Becoming Better Theologians (part 22)

Bethlehem Bible Church

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May 1, 2011

Becoming Better Theologians (part 23)

00:00: Well, we began two weeks ago looking at the names of God, and I'm going to read something from Wayne Grudem.
00:13: Oh, before I do that, though, I don't know how many of you know this, but did you know that Pope John Paul II is on his way to becoming a saint?
00:23: Which I think, you know, I guess if you die and then you're gone long enough, maybe then you can achieve what born -again people achieve in life.
00:33: I don't know if that's true or not, but you know what his title now is? He's not a saint yet, but you know what they call him?
00:43: I just think this is kind of wild. Blessed. He's blessed. I don't know what that means.
00:51: Well, I'll tell you exactly what it means. When you get away from the Bible, you know, everything goes. I mean,
00:57: Paul to the saints at Rome, Paul to the saints at, Paul to the saints at, you Never once.
01:03: So Paul to the saints in heaven. He never wrote one letter to the saints in heaven, but I digress.
01:08: Okay. Talking about the names of God in Scripture. We talked about how in the
01:15: Bible, a person's name is synonymous with their being, with their person.
01:22: So my name, being Stephen, who knows what Stephen means? What does it mean,
01:28: Kelly? Crowned one. Thank you. Thank you very much. My mother used to crown me very often.
01:38: Yeah. And it was an accurate description of my character too.
01:47: But the names of God in Scripture are synonymous with his character. God's name is equal to all that the
01:54: Bible and as Grudem says, all that creation tell us about God. It's interesting.
02:00: He says, when we pray, hallowed be your name. As part of the Lord's prayer in Matthew six, nine, we are praying that people would speak about God, listen, in a way that is honoring to him and that accurately reflects his character.
02:17: That's how people ought to talk about him. To honor God's name is therefore to honor him.
02:26: The command, you shall not take the name of the Lord, your God in vain. By the way, one of the reasons why
02:31: I, I dislike that as, um, you know, one of the good person test things, you know, do you take the name of the
02:39: Lord in vain? And people think of it only as a curse word because it's, it's not a complete picture of what it means to take the
02:46: Lord's name in vain. Listen, Grudem says this, it's a command that we not dishonor God's reputation either by words that speak him in a foolish or misleading way, or by actions that do not reflect his true character.
03:01: So when you say, for example, I'm a Christian and then you don't act like a
03:06: Christian, you're taking the Lord's name in vain. It doesn't just mean using the
03:11: Lord's name as a swear word, but if you bear the name of Christ, if you wear a t -shirt that says
03:17: I am a Christian and then you, you know, you act in a way that's unbecoming of a Christian, you are taking the
03:23: Lord's name in vain and breaking one of the 10 commandments. So a better good person test,
03:30: I guess, would be this. Are you a Christian? Person says yes. And then you just start talking about what a
03:36: Christian is and you go, I don't, I don't really know. You might be a Christian, but it sounds to me like you might be taking the
03:41: Lord's name in vain. That would be rough. The Bible gives many individual names to God, all of which reflect some true aspect of his character.
03:53: Again, name equals character or some aspect thereof. German theologian
03:59: Hermann Bavink, whom I'm sure many of you have read, in his book,
04:06: The Doctrine of God, gives a long list of descriptions of God taking from creation. Listen to all these.
04:13: God is compared to a lion, an eagle, a lamb, a hen.
04:21: Who can think of where that is? All right.
04:28: On the Mount of Olives, overlooking Jerusalem, when Jesus says, you know, many times, I long to gather you as, there you go, as a hen does.
04:40: It's whatever they're, oh yeah, chicks. Okay. There you go. Let's see. A hen, the sun, the morning star, a light, a torch, a fire, a fountain, a rock, a hiding place, a tower, a shadow, a shield, a temple, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera.
05:05: And what do these all tell us? They all tell us various aspects about God, about ways, explaining
05:11: God in ways that we can understand, in ways that we can relate to. Then he says, taken from human experience,
05:19: Boving finds an even more extensive list. Listen to these. God is called a bridegroom, a husband, father, judge, king, man of war, builder and maker, shepherd, physician, et cetera, et cetera.
05:40: Then it goes on in terms of human actions, knowing, remembering, seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting, sitting, rising, walking, wiping away tears, and so on.
