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Amen, so Deuteronomy chapter 9 moving along and we'll get right into here in verse 1 where the Bible reads Here o Israel thou art to pass over Jordan this day to go in to possess nations greater and mightier than thyself cities great and fenced up to heaven a People great and tall the children of Anakim soon thou knowest of whom thou heard had has heard say Who can stand before the children of Anak? so, you know God's kind of getting them ready for the journey that they're about to take into the land of Jericho and You know when you read these first couple verses you have to kind of ask yourself What kind of a pep talk is this? You know normally when you're trying to get people riled up and they're about to go face some kind of adversity You know, there's some more you try to encourage people you try to give them words that are going to inspire them Motivate them, you know, you know, we can do this kind of thing I mean you think about the classic, you know, the football pep talk, you know, we're behind it's halftime Let's go out there and you know win one for the gipper kind of a thing, you know Like they're trying to pep you're trying to give a pep talk. You're trying to build people up This is not a pep talk on this whole chapter. It's not a pep talk This is God talking very soberly God talking very plainly and really just telling these people exactly How it is and he says there hero Israel thou art to pass over to Jordan this day in to go into possess nations Rainier greater and mightier than them than thyself. He's saying look these guys are bigger than you, you know Not just numerically but it goes on a verse to great and tall, you know The anacoms the the P the Giants, you know, and we already talked about in previous chapters About the the the actual height of those Giants They weren't 40 feet, you know tall or 40 stories tall or whatever crazy number people come up with You know, they they were about 9 to 12 feet probably somewhere in there So but you know that to me is a tall guy, you know, I I I whenever I bump into a pastor Aaron Thompson You know, I guess I should say bump into him, you know, I probably get hurt but whenever I see him, you know I'm a taller guy, you know, I'm above average. I feel like a short guy and he's only six seven So, you know, he's saying look these guys are tall. They're big There's a lot of them. They're greater a number than thyself now go get them Right, and that's not that's not what you would, you know, we'll try to pet these people up, you know He's kind of just buddies. You know what? That's the way it is, you know And sometimes that's what you kind of have to do with people. Just tell them Hey, this is this is the situation that you're in. This is what you're up against You're gonna have to go in there, you know and act accordingly So what he's saying here is like look, you know This isn't a pep talk In fact when you start to read this and kind of get an idea of what's going on here Like look how it ends there in verse 2 thou has heard say who can stand before the children of Anak I mean that was a common saying among the people these people were so big and mighty and strong He said who could even stand before him? So really what God is saying here is like you're about to go do an impossible task you know the humanly speaking this is come this is impossible and They're saying oh, you know, we're gonna go take over the land of Canaan. Oh, really? Wow, you're gonna go run that you're gonna go rant Run the children of Anak out of the Anakims right? No boy. You must be crazy, you know and Really? This is impossible. We look at it from the human perspective humanly speaking. This isn't a possible task and The takeaway for Israeli here is that God is with them and that's what God begins to bring to their attention like saying Hey, you know, this isn't a possible task these people are greater and mightier than thou but I'm with you and I'm gonna fight for you and That was the same thing that applies for us today You know we could take away from this as well And if you would turn over to Philippians chapter 4, you know Bible talks about this because as Christians, you know We have a great task to do You know in many different areas example would be You know just living the Christian life Sometimes, you know in a lot of ways can seem like a very difficult if not not that it is impossible But it can seem like a very overwhelming one might even say, you know an exaggeration an impossible task, but it's not impossible But it's an overwhelming task. Sometimes we have the flesh we have the world we have the devil we have many adversaries You know, we have a great task of going out and preaching the gospel to every creature, you know under the whole of heaven God wants every creature to hear the gospel Massive task seven billion people in the planet today God wants every one of them to hear the gospel and we would say that's humanly speaking impossible But and really it isn't you know, it's just that people aren't motivated to do the work And if they would we could accomplish those kind of tasks But the point being this that we often face adversity in our life in some form of another, you know We're gonna come up a seemingly impossible task There's gonna be something that we come up against in life. It's gonna be like we're facing the children of Anak This is an Anakim in my life. It's you know, whatever it might be and we have to be reminded of these words I'll read you from Mark 9 where Jesus said all things are possible to him that believeth All things are possible to him that believeth and Jesus isn't just trying to give you encouraging words. That's the truth You know if you do God's will you want to accomplish God's will you're right with God You know God is going to clear the way for you. God is going to open doors God is going to help you along the way and Help you to accomplish these great tasks the Bible says in Romans 8 what shall we say then to these things? if God before us who can be against us if God before us who can be against us you're there in Philippians chapter 4 look at verses 12 and 13, of course These are very familiar words. It says in verse 12. I know both how to be a base and I know how to be how to abound Everywhere and in all things I am instructed both to be full to be hungry both to abound and to suffer need I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me now. I know that's a popular slogan, you know that that You know some sports stars like to tattoo on their chest and things like that and they they apply it to you know Areas that this is not applying to this is talking about the fact that Paul is saying hey I can be a based and I can Abound you know Paul said I can go through great struggles. I can go and face adversity I can go and go up against seemingly impossible tasks. Humanly speaking Why why is he is able to do that? Because it is Christ with strengthen with me and it's what we see here in Deuteronomy Chapter 9 if you go back there So God starts out saying, you know not giving here much of a pep talk You know kind of saying hey, this is this isn't going to be easy You've got a fearsome foe ahead of you and really that's what we have in our life, too. We have Some enemies that you should not take you should underestimate That would be a grave mistake, but he said, you know, he's reminding them in verse 3 that God is with them He says understand this day that the Lord thy God is he which goeth over before thee Saying look, I'm gonna go over there with you. I know they're great. I know it's a big task I know it's difficult. I know it seems like it's impossible and in many ways It might even be in this particular instance, but I'm with you I'm going to go over with you and really, you know when we get to a place in our life when we say I Can't do this often. That's where exactly where God wants us when we get in a position where we're Living the Christian life or doing something for God seems like it's impossible like that. We can't do it That's exactly where God wants us sometimes because often when we can't that's when God will When we can't do it, that's when God says, okay, you've been faithful you come up to this point. You followed me I've brought you this place where? You can't do it. I'm gonna step in and I'm gonna help you along the way and That's what we see going on here with them So God goes on there in verse verse 3 and says understand therefore this day that the Lord thy God Is he which goeth over before thee as a consuming fire He shall destroy them and he shall bring them down before thy face So remember, it's not that God's just you know, clearing a path and then saying okay now it's safe. It's before their face It's in their presence It's not that God is just you know Just getting everything out of the way and then letting them just kind of tiptoe in He's leading them into the battle to fight with them They're in there the thick of it with God they're being brought down before their face and they're seeing these things take place so Yes, God will go over there with us But we have to understand something is that when God fights he's fighting with us as much as he is for us Does that make sense? It's not that God's just gonna make everything easy in life It's just that he's gonna give you the strength. I can do all things which through Christ which strengtheneth me Not I can do all things once Christ does them for me He gives you the strength to go do it and that's what's going on here You're saying look I'm going to go with you and bring them down before thy face So shalt thou drive them out. So it's not that you still don't have a part to play in it It's just that God's gonna help you accomplish what is whatever that is in your life, you know, this is just some you know Encouragement it's some encouraging words to help you Because you're gonna need it if you're gonna live this Christian life, you're gonna need it You're gonna be brought to that place in your life you're gonna have to make a decision that You don't know if you can make or you're gonna have to take a stand that you don't know if you can take it And you're gonna under have to understand something that God is there with you and that he will strengthen you help you And and even when it seems like it's an impossible task There's all these adversaries if we'll just stay faithful and obey the Lord and and not back up God will see us through and God will fight our enemies for us and help us in that battle So We have to understand again that he's fighting for us as much or with us as much as for us It's I can do all things through Christ the Bible says in Psalms 144 Bless blessed be the Lord my strength which teeth of my teacheth my hands to war and fingers to fight So God teaches his fingers to war and his hands to fight. He doesn't fight for him Necessarily he doesn't just fight all our battles for us, but he strengthened us in those midst of those battles if you would Turn over to 1st Corinthians chapter 2 when you get to 1st Corinthians keep something there tonight We'll be back 1st Corinthians again later in the sermon. So go to 1st Corinthians to of course keep something Deuteronomy all night We'll be there all night Now he goes on here says look I'm gonna go over there we're gonna fight this battle You're gonna we're gonna defeat a foe that is seemingly impossible to defeat these Anakim's I'm gonna drive them out You're gonna drive them out. I'm gonna bring them down before thy face remember last week God was talking about how he was gonna send in the Hornet and The beasts and God was gonna fight on their behalf and God's gonna do this great You know just just march through the land of Canaan with them and they're just gonna take over and He goes on in verse 4 and he says this Speak not thou in thine heart after that the Lord had thy God hath cast them out from before thee Saying for my righteousness the Lord hath brought me and it possessed this land but for the wickedness of these nations the Lord doth drive them out from before thee and We've talked about this several times about the nature of these people What kind of people these were in the land of Canaan that were being driven out? wicked ungodly Reprobate people that had filled, you know had their fill of iniquity and God had had enough, you know teaching us And I won't re-preach that it God has a line that he draws with people with nations and said that's enough And then judgment comes so that's before we start throwing a pity party for the poor Canaanites Let's remember who they were and we talked about that recently But he's saying here what he's warning here in verse 4 He's saying look speak not afterward after we go in there and I fight for you. We do all this Don't get a haughty spirit. Don't start to think. Oh, you know for my righteousness God have done this no, God God just used them as an instrument of his judgment of his wrath and He's warning them the of the danger of being a poor winner, I mean there is such a thing as being a poor winner You know some people when they win something they they go nuts, you know, and they and they really rub it in people's faces You know and sometimes, you know in some instances there might be a time and place for that I'm sure we could all think of one but you know, I I always that's what I you know Let me get a little worldly here, you know, that's why I always appreciated You know, not necessarily the man, you know, and I didn't want to I don't know if I should be bringing this up the pulpit But Mike Tyson, okay Mike Tyson whenever you want to fight Did you ever notice he'd never throw his hands up and jumped around like an idiot did backflips and cartwheels and everything? He would just walk back to his corner and stand there like nothing had happened and that was always a real admirable trait I thought about him probably one of his only you know But there was I've noticed that in other combat sports other guy I always look for that whenever I watch a fight if the guy wins I always like to watch how the guy reacts, you know, and I get it, you know There's a lot of heart and sacrifice everything goes into it They want to raise their hands and you know, that's not always necessarily bad, you know But even in the NFL, you know, the unsportsmanlike conduct the guy who gets in the end zone You know score touch on and spiking the ball, you know, he's doing a lawnmower and I can't I don't know how they do it I don't know, you know, whatever, you know the bus driver, huh? You know all these stupid moves and stuff and if they go too far You know the ref blows the whistle the flag comes out and why is it because he's showboating he's gloating just a little too much So there is such a thing as being you know, too much of a poor winner, you know And just going bananas with this stuff. So and that's what he's warning here in verse 40 saying look you're gonna go over there Don't think it's all you don't think you this is all happening because you're just you know Some great thing because the fact is you're not and we're gonna read here the rest of the chapter God really takes them down and cuts them down to size takes them down a few notches and says, you know I'm gonna remind you of who you are where you came from