hard I tried I couldn't do it.

Because I don't have the talent. Last week I said much to the offense of the modern American that you really can't do. Anything you set your mind on we know we've been drilling into people's heads now for generations.

That we can indeed do whatever we resolve to do whatever you set your mind on you can do it. Well, no, not really. Some things not only require willpower and discipline setting your mind to it, but they require skill talent.

Ability you either have the ability to do it or you don't and if you don't have it You're not gonna be able to do it as the coach said in chariots of fire. You can't put in what God left out. I Couldn't be an NBA player.

Okay, I don't care. You went back in time and trained me from when I was like two years old. I think I know my skills well enough to say that those skills were left out of me. Maybe I could cook better if I'd been trained or play some musical instrument, maybe maybe badly.

Maybe not at all. I could have learned Mandarin if I was taught it as a small child I was raised in that environment, but now I don't think I could be very good at it. No matter how hard I tried no matter how you observe you absorb me in a Mandarin environment I still I still wouldn't be able to pick it up very well.

I Don't have that ability. Well, what about for you? What are you capable of. What even an ability to do. And theology Armenian ism Says that you are capable of doing whatever God commands that God can't command us to do.

What we are on unable to do supposedly that wouldn't be fair. So when the Lord Jesus commanded us in Matthew chapter 5 verse 48 to be perfect. Then we can if we tried hard enough they say Be perfect be sinless.

So our lack of perfection our ongoing sin then is only because we lack the willpower. Is that true? Is that a good line of reasoning? My father told me that in the Air Force the officer training had what they call it a confidence course.

It was an obstacle course in which the new trainees would be incapable of finishing. At the very start of their training drill sergeants Training would make them run the course at the beginning of their training to show them that they could not do it.

They lacked the ability now in that case the purpose was so that at the end of the training after the process that they were then supposed to be Able to finally finish the course and have confidence see how far they've come.

But what if God's commands like in Matthew 5 that it's not good enough just not to murder. Don't hate that it's not good enough just to not commit adultery. Don't lust be perfect. What if those commands are to show you?

Like at the beginning of that confidence course. That you're not perfect. What if the purpose is to crush your confidence in yourself? What if it's to get you to know? That you aren't Capable that you're not capable of obeying of keeping God's commands.

Not even capable of believing of Loving the Lord that you need a change in what you're capable of a change of heart. What are you capable of? Well, we see that here in three major parts the heart the work and finally the choice.

What you are capable of? Depends on your heart. The heart of the problem is the problem of the heart. Here we're called to obey the voice of the Lord with all. Notice that even the piece had several times with all our heart with all our soul in verse 2 God wants complete loving eager unreserved heartfelt Obedience, so it's not good enough just to obey to keep the rules to not kill someone.

When you get angry at them, maybe a rude unreasonable customer of it or just a thief. It's not good enough just not to kill him. You're not supposed to hate it. Not even to curse him blurt out you idiot.

It's not good enough to keep yourself from adultery. You have to keep yourself from pornography from looking at the looking the wrong way at some person at a swimsuit. It's not good enough just to give a tie to keep the law to give the required percent keep the rules.

Instead you're supposed to be generous from your heart because you want to bless others. You live according to all God's commands because it comes from your heart. Are you capable of that? Kind of obedience.

Well, if not. Then the curses come the terribleness of God outside of Christ. There's death if you can't be perfect from your heart. There's judgment and here at verse 1 they get the curses. We read about two weeks ago in chapter 28 and they are scattered around the world.

Now that's not just an obstacle for them to overcome that now they're supposed, you know. Supposed to do the hard work of getting back to the land. It's meant to spur them to self-examination to get them to think Hey, what did we do wrong?

What did I do wrong that deserve this judgment? If as your you are experiencing judgment or a discipline we read about it in Psalm 118. You become aware that you are sinning that you aren't perfect. Become aware that you are incapable of doing at least some of these commands and so you're convicted of sin.