05:56: And then he has human emotions that are attributed to him, such as joy, grief, anger, love, hatred, wrath.
06:05: And then even though God doesn't have a physical body, scripture uses various parts of the human body to describe
06:12: God's activities in a metaphorical way. So speaking of God's face or his countenance, his eyes, his eyelids, his ears, his nose, his mouth, his lips, his tongue, his neck, his arms, his hands, his fingers, his heart, his foot, and so forth.
06:35: Other characteristics are described of him, such as good, merciful, gracious, holy, just, and many more.
06:42: And so what do we get? We get from all of this a bigger picture of who God is, what he's like.
06:50: And I like what Grudem says here. All the things that we know about God from scripture come to us in terms that we understand because they describe events or things common to human experience.
07:04: We call that anthropomorphic language, language that speaks of God in human terms.
07:13: This should not be troubling to us. This shouldn't bother us because if God is going to teach us about things we do not know by direct experience, he has to do it in terms that we do know, ways that we can understand it.
07:26: If he used, if obviously God could do this, if he expressed himself in a perfect way, meaning in a way that would be understandable to him, it would be above our comprehension.
07:42: So he does it in a way that we can understand it. And then
07:48: Grudem gives this example. We have an idea of love from human experience that helps us to understand what scripture means when it says
07:54: God is love. But our understanding of what we mean by love, when we apply it to God, it's not exactly the same thing.
08:04: So we just get a degree of it. But this language, this anthropomorphic language should remind us that God made the universe so that it would show forth the excellence of his character that is, and that it would show forth his glory.
08:20: And finally, he says here, as we learn about God's character from scripture, it should open our eyes and enable us to interpret creation rightly.
08:32: As a result, we will be able to see reflections of the excellence of God's character everywhere in creation, because as Isaiah said, when he saw
08:41: God, when he saw the revelation and the holiness of God, he said, what, that the whole world is full of his glory.
08:51: God has many names in that we know many true descriptions of his character from scripture. But God has no name.
08:59: God has no name in that we will never be able to describe or understand all of his character.
09:05: In other words, there's no name that we would know God by that would fully describe him in a way that we would get it.
09:13: There's not just one name that would instantly reveal everything to us. And so we have all these many different names for God, so that we might understand him better.
09:23: So last time we started talking about Yahweh, about Jehovah. By the way,
09:29: I don't know if I said this last time, because I don't remember everything I say. It's just scary.
09:36: But in Psalm 51, in the hymn book, is guide me,
09:44: O thou great Jehovah. And I always like to say to myself, it's guide me, O thou name that never occurs in the
09:50: Old Testament. Because that's not right. It's the Germanic form of Yahweh, but it's just kind of not 100 % accurate.
09:59: In fact, I think our good professor is going to say something about that. Let's open our
10:06: Bibles to Deuteronomy 32. We went through...
10:15: In fact, before we even go there, I was just re -reading again here this week 1
10:23: Samuel, the story of Hannah. It's just interesting how many times when you are relying on God...
10:36: We're going to go to Deuteronomy in a second. But just in verse 12 it says,
10:41: As she continued praying before the Lord, Eli observed her mouth. And she was praying before the
10:48: Lord. It's Yahweh. It's the covenant -keeping God of Israel. Hannah was speaking in her heart, only her lips moved and her voice was not heard.
10:57: Therefore, Eli took her to be a drunken woman. And Eli said to her, How long will you go on being drunk?
11:04: Put your wine away from you. But Hannah answered, No, my lord. I am a woman troubled in spirit.
11:10: I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink. But I have been pouring out my soul before the Lord, before Yahweh. Do not regard your servant as a worthless woman.
11:19: For all along I have been speaking out of my great anxiety and vexation. So where is she going to go when she's anxious?
11:27: When she's concerned? When she's irritated? She's going to go to the God who is a promise -keeper.
11:34: Who is the covenant God of Israel. That's what she did.
11:39: She didn't go see a counselor. She went and saw the counselor. Then Eli answered,
11:44: Go in peace. And the God of Israel grant your petition that you have made to him. And she said,
11:49: Let your servant fight in favor in your eyes. Then the woman went away and ate. And her face was no longer sad.
