God's chosen!
Sermon • Submitted
0 ratings
· 13 viewsNotes
Transcript
Sermon Tone Analysis
A
D
F
J
S
Emotion
A
C
T
Language
O
C
E
A
E
Social
The old generation had died in the desert due to their unbelief. God ordered Moses to sent 12 spies to check the land He would give them. After 40 days, they returned with good news, “the land is good…, but there giants live there”. Ten of them discouraged the people, and only two, Joshua and Caleb, believed in God’s promise and power. God punished that generation and made then wander 40 years, until all of them die.
The new generation is about to enter the land. Moses saw necessary to remind them that they were a holy people chosen by God for his own possession.
Similar words are addressed to us by Peter:
9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;
1 Pe 2
This passage reminds us that the basis for choosing Israel, is the same for choosing us. We are chosen...
Due to God’s love.
Due to God’s love.
Due to God’s love. 8a
Due to God’s love. 8a
“…because the Lord loved you...” v. 8a
If it wasn’t for His love, we would eternally condemned, heading to Hell.
His love is undeserved.
His love is undeserved.
In order to avoid any boasting, Moses reminded them that there was not nothing in them or us to deserve God’s love.
“You were not a powerful people!” “You were not great in number; only 70 when I took Jacob to Egypt!” “You were not holy either; on the contrary, you were idolaters!”
But He loved you!
What did we have or did to deserve God’s love? Nothing! But He loved us too!
There is no human being, nor has been, that deserve to be loved by the Holy God!
19 We love, because He first loved us.
1 John 4
That should awake on us a sense of gratitude toward Him.
That should awake on us a sense of gratitude toward Him.
His love is infinite.
His love is infinite.
Man’s love for God is limited! Limited by our finite nature and by our sinfulness. Our love for others is also limited: by our conveniences, our selfishness, and because is usually conditional.
The Bible tells us that “God is love”. If God is infinite, His love must be infinite, unlimited.
Paul desired that God’s people, if that were possible, could understand the greatness of Christ’s love:
18 may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 19 and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.
He acknowledged that God’s love surpasses knowledge!
God has loved Israel and continues loving it despite their disobedience.
Just as God was giving Israel a new beginning, He did the same for us; due to His love, when we were dead, He gave us life:
4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6 and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.
We will also enter a “promised land”, Heaven due to His love.
Due to God’s faithfulness.
Due to God’s faithfulness.
“Know therefore that the Lord your God, He is God, the faithful God...” v. 9
There is assurance in Him.
There is assurance in Him.
Every Christian knows or uses the word “Amen”, but most do not know its origin. It comes from the Heb. word “אָמַן” (aman) used here and translated as “faithful”. It appears 108 times in the O.T.; 44 times translated as “believe”, 20 times as “faithful”, and 11 times as “sure”. That indicates that we can be sure that God is faithful, and we are sure in Him.
13 If we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself.
2 Tim 2:13
They had failed Him, but He had not fail them!
Such faithfulness is shown in the fact that He keeps His promises.
He keeps His promises.
He keeps His promises.
“the Lord loved you and kept the oath which He swore to your forefathers” v. 8b
“the faithful God, who keep His covenant...” v. 9b
They were about to enter the land because God had given His word (His oath), not to them, but to Abraham, 676 years before.
14 The Lord said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him, “Now lift up your eyes and look from the place where you are, northward and southward and eastward and westward; 15 for all the land which you see, I will give it to you and to your descendants forever. 16 I will make your descendants as the dust of the earth, so that if anyone can number the dust of the earth, then your descendants can also be numbered. 17 Arise, walk about the land through its length and breadth; for I will give it to you.”
Gen 13:14-17
“A promise is a debt.”, is a common saying. The fact that Abraham was dead did not mean that God would not fulfill His promise. Because He is faithful, He ratified His covenant to Abraham’s descendants Isaac and Jacob. When Moses plead with God for Israel, he invoked such promise:
13 Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, Your servants to whom You swore by Yourself, and said to them, ‘I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heavens, and all this land of which I have spoken I will give to your descendants, and they shall inherit it forever.’ ”
Exo 32:13
All His promises are a support for our faith, as the old hymn “Standing on the Promises” expresses it: “Standing on the promises. Standing. on the promises that cannot fail...” (“Todas las promesas del Señor Jesús, son apoyo poderoso de mi fe, mientras viva aquí cercado de Su luz, siempre en sus promesas confiaré.”)
Chosen for a purpose.
Chosen for a purpose.
“those who love Him” v. 9b
To respond to His love.
To respond to His love.
Isn’t is sad to love someone and not being corresponded? It is! Even for God!
God had loved Israel as no one else had done. But He expected them to respond back:
12 “Now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require from you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways and love Him, and to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul,
Deut 10:12
Every new beginning God gives us is a demonstration of His love and an opportunity to love Him more.
He did not want a mediocre love from them, but a love with all their being. In the previous chapter, Moses had already told them the greatest commandment
5 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.
De 6:5
Talking about commandments, part of the purpose of choosing us was to obey His commandments.
To obey His commandments.
To obey His commandments.
“For you are a holy people to the Lord...” v. 6
Love is demonstrated by obedience! Jesus told His disciples, “If you love me, keep my commandments.”
Israel had to be an example of obedience to the peoples around them. They were chosen to be holy; but you cannot be holy if you do not keep the commandments or keep only some of them.
God has not served us a buffet of commandments where we can pick and chose what we like. No! It is prescription that must be taken completely.
Conclusion
Conclusion
To be chosen is a privilege! I had the privilege of being chosen by my wife. I have the privilege of being chosen to pastor this church. But the greatest privilege is being chosen by God to be His child and His servant!
Let’s not despise the privilege of being chosen!
Let’s honor Him, let’s love Him, and let’s obey Him! The benefit will be for us:
12 “Then it shall come about, because you listen to these judgments and keep and do them, that the Lord your God will keep with you His covenant and His lovingkindness which He swore to your forefathers. 13 He will love you and bless you and multiply you; He will also bless the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your ground, your grain and your new wine and your oil, the increase of your herd and the young of your flock, in the land which He swore to your forefathers to give you. 14 You shall be blessed above all peoples; there will be no male or female barren among you or among your cattle. 15 The Lord will remove from you all sickness; and He will not put on you any of the harmful diseases of Egypt which you have known, but He will lay them on all who hate you. 16 You shall consume all the peoples whom the Lord your God will deliver to you; your eye shall not pity them, nor shall you serve their gods, for that would be a snare to you.
Deu
Chosen to be rewarded. 12-16
Chosen to be rewarded. 12-16
12 “Then it shall come about, because you listen to these judgments and keep and do them, that the Lord your God will keep with you His covenant and His lovingkindness which He swore to your forefathers. 13 He will love you and bless you and multiply you; He will also bless the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your ground, your grain and your new wine and your oil, the increase of your herd and the young of your flock, in the land which He swore to your forefathers to give you. 14 You shall be blessed above all peoples; there will be no male or female barren among you or among your cattle. 15 The Lord will remove from you all sickness; and He will not put on you any of the harmful diseases of Egypt which you have known, but He will lay them on all who hate you. 16 You shall consume all the peoples whom the Lord your God will deliver to you; your eye shall not pity them, nor shall you serve their gods, for that would be a snare to you.