That's first. Because the judgment or the discipline is having its desired effect. It's breaking down your confidence in yourself. You're in your self-righteousness and second the Holy Spirit is working in you to convict you.

The Lord Jesus said in John chapter 16 verse 8 that he is sending the Holy Spirit to convict people. Convict his lambs are scattered in other sheepfolds to convict them of sin of righteousness of judgment.

That is Bring to their minds that they are sinning. And so they repent. Bring to their minds what God's righteous standards are so they see how far they've fallen short of them how much they failed and Bring to their minds.

What are God's judgments on their sin? So they tremble at his word so we we require the Holy Spirit to do that for us because by ourselves we are not capable of Knowing our sin of knowing what is right of knowing what sin will cost us.

You know, that's why there are people who suffer for their sins. Sometimes they suffer over and over again. Maybe they go to jail for being a thief or they suffer miserably in their lives for their sexual immorality.

And yet they never seem to learn. That's because by themselves they aren't capable of knowing or doing right. The early church leader Augustine prayed Lord you command self-control. Grant what you command and command what you will.

And that became a model prayer kind of a popular model prayer in his day. You command self-control. Grant what you command and command what you will. And please give us the self-control you command us to have and command whatever you want.

If you want to if you will give us what you command. Will gladly do whatever it is you command. But if you don't give us the ability to do your commands, we can't Keep them we are incapable. A Monk from Britain named Pelagius was offended by that.

Thought that that's that's teaching people not to try. He claimed that they're using what you Augustine say is their inability to not even try to obey. You know, like I don't even try to be a good basketball player anymore I know I'm not capable.

So I kind of given up trying and they'll hear for a play just would say these people have given up trying not to sin. They'll say God has it granted me to keep that command. So I'm just gonna go ahead and sin.

Probably some people really did say something like that in his day. They'll use Truth to enable their sin. They probably did use their inability as an excuse to continue in sin. But that's not evidence that Augusta wasn't right.

The person who commits adultery because he says that God didn't give him the ability to resist will still be held responsible for his adultery and Now he's added to that blasphemy by blaming God for his for his sin.

And so he'll be judged and in a sense he Kind of right in a certain way of looking at it. He's committing adultery. Because of who he is. He is an adulterer, but that doesn't mean that he's free from judgment that he can't be held responsible.

For not obeying a command. That he couldn't keep it means that the command has shown him what kind of person he is. He is an adulterer when the Lord Jesus finished Matthew 5 by telling us, you know be perfect.

He was showing us, you know in case we still had any Self-confidence left from in our self-righteousness if in case we had any leftover after he said that not only don't kill. Don't come in an actual physical adultery that that's not good enough that if we just wanted to do it then we're still guilty.

He was showing us that that we're not perfect because our heart isn't right that we're not Capable that the heart of our problem is the problem of our heart. So Like here I can do Deuteronomy 30. You're under judgment scattered her in the world.

You're now being convicted by the Holy Spirit. He's making you capable of seeing what you couldn't see before because you hadn't been given a new heart. They could understand we saw that at last week.

Remember in chapter 29 verse 4. This is really 29 and 30 of one unit, but remember in chapter 29 verse 4 He said God has not given you a heart to understand. But now he's given you that new heart. So first in verse 3 you repent.

You turn from your sin that before you wouldn't even admit was a sin the Lord restores you he restores you to what you were Meant to be at creation in harmony with him. He restores your fortunes some fortunes He restores now and some he will restore not yet at the Resurrection, but you know, even if even if you can't get some of the fortunes yet, you know.

That I has not seen or you heard what God has in store for you since he's given you a heart to love him. He has compassion on you. You are his people and so you love. Because he loved you first and he will gather you the Lord Jesus said about this age this age.

We're still in he said in Matthew chapter 24 verse 31 That his from his first coming to a second coming that now this age he is sending out his messengers Messengers of the gospel and he is gathering his people gathering his elect his chosen ones.

