January 11, 2014 - Saturday

Start Time: 8:03 A.M.

End Time: 9:13 A.M.

Title: The Opportunity to Begin Again

Scripture: Deuteronomy 10:1 – 22

God’s Messages / God’s Promises / God’s Commands:

→ After Moses threw the tablet stones of the written law of the Lord, God told Him to carve out again for himself two stone tablets like the first ones and come up the mountain to Him and also to make for himself a wooden ark.  God will write on the tablets the same words that were on the first that Moses broke, and Moses must put them into the ark.  So Moses did as God instructed.  The Lord then wrote the Ten Commandments, which He had spoken to him at the mountain and gave them to Moses.  Then Moses turned, went down the mountains and placed the tablets into the ark he made.

NOTES:

Ø God is a God who gives 2^nd chances!  When Moses threw the stone tablets with His writings on it.  God made Moses create another tablet stones and an ark.  God was patient to do the same thing over again (writing His law) even though it was not His doing to destroy the 1^st stone tablet.  God is a God who gives us 2^nd chances and He is willing to do His work again for us!  This is how loving our God is.  His laws are unbroken and if He needs to do it over again He would to ensure that we receive His words that will guide us in attaining His promises.  What a great God!

→The Israelites traveled from beeroth bene-Yaaqan to Moserah and there Aaron died and his son Eleazar became priest in his place.  Then they traveled to Gudgodah to Jotbathah, a place of flowing streams.  The Lord set apart the tribe of Levi to carry the ark of the Lord’s covenant to stand before the Lord to serve Him and to formulate blessings in His name.  The Lord is the Levite’s inheritance.  As for moses, he stayed at the mountain for 40 days and night.  The Lord listened to him and decided not to destroy the Israelites.  Then God said to Moses to get up and set out leading the people so they may go and possess the land God promised to give their ancestors.

NOTES:

Ø God is our inheritance!  The Lord enables us to carry out the Lord’s covenant before Him, to serve Him and bless His Name. 

Ø God is a God who listens when we spend time with Him.  Moses spent 40 days and night with the Lord and it changed God’s mind.

Ø God is a God who allows us to persuade Him!  He is a God who wants intimacy with us! How exciting is that?  A God who wants us to persuade Him by spending time with Him.  Isn’t that a privilege?  God allows us to stand before us and even listens to what we have to say but more importantly, He not only listens but He allows us to convince Him to change His decision.  This happens when we are in an intimate relationship with the Lord.  Moses spent 4o days and nights to do this, which means it requires intimacy with our God.

→ Moses continued speaking and told the Israel that the Lord requirements from them is to revere Him, obey all His commandments, love Him, serve Him with all their mind and being and to keep the Lord’s commandments and statutes.  The highest heavens belong to the Lord as does the earth and everything in it.  But only to their ancestors did He show His loving favor and chose them from all people.  Therefore they are to clean their hearts and stop being stubborn!  For the Lord their God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great, mighty and awesome God who is unbiased and takes no bribe, who justly treats the orphan and widow, and who loves resident foreigners, giving them food and clothing.  So they must love the resident foreigner because they were foreigners in the land of Egypt themselves.  They are to revere the Lord their God, serve Him, be loyal to Him, and take oaths only in His Name.  He is the one they should praise; He is their God, the one who has done these great and awesome things for them that they have seen.  When their ancestors went down to Egypt, they numbered only seventy but now the Lord their God has made them as numerous as the stars of the sky as He has promised Abraham.

NOTES:

Ø God is a God who must be revered (respect, worship, awe, admiration, etc)!  He is Mighty, Great, True, Just, Loving, Gracious, unbiased, etc.  He deserves all Praise and Worship.  He treats fairly and justly to everyone.  He chose us despite of our impure hearts and stubbornness.  He expects this from His people and we, His children, must offer reverence to Him for deserves it!

Ø Worship means devotion, love, adoration, etc… all these God expects from His people and we are to offer these to Him as His children.

Application / Realization:

Ø God is a God of 2^nd chances!  He is willing to do the task again, no matter how many times it take, for us to receive His law, His words, His blessings, His promises!

Ø God is our inheritance – we don’t need anything else.  Just like the levites, we can live with God for He will ensure we receive everything we need.

Ø God wants intimacy from us!  He listens and allows us to convince Him our situation, our ideas, our point of view when we spend time with Him.  Do you want to take control of your life?  Do it by giving the control to Him for He gives You the opportunity to drive the car of your life when you build an intimate relationship with Him as long as the path you take is within the safety zone of His presence.

Ø God is a God of reverence.  He requires and expects it from us.  When we don’t, He gives us 2^nd chances and allows us to change His decisions but His Sovereignty requires worship and praise from all things both living and non-living.

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, great and mighty God!  Awesome, marvelous and loving Father; abounding in Grace and mercy; Savior and Lord!  I adore and praise You Lord for there is none like You – no other, like You God.  Today I am blessed and touched to know that You give me 2^nd chances and I wonder, how many 2^nd chances You’ve given me already.  I know it has been countless times already and that’s why my heart goes out to You for You are a God who is willing to do things over and over again, many times, just to ensure that I get what Your promises.  Who is like You Lord?  I say no one!  Thank You Lord for You are a God who wants to be intimate with me and You allow me to release my thoughts, feelings, ideas, emotions, decisions, suggestions, to You and listens to them intently.  You allow me to persuade and convince You of my thought even if You have Your plans already.  Thank You Lord because You ensure to hear out my opinions and though my words don’t matter, You take the time to listen to it.  Thank You Father.  Thank You Jesus.  Lord, Holy Spirit, cultivate a heart of reverence to You in me and allow me to give You the worship You deserve and expects from me.  I give You my whole adoration and worship.  In Jesus’ Name, Amen!