All the things that you and the generation before you have done all the times you you know How close these people came to just being completely wiped out and that's what we read about. So God starts out saying look Yeah, I'm gonna fight for you and I'm gonna help you but don't get a hottie spirit. Don't be one of these poor winners So look there in verse 5 and where he says not for thy righteousness or for the uprightness of thine heart Dost thou go to possess their land but for the wickedness of these nations the Lord thy God doth dry them out from before thee That he may perform the word which the Lord sware unto thy fathers Abraham Isaac and Jacob So the reason why God is doing this and using them It's not because of how good they were It was because of the fact that he had made an oath to their fathers Abraham Isaac and Jacob and was keeping that Covenant that you promised him and because he wanted to of course punish these nations because of how wicked they were and What it shows us is that you know, God was often for us in spite of us It's not because of how we grew how great we are, you know when God when you got you know newsflash when you got saved You know God didn't get you know, you're not God's gift to anything You know God didn't get a bargain for you. All right, I mean it came at the precious price of his son's own life You know, you know the blood of Christ was shed, you know, so don't I mean, how can any one of us think? well, I was worth it because the fact is none of us were and that's kind of what we have to keep in mind here is That you know God is often is yes for us Nothing can separate us from the love of Christ if God be for us who can be getting against us But that's in spite of us in spite of what we are or were more more more likely But if you're there in 1st Corinthians Look at chapter 2. I should have kept it something there myself 1st Corinthians chapter 2 You know we could apply that that idea of You know God being for us and and being able to do great things for God and Not getting a haughty spirit about it and you know in one area in particular That I think we should have this a mind that you know, yes. God is for us. Yes. God will use us Yes, God will help us accomplish great things for Christ, but it's not for us It's not because of how great we are It's for his glory sake for his name's sake for the sake of others In fact, and that would be in the area of soul winning if you look there in 1st Corinthians chapter 2 1st Corinthians chapter 2 verse 1 the Bible reads and I brethren came not when I came to you came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom Declaring unto you the testimony of God for I determined to not to know anything among you Save Jesus Christ and him crucified and I was with you in weakness and in fear and a much trembling And my speech was and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom But in demonstration of the Spirit and of power that your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men But in the power of God and what we're seeing here is that you know powerful preaching like Paul Paul is a powerful preacher I mean when he spoke, you know, people were moved and made changes and God and God used him in a mighty way No doubt. He's a powerful preacher, but notice here. It's not it's not a powerful preaching is not identified by Great words by these what did he what did he say there? My speech was not with enticing words of man wisdom great flowery speeches It wasn't that Paul was just some silver-tongued order that could just woo a crowd You know and some people are very gifted in that area and if a preacher is you know Amen, and if you can do that all the better But that's not how you identify powerful preaching what a powerful preaching is identified by the effect that it has on those that hear it And you know, what kind of effect is that preaching have is it just stirring up some emotion and making us get goosebumps And we walk out and say oh what a great service or is it affecting us? Is it impacting us? Is it causing us to change our lives? Is it causing us to to you know, do something greater for God? And we have to understand that you know That's what the power of the gospel is the power of the gospel is that that's where the power is when we go and preach It's not in ourselves You know, it's it's not us that's that's doing that, you know, we went out and we saw some people saved tonight you know, I got I was fortunate enough to be able to lead this young lady to Christ and you know wasn't through my My wit and charm and you know, my sweet Disposition that I have you know, was it cuz I shaved Maybe I had a little I don't know but you know what it was. It was the power of the gospel That's what did all the heavy lifting in her heart. That's what moved was the Word of God I'm not saying that we shouldn't try to present the gospel in the right way and make sure that we're Not coming across and crosses as rude jerks, but let's not get this hottie spirit I think well, I'm here to preach the gospel to you and you better listen and don't you know who I am? And I'm an ambassador for Christ. Let's see some respect, you know, they did not have this kind of attitude See that's crazy to people have that. Yeah, they do They do probably probably we've all probably been guilty that at some point or maybe one day will And You know, it might not come out and you know quite so bluntly but it can affect our attitude, you know And often, you know, it might come out in the form of you know, just being curt with somebody Just being a little short at the door You know and just writing people off if you're in a bad neighborhood I don't want to go on and on about this but what I'm trying to get us to understand is that God is for us in spite of us if God's going to use us to do some great work if God's gonna make us bold Preachers the gospel if God's gonna make us bold preachers of his word if we're gonna do any great thing for God It's not gonna be because we're so great. That's gonna because God is on us It's gonna because God is with us and God is moving on our behalf in spite of who we are So again keep something There in 1st Corinthians. I'll do the same and we'll turn back To Deuteronomy and we'll move on here Because God again, he starts out the pep talk and then he very quickly tells them look gives them the warning Don't don't start thinking that you know when you get over in this land and possess it that you're that you're really You're all that in a bag of chips Because you're not and he goes on here and he starts to really kind of lay it into him in Verses 6 through 17. Well, you know, we read it before the service, but he says in verse 6 Understand therefore that Lord thy God giveth not the giveth thee not this good land to possess it for thy righteousness What does he say for thou art a stiff-necked people? I Mean God just cuts them right to the core and says, you know, I'm warning you and just in case That's not enough. I mean warning you say it's not for your sake. It's for their iniquity It's for the Covenant I made with your fathers And in fact the proof of that is the fact that you're stiff-necked and God starts to lay into him, right? I mean here first seven remember and forget not how the Lord thou provokest the Lord thy God to wrath the wilderness From the name that thou didst a part of the land of Egypt until he came into this place Ye have been rebellious been rebellious against the Lord. You know Moses is kind of getting one in while he's at it, too you know he's Also in horror if you provoked the Lord to wrath so that the Lord was angry with you to have destroyed you