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Fear Not – Trust God

The Command to Leave Horeb
The Appointment of Leaders
Spies Sent Out

Deuteronomy 1: 1-25

Rebellion against the Lord

Deuteronomy 1:26-46

“Do not be terrified; do not be afraid of them. 
The Lord your God, who is going before you, 
will fight for you, as he did for you in Egypt, before your very eyes, and in the wilderness. There you saw how the Lord your God carried you, 
as a father carries his son, all the way 
you went until you reached this place.”

Deuteronomy 1:29-31 (NIV)

“As for your children that you said would be taken as plunder, 
I will bring them in to enjoy the land you have rejected. But as for you, your bodies will fall in this wilderness. Your children will be shepherds here for forty years, suffering for your unfaithfulness, until the last of your bodies lies in the wilderness. For forty years — one year for each of the forty days you explored the land — 
you will suffer for your sins and know what it is like to have me against you. I, the Lord, have spoken, and I will surely do these things to this whole wicked community, which has banded together against me. They will meet their end in this wilderness; here they will die.”

Numbers 14:31-35 (NIV)

“Now give me this hill country that the Lord promised me that day. You yourself heard then that the Anakites were there and their cities
were large and fortified, but, the Lord helping me,
I will drive them out just as he said.”

Joshua 14:12 (NIV)

 

Character, Not Comfort

Joseph – Genesis 25-50

Then a new king, to whom Joseph meant nothing, came to power in Egypt. “Look,” he said to his people, “the Israelites have become far too numerous for us. Come, we must deal shrewdly with them or they will become even more numerous and, if war breaks out, will join our enemies, fight against us and leave the country.”

Exodus 1:8-10 NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION (NIV)

The Israelites are Oppressed – Exodus 1

Then Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, gave this order to the Hebrew midwives, Shiphrah and Puah:  “When you help the Hebrew women as they give birth, watch as they deliver. If the baby is a boy, kill him; if it is a girl, let her live.” But because the midwives feared God,
they refused to obey the king’s orders.
They allowed the boys to live, too.

Exodus 1:15-17 (NIV)

Moses – chosen by God to liberate the Hebrew people

Exodus: ex·o·dus

noun
a mass departure of people, especially emigrants.
synonyms: mass departure, withdrawal, evacuation, leaving; 
More: migration, emigration; flight, escape, fleeing “a mass exodus of refugees from the stricken city”
the departure of the Israelites from Egypt.

When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them on the road through the Philistine country, though that was shorter. For God said, “If they face war, they might change their minds and return to Egypt.” So God led the people around by the desert road toward the Red Sea. The Israelites went up out of Egypt ready for battle.

Exodus 13:17-18 (NIV)

Have you ever wondered why?…

An Interview with Rick Warren:

“People ask me, ‘What is the purpose of life?’”
“And I respond: In a nutshell, life is preparation for eternity. 
We were not made to last forever, and God wants us to be with Him in Heaven. One day my heart is going to stop, and that will be the end of my body — but not the end of me. I may live 60 to 100 years on earth, but I am going to spend trillions of years in eternity. This is the warm-up act — the dress rehearsal. God wants us to practice on earth what we will do forever in eternity. We were made by God and for God, and until you figure that out, if isn’t going to make sense.”

“Life is a series of problems: Either you are in one now, you’re just coming out of one, or you’re getting ready to go into another one. The reason for this is that God is more interested in your character than your comfort; God is more interested in making your life holy than He is in making your life happy. 
We can be reasonably happy here on earth, but that’s not the goal of life. The goal is to grow in character, in Christ likeness.

This past year has been the greatest year of my life but also the toughest, with my wife, Kay, getting cancer….You can focus on your purposes, or you can focus on your problems. 
If you focus on your problems, you’re going into self-centeredness, “which is my problem, my issues, my pain.” 
But one of the easiest ways to get rid of pain is to get your focus off yourself and onto God and others.”

God is more interested in your character than your comfort.  – God is more interested in making your life holy than making your life happy.

The Israelites flee from the Egyptians : The Israelites cross the Red Sea – Exodus 14

Moses answered the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The Lord will fight for you;
you need only to be still.

Exodus 14:14 (NIV)

And when the Israelites saw the mighty hand of the Lord displayed against the Egyptians,
the people feared the Lord and put their trust in him
and in Moses his servant.

Exodus 14:31 (NIV)

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you,
plans to give you hope and a future.”

Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)

 

God Is With Me

JOSEPH

When his brothers saw that their father loved him more than any of them, they hated him and could not speak a kind word to him.