He says from one end of heaven To the other from the whole creation. That's what he is doing. Now. He is fulfilling verse 3 here in Deuteronomy 30 Gathering his people from the nations that they are scattered in Gathering his sheep from the many different sheepfolds that they are found in the different ethnic groups that they are now in Gathering them in to one in verse 4 if you're outcasts Are in the uttermost parts of the heaven.

Otherwise, if they're all over the world They're in America or Singapore or Indonesia or China or Ethiopia. He will send his messengers to tell you the gospel and he will gather you to his presence and Gather you to his blessings to himself and you'll be aware of your sin your need for his righteousness because you're not capable and you'll turn back to him because.

Because not because you by yourself are capable but because notice verse 6. Because in verse 6 he's given you a new heart. He's taken care of the heart of the problem by taking care of the problem of the heart.

He will he says in verse 6 circumcise your heart and the heart of your offspring. So he will give you the the mark of the covenant the sign that he's committed To love you that steadfast love that endures forever.

That literal first mark of the old covenant was circumcision. But here he is saying that he's he'll give you the the true a spiritual mark of the covenant marking you off as his people. The circumcision of the heart what Jeremiah prophets Jeremiah and Ezekiel say is the new heart.

Taking out the the old heart of stone that old dead part that was Incapable it lacked the ability to love God. No matter how you how much you lashed it with God's Word you commanded it to obey. It still would disobey even if you made yourself obey God's rules in your heart.

You still did not love that God, but God takes out that heart. It gives you a new heart taking out that and replacing it with the living heart of flesh. That's now alive to God That loves God that has his law written on your heart.

Notice verse 6 the Lord your God will. The Lord will give you this new mark of the covenant. You didn't say you go out and do it. Here's how now the Lord your God will do it. God does the work because we can't we lack the ability.

We're not capable. He does it so that this is the purpose. You will love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your mind. The only way we can love the Lord with all our heart Is if he gives us a new one and he does it at the end of verse 6 that the end goal You may live.

He has commanded us to love him with all our heart and here promise for his people who are scattered around the world that he will grant what he commands and so now we say Command what you will. The mark of the new covenant is promised here in verse 6.

The circumcision of the heart. Baptism is what those who have been given this spiritual mark this new heart then do. Baptism is not the sign of the new covenant. The Bible nowhere Calls baptism the sign of the covenant.

You will not find that anywhere. Baptism is called the sign of the covenant and now in Colossians chapter 2 verses 11 and 12 The Apostle Paul says in him in Christ that's because of what he did for us in Christ.

You were talking to believers you were circumcised With a circumcision made without hands so that's the same circumcision as Mentioned here in verse 6 the sign of the new covenant and you were circumcised with the circumcision made without hands by Paul says.

In Colossians chapter 2 verse 11 by that is the means of the instrument the way that this circumcision the heart is done by the circumcision of Christ the mark of the covenant that comes from Christ. He doesn't say Paul does not say By baptism as though baptism makes you part of the covenant is the sign of the covenant.

No, but in Colossians chapter 2 verse 12 having been buried with him in Baptism sure such people are indeed baptized because God first gave them a new heart and that new heart wanted to obey him. And he commands them could be baptized.

And so they do. Baptism is not the sign of the covenant the circumcision of the heart is. Baptism is the sign of The sign of the covenant the sign of having received a circumcision of the heart of having a new heart so the Lord does what we are not capable of giving us a new heart.

Then he gathers us together from all the peoples in the world and. Then the curses of the covenant followed the world of our seven while we with these new hearts obey the Lord. Because we have a heart to because we want to in verse 8 and he makes us Abundantly prosperous at verse 9 some prosperity now some not yet the Lord takes delight in prospering us.

The Lord takes great pleasure in blessing us. Enriching us. Healing us raising us from the dead. Giving us a new heaven and a new earth all the good things. He solves the heart of the problem the problem of our heart.

The Work of Believing in Christ and the Gift of a New Heart

And so now we have ears to hear we have hearts to obey and live forever. Delighting the Lord by him. Lavishing on us all those good things. What are you capable of? Are you capable of? Doing the work to get that blessing.

Well in verses 11 to 14, we see that it's not something We're incapable of. In verse 11, the Lord says this commandment as to love the Lord with all your heart keep his word. He says it's it's not too hard for you.

You're capable of it neither is it far off. It's not out of reach. It's not beyond our our skill or ability. It's not wealth and space. So that you know, we just can't get to it. We don't we lack that ability it's beyond our ladders beyond our lifts.

Beyond our even our airplanes. It's not beyond the sea. It's not like an Australia just too far off to go to we can't afford to go there. But the word he says that gives you this those blessings the word that you're called to do.

It's near you. It's right here. It's in your mouth. You can say it it's in your heart. So that you can do it. You might think wait you just contradicted what you said you. You I thought you said that we're not capable of obeying and the you were saying that the law shows us what we can't do.

What's going on? Well that depends on who the you is. Who's the you here in verse 14? Who is the you who has God's Word written on their heart? In the previous chapter after 29 especially verse 4 remember he said that the Lord had not given these people.

Some people a heart to understand you don't understand. Moses said you don't understand God's commands. You don't love God's commands because God has not given you the heart to do so you lack the ability but here.

They're circumcised in heart. Now they have the ability. He's given to some a circumcision of the heart so that the Word of God is in their heart. So they obey it they say it and they do the work He tells them to do.

What's the work? Well everything that God commands but at the heart of the commands the one command that if we obey It will then obey all his other commands. It's what the Lord Jesus said in John chapter 6 verse 29 this is the work of God.

That you believe in Him whom he has sent the work is. That you believe in Jesus. Now, are you capable of that? No not unless. From chapter 29 verse 4 it has been given to you unless here in verse 6. You've been given a new heart that the Lord has done the work he's done the work first of giving you the mark of the Covenant of changing your heart so that.

Now from your heart which you maybe you were religious. Maybe you were disciplined you could make yourself do stuff, but you could never make yourself really love God. But now he's given you a new heart that does indeed love God.

If he's done that then yes, you do the work and you believe in Jesus if he has it done that. Then you're not capable. You're not capable of believing in Jesus. Oh. You can be religious. You can repeat prayers you could get baptized.

But you're not doing it out of faith in Jesus. You're not capable of faith. It's it's beyond you. It's like being told jump to the moon you say I can't it's beyond me but if he has changed your heart then in verse 11 suddenly Suddenly, it's not hard at all.

But before was beyond you it's it's now easy. It's not far off. It's right within reach. The words are just naturally in your mouth Jesus is Lord. Because they're written on your heart. The work you do You're commanded to do to believe in Jesus is is made easy.

It's as natural as breathing because of the work The Lord has done. What are you capable of? Are you capable of? The right choice. Now those last six verses beginning in verse 15 are are the climax of the whole book of Deuteronomy.

This is what he's been building toward through this whole book the Lord says that he has set before us today life and good death and evil choose. I'll put like that you think well, that's pretty easy choice.

If you choose the right one you get life and good you choose the wrong one. You get death and evil. Of course you think well, I'm gonna choose life and good. I'll go for that one. Thank you very much.

But are you capable of it? Are you capable of? Choosing life. Many people think well, of course, I'm capable. He's talking about what's preventing me. Nothing stopping me. It's not as though God is preventing me from from believing from choosing life and It's not as though something outside of us keeping us from making that choice that they they really want to follow Jesus.

But he won't let us. Some people though do think that Daniel Fuller was the son of the founder of Fuller seminary told about how he picked up a hitchhiker and He tried to share the gospel with him, but the hitchhiker said Something like well, I would like to believe in Jesus, but God won't let me and dr. Fuller responded.

Yeah, if you'd really like to believe God is letting you if you want to follow Jesus. That's because he gave you the heart to do so. The heart of the problem is not God or anything outside of us. It's the problem of the heart.

Well, here's The choice that life or death you choose pick one. Now put it like that. Everyone is gonna say that they're choosing life. But they don't. They don't have eyes to see. What is life or what is death?

They don't have ears to hear the explanation. They don't have a heart to understand it unless God first gives it to them. So in verse 16 if you obey the commandments of the Lord your God that I command you today if you do the work.

It's to believe remember, but you can't believe unless God gives you a heart to believe. So then why does he command us to believe here? Why does he command us to obey? So that you'll know you can't to crush your confidence in yourself.

Well, how do you obey here in verse 16 by loving the Lord your God. Now love by definition comes from the heart. It's all about what we cherish the most in our heart. We can't make ourselves love what we would don't love.

We're commanded to love to walk in his ways to keep his commandments. Unlike some who think that they can they can say they they love the Lord. They love God and then they'll ignore his commandments nor his commands for love.

Or for sex for their money for their church for doing whatever is convenient for them. Whatever the world puts pressure on them to do if we do. Obey his commandments if we do what we were originally not capable of doing.

But we do it now because the Lord first gives us a new heart if we do his commands. Then he says he'll bless us and we'll live in his presence forever. But if we don't. If we do what comes naturally to us left to ourselves.

With this heart that They can't understand and so our heart turns away from the Lord in verse 17. So we don't hear his word. We don't have ears to hear. Oh, we might take snippets of it. We might even be religious.

We might take parts of his of his Word of the Bible from here and there to justify ourselves but we're not really hearing the Lord and Then we live for other things. Seek first money or wealth of bigger houses luxury cars.

More dollars instead of seeking first God's kingdom or whatever other God might appeal to us. Maybe appearing to be the woke sophisticate today. You know supporting all the right causes because we want to we want to be an impressive kind of person if we're drawn to other gods then in verse 18 We've made the wrong choice we've chosen death and We'll get exactly what we choose.

If you make the choice for another God, then you won't live in God's blessings so What do you choose. At the end and this is the conclusion to Moses's third Sermon in Deuteronomy the climax really of the entire book the Lord calls witnesses to this choice in Verse 19 and this was the standard procedure for covenants in their days two men wanted to make a covenant they would call witnesses other men to attest to it a great Emperor making a covenant with a Small kingdom would call the gods that they believed in to witness it and here the Lord is the great king.

And since there are no other gods He calls heaven and earth the universe his own creation to witness to this covenant that he's making with his own people. Are they capable of keeping? this covenant. Are you?

Heaven this universe earth witness this covenant I've set before you he's talking to you life and death blessing and cursing therefore choose life. Choose life that you may live choose life that your children might live so they can hear the word from you.

The invitation to choose and they can see the blessings of the covenant in your life choose life. There's the appeal the invitation. Are you capable of? Responding of saying yes, I choose life. You choose life by in verse 20 loving the Lord your God.

By obeying his voice you seek first the kingdom of God you believe in Jesus holding fast to him. He says clinging to him Hold fast to the Lord. I tell you choose life holding your money your things your goals to be somebody your reputation your own life.

You hold all that loosely. But while you hold on to him tightly You can hold fast to him. You're capable of that. If he's holding fast to you. Do that because notice the middle of verse 20. It's a great phrase notice the middle of verse 20 choose life.

Because He is your life. Love the Lord. Because he's your life. He's the one who will give you length of days. Eternal life a resurrection a new heaven in a new earth things. So great. We can't even imagine.

Are you capable of making that choice of choosing the Lord? Yes. If the Lord has given you a new heart eyes to see Ears to hear his invitation believe in Jesus choose life. You can Do it choose Jesus the way the truth and the life.

If he's put it in your heart, that's your choice life or death. And he is your life so choose life.