11:57: They rose early in the morning and worshipped before the Lord. And they went back to their house at Ramah.
12:03: And Elkanah knew Hannah his wife. And the Lord remembered her. In a due time,
12:10: Hannah conceived and bore a son. And she named his son Samuel. For she said,
12:15: I have asked for him from the Lord, from Yahweh. And God answered her prayer.
12:22: And last time, we just went through Genesis 15. Which again,
12:28: Yahweh appears. The name Yahweh appears over and over and over again. Because here we had, in Genesis 15,
12:36: God promising to Abraham. These are making evident that his promise that he had made would be carried out.
12:43: By setting up a covenant between God and Abraham. Which we call the Abrahamic Covenant.
12:48: But in this case, as I said before. Instead of the two parties, which would be typical. I mean, this is perfect right here.
12:55: Instead of the two parties, if these were the animal pieces. Instead of the two parties walking down the aisle. To signify that if either one of them broke.
13:04: I almost knocked it over. If either one of them broke the covenant. That they would be cut in half just as the animals were.
13:12: God alone went through the cut up animals. To signify he was making that promise with himself.
13:21: So that Abraham would know that the promises of God. That the promises of Yahweh were sure.
13:27: By virtue of the fact that God is saying, listen. If I don't do these things, it will be my destruction.
13:33: Which is impossible. That's a great comfort. And so we are in Deuteronomy 32.
13:44: And this could take just a moment. So I'm going to read that Deuteronomy 32.
13:54: Again to give us a picture of God Yahweh.
14:00: Yahweh, the covenant God of Israel. The one who is self -existent.
14:08: Who keeps his promises. And this is Moses. And he writes this.
14:16: Give ear, O heavens, and I will speak. And the earth hear the words of my mouth.
14:22: May my teaching drop as the rain. My speech distill as the dew.
14:28: Like gentle rain upon the tender grass. And like showers upon the herb.
14:34: For I will proclaim the name of the Lord Yahweh. Ascribe greatness to our
14:40: God. The rock, his work is perfect. For all his ways are justice.
14:47: A God of faithfulness and without iniquity. Just and upright is he.
14:55: This is nothing but theology. He's just giving us basically a sermon in theology. They have dealt corruptly with him.
15:05: They are no longer his children because they are blemished. They are a crooked and twisted generation.
15:11: Do you thus repay the Lord? This covenant faithful God of Israel. You foolish and senseless people.
15:19: Is not he your father who created you? Who made you and established you?
15:25: Remember the days of old. Consider the days of many generations. Ask your father and he will show you.
15:33: Your elders and they will tell you. When the Most High gave to the nations their inheritance.
15:39: When he divided mankind. He fixed the borders of the peoples. According to the numbers of the sons of God.
15:47: But the Lord's portion is his people. Jacob allotted, or Jacob his allotted heritage.
15:54: In other words, they belong alone to God. He found him in a desert land.
16:00: And in the howling waste of the wilderness. He encircled him. He cared for him. And he kept him as the apple of his eye.
16:07: Like an eagle that stirs up its nest. And flutters, that flutters over its young.
16:13: Spreading out its wings. Catching them. Bearing them on its pinions. The Lord alone guided him.
16:21: No foreign God was with him. He made him ride on the high places of the land.
16:26: And he ate the produce of the fields. And he suckled him with honey out of the rock. And oil out of the flinty rock.
16:34: Curds from the herd and milk from the flock. With fat of lambs, rams of Bashan. And goats with the very finest of the wheat.
16:42: And he drank foaming wine made from the blood of the grape. And it just goes on and on.
16:50: All these promises. Or all these ways that God took care of Israel.
16:58: And so we talked about. And we're going to be looking at this a little bit more as we go through this. But we talked about.
17:05: This is known as the Tetragrammaton. Meaning it is a four letter name of God.
17:14: Yod -Heh -Vav -Heh in the Hebrew. And often said
17:22: Yahweh. It appears a thousand times in the Psalms alone. Short for Yah. Or it can be said in short version as Yah.
17:31: And so this is where we were last week. And listen to this. In verse 3. It says for I will proclaim the name of the
17:38: Lord. This is the personal proper name Israel had for their God. Later in the song
17:44: Moses says for Yahweh. Shall judge his people in verse 36.