And when I was gone up in the mountain received the tables of stone Even the tables of the Covenant which the Lord made with you when I abode in the in about 40 days and 40 nights I didn't either eat bread nor drink water now take note of that We'll come back that'll come up later here towards the end But Moses went up there and he didn't eat or drink for 40 days and 40 nights You know how did you know that's not even physically possible to go that long without what obviously was miraculous what God did But I don't know that that was necessarily made it easy I'm sure there was some hunger pangs and he would probably suffered some deal But that's what it took to be in the presence of God and God miraculously Sustained him So versus you know, we won't go on through all of this But if you read it, if you're paying attention to reading scripture, you will know you would know that Verses 6 or 17 is just the scathing sobering reminder of all their failures everything all these areas that they've come up short all the times they've angered God all the times that God was mad and even Brought to the place of wrath with them And he has the source there in verse 6, you know, that's where it all is It's the defining character flaw of these people and it what is it there in verse 6? He are a stiff-necked people That's really where it all began and we see that in their history when if you read this, you know in Exodus the children of Israel's history, they're often making the same mistakes over and over again You know you think of the rock at Horeb and you know when the two times when they murdered in the wilderness You know that that Moses had brought them out to die There is no water in this place and and there was bitter water at another place and all the times that they complained about the same Thing in spite of the fact that God had come through for them every time God had seen God they complained God brought water and got to another place no water God they complained God brought water They get to another place no water. They complain God brings water again. They're stiff-necked. It's not getting through there Well today's vernacular, they're hard-headed They're thick-headed people it's not Getting through to them. They're not getting the message They're stiff-necked and that's really what the the the the underlying character flaw in these people That led to all these things. They are stiff-necked people. They are rebellious people Now, what does that mean to be stiff-necked? Let's talk about this for a minute What does it mean to be stiff-necked? You know, that's one you've just thinking about it, you know makes my neck you know cracks the vertebrae but You know what it is is is it's talking about the fact that you're unwilling to bow your head in a bit You're wrong. That's what it is I mean think about when you get you know, if you've ever if someone's ever come to you and said hey, you know You know and pointed out some flaw or some area or you did something wrong you get busted, you know Often when people get busted one of the first thing they do they drop their head Because they're ashamed, you know, they're ashamed for being found out getting caught the head drops You know, that's what a normal reaction does and what is that it's a it's a it's a humility it's a humbling It's a you know, it's it's a shamefulness that takes over and it's just a natural reaction like oh, you know When kids get in trouble, they'll start to do that kind of you know turtle up a little bit, you know And try to drop the head there trying to get you know, one might be coming in. I'm just kidding No, it's all it's all in the we apply the rod of instruction to the to the seed of learning right? It's another sermon but yeah, but but that's that's what it is, you know, a stiff necked is is an unwillingness to bow your head and admit you're wrong and Really what it is is pride, you know, it's an it's an inability to maybe even turn your head I mean think about being stiff necked I remember I went for a few like to your span twice like two or three times I would wake up and I had this terrible you ever had like just a pinched nerve or something in your neck I mean, I had one so bad like I literally was like this I Could not it was just like it was like someone's just jabbing an ice pick into my neck Just like this all for all for like days just woke up like that. I mean, it was a little stiff neck I don't know. Maybe God had went down. Oh you're stiff neck. Well, you know here have some more stiff nakedness, you know And so I had that and I'll never forget it because it was the day our old church. We'd we got all these huge Just gigantic Pews, you know, they didn't have chairs we had pews big oak pews and I'm all like this like oh I'd hope but You know, I'd help unload these and move them around but you see the condition that I'm in But my pastor he there he was uh, he was a wrestling guy, you know, and if you've been in wrestling, which I wasn't You know, they always tell you no fight through the pain, you know to do it. That's what he said to me He's like well, you know if I were you I'd just fight through the pain And I did and you know what happened it went away. That's crazy. Like you just need to get worked out And I was doing I'm kind of going off in a story, but you know, it's coming back to mind So let me tell it we would go out Bus calling we'd knock doors and ask people, you know that bus riders that they're gonna come that we go out on Saturday Say hey, are you gonna ride the bus tomorrow to church and I'm out there like this at knocking the doors. Hey You know, I didn't knock any new doors that day like hey, you can't want to come ride the bus, you know I knocked the old doors. They were all like what's wrong brother Corbin's like I got this thing and so Anyway, I'm glad I told it. We got a little chuckle out of out of my humiliation I'm glad that now I see why that happened, you know Why are you allowed that to happen is to for this moment right here to get a laugh at everybody? But you know, that's what you know, what are we talking about being stiff-necked? You know an inability to turn your head. That's what I had that was every call my name, huh? You know, it felt like overgrown owl, right? Or no, I know owls can't turn their head. What am I saying? Why? I'm so ignorant of the natural world but Yeah, I can't turn their head quite well. Actually. They're the opposite. They're stiff-eyed. That's too But I mean imagine being like that you're not being able to turn your head and to and you know being stiff-necked not to Being able to see from another perspective not to be able to see where somebody else is coming from in a situation Not being able to sympathize or empathize just being not trying to understand why why what you know, why I did you wrong How am I wrong in this, you know situation because you're not willing to turn and see your stiff neck You're not willing to bow the head and say I'm wrong So that's what these problems these people's problem was they were proud and if you would turn over keep something first Corinthians dude Rami go to over to Proverbs chapter 29 the Bible talks about this We'll go to a Proverbs 29 while you're going to Proverbs 29. I'll read to you from Proverbs 16 In Proverbs 16 it says Pride goeth before destruction and in haughty spirit Before a fall when we talk about stiff-necked being stiff not being proud Being having a haughty spirit and what happens to the proud what happens to the haughty? destruction a fall and Notice here in Proverbs 29 verse 1 it says he that being often reproved does what hardeneth his neck? Shall suddenly be destroyed