The Ultimate New Year’s Resolution

The Ultimate New Year’s Resolution  

Deuteronomy 8:1-20

 

INTRO:

Good evening.

This morning was dark, drab and wet.   It reminded me of this story a preacher from Scotland told.   I wish I could use tell it with a brogue but I’ll have to let you imagine.

 

It was a cold, rainy Sunday evening in the North of Scotland. The preacher was standing at the front of the building and as he looked around the building there was only him and a scruffy looking guy right at the back of the church. When six o’ clock struck, the preacher walked over to the man and said: “Look, it’s cold; it’s wet; it’s only you and me. Do you think we should just cancel the service”?

 

The guy looks up at the preacher and says: “Son, I’ve farmed in this area for thirty years. Hail, rain or shine, I go out to feed my sheep. I don’t worry if one turns up or a hundred turn up. I do my job and feed the sheep”. This upsets the preacher. He storms down to the front, marches into the pulpit and preaches solid for an hour and a half.

 

When he finishes, he walks smugly up to the man at the back and says: “Well, what did you think of that then?” The shepherd looks up at the preacher and says, "Son, I’ve farmed in this area for thirty years. Hail, rain or shine, I go out to feed my sheep. I don’t worry if one turns up or a hundred turn up. I do my job and feed the sheep. But, son, if only one turns up, I don’t dump the whole load on it!”

 

A couple of days ago, most people we know were thinking about the birth of Jesus Christ, remembering the greatest Gift ever and remembering the greatest Giver ever.   Later this week we begin a New Year, which means that many people will make New Year’s Resolutions.   It also means that people will be reminiscing. We like to look back on “the year in review” and recall what happened.   The newspapers, tv, and internet are full of things like “What was Christmas like the year you were born?”  

 

Sometimes it is fun to look back, sometimes entertaining and sometimes saddening.   When we review what has happened before, we can uncover a range of emotions and hopefully learn some things as well. As we see things that are perhaps less positive we often take the opportunity to resolve to avoid issues that have happened, to change behavior that has produced less then desirable results, in short we resolve to do things differently.  

 

Today I would like us to look back at something that I hope will help us appreciate what will be happening between now and the middle of the week as we consider our resolve.  Certainly we need to always appreciate and be thankful for all things that God has given us.   God gives us material and spiritual blessings that we each enjoy to help us in this life and to prepare for the one to come.   He gave the gift of His Blessed Son who came into this world by human birth, and gave Himself as a sacrifice that we may have redemption from our sin.  

 

There are things in the Old Testament that are a type of what is seen in the New Testament and what God spoke to Israel has lessons for us.   What we will look at this evening is what the Lord told Israel in Deuteronomy 8, and if you have never read this before, you might think that it is talking about America!

 

1. Remember God’s Commandments – In Deuteronomy 1:1 we learn that these are the words Moses spoke to all Israel on the side of the Jordan in the wilderness. Deuteronomy 8:1 – “Every commandment which I command you today you must be careful to observe, that you may live and multiply, and go in and possess the land of which the Lord swore to your fathers.”  Israel was told they could not neglect any command. They could not pick and choose what they want to do and what they don’t want to do.
   1. God had a reason for these commands which is stated in this verse.    
      1. If they followed every commandment, as they stood at the border of Canaan, God promised that they would live and multiply.
      2. They could go into the Land of Canaan and possess it, just as the Lord had sworn to their fathers.
      3. God keeps His promises, but did they keep His commandments?
   2. Jesus gives us our commandments of the New Testament. Will we keep His commandments?
2. Remember God’s Leadership – Deuteronomy 8:2–4 – “2. "And you shall remember that the Lord your God led you all the way these forty years in the wilderness, to humble you and test you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not. 3. "So He humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know, that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord. 4. "Your garments did not wear out on you, nor did your foot swell these forty years.” Israel, remember how God brought you through everything.
   1. He sustained you during those years wandering in the wilderness. But He also humbled them and tested them, to know what was in their hearts, whether they would obey Him or not.
      1. He wanted them to see how they responded to the difficulties of life and thus knew whether they would follow Him in all circumstances.
      2. He humbled them by allowing them to hunger, giving them special food, and not allowing their clothes to wear out or their foot to swell.
      3. God showed He would take care of their physical needs. All He wants is for them to do what He asks.
      4. They would then learn that man does not live by bread alone, but by everything that God says. He knows that they need more than bread.   That’s why He gave them His word.
      5. Israel, did you learn that God has been taking care of you? You didn’t have to bake bread or make new clothes because God understood you were in a difficult situation.
   2. Jesus tells us in not to worry about material needs. Do we believe Him?