17:50: Showing again the special character of the name as personal. And as of meaning to his people.
17:58: This was Yahweh was the God of Israel alone.
18:03: I mean he did things for other peoples. But this was the group that he had promised to be their
18:08: God. And the word judge in verse 36. The verb there.
18:15: Means mainly to rule as magistrate. What were the judges in the Old Testament? If you read through the book of Judges.
18:23: Is that the Supreme Court of Israel? What were the judges?
18:32: Well they were the Supreme Court of Israel in a sense. But not in that traditional sense. When we read through.
18:38: I mean the book of Judges is kind of a wild book to read through. In fact I had a seminary professor once. He said you know what? If you want to empty out your church.
18:47: There's an admirable goal. Teach verse by verse through the book of Judges. Brian. Well they were
18:58: God's hand of chastisement. True. Were they upon his people.
19:11: Bruce. Right. They were
19:19: God's men. Women. Appointed by God to deliver
19:24: Israel from their enemies. I mean for example. We think of Samson.
19:30: Samson didn't pronounce. When you talk about. You know. A wild situation.
19:37: Samson did not pronounce judgment on Israel for their sins. In fact the situation was basically this.
19:42: That the Philistines. Had kind of co -mingled. With the
19:48: Israelites. They could have thoroughly wiped them out. They didn't. And they were kind of absorbing them.
19:56: And so God sends Samson. Into the fray. Basically announcing to his parents.
20:03: That he was going to do this. And he used Samson throughout his life. Not as some holy proclaimer of the truth.
20:10: But as someone who just stirred up strife. Between the Philistines and the
20:15: Israelites. Until at the very end of his life. He killed a bunch of Philistines. And he literally caused war.
20:23: Between the Philistines and the Israelites. And so the idea of a judge.
20:28: Means to rule as. A magistrates. Not. You know as.
20:35: Let me just emphasize to rule. Because we think of judges as just having. Robes and a gavel and.
20:43: But the judges were actually the leaders of. Israel under. Still under a theocracy still under God.
20:51: But the judges were. The leaders. Primarily military leaders.
20:59: And it's interesting here he says that. After the exile. It became nearly.
21:05: This name Yahweh. Was. Was so carefully guarded.
21:13: That people wouldn't even say it anymore. And that's how they lost the. The kind of correct pronunciation of Yahweh.
21:20: That they don't say it. And in fact. Even now if you're in a Hebrew. We did this in Hebrew reading class.
21:27: I took it during the summer. When I was still in seminary. And when you come to the. Four letter name of God Yahweh.
21:34: What do you say when you're reading the Hebrew Bible. For those of you who've taken Hebrew. What do you say? Is there anyone in here who's taken
21:41: Hebrew? Okay me. What you say when you get there is not
21:49: Yahweh. You say Adonai. Because you don't want to. You know it became kind of.
21:56: You don't take the Lord's name in vain. Well here was the idea. That if you're reading along. And you say Yahweh.
22:02: And all of a sudden you sneeze. While you're saying Yahweh. You've taken the Lord's name in vain. So they wouldn't even say it.
22:08: That way they were safe from taking the Lord's name. You know it's just a legalism. That's all it is.
22:14: But when the. This may or may not help you. But I think it was about 600
22:21: AD. 700 AD. The Hebrew Bible has no. They wrote only in consonants.
22:28: No vowels in there. And you say. Oh that must be kind of tricky. Well it is. So they went in.
22:34: In the 6 and 700's. And they put the vowels in there. They have these little marks. That signify the vowels.
22:40: And when they came to. Yod -Heh -Vav -Heh. Yahweh. They put the vowels in there.
22:46: For Adonai. So that you wouldn't even say it. Because it would be.
22:53: Virtually unpronounceable. And over time. It became something like.
22:59: Jehovah. That's what they. How it became pronounced. But. Anyway.
23:06: Scholars. Today believe that Yahweh. Is closer to the original pronunciation.
23:13: Now this is the part I like here. While Jehovah. This is Culver. He says. While Jehovah is certainly incorrect.
23:19: It does have the advantage of long established use. In other words. It's not right. But people have been saying it for so long.
23:25: It just seems like it's right. I like that part. Let's see.
23:31: Back to verse 3. Of Deuteronomy 32. He says.
23:38: Clearly there is a shift. In verse 3. Where Moses appears. As a character witness. On the
23:44: Lord's behalf. I don't know. If you're familiar with this kind of language. When you hear this.
23:49: Give here. Oh heavens. And I will speak. And let the earth. Hear the words of my mouth.
23:56: May my. Teaching drop as rain. I mean this is kind of. This is almost judicial language.
24:02: It almost sounds like. There are plenty of times. Where God will call. The heavens and the earth.
24:07: As a witness against his people. Israel. Well this is kind of. Moses saying. I'm going to. Call in some witnesses.
24:14: That they can hear my. Testimony. Give ear. Oh heavens. And I will speak. It's that same kind of.
24:22: Poetic language. To show what's going on here. And Culver says. There's a subject shift.
24:27: In verse three. Where. Moses appears. As a character witness. On the Lord's behalf. Also addressing the heavens.
24:34: And the earth. He extols the Lord's. Greatness. Especially. The public proclamation. Of his name.
24:40: That is. Of his. Reputation. I mean what we just read. Here this morning. He just goes on.
24:47: And on. Describing. Characteristics. Of. God. The rock.
24:53: His work. Is. Perfect. For all his ways. Are justice. A God of faithfulness. But look down.
25:00: At verse six. Look what he says. Do you thus. Repay the Lord. You foolish.
25:06: And senseless. People. Is he not your father. Who created you. Who made you.
25:11: And established you. Remember the days of old. Remember when you were. In captivity. Consider the years.
25:18: Of many generations. Ask your father. And he will show you. In other words. You young people.
25:23: Today. Don't understand. Who God is. Go back. And talk to your fathers. Go talk.
25:29: To your grandfathers. They will tell you. About. The Lord. About how great he is.
25:37: And they've kind of. Gone astray. The Israelites had. Verse six.
25:42: He says. Such behavior. The accusation reads. Is an incomprehensible. Response to the loving.
25:49: Beneficence. Of God. Their father. And creator. It bears. All the marks. Of an obtuse.
25:55: And irrational people. A people. Willing to abandon. Senship. In favor. Of their own.
26:01: Selfish ways. The thought of any people. Rejecting their God. Was almost beyond belief.
26:07: But the Lord. Was more than just God. He is. The father of Israel. He is the creator.
26:13: Of them. Of creator. Of all things. The personal interest.
26:22: Culver goes on to say. And intimacy. Surrounding. Such a concept. Staggers. The imagination. And makes all the more.
26:28: Incredible. The possibility. That any people. Could reject. The God. Who initiated.
26:35: This love. And intimacy. But this is precisely. What Israel did. And was expected.
26:40: To do in the future. And you say. Well. Okay. How does this impact me. Here's what
26:48: I would say. If you are here this morning. And you are in Christ. What has
26:54: God done for you? I mean. I'm not going to get into. Like in a spiritual. Equivalent of.
27:01: Egypt. That you were enslaved. You know. But these. That would be true. Right? Enslaved to sin.
27:06: He set you free. He brought you out of. Captivity. Brought you out of.
27:12: The wilderness. As it were. And. Do you ever. Treat him. Incorrectly.
27:18: Do you ever. Think of him. Improperly. Does someone ever. See. Need to say to you. Have you thought about.
27:24: The Lord today. Have you thought about. All the things that he's done. On your behalf. You are grumbling.
27:29: You are. Not happy with your life. Have you considered. What God has done for you. That's exactly.
27:38: What Moses is doing here. Seeing you people. What is.
27:43: Wrong with you. What is wrong with you. He gave you everything.
27:49: He found him. He found Israel. In a deserted land. And in the howling. Waste of the wilderness. And then listen.
27:55: He encircled him. He cared for him. He kept him as the apple. Of his eye. Like an eagle.
28:00: That stirs up its nest. The flutters. Over its young. Spreading out its wings. Catching them.
28:06: Bearing them. On its pinions. He cared.
28:11: He hovered. Over you too. Culver says to underscore.
28:19: This centrality. Of Israel. And the salvific. Purposes of God. In other words. His salvation.
28:24: His plan of salvation. Moses described them. As the Lord's. Own. Portion. His special inheritance.
