Sermon Tone Analysis

Deuteronomy 7

 

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Introduction

      Jonathan used to have a shirt with a picture of a bunch of mean looking fish swimming in one direction and a "Christian fish" swimming in the other direction.

The caption on the shirt was, "go against the flow."

As Christians, we do not go along with everything that happens in this world.

We have a different set of values and as a result, often a different set of activities.

But it is not easy to "go against the flow."

For example, suppose you are attending a farm show with a neighbour, who wants to go to the bar to talk, do you go?

I attended a grad meeting for the 1999 grad this week and they were talking about the grad party.

How do we relate to this event.

Do you as grads go?

How do you support and connect with classmates and still not be connected with something that includes elements that do not fit for a Christian?

Suppose that there was an exercise class going on in the community, and you would like some exercise, but parts of the exercise program seem to have a connection with eastern religions.

Would you participate?

We have been studying Deuteronomy which is about Moses' last instructions to the people of Israel before they entered the promised land.

In Deuteronomy 7:1-6, Moses warned the people about the situation they were entering and about some of the spiritual dangers they would have to guard against.

What he says to Israel helps us learn about how to go against the flow.

We will examine Deuteronomy 7 and several New Testament passages today in order to learn about being Christians in a secular world.

! I.                   The Danger

!! A.                 Israel

      The problem which Israel would face was a clash between who they were and who the people of the land were.

In 7:6, " " What a special privilege these people had.

They were a people whom God had chosen out of all the people of the earth.

What a precious statement for them to realize that not only were they chosen of God, but chosen to be God's treasured possession.

He had a special love and concern for them.

He cared for them deeply.

They were to be a holy people because they belonged to God.

But the land into which they were going was inhabited by people who were far from holy.

In the first few verses, we have a list of the nations they were going to dispossess.

God had promised that he would give them this land and drive out these nations before them so that the land would be theirs.

However, as history would demonstrate, the dispossession would not take place all at once.

The reality was that they would live in close proximity with these people for a while.

The influence of these nations would be pervasive.

Who were these people and what kinds of values did they have?

The Canaanites had an extensive pantheon.

They worshipped Baal the storm-god, and Dagon.

The goddesses Asherah, Astarte and Anath were goddesses of sex and war.

Besides that many other lesser deities abounded.

There are indications that human sacrifice was customary.

Their worship also included the use of magic, idolatry and prostitution.

The presence of this pagan, idolatrous religion posed a serious threat to the faith of the Israelites.

In 7:4, Moses warned them, " ".

The danger was that subtle compromises could turn the people away from God. Seemingly harmless external things like marriage with these nations would cause them to stop following God.

That this was not merely a theoretical danger is evident from the fact that it happened.

The history of Israel is in essence a history of failure to heed this very warning.

Solomon, Manasseh, Ahab & Jezebel and many others lost faith in God because of a failure to heed this warning.

!! B.                 Manitou M.B.

Church

      The situation into which the people of Israel were going to enter is not that much different from the situation in which we presently find ourselves.

As Christians, we too are a chosen people who have been called to live as God's holy people.

I Peter 2:9,10 says, "But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God..."

      We also find ourselves living in a society that is increasingly living by pagan values.

There was a time when the dominant values in society were Christian or at least Christian based.

That is becoming less so.

At a time when we are entering more and more into relationship with the society around us, we are entering more and more into a society whose values are not only different, but often diametrically opposed to the values we hold.

We live in a society which supports abortion as choice.

A society in which the highest value is becoming wealthy.

A society in which self indulgence and self centeredness are assumed and expected.

A world in which free sex is seen as a right.

The question asked is not is it right, but "does it work."

Because of the vast gulf between our status as holy people and our living in a world that is anything but holy, we also are in great danger of being drawn in to false teaching, unholy living and secular values.

The warning given by Moses to Israel is not out of place in our society.

Moses said, "vs.4

"

      This is no theoretical warning.

Some who identify themselves as Christians are living together before marriage.

Christian leaders are being caught in sexual offences.

Businessmen compromise Christian ethics in an attempt to make it.

Even churches do their work with methods of politics instead of through the power and guidance of the Spirit of God.

What Moses warned the Israelites about is happening to God's people today because of the challenge to live as God's holy people in the midst of a world that is not holy.

! II.

The Strategy

      What can we do about it?

!! A.                 Israel

      Moses told the people that they were to do three things in order to avoid contamination.

First of all, they were to destroy them totally.

In Genesis 15:16, God had told Abraham that the people of this region had not yet filled up their wickdness, but the day was coming when they would be ripe for judgement.

Now that day had come and Israel was the instrument of God's judgement.

Because this destruction would not happen all at once, they were told that in the mean time, they were not to make any alliances with these nations.

They were not to make a political treaty or even a social treaty as in the case of marriage.

They were to have no relationships with these nations that would in any way bring them into close enough contact to be negatively influenced.

Thirdly, they were also to destroy all residue of their worship.

They were to smash all their sacred stones, to cut down the Asherah and to burn their idols.

All evidence of religious practice was to be totally removed from them so that there was nothing that would tempt them to engage in the wicked practices of the idolatrous and ungodly nations.

!! B.                 Manitou M.B.

Church

      Is this how we are to deal with the problem of being God's holy people in an unholy world?

1.Destroy The Evil Around You

      Destroying the evil around you and all the evil people who promote it is one way to avoid being contaminated by it and this is what Israel did.

Some people want to do the same thing today.

Some people actually justify killing abortion doctors on a basis like this.

But is this what God wants us to do today?

I think it is quite clear that this is not the case.

At that time, Israel was carrying out God's judgement on those nations.

God will once again judge the evil in the world, but He will do it in His time.

There is no New Testament mandate for us to do this today.

In fact, we are called to do quite the opposite.

We are repeatedly called to love our enemies, to do good to those who persecute us and to be peacemakers.

2.Separate Yourself From Ungodly People

      A second response is to separate oneself from all ungodly people and their influence.

Israel was also told to do this.