• Remember God’s Chastening – Deuteronomy 8:5 – “So you should know in your heart that as a man chastens his son, so the Lord your God chastens you”
  1. God tells Israel I know you’ve had some rough times here in the wilderness.  It’s not because I want to hurt you. It’s because I love you.
     1. “Look at how you treat your own children”.   They chastened their own sons, and the Lord did the same with them, not to destroy them or hurt them, but as part of the growth process.
     2. Israel, did you learn to be corrected, did you grow?
  2. Paul tells us in Hebrews 12 the Lord disciplines whom He loves and receives and in Second Timothy that “scripture is profitable for correction”.   Do we know how to be corrected?   Do we understand that reading scripture can sometimes be uncomfortable and if it is, are we willing to see our error in our Father’s eyes and make a change?

6. Remember God’s Blessings – Deuteronomy 8:6–10 – “6. "Therefore you shall keep the commandments of the Lord your God, to walk in His ways and to fear Him. 7. "For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and springs, that flow out of valleys and hills; 8. "a land of wheat and barley, of vines and fig trees and pomegranates, a land of olive oil and honey; 9. "a land in which you will eat bread without scarcity, in which you will lack nothing; a land whose stones are iron and out of whose hills you can dig copper. 10. "When you have eaten and are full, then you shall bless the Lord your God for the good land which He has given you.”
   1. I don’t know if the land of Israel today is in the same condition that it was 3500 years ago.   It sounds to me as if they would have whatever they needed.
   2. Knowing how the Lord had sustained them, and what He had taught them, they were then to keep His commandments, walking in His ways and fearing Him.
   3. Israel was about to go from a wilderness to a land that had an abundance of natural resources, so much so that they would not have to be in want again, because they would have everything they needed.
      1. God would fill them in that new land. Then verse 10 said that they needed to bless the Lord for what He had given them.
      2. God wants them to remember Him and bless Him.
      3. Israel, did you learn to thank the Lord for everything continually or did you think it was by your own hand you were blessed?  
   4. Paul tells us in First Thessalonians 5 – “in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” Do we do that?
7. Remember God – Deuteronomy 8:11–17 – “11. "Beware that you do not forget the Lord your God by not keeping His commandments, His judgments, and His statutes which I command you today, 12. "lest when you have eaten and are full, and have built beautiful houses and dwell in them; 13. "and when your herds and your flocks multiply, and your silver and your gold are multiplied, and all that you have is multiplied; 14. "when your heart is lifted up, and you forget the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage; 15. "who led you through that great and terrible wilderness, in which were fiery serpents and scorpions and thirsty land where there was no water; who brought water for you out of the rock of flint; 16. "who fed you in the wilderness with manna, which your fathers did not know, that He might humble you and that He might test you, to do you good in the end   17. "then you say in your heart, `My power and the might of my hand have gained me this wealth.'”
   1. It’s like Moses could see what’s coming.   You needed God when you were struggling, don’t you need Him just as much when things are good?
      1. This section begins with the stern warning not to forget God, and Moses even identified the way in which they could forget God, by not keeping His commandments, judgments, and statutes.
      2. Moses is not saying just remember Him in your mind, but remember Him with your actions. In other words, do what He says. Here the Scripture provides insight into the nature of man, that once we are doing well, we lift up our hearts and forget what God has done for us.
      3. Israel, did you remember God in times of plenty? Or did you turn to idols of stone and wood and give them credit for the plentiful harvest?
   2. Do we remember God in all our blessings?
8. Remember God’s Power – Deuteronomy 8:18 – “And you shall remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth, that He may establish His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day.”
   1. Remember that the Lord God is the One who gives the power to gain wealth.
      1. It does not come from the government.  It does not come from businesses.  It does not come from universities. It does not come from natural resources. God gives the skill necessary to do well.
      2. He saw that Israel was thinking that maybe I just did it all myself.
   2. Is that how we think?

