Sermon Notes PDF Even if you have been banished to the most distant land under the heavens, from there the LORD your God will gather you and bring you back. (Deut. 30:4) God’s Mercies Never Cease “The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness” (Lam. 3:22-23 ESV). The journey from baptism to sanctification can be very long. We stumble, fall, doubt, struggle, and sin. None of us has fully lived up to the commitment we expressed in our baptism. But God is full of grace, and He longs for His children. When we fall, He wants us to get back up. In His rich mercy, . Choose Life! (30:1-20) Deut. 30:1-3. Come on you. It’s amazing that God makes provision for our failure; He is not surprised by our sins, and He has already made a path back to Him. Compassion. God is a compassionate Father who wants what is best for His children, including you. When you fail, He will take you back if you are willing to . 30:4-5. Bring you back. God’s promises are eternal, and He remains faithful to us even when we are faithless to Him. God did, indeed, bring back the Israelites after their exile. 30:6. Circumcise your hearts. God not only promises to restore Israel’s fortunes when it repents; He also promises to give them a heart for loving Him. Paul teaches us that we Christians are the heirs of this promise, as God circumcises our heart through the Holy Spirit (Rom. 2:29). 30:7-10. Prosperous. God will turn our curses into blessings when we repent. Written. The book of Deuteronomy presents itself as the written Word of God, and Jesus took it as such. We are right to study Deuteronomy, since it is God’s sacred Word. 30:11-14. Too difficult. The terms of God’s covenant are not too hard for us, but they require love in order to be fulfilled. With love, it is a delight to serve God. Without love, it is only a burden. 30:15-18. Life and prosperity, death and destruction. The covenant is now set forth before Israel. To obey the covenant brings life. To disobey, brings death. The choice is always before us. 30:19-20. Heavens and earth. Covenants require witnesses, but who can witness a covenant between God and His people? The heavens and the earth! Now choose life. Our theme verse for the study of Deuteronomy, this sentence offers boundless hope for the people of God. Choose life! An Invitation to Do-over When you realize you have fallen, confess your sin to God and to (1 John 1:9; James 5:16). In confession, we learn to be honest about our sin, and only the truth can set us free (John 8:32). Be honest about your weakness, and depend on God for the strength to get back up (Prov. 3:5-8; 2 Cor. 12:9). With God, (Matt. 19:26). Offer to make amends to those you’ve harmed. In making amends, we restore and give others the grace we ourselves need (Matt. 5:23-24). Surround yourself with people who will help you stand firm. We become like the people with whom we associate (Prov. 13:20; 1 Cor. 15:33). Turn your failure into a . We can redeem every problem in life, using it for the glory of God (Prov. 24:16; 1 Tim. 1:12-16) Cast your cares on Him, and live in joy. Even in our failures, God is at work! (1 Pet. 5:7; Rom. 8:28) Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death. See what this godly sorrow has produced in you: what earnestness, what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what concern, what readiness to see justice done. At every point you have proved yourselves to be innocent in this matter. (2 Cor. 7:10-11) Modern Israel as a Sign of God’s Faithfulness The survival of the Jewish people through the millennia is a miracle of God. Think of how many Canaanites no longer exist as distinct people groups: Amorites, Hivites, Hittites, Jebusites, Horites, etc. But does this mean that the land between the Mediterranean and the Jordan should always belong to the Jews? Is the modern state of Israel the fulfillment of OT prophecies? The question is hotly debated. Many Christians argue that the land should always belong to the Jews, since the OT promises that the land would be theirs “forever” (Gen. 13:15; Exod. 32:13; Josh. 14:9; etc.). As evidence, they point out that Jews have returned, and live in the land to this day. These Christians typically think of Israel more in a physical sense (cf., Rom. 11:28-29). Many other Christians believe that the land promises of the Bible should now be understood spiritually: they are fulfilled as the “New Jerusalem” described in Rev. 20:1ff., hinted at in the resurrection text of Ezek. 37:1-28, and promised to believers in Jesus. They point out that some of the land promises of the OT were conditional (Deut. 30:10; 1 Chron. 28:8), and they note that the vast majority of modern Jews do not put faith in Jesus. These Christians typically think of Israel in a spiritual sense: those who put faith in Jesus are the “Israel of God” (cf., Gal. 6:16). Perhaps the solution to the question lies in understanding that God still gives the land to physical Jews as a prophetic sign of His faithfulness, rather than as the final fulfillment of the land promises. We can marvel that the Jews are still in Israel after nearly 4,000 years, while affirming that the richest land promises are spiritual in nature, to be consummated when Jesus returns. Such a position reminds us that only believers in Jesus will make up the final people of God, and prevents us from feeling the need to support all the policies of the Israeli government. Further, it allows us to support non-Jews living in the land. And finally, it reminds us to look forward to the final work of Christ, yet to be revealed at our resurrected life in the New Jerusalem. Your notes: