Living in the Land

In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ,

Judges 3:

Judges 3:1–7 NKJV

Now these are the nations which the Lord left, that He might test Israel by them, that is, all who had not known any of the wars in Canaan (this was only so that the generations of the children of Israel might be taught to know war, at least those who had not formerly known it), namely, five lords of the Philistines, all the Canaanites, the Sidonians, and the Hivites who dwelt in Mount Lebanon, from Mount Baal Hermon to the entrance of Hamath. And they were left, that He might test Israel by them, to know whether they would obey the commandments of the Lord, which He had commanded their fathers by the hand of Moses. Thus the children of Israel dwelt among the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. And they took their daughters to be their wives, and gave their daughters to their sons; and they served their gods. So the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord. They forgot the Lord their God, and served the Baals and Asherahs.

Judges 3:2 is one of those intriguing yet bewildering verses that challenges our understanding of God.

Now, throughout this series I’ve been careful to supply a New Testament verse to offset the passages of Judges.

Not that we need to apologize for the Old Testament, but so we understand how these historical passages in Judges work in this current church age.

Just because we have a New Testament does not mean the old is irrelevant, we simply must reconcile the two under the banner of grace.

Judges 3:2 is one of those intriguing yet bewildering verses that challenges our understanding of God.

God wanted the younger Israelites to experience and know what war was!

This will challenge what you think of God!

Most of us can’t imagine that a loving and merciful God would do this.

We have bought into the world’s philosophies!

We buy into the world’s philosophies!

We are contaminated by their thinking! And, begin to think like them.

I hear it all the time. Christians who believe and fight for world peace. Thinking that somehow God wants us to

“we can have world peace, through passivity”

“Free Healthcare”

In this world, there is nothing free! even salvation cost God everything!

But God, is using these heathen nations to hone the battle skills of His people so that they know how to fight, and defend themselves against infiltration.

And so here in Judges, we have God providing a !

It is also Demonic in it’s origins!

And, all those that don’t know His Word, will see validity in that belief!

But, our current society can’t see it.

They believe the pipe dream!

They believe that we can legislate no more war, no intolerance, no bullying, No evil!

It’s kind of like when they say we need:

“Free Health Care”

“Free Mass Transit”

Categorically speaking, There is nothing free!

Even salvation isn’t. It cost God everything!

But, they can’t see this. The god of this world has blinded their minds, and they believe a lie!

And so here in Judges, we have God allowing evil to prevail for His purpose!

And you know what?

Nothing has changed!

It is the same for the church today, as we see Him telling us to put on the entire armour of God, in Ephesians six.

Why? Because there is a war going on!

And it is a life or death situation!

He didn’t tell us to go and clean up the world.

And so, He told us to go and teach the world, influence the world, make disciples of the world, for Jesus!

So what do we do?

Now, many Christians don’t seem to get this, so they have rather separated themselves from the world, so much so that they resemble some jar of canned peaches sitting on a shelf, to be opened only on the other side of the pearly gates.

This may seem like the best way to keep one self unspotted from the world as James chapter one says, but that wasn’t what James meant, and it isn’t what Christ commanded.

To take such a position pits us squarely against the commands of our Lord.

So then what should we do?

And, this is what we need to answer in order to know how to “live in the Land”.

God brought Israel into the promised land.

Did you know that God’s final destiny for the Israelites was always here on earth, and not Heaven?

Do you also know that God’s final destination for His people today is here on earth not Heaven?

But, the modern church sees the promised land of the Old Testament a metaphor of Heaven, but it’s not really.

If anything, It’s an example of how we as His children are to live in this present world.

And, It is here in this place that the testing of our faith plays out.

You see, we like to skip this world and go right on into glory. So much so, that we ignore everything He has commanded us concerning the here and now!

It is also more complicated than to simply avoid sinful people, places, and things.

In fact, it’s tied up in our relationships!

That’s right. Our relationships.

Just a scarce view of the relationships within the Body of Christ will prove what I’m saying.

Jesus broke it down for us. When asked what is the great commandment, Jesus replied -

You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength.”

And what’s the rest of it?

“You shall love your neighbor as yourself”.

Now, we know this well.

We even quote it well.

But even as the words come out of our mouths, our actions tell a different story!

The modern church is filled with:

Unforgiveness

Bitterness

Slander

These are the heavy hitters.

And I have observed through 25 years of pastoral ministry, concerning this topic, that the church is like a nursery school, when it comes to relationships within.

If we don’t know how to act in the body, what makes us think we can do it outside the body?

We can do better!

And we must, because the sinful ways that we relate to one another is not going unnoticed.

God sees it and it grieves Him.

The world sees it and we are loosing our influence with them.

Last week I shared my own failure in a situation, and it amazes me how God is using my reaction to this failure as a real example that gives others hope.

Now if you were one of those that judged me for this confession, or thought how poor of a pastor to have such a problem, then get the beam out of your own eye before you try to take the spec out of mine!

Every one of us in this room has issues and behavior problems. But when we leave those areas unchecked, and out of bounds to God’s refining fire, we stop growing in Christ and become a sinful problem to the church.

If we are going to live in the land with any success, we’d better start dealing with our sinful heart and check our attitudes toward others.

Anyway, I will finish this message with encouragement for you.

So, what I’m going to do now is turn to some practical help.

But, it won’t be three pithy points in power point that you can write down and never look at again.

Rather, as Paul Harvey used to say, “Now for the rest of the story”.

So last week I shared with you the saga of Pastor Bob’s run in, not with the company that towed his car, but with his own hotheadedness and poor behavior indirectly toward his family and directly toward the poor guy at the tow company. You see, that’s what this is really about!

Now, let me fill in the gaps here. I have come to see a benefit through this experience. Not because I behaved badly or that we should ever think that the ends justify our inept reactions in similar situations, but that through the process of making things right after my confessed sin, I have learned something far more beneficial than anything I could have read or heard.

You see, it’s going through the motions of repentance that I have grown in my relationship with God and others!

So after writing a scathing review on the towing companies facebook page, comparing their tactics to a shark attack at the beach, and giving the guy behind the counter the third degree, blaming him for my parking problem, and leaving in a whirlwind without one kind word, the Lord began to work me over!

Let me say something here. It’s really easy to ignore that still small voice inside. yeah, that’s how the Holy Spirit speaks, just ask Elijah.

And I’ve ignored His voice many times in my life. But you already knew that, because you do the same.

So as the Holy Spirit begins to work on me, I come to the realization that I should probably take down the scathing facebook post.

I do the big thing, and take it down. But I don’t tell anyone, because I’m trying to be spiritual you see, and that just isn’t spiritual!

I even confess my sin to God in prayer, and tell Him that I’m sorry for treating that guy that way. And you already know that I decide on my way to church last week, that I need to call that company and apologize.

But, you also know that he’s not working on Sunday, and know one really knows who it was behind the desk. But that’s ok, because I’m feeling really holy now, and i know that I did everything within my power even apologizing to the guy who answered the phone, and sharing with you last week how he was practically in shock.

Now, you also know that I had no plans of sharing this with anyone, and I hadn’t even told Michelle what i was going thorough. For all she knew, I was still my miserable self (for the moment). But, right at the end of the massage, that still small voice kept saying the same thing over and over: you need to confess this now! And so you know, I did!!

You also know that under the control of the spirit of God, my mouth was employed to say the dumbest words I could have said, which is why if the Spirit didn’t tell me to say them i never would have. And those words were “i’m going back there this week and apologize to that guy, face to face, and you all will hold me accountable!”

You know, you gotta love the way God works through a situation like this.

I could have blown this off, perhaps rationalized why in my mind this would not be prudent. Probably even find a verse or two to back up my resistance. But, God saw fit to have my grandson Zach in the congregation last week. And he didn’t let me get away with it. When I picked he and Lili up on Tuesday afternoon, the first thing out of his mouth was, “Papa, did you stop in to see that guy yet?” Not yet, Zach old boy, buddy! (seething inside) No I’ll be stopping this week on my way to pick you up from chess club.