• Remember God’s Warnings – Deuteronomy 8:19-20 – “19. "Then it shall be, if you by any means forget the Lord your God, and follow other gods, and serve them and worship them, I testify against you this day that you shall surely perish. 20. "As the nations which the Lord destroys before you, so you shall perish, because you would not be obedient to the voice of the Lord your God.”
  1. I wonder how much it hurt Moses to say that. His whole life had been about Israel.   He has lived for no other reason.   He has been the intercessor between God and Israel for the past 40 years.
  2. Now he has to say if you forget God after all He’s done for you, you shall surely perish.   The chapter ends with these warnings and they should remember them.
  3. Here then is another insight into human behavior.   If we forget God, we will turn to other things. We will attribute God-like power either to ourselves or to someone else or to something else.
     1. Moses tells Israel; you are about ready to go into that land and you know that the nations there are wicked nations. God is going to use you to remove them.
     2. If you follow the course that they have followed, God will do the same thing to you. He will bring in foreign nations to be your downfall.
  4. Guess what? It happened. That’s what Old Testament history was about and it’s what world history is about. God sent prophets to remind Israel to turn back to Him until finally God said that’s enough.   If Israel misplaced their faith, the Lord laid out clearly what He would do, they would perish just like the nations before them.
  5. Centuries later the great man Daniel, confessed to God in prayer, Daniel 9:13 – “As it is written in the Law of Moses, all this disaster has come upon us; yet we have not made our prayer before the Lord our God, that we might turn from our iniquities and understand Your truth.”
     1. God had been truthful.
     2. It happened just as God said it would.
     3. God kept His promises both for the blessings as well as the curses.
     4. Here is Daniel praying to God and you can almost hear him weeping as you read his words.
     5. He understands that God has been true to His word and they have not.

 

 

 

CONCLUSION:

 

What shall we do as an American Christian?

We read - Remember God’s Commandments – Deuteronomy 8:1

Millions of people have come to America.  God has blessed countless numbers of people, because they tried to obey Him.  Therefore, He gave us a good land.

 

We read - Remember God’s Leadership – Deuteronomy 8:2–4

America has also suffered much in her history, and she will in the future because that is part of a nation’s life. God allows those things to happen so we may see what we would do.  Have learned that man does not live by bread alone, but by everything that God says?

 

We read - Remember God’s Chastening – Deuteronomy 8:5

God loves the United States of America even as He loves all the nations and peoples of the earth.   Therefore, He let us experience severity that we might learn to lean upon Him.

 

We read - Remember God’s Blessings – Deuteronomy 8:6–10

I cannot read these verses without thinking of us. We have a land with an abundance of natural resources, so much so that we do not have to be in want again. How many of us have ever really been in want? Why is that?   It’s because those who have gone on before us have honored God. They have loved God. God has blessed us for that.   Then as verse 10 said let us bless the Lord for what He had given us. We need to continue to bless Him and be thankful.

 

We read - Remember God – Deuteronomy 8:11–17

We cannot forget God, for even as He has given us blessings, so also He can take them away. Yet it seems the further we have gone in our history, the more we have prospered; the more we have kicked God out of national and individual life. We don’t need you. He were good in the beginning. We needed that.   He was okay while we struggled, but now that we have all we need, we see no need for Him.