28:35: And then. In verses. 11 and 12. He puts together. The imagery. Of an eagle. And its young.
28:42: When the time. Comes for the eagle. To fly. The eagle. Just kicks him. Out of the nest.
28:49: No. Stirs up the nest. She will agitate. Her offspring. And thus prepare.
28:54: For the next. Phase. Of their development. But she will do so. Protectingly. And not prematurely.
29:01: At the same time. She is encouraging. Her little babies. To fly. She is hovering. Over them.
29:07: With comfort. And assurance. When the eaglet. Ventures forth. For its. Very first flight.
29:14: Its parent. Is there. To fly beneath. And if necessary. To catch. The new flyer.
29:21: On its own. Outstretched. Outstretched. Wings. In this manner.
29:27: The Lord. Had carefully. And tenderly. Sheltered. His own. Offspring. Israel. And even after.
29:33: Israel. Had begun. To be mobile. He was there. To protect. And preserve.
29:39: It's that same way. For. Believers. God. As it were.
29:45: Hovers over. Us. He protects. Us. When we fall. He catches. Hosea.
29:54: Used comparable imagery. To describe the Lord's. Exodus. Deliverance. Of his people. The prophet.
30:00: However. Viewed. Israel. As a child. One. Whom.
30:06: God. Called out of Egypt. And whom. He taught. To walk. Taking them. By the arms. Let's look at.
30:12: Hosea. Ezekiel.
30:21: Daniel. Daniel. Hosea. And then.
30:30: Chapter 11. The same kind of imagery.
30:39: When Israel was a child. I loved him. And out of Egypt. I called my son. The more they were called.
30:46: By the way. You remember that. Verse there. Out of Egypt. I called my son. Was applied later.
30:51: To Christ. But here. Applies to Egypt. I'm sorry. The Israel. The more they were called.
30:58: The more they went away. They kept. Sacrificing. To the bales. And the more.
31:03: And burnt. Offerings. To idols. Yet. It was.
31:09: I. Who taught. Ephraim. To walk. I took them. By their arms. But they did not know.
31:15: That I healed them. I led them. With cords. Of kindness. With the bands. Of love.
31:22: And I became. To them. As one. Who eases. The yoke. On their jaws. And I bent.
31:28: Down. To them. And fed them. They shall not return. To the land of Egypt.
31:34: But Assyria. Shall be their king. Because they have. Refused. To turn. To me.
31:41: Saves them. Out of. Egypt. And in response. What do they do? They lovingly.
31:46: Follow him. They worship him. They. Oh. Wait. They follow. After. False gods.
31:53: Time. And time. Again. Until he said. Okay. Fine. You want to reject me. Then I'll bring in Syria.
31:59: Assyria. I mean. This is so. This is so much like. Again. The picture of the
32:05: New Testament. The Christian. What happens. When. Christians. Stray from God.
32:11: Does he just say. That's fine. You know. Go your own way. The Lord. Disciplines.
32:18: Those. Whom he loves. And that's what he did. With Israel. Time. And time.
32:24: Again. Let's keep going. Here in Hosea. You know.
32:38: We're not going to keep going. Hosea. I think he's back to. Deuteronomy. Deuteronomy.
32:45: 32. Again. This is basically.
32:52: If we were to summarize. The story of the. Old Testament. What would. What. Would somebody.
32:57: Summarize it. How would you. Summarize the Old Testament. I'll wait.
33:10: If. If you could give me a one. Sentence summary. The Old Testament. What would it be. They will be.
33:17: My people. And I will be. Their God. Yeah. I. I think that's a good summary. The only thing
33:26: I would say. That. That. That sort of. Leaves out. Is.
33:32: What. Well. Two things. It will. I mean. If I'm going to summarize. I think it only leaves out.
33:37: Two things. They will be. My people. Even though.
33:43: They will rebel. Against me. And I will be. Their God. Showing.
33:50: Loving. Kindness. Over and over. And over again. Because. That's the picture. The Old Testament. God. Sets his affections.
33:56: On Israel. And what do they do. They say. Oh. Thank you. We will. Worship you. We will. Obey you.
34:01: We will. Keep all your. Commandments. And then the weekend. Comes. Right.
34:08: I mean. These are. These are. Sunday. Only. Well. Sabbath. Only. Sorry. These are.