and that without remedy so being proud having a stiff neck does it you know doesn't lead to anything good Not receiving correction not being able to it. You're right. I'm wrong Not being able to turn your head and say yeah, let me see it from their perspective. Let me understand You know that what happens a fall Destruction nothing good and these things are all linked So notice there in Proverbs 29. He says him that being oft Reproved oft reproved now. I think what he's talking about is not somebody who's just got a lot of things wrong It has to start getting them right. I think what he's talking about is somebody's being reproved about the same thing Over and over it's the same thing like the children of Israel Keep getting reminded the same thing over and over. Hey get it right get it right get it right get it right. No Not I'm not wrong. I'm right. Well, what happens pride gets brings a fall a haughty spirit brings destruction a Stiff neck will be destroyed in that without remedy. So if we're being reproved about the same things over and over again You know would benefit us to bow the head To not be stiff neck to see another perspective to receive the correction that comes So, you know what? Well, what's let's think bring us to a practical realm, you know, what it's what's an example of this Somebody who drinks I don't know I've met more I've known more than one person who was told if you continue to drink you will die Your liver is scarred. You have cirrhosis if you continue to drink you will die within a year and Those people were stiff now you say well they were addicted. Well, they know they were stiff necked They could have gotten the help that they wanted. I Mean, I don't care what the problem is when you're faced with death That normally is pretty motivating for people and people who overcome a lot harder things than putting down a bottle Not saying it's easy, but I'm saying when when that message comes. Hey, you're gonna die from this People usually have enough sense to stop what they're doing people quit smoking You know when they develop some kind of cancer or something that people overcome things But I've seen more than one person being stiff neck in this particular area and they're dead they died quickly and suddenly it was you know, and it took nobody by surprise and Everybody had to stand around and watch it happen had to watch somebody drink themselves to death So that's just one example of where a stiff neck can destroy you We're being often reproved for the same thing over and over again leads to your destruction And what we need to learn about that is the fact that you know sin has consequences Every time I don't care what the sin is sin always has consequences and I know sometimes God gives grace and God can pass over a matter and Often sin has its own built-in punishment that God doesn't even have to do anything God just sits back and lets the consequences come by themselves and sometimes God goes ahead and Adds a little to bit to it as well But sin has consequences, but here's the thing. They're compounded those consequences are compounded by pride by being offered Proved by being a stiff neck person. It's compounded. It makes it worse Because you're not willing to get it right because you're stiff neck so it just keeps getting piled up and piled up and piled up until finally God has to step in and really bring down the hammer and That's why he's reminding these people. Oh, that's why he starts out saying it like look you're stiff neck people And here's the proof in verse 7 remember and forget not how thou provokest the Lord He what is he saying? Provokes the Lord thy God to wrath in the wilderness. He said don't forget that Remember that time you provoked me to wrath in the wilderness remember that time when I had to kill tens of thousands of people in one day because of your rebellion He said don't forget that that's a good thing to remember and He goes on he says in verse 9 when I was gone up to the mount to receive the tables of stone Which Lord made with you when I abode in the mount 40 days and 40 nights I didn't either he did eat bread nor drink water and The Lord delivered unto me two tables of stone written with the finger of God and on them was written according to all the words Which the Lord spake with you in the midst in the mount Excuse me out of the midst of the fire in the day of the assembly and that's one of the most that's why I love Deuteronomy and Exodus and any you know, the books that are dealing with this time frame is that Just that imagery of that mountain burning with fire the thick blackness and the clouds and just just God coming down it just that's always impressed me and What's a what's amazing about the story is that if you notice there that's when all this these things happened That's when they worship the golden calf They weren't a million miles away they weren't on the other side of the planet when they did that They were within sight of that mountain. I Mean when they think about it, they're they're right there. They disobey God in his presence. I Mean the gods they're just coming out of fire and the ground is quaking and there's these long the voice you know these trumpet that gets louder and louder God speaking out of the midst of the fire and They go ahead and then they make a golden calf. It's that's amazing to me That's the most amazing thing about that and it says so much about human nature about how we are as people that we will disobey God in his presence and I mean they're worshiping his calf in the mount and member of Joshua and Moses coming down after he see the tables of stone And he says I hear the voice the noise of war in the camp and he says now the voice it is not the noise Of war and I came here exactly what he said But he said let's you know They're rising up to play And they hadn't even got they were that close where they hadn't gotten off the mountain yet And they could hear him They're doing all what they were whatever they were doing It was nothing good so that's how close they were to God when they disobeyed and That's you know That's us too. It's really easy to pick on them But you know none of us is any better than anybody else I mean, I know that not everybody is is is as wicked as everybody else, but here's the thing What we should learn from this is that human beings human nature is wicked The heart is deceitfully wicked above all things who can know it and people have a propensity for sin I mean that we're given to it. We're prone to wander right as the song goes You know that is our natural inclination is to do the wrong thing Anyone who has kids knows this to be true You know the kid never has to be told how to do the wrong thing somehow. They just find a way There you know they just figure it out, and it's not because they're smart. You know it's because that's nature We all do that. You know we always find. It's the the wrong comes naturally You know and here's the thing if that's us You know if we find ourselves often being reproved from the same thing if we find ourselves You know blowing God off or blowing off the preaching the Word of God or saying oh, I know that's not I'm supposed to do I'm gonna do it anyway You want to fix that you want it you want to stop being that way you want to get these things right once and for all And here's the thing you say well, it's hard You know the drunk says well, it's hard for me to put the bottle down or whatever it is Well, that's just the way. I am that's just my attitude. That's just the way I was brought up. You know I'm I wanted to use this this this phrase that I hear but our friend from Ireland is here And I thought if