 

Many now seem to think we have a big government that will take care of us and insurance companies and everything else so we don’t need you God. At some point He is going to respond to that.   We believe that we can do without Him, that our national prosperity had nothing to do with Him, we did it ourselves.

 

We read - Remember God’s Power – Deuteronomy 8:18

Remember that the Lord God is the One who gives power to get wealth.

It does not come from our government.

It does not come from our businesses.

It does not come from our universities.

It does not come from our natural resources.

It does not come from the fact that we are Americans.

As our national motto says, “In God We Trust.”

 

We read - Remember God’s Warnings – Deuteronomy 8:19, 20

As I said, these verses provided an insight into human behavior.  If we forget God, we will turn to other things.  The faith that the average American used to put in God, now goes into government, insurance, business, the economy, etc.  

Verses 19 and 20 showed to us that if Israel forgot God, He would cause them to perish from the land.

 

If God did that to Israel, if God did that to the Canaanites, if God did that to the Egyptians, if God did that to the Babylonians, if God did that to the Persians, if God did that to the Greeks, if God did that to the Romans, and countless nations after them--do you think He will ignore us?

 

If He ignores us He would have to apologize to them.   I don’t think He’s going to apologize.   He’s still the same God.

 

We should also understand where we as individuals stand in our own part, if the nation serves God, but I fail to serve Him, I shall perish.   If the nation fails to serve God, but I serve Him, I shall live forever.   Remember God now, and He will remember you later.  Forget God now, and He will forget you later. “Depart from me I do now know you”

 

At the Judgment He shall cast away from Him, those who forgot Him, but He shall invite to be with Him, those who remembered Him. Remembering God brings blessings now and later.

 

Even as parents want their children to remember them, so the Lord wants us to remember Him. For this reason, He set up the Lord’s Supper during which we remember the sacrifice of His body and His blood.  He doesn’t want us to forget that, so that’s why we observe it every single week. Failing to take part in this memorial will result in the Lord forgetting us.

 

Why do we take the Lord’s Supper every week? The Bible tells us to remember God,

Ecclesiastes 12:1 – “Remember now your Creator in the days of your youth, before the difficult days come, and the years draw near when you say, "I have no pleasure in them'':”

Psalm 20:7-8 – “Some trust in chariots, and some in horses; But we will remember the name of the Lord our God. They have bowed down and fallen; But we have risen and stand upright.”

Isaiah 44:21 – “"Remember these, O Jacob, And Israel, for you are My servant; I have formed you, you are My servant; O Israel, you will not be forgotten by Me!”

 

God is saying if anyone is going to forget it’s not going to be Him.

 

Paul says in Second Timothy 2:8 – “Remember that Jesus Christ, of the seed of David, was raised from the dead according to my gospel,”

 

What do you think about all that the Lord has done for you?  What has He done for you as a Christian?   He’s forgiven you of your sins.   What does that mean? It means Hell is no longer your eternal destiny.

 

What has He done for you as an American?   To me being a Christian means you are the most blessed person on earth.   To be an American Christian is a double blessing.

 

Of all the people on this earth right now, the people who should remember God more than anyone are Christians and American Christians in particular.

Whatever your struggles in life have been, you have somehow made it to this day.

How have you made it through the incredible struggles you’ve had?   Someone has been working behind the scenes.   Someone has been working in your life to bring you where you are today that you might remember Him today.   God has poured out His blessings on each of us and if you are not living a Christian life then who is the one holding back.

 

Remember God. Remember Him now.   He remembers you in all things. Remember how He sent His Son that we might be redeemed?

 

How about if you start remembering Him now?  You have nothing to lose, and everything to gain.

 

He has poured out many blessings upon you, but if you are not living a faithful Christian life, He has withheld several.   Did you get around to remembering Jesus a few days ago?   Good, but make a resolution that starting now, starting the New Year, you will remember Him everyday for the rest of your life.

 

Let us help you make that resolution!

 

The sermon is yours.   The invitation is available, if you are subject to the gospel call in any way, come forward and make it known while we stand and sing the invitation song.