34:14: Sabbath. Only. Believers. I mean. They just flee. You know. As soon as. I mean. I. You know.
34:19: One of the things. You have to love. About the Ten Commandments. Of the movie. Is what happens. You know. They get out. And they see the.
34:25: The Egyptian army. Smashed. And they're. I don't know. You know. What. Like. The next day. Moses.
34:30: Goes up. Up on the mountain. Comes back down. And they've. They've. Made a calf. And they're dancing around. And carrying on.
34:36: And you just go. Wait a minute. Did you guys just. Did you not. Short term memory.
34:43: Not so good. Long term memory. Even worse. But this is.
34:50: This is the picture. Of. Exactly. What happens. Again. And again. I mean. We talked earlier about.
34:57: Judges. And what happens is. The people rebel against God. They worship idols. Then God.
35:04: Brings. Punishment. Upon them. And then they cry out for relief.
35:09: And God sends a judge to deliver them. And then as soon as they're delivered. They start worshiping idols.
35:16: And the whole thing starts. Over again. And it's just. You know. Wash. Repeat. Wash. Rinse.
35:21: Repeat. It's just. Over and over and over again. And that's basically. The summary of the old testament. That's exactly what happens.
35:27: Time and time again. Versus. Back in. Deuteronomy 32.
35:34: Verses. 15 to 18. But. Jeshuron. Grew.
35:39: Fat. And kicked. You grew. Fat. Stout. And sleek. Then he.
35:45: Forsook. God. Who made him. And scoffed. At the rock. Of his salvation. Isn't that harsh?
35:52: They stirred him. To jealousy. With strange. Gods. With abominations.
35:58: They provoked him. To anger. They sacrificed. To demons. That were no gods.
36:04: To gods. They had never known. To new gods. That had come recently. Whom your fathers.
36:10: Had never. Dreaded. You were unmindful. Of the rock. That bore you. And you forgot.
36:16: The God. Who gave you. Birth. They just ran. To you know. The God of the month.
36:21: Whatever new flavor. Was coming along. You know. If we were to talk about. The church today. I don't think it's that much.
36:27: Difference. Always looking for. Something new. Something else. Something improved.
36:33: Something different. Because. Church is just. Boring. God is.
36:39: Boring. I watched. I watched a debate this week. I don't know. How many of you saw.
36:44: Time magazine. Where you know. Does hell still exist. What about hell. Kind of thing.
36:50: You know. With a new book by. Rob Bell. And so.
36:55: I watched a debate. This was. Between. Bill O 'Reilly. Fox News commentator.
37:02: And then. A. A theologian. Yeah. Bill O 'Reilly.
37:07: He's Catholic. A theologian. From. A university. In North Carolina. Some place.
37:12: Is a doctor. Who does. Counseling. And so. O 'Reilly.
37:17: This was. This was great. Because this is like. One pagan debating another. On the existence of hell. And O 'Reilly says.
37:24: He says. There has to be a hell. I mean. This is how I used to think. Before I got saved. There had to be a hell. For really bad people.
37:31: And he starts naming them off. You know. Paul Pott. Stalin. Mao. You know. People like this. There has to be a hell.
37:36: For those people. And this professor says. Well. You know. I understand what you're saying.
37:41: But. If there's a hell. And it's eternal. Then we're really turning God. Into a monster. And I counsel.
37:47: So many people. Who are so concerned. About going to hell. And it's very destructive. To their self -image.
37:57: And I'm just. I'm just watching this. And just going. You know. So they. Here's. Here are the.
38:03: Here are the two positions. Be a good person. At least. Don't be a mass murderer. And get to heaven. You know.
38:09: Because certainly Gandhi. He even said this. O 'Reilly did. Certainly Gandhi's in heaven. You know. And the other guy who says.
38:14: You know. God's too loving. To ever put anyone in hell. And I'm going. This is it. This is the debate. Sad times.
38:22: And these are two people. Who would describe themselves. As Christians. Which only goes to prove. Once again.
38:28: That not everybody. Who says. They are. Of Christ. Is. Of Christ. But. Back to verses.
38:36: 15 through 18. The Lord's gracious. Goodness. Notwithstanding. Israel had rebelled.
