February 4, 2002
LifeWay Explore the Bible Series for Feb. 17
Obedient living reaffirms Christ's lordship daily
___Deuteronomy 29:10-13; 30:11-14, 19-20
___By Pete Freeman
___First Baptist Church, The Woodlands
___In "The Pleasures of God," author John Piper includes in the appendix a discussion of the debate over "lordship salvation." It's worth reading! In his opinion, "From the time of our first saving experience of Christ, he is our King and Lord and Savior and Priest and Prophet and Counselor. All that he is, he is for those who are his. The lordship of Christ is something that is not discovered and yielded to once, but thousands of times. It is yieldedness to his lordship that is at stake every time we are tempted to sin--every day."
___Reaffirming a covenant relationship with God is a common theme throughout the Old Testament. After delivering his second sermon, Moses now returns to the matter of getting a new affirmation on the part of the Israelites toward a covenant relationship with God. The first verse identifies the covenant as a compilation of the covenants at Moab and Horeb. It wasn't a new covenant, but one in need of a new commitment.
___I remember experiencing a spiritual crisis as a student at East Texas Baptist University during my junior year. At first, I interpreted it as a "real salvation experience." It caused me to doubt the authenticity of my earlier encounter with Jesus at the age of 16. I even asked to be re-baptized to "make sure." My pastor asked me: "When you invited Jesus into your heart at age 16, did you mean it? Did he begin to make a difference in your life at that point?" I had to answer both of these questions affirmatively.
___Then it dawned on me that my spiritual crisis was not about having a relationship with Christ but about renewing that relationship. I had wandered from reliance on his leadership in my life to that of self-sufficiency. It was then that I renewed my commitment to Christ. Since then, I have continued to have the need of renewal on a number of occasions.
___Israel was about to enter a new and exciting era as the people of God. Moses knew each generation must renew its covenant with God. Remember, this was a call to renewal of commitment, not a first-time commitment for the nation. Of course, "not everyone present was living when the covenant was initiated at Horeb" (Exodus 19:1-8; Deuteronomy 5). Therefore, some needed to make an initial commitment to the covenant with God. It is worth noting the listing of individual groups of people means the renewal was personal as well as corporate.
___The Disciple's Study Bible says, "God is not an individual's God until the individual identifies personally with God's people, accepting their heritage, acknowledging God's right to discipline and living on the basis of God's promises and teaching." Making an "oath" seals a covenant relationship and gives identity to the oath maker (29:13-14). There are occasions when a believer needs to reconfirm his or her covenant relationship with God through Jesus Christ.
___Fulfilling the obligations of a covenant relationship is not as difficult as it might seem. It is a matter of surrendering our will to the will of the Lord. The phrase, "not ... beyond your reach" is in reference to God's expectations for us. God is not unrealistic in his expectations.
___As a matter of fact, God is even willing to provide the power to achieve a fulfillment of our commitments. Moses' reference to our "mouth" and "heart" is similar to what we find in Romans 10:9-10. Making an initial commitment of one's life to the Lord and reaffirming that commitment share the same channel. It takes a willful and deliberate decision on the part of a person to follow Christ. This involves our mind, our heart and our actions. That's why the oldest creed of the church is "Jesus is Lord."
___I recently had the privilege of leading an adult man to faith in Jesus Christ. For years he had been hesitant about the church and Christianity in general. During our discussions, he alluded to the fact that his hesitation was the result of being afraid of not being able to live up to his commitment. I told him that after being a Christian for 43 years, still I live with that same fear. Time and maturity of faith have led me to understand that when I fall short of my commitments, all I need to do is to ask God to pick me up, clean me up and for me to start looking up again (1 John 1:9).
___In 30:19-20, Moses presents a clear choice for God's people. He contrasts the choice as "life or death" and "blessings or curses." His words are later echoed in the prophet Joshua when he said: "Then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve. ... But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord" (Joshua 24:15).
___I assume neither Moses or Joshua ever attended the school of political correctness. Like a preacher at the end of a sermon, he strongly urges God's people to choose life. Moses knew what many of us now know--God's commandments have been created for our good.
___Sometimes one of my kids makes the statement, "Dad, when I was at home, why didn't you tell me I was making some dumb choices?" I smile a little and say, "I did." I imagine God smiles a lot.
___Questions for discussion
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