people say well, I'm Irish you know I'm I'm a I'm a naturally angry person I've heard people say that that was my mom saying well We're just angry people you know and they're not I've spent a whole and spent all that time in the car not not angry people But the point being is that sometimes we have these attitudes that just say well, that's just the way I am I'm not going to change and What we have to understand is that? These attributes these attitudes these behaviors are going to require God's help if we're going to change We're gonna have to go back to Philippians again and say I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me Maybe the anakim in your life. Maybe you know the difficulty that you're going through is You know your inability to get right with God or to fix something that's wrong in your life Maybe that's it. Maybe it's not just accomplishing some great work from God Maybe it's there's some sin in your life that you just need to get rid of Then you find yourself being often reproved over whether it be an attitude or some kind of bad habit. Whatever it might be You know that behavior that attitude that is habitual is going to require God's help and We have to get that right Because of the results if we don't because when we are doing these things in the face of God in the presence of God despite God's warnings You know the consequences are compounded They get worse, and if you would turn back to first Corinthians chapter 10 First Corinthians chapter 10 What we need to do is we need to consider the consequences, and that's what these people fail to do in Back then when they were at that base of the mount they failed to really stop and think about what it was they were doing At least it seems that way. I mean how else do you explain somebody being so willingly so brashly to just disobey God You know because they probably weren't thinking it through and not considering what it would lead to So you're there in first Corinthians look at chapter 10 verses 1 chapter 10 verse 1 Where he says in first Corinthians chapter 10 verse 1 moreover brethren I would not that you should all be that you should be ignorant how that all our fathers were under the cloud and all passed Through the scene Paul's talking about the same people in Deuteronomy And we're all baptized under the the Moses and the cloud and the scene did all eat the same spiritual meat Did all eat drink the same spiritual drink for they drank of that spiritual rock that followed them that and that rock was Christ But with many of them God was not well pleased for they were overthrown in the wilderness now these things were our in samples to the intent we should not lust after evil things as They also lusted Neither be adulterers as some of them were as it is written that people sat down to play and drink and rose up to play I mean they's talking about the fact that some of them were so willing to just go ahead and make a golden calf and to rise up and play Neither let us commit fornication as some of them committed and fell in one day three and twenty thousand people Neither let us tempt Christ as some of them also were tempted and destroyed of serpents This is talking about the people in Exodus in Deuteronomy. This is who we're talking about And now all these happen things happen to them For in samples and they are written for our admonition Admonition upon whom the ends of the world are come So what you need to do if you're having an area Where you're finding yourself not able to get over this sin where you're not able to correct whatever it is that needs to be corrected Is you need to consider the consequences and act accordingly? I mean just consider the consequences I mean sometimes I think people would not do things or behave in certain ways if they would can just consider the consequences of that behavior and sometimes that punishment or that consequence is enough to hold people back from doing things and You know, that's a perfect. What would he will we just read a 1st Corinthians 1st Corinthians 10. What do we just read? we've read about the consequences and Did you catch all that the Vipers the twenty and three thousand being destroyed in one day that you know God destroying these people? You know people here the bottom line is people are stiff-necked because they want to be I Think everyone understands that there's consequences for sin. I think everyone understands that being stiff-necked is a bad thing But people often they'll kind of go ahead and do it and it's not because they're ignorant It's because they just want to be they just want to be stiff-necked people. It goes back to what I was saying earlier That's just the way I am. My mother was the same way You know that that's how I was raised. Well, you know what you need to do you need to change you change I Mean that's what God is wanting out of these people and he Deuteronomy chapter 9 don't be like this previous generation Let's not get up to the Promised Land again and have you do what they did So I could turn you back around and destroy you in the wilderness and bring up another one. Let's get it, right Let's fix it. Let's change Let's not be stiff-necked people and if something's got a change in our life to be right with God then change it Well, I can't it's just who I am I can do all things through Christ which strength of me even change my attitude even change my behavior Even get over some sin in my life. I can do all things Even if there are things I don't necessarily want to do You know And and you know, here's the thing when people say well is God really gonna do that is God really gonna You know, how bad could it really be? I know, you know pride goeth before fall and haughty spirit before destruction Is you're really talking about destroying me and people kind of they they doubt and what they're doing is they're starting to push the envelope with God and They want to see what exactly would happen Maybe if I did continue down this to me if I didn't give this up or change in this area we look at is God literally gonna come down and Send, you know Vipers in the camp. Am I is guy gonna send a literal plague into the camp? No No, he's probably not could he know he could but he's not going to But do you really want to find out what God is gonna do Do we is that you know curiosity killed the cat as the saying goes, right? Let's not let's not test God. Let's not find out what's gonna happen let's just learn from the samples that were given to us and understand the nature of God that we're dealing with and then he's one that expects people to get things right and to change and to not be a stiff-neck people because Again God wants what's best for us. God doesn't enjoy having to punish his people God's not just some vindictive person up there who just gets some kind of sick pleasure out of Inflicting pain and suffering on people he does that because that's what gets people to change He does that because that's what people have come into him because of their actions because of their consequences. God wants people to get right We don't really want to find out what God's gonna do if we don't change Let's not let's just learn from these bad examples. Go back to Deuteronomy and we'll start wrapping this thing up here Deuteronomy pick it back up in verse 15 He says so I turned and came down from the mount and the mount burned with fire and the two tables of the Covenant were in My two hands and I looked and behold he had sinned against the Lord your God and had made a molten calf He had turned aside quickly out of the way Which the Lord had commanded you and I took the two two tables and cast them out of my two hands and break