Wednesday was Lili’s Birthday party, which I’ll have you know we all parked on the street and not in the lot! So that left Thursday.

As I left work Thursday afternoon to pick up Zach, I knew I had to stop at the towing company, so i bolted over there.

What if he’s not there I thought. Oh well, I’ll just apologize to whoever is!

I pulled up to the place, choked back down the bitter butterflies that were trying to make their way up. Walked in and … figures, the guy behind the counter isn’t him.

“Can I help you” he says. Sigh - great, now I’ve gotta regurgitate the whole story to someone else in 20 seconds. So I do, and the guy just shakes his head in unbelief, but notices my persistence and says well that sounds like Sean. I said yeah it must be! At this point I don’t care if his names Larry!

Hopeful that I’m finally at the end of this journey to freedom, he says as he looks at the surveillance cameras to the outside - I think he’s up the hill, motioning to the screen, with a couple of guys. I see nothing on the screen and thank him making my way back out the door.

Now I have to pass by my car to walk to the other side of the building, and I hear this voice telling me to just get in my car and drive off! And this voice was much louder than the other still small voice. anyway, knowing the guy inside is seeing me by camera, and in my mind his face is looking a lot like my grandson’s, I walk the million steps to the other side of the building, trembling and apprehensive as to what the outcome will be.

Suddenly in a distant lot I see a tow truck, Grimacing, I approach it but it starts to drive away. It stops, and i approach closer only for it to start driving away again. Oh God, my brain is screaming, when I see in the side mirror of the truck the same face that i treated so badly the previous Saturday. You know what? it never dawned on me that this thin young guy with a black beard and mustache, could have played a role as Jesus in a Bible movie.

As I come to the drivers side, he says can I help you? So polite! so I say, I was here last Saturday because you towed my car. What kind of car was it? he said. I said it was a Sliver Kia Sportage. Now he was apprehensive, and I could see some of those Bitter things floating up his esophagus.

He says, so what can i do for you? I came to tell you I’m sorry! I behaved badly, was out of line, and acted like a total jerk. Actually i used another word which more resembles a mule. Did i mention there was another young guy in the passenger seat? At this point he was picking his jaw off the floor.

Gracefully, Sean, stuck his hand out the window and thanked me for the apology. As I walked back to my car I immediately felt this weight lifted off my shoulders.

What freedom!

What forgiveness!

What a lesson!

As I got to Zach’s school he was waiting outside. He didn’t even ask me! I had to tell him.

So I told him the whole story, and then he said in a most approving way,

“that was the right thing to do Papa!”

That just confirmed to me again how our actions can and will make an impact on another.

I learned something Thursday.

Sean, his coworkers learned something Thursday.

I learned something Thursday.

Although God can use anything in my life to bless others and glorify himself, more than the fact that He is extremely merciful to me and will restore, I learned that people are more important than anything. My relationship to them in whatever capacity that may be, is far more important to God than my feelings, or my wallet!

More than the fact that He is extremely merciful to me and will restore.

I learned that people are more important than anything. My relationship to them in whatever capacity that may be, is far more important to God than my feelings, or my wallet!

I have just been tried in the refining fire of God, and a bit of dross has been skimmed off the top!

My question to you is, are you willing to put yourself through His fire?

If you think you can just be good enough and avoid the testing altogether, you are dreaming! You will never be that good!!!

But, if you strive to do the right thing in every situation, regardless of how difficult it may be, you will find yourself being conformed into the very image of Christ.

What relationships are stressed in your life?

And that is, that although we may screw up once in a while, and God

But, that I have something tangible now to remember that will help me not behave the same again.

You have a duty to go to those people and make it right. Otherwise, you are not walking with Christ, and you are not His disciple.

And if you say they’ve wronged me

1 Peter 1:7 NKJV

that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ,

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