38:41: Against him. At every turn. Trampled his grace. Underfoot. That's the nature. Of Israel.
38:47: That's the relationship. They have throughout. The Old Testament. That's why God. Finally does what. He sets.
38:53: Israel. Aside. Says their fatness.
38:58: Made possible. By the. Abundance of the Lord's provision. Led to their abandonment. Of their God. Now. That's just counterintuitive.
39:05: If God. Blesses someone. We would expect them. To rejoice. And to give thanks. To God. What do they do.
39:11: Instead. We're fat. Which in the Old Testament. By the way. Was good. They wouldn't have understood.
39:18: Our obesity scale. They would have thought. That's crazy. The heavier. You were. The more blessed. You were.
39:26: I'm working on. My blessings. But I. Isn't.
39:32: That funny. That we want. To get rid of. Blessings. I don't. I don't. Get that. But. So the picture is.
39:39: He was pouring out. Blessing on them. And instead. Of thanking him. And worshiping him. They rebelled. Against him.
39:47: I mean. When do people. Turn to God. Even in your own experiences. What do you. Turn to him. The most.
39:52: Is it when things. Are going great. When your job. Is going well. When your relationships. Are going well.
39:59: You know. And when you're getting. Eight. Hours of sleep. At night. Are those the times. Where you just think.
40:05: God. I love you. More than ever. I need you. More than ever. Or. Is it when.
40:12: You get fired. Your relationships. Are on the ropes. You're estranged. From just about everyone.
40:18: You know. You can't sleep. You can't eat. And then it's.
40:23: You know. God help me. It ought not. To be that way. Culver goes on.
40:32: To say. Talking about verses. Fifteen. Eighteen. He says. Now this is an understatement.
40:38: Israel's rebellion. To that point. Did not bode well. For the future. I mean.
40:44: Look. If God. Is taking you out of. Egypt. He is taking you. Out of the wilderness.
40:49: He's giving you. The promised land. He has. Guided you. And guarded you. And blessed you.
40:55: And your response is. Rebellion. The stiff arm. The kind of. In your face
41:00: God. We can do it on our own. Then what does that say about. The future. What else is.
41:05: God supposed to do for you. How much more. Can he bless you. How much more.
41:16: Can he bless you. Again. You know. Good times.
41:26: And again. If. If you are in Christ. And I. Will close on this.
41:31: But if you are in Christ. This morning. What else is. He supposed to do for you. Having taken.
41:37: Every single thing. That you've ever committed. Ever. Will commit. Any order. Committing. Right now. In this class.
41:43: And nailed it. To the cross. For giving it. Forever. What more.
41:49: Is he supposed to do. For you. And if you can't. Rejoice in that. And worship him.
41:54: For that. That. What does that say. What else. Does he need to do.
42:00: To get your attention. If you don't.
42:06: Want to go through. By the way. Here's my little. Nugget for this morning. If you don't. Want to go through. The disciplining.
42:11: Correction. Of the Lord. Then. Yield. Your lives. To him. Today. If you belong.
42:18: To him. Act like it. If you bear. The name of Christ. Do it in a way. That honors him. Don't take the name.
42:24: Of the Lord. In vain. Don't say. I am. Of Yahweh. And then live.
42:30: As if. You are of. Satan. Let's close in prayer. Our great
42:42: God. You are gracious. You are a savior. Father.
42:47: You. Have set. Your affection. Upon your people. And Lord. Even so. As we think.
42:54: About you. The great covenant. Keeping God. Yahweh. We are prone.
43:00: To wander. Prone. To sin. And to rebel. Against you.
43:06: And forget. The very God. Who has. Given us. All things. Pertaining.
43:11: To life. And godliness. Father. Would you make us a people. Not who forget you.
43:17: When times are good. But who rejoice all the more. Who think. This is just a foretaste.
43:23: Of what we will experience. For all. Of eternity. Lord. Would you. Grant to us.
43:30: Minds. That are transfixed. By your goodness. And your love. And your mercy. Toward us.
43:36: Would you cause us. To live. In light of that. To rejoice. Each and every day. Knowing that you.
43:42: Are. As. An eagle. Hovering over us. Watching us.
43:47: Protecting us. Lord. Let us never doubt that. In Christ's name we pray. Amen.