them before Your eyes, you know, there's that stupid corny joke, you know Moses was the greatest senator because he broke all the commandments at once, right? Yep. Yep. Yep. Yep But he that's what happened he goes on and says and I took the two tables and broke them before your eyes and I Fell down before the Lord as at the first 40 days I did neither eat bread nor drink water because of all your sins Which he sinned in doing quickly and doing wickedly in the sight of the Lord to provoke him to anger now what I want to point out here is the humility of Moses and He Moses showing me Bible says that he was the meekest man on the earth and all and consequently He was also the only man that God spoke to as a friend doth his friend Remember he was so close with it spent so much time in the presence of God Almighty that his face had shown He had put a veil over it, you know, and it wasn't just because you know, God drew a name out of a hat It was because the type of man Moses was and God knew that about him and he was a very meek man And that's what we see here because if you know remember if you look back in verse 14, God makes Moses an offer He says there in verse Verse 13 furthermore the Lord spake unto me saying I have seen this people and behold. It is a stiff-necked people Let me alone that I may destroy them and blot out their name from under heaven and I will make of thee a nation mightier and greater than they so God says look Moses tell you what, let's just start over with you I Wonder how many of us would we had the heart of Moses had? I wonder how many people would hear that be like that sounds like a great idea You know what? I think you know what God go right ahead Because remember at this point Moses had put up a lot They speak of stoning Moses and Moses said, you know is he didn't complain about what a burden they were How they murmured against him and he was like a nerd, you know, even asked God at one point kill me You know how I can't bear these people and all their and then they weary me and and then God makes this offer okay, well You know what step aside and we'll just start over with you And the fact that Moses doesn't take him up on that offer just shows you the type of heart that Moses had And you know you think well, it's because he's so compassionate about the people It's not that's not why it goes on and tells us why it's because what was Moses Moses motivation for not taking God up on that offer Well, he's motivated by his love of God and his desire to see him glorified You know Moses wasn't worried about we didn't when the offer came. Hey, I'll make a greater knight or nation with you Then I will of them Moses would have gone down as we probably might not even know Abraham or Isaac or Jacob They'd all start over with Moses You know and Moses would have been you know, not that Moses isn't a great man of God already, but I mean he could have Really just let it go to his head at this point couldn't he but Moses is motivated not necessarily about his compassion for those people Although I'm sure that was there But he's more concerned with God and his glory than he is his own and if you look there versus Verses 25 through 29. That's we see and so he he says thus I fell down verse 25 before the Lord four days and 49 So I fell down at the first because the Lord had said he would destroy you. I Prayed therefore in the Lord and said Oh Lord God destroy not thy people and thine inheritance Which thou hast redeemed through thy greatness, which thou has brought forth out of Egypt with the mighty hand Remember thy servants Abraham Isaac and Jacob looking under the stuff look not to the stubbornness of this people nor the wickedness nor to their sin Let lest the land which thou brought us us out say because the Lord was not able to bring them in land Which he promised them and because he hated them he have brought them out to slay them in the wilderness Yet they are thy people and thine and thine inheritance Which thou brought us out by thy mighty power and by thou stretched arm. What's he saying? He's saying look don't destroy them. Let's the Egyptians say ago God, I guess God wasn't as great as he was after all Oh sure, he could come in here and wipe us out But when it came to the land of the Canaanites, he couldn't do it Who could stand before the sons of Anak who could stand before these people not even God could do it That's what Moses was motivated by his he wanted to see God be glorified he couldn't stand the fact to think that somebody else was gonna talk bad on his God and Even to the point where when God made this offer, let's just wipe them out start over with you Moses put his own potentially his own potential Selfishness aside and his own desire for vainglory and so now I'm more worried about God And what God being glorified And then remember, you know, that's that's a big thing because Moses his opinion of the people is the same as the Lord's it wasn't that Moses had just had all this compassion for these people You know verses 21 through 24. He makes that pretty clear He says and I took your sin and the calf which he had made and burn it with fire and stamped it and ground it very small even so was as small as dust and I cast the dust thereof into the book of this of the Descented that descended in the mount and at Tabra and at Mesa and Kibra with Hatava and You provoked the Lord to wrath Likewise when the Lord sent you from Kadesh Barnea saying go up and possess the land which I have given you Then you rebelled against the Lord the commandment of the Lord your God and believed him not hark down to his voice He had been rebellious against the Lord from the day that I knew you So Moses has the same opinion of these people that God has it's just that he's more concerned with God's glory than than his own So, you know, we could close right there But there's one thing I want to point out because I think this is interesting here in verse 20 and that's Moses's care for Aaron Moses is a man. He cared for Aaron because remember the whole thing with the golden calf happened under Aaron's watch, you know, Aaron was left in charge and that whole thing went down and Aaron dropped the ball in a big way and if you look there in verse 20, it says and the Lord was very angry Very angry with Aaron to have destroyed him so God at that time was looking to just take Aaron out of the picture all together and and and he and it says and I prayed for Aaron also at the same time and so if God went to Or excuse me. Moses went to God on Aaron's behalf and and spared Aaron's life So Moses had a real care for you know, Moses really could have stepped back and said, you know what God Aaron did mess up I can't believe I trust this guy. Go ahead. Let's Get rid of Aaron, you know and not not gone to God on Aaron's behalf and really what this shows us is the perspective of the man of God that the man of God Moses he's a man who has perspective and What he he has an ability to see things maybe I think Moses at this point learned some things about Aaron And he had some knowledge about Aaron He was able to see some things about Aaron that he did that that even Aaron couldn't see and he learned that okay Aaron's not the guy to leave in charge You know Aaron's not the guy that that we're gonna have run the show, you know He can he can help me but he's not gonna be that guy and you know What we got to take from that is that you know We should we should respect the opinion of the man of God We should respect what the man of God thinks, you know what we're fit for and what we're not fit for You know if we desire to be in the ministry and the man of God comes and says you're not cut out for it It's not for you You know, you could react one of two ways you could get all you know, huffed up and in a puffer, you know just Leaving a rage or whatever or you could say, you know what? I respect the man of God in his opinion He had he knows something that I don't he sees something that I don't and you know, whatever area that might be you know kids would do well to Implement this in their life and just trust their parents judgment you know and trust that their parents have learned some things that they haven't and Maybe their rules don't make sense, but it's just you know, and they say and you hear it all the time It's for your own good, you know, it's like a broken record. It's for your own good cuz I said so Well, you know, you don't understand it now, but I guarantee you to get older. You'll go. Oh, okay When you have kids who go, oh, all right And you'll it'll start to make sense then but really what we see here is Moses caring for Aaron and Another great thing about Aaron too is that you know, Aaron really dropped the ball. I mean Aaron messes up He makes them just a mess everything almost gets everybody just wiped out, you know, and I mean they're turning to idolatry They're making he's making them naked the Bible says and he just makes Moses so mad that he makes them drink the gold of the Golden calf remember that he breaks it down. He makes them to drink it and But what what happens is that Aaron, you know, that's not the end of story for Aaron Aaron bounces back Aaron comes back and we find him too. He ends well You know, he ends up serving under Moses he ends up being a great minister to Moses he ends up being a great help to Moses and What that shows us is that one is that leaders need leaders, you know, Aaron was a leader But he wasn't the head guy right and you know, some often even people who are in leadership positions They still need other leaders even a pastor, you know, the pastor still needs a leader. Who is that? It's Christ. It's the Bible He's not just a rogue on his own he's not just a loose cannon He's still subject to the things of God every leader needs a leader just like Aaron Aaron needed a leader even though he was one and What we should learn from that is that there's no shame in playing second fiddle, you know We don't all have to be the main guy in the spotlight You know, not everybody can the spotlight's only so big, you know, he can't fit everybody in there and and and we can play other roles You know within a church or a family or whatever it might be there's no shame in playing second fiddle. In fact, it's needed You know Moses benefits from Aaron later if you remember in Exodus 17 when he's you know He's stretching out his arm over the the battle that Joshua was in You know It says his hands became heavy and what happened Moses or Aaron and her Put the stone on him and they stay up his hands they lift him up and they help him to do that So that his arms wouldn't fall right because whenever his arms fell they the children of Israel began to lose the battle We remember that story and make me that one. So, you know Aaron or Aaron, you know, he benefited Moses, you know leaders need guys like Aaron Just as much as Aaron's need Moses's, you know, they work together as a team so I Thought that was interesting was worth pointing out that that God was very wrath or Roth with Aaron to the point He's gonna destroy him and Moses could have just been like, yeah, you know what maybe maybe we should you know Go ahead take him out You know, he because that got to remember that was pretty big what he did, you know, he messed up in a bad way When what we learned is that he could bounce back, you know, give people a second chance and let them correct themselves You know as long as they're not a stiff-necked person They'll get it right and they could end up being a huge blessing at like Aaron was to Moses So, you know Moses when really lastly what I want to just point out on this chapter is in what I thought was great Where we can learn from this is that the influence that God or Moses had with God I mean Moses was a guy who had influence with the Lord I mean, he's like step aside Moses. I'm gonna destroy him and God and the Moses says no or don't and he makes an argument And God is persuaded not to do it God changes his mind about what he's going to do to these people based on what Moses said I mean Moses is a man who had a lot of influence with the Lord. He listened to him and It's not that Moses was telling God something he didn't know I think God lets that happen to show us that you know, we can have an influence on God and That God wants to listen to us. God wants to hear our input even though, you know, we understand God knows the beginning from the end Maybe God just wants to hear us say it Maybe God does want to show us himself strong in our behalf But he's just waiting for us to say something. He's just waiting for us to say Lord. Would you do this? He'd love to do it But notice this and I told you to pay attention it comes it comes at a price Oh, I want that kind of influence with God. I want to be able to sway God's might I want God to act on my behalf. I got one God to listen to what I have to say and And I want to have influence with him not saying where we can, you know, coerce God or something like that But I'm just saying that way we can Give our input to God and have him move on our behalf But note that doesn't come cheap that doesn't just you don't just get that it comes at a price and if you look there at verse 18 Is that I fell down before the Lord as at the first 40 days and 40 nights and I did not I didn't either eat bread nor drink water Because of all your sins, which he had sinned. That's the second time he did that That's 80 days without food and water He come 40 days. He's coming out of the mountains got the tablet. Finally. I'm gonna give this law And I'm gonna get some bread. I'm gonna get some water. I'm gonna eat something He's all and then they're doing this wickedness and smash them. It's back up the mount another 40 days But but look at the impact I had look at the influence that he had But that kind of influence doesn't just come cheap. God doesn't just give that willy-nilly Give God a reason to listen to you, you know God's gonna listen to the guy that's faithful that's willing to sacrifice that's willing to stay in his presence and Put up with some things and you know what you say? Well, I don't know. That's that's kind of heavy I don't know if I really want to go through all that. Well, here's the thing it benefits others you know a lot of people benefited from Moses his willingness to sacrifice and And to be put himself out there an uncomfortable situation You know and it kind of reminds me again. It always comes back to this so winning You know other people benefit when we put ourselves out there on a blustery Windy Wet dark night in the middle of November You know knocking on a door in the rain and you sometimes wonder if the people are gonna open the door and say Hey dummy, even a chickens got enough sense to get out of the rain, you know But there we are and it's uncomfortable, you know, or just even you know, whatever the weather Going and knocking on a door and being nervous and feeling out of place and feeling awkward You know and putting yourself in an uncomfortable situation, I don't know if I want to do that Yeah, but you might just have influence with God and you just might benefit somebody You know for eternity So if we want that kind of influence with God Then we have to be willing to kind of pay that price and we could be You know a type of Moses to other people it's good