Genesis 37:4 New International Version (NIV)

Joseph’s Dreams – Genesis 37:1-11

Joseph Sold by his Brothers – Genesis 37:12-36

The Lord was with Joseph so that he prospered,
and he lived in the house of his Egyptian master.
When his master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord gave him success in everything he did,
Joseph found favor in his eyes and became his attendant.

Genesis 39:2-4 (NIV)

Joseph and Potiphar’s Wife – Genesis 39

But the Lord was with Joseph and showed him steadfast love; he gave him favor in the sight of the chief jailer.
The chief jailer committed to Joseph’s care all the prisoners who were in the prison, and whatever was done there, he was the one who did it. The chief jailer paid no heed to anything that was in Joseph’s care, because the Lord was with him; and whatever he did, the Lord made it prosper.

Genesis 39:21-23 New Revised Standard Version

Pharoah’s Dreams – Genesis 41

Then Joseph said to his brothers, 
“Come closer to me.” And they came closer. 
He said, “I am your brother, Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt. And now do not be distressed, or angry with yourselves, because you sold me here; 
for God sent me before you to preserve life. For the famine has been in the land these two years; and there are five more years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvest. God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant on earth, and to keep alive for you many survivors. So it was not you who sent me here, but God; he has made me a father to Pharoah, and lord of all his house and ruler over all the land of Egypt.

Genesis 45:4-8 (NRSV)

But Joseph said to them, “Do not be afraid! 
Am I in the place of God? Even though you intended to do harm to me, God intended it for good, 
in order to preserve a numerous people, 
as he is doing today. So have no fear; 
I myself will provide for you and your little ones.” 
In this way he reassured them,
speaking kindly to them.

Genesis 50:19-21 (NRSV)

 

Looking Through the Light

No one lights a lamp and puts it in a place where it will be hidden, or under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, so that those who come in may see the light. Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eyes are healthy, 
your whole body also is full of light. But when they are unhealthy, your body also is full of darkness. See to it, then, that the light within you is not darkness. Therefore, 
if your whole body is full of light, and no part of it dark, 
it will be just as full of light as when a lamp 
shines its light on you.

Luke 11:33-36 NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION (NIV)

Our eyes are the lamps of our bodies. 
What we see lets us know how we are viewing the world, our circumstances, 
and other people.

The “light-filtered” lens is a view of life that filters our thinking through the light of Christ. 
A “dark-filtered” lens is one that is 
devoid of Christ, a lens that has a worldly 
or materialistic view.

Do we see how we could view situations and people from a perspective that is devoid of Christ and not realize we are looking through 
a dark-colored lens?

See to it, then, that the light within you is not darkness.

Luke 11:35 (NIV)

Get your vision checked regularly

Am I viewing this situation, circumstance, 
or person through the light of Christ 
or through a dark lens, devoid of Christ?

Get Get some lens cleaner

Read the Bible
Have gratitude
Enjoy praise and worship

When Jesus had finished speaking [these words] a Pharisee invited him to eat with him; so he went in and reclined at the table. But the Pharisee was surprised when he noticed that Jesus did not 
first wash before the meal.

Luke 11:37-38 (NIV)

Then the Lord said to him, “Now then, 
you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness. 
You foolish people! Did not the one who made the outside make the inside also? But now as for what is inside you—be generous to the poor, 
and everything will be clean for you.

Luke 11:39-41 (NIV)

 

First Things First

Genesis- the origin or mode of formation of something

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. – Genesis 1:1

Without God, nothing comes into being!

First this: God created the Heavens 
and Earth — all you see, all you don’t see. Earth was a soup of nothingness, 
a bottomless emptiness, an inky blackness. God’s Spirit brooded like a bird 
above the watery abyss.

Genesis 1:1-2 The Message

God spoke: “Light!” And light appeared. God saw that light was good and separated light from dark. God named the light Day, he named the dark Night. It was evening, it was morning — Day One.

Genesis 1:3-5 (Msg)

Genesis 1:6-25 – God continues to create!

“Let us make human beings in our image, make them reflecting our nature so they can be responsible for the fish in the sea, the birds in the air, the cattle, 
and, yes, Earth itself, and every animal that moves on the face of Earth.” God created human beings; 
he created them godlike, reflecting God’s nature. 
He created them male and female. God blessed them: “Prosper! Reproduce! Fill Earth! Take charge! 
Be responsible for fish in the sea and birds in the air, 
for every living thing that moves on the face of Earth.”

Genesis 1:26-28 (Msg)

Genesis 1:29-31 — 2:1-3

Genesis 1 is a Theology lesson.

It gives us insight into the nature of God 
and God’s creation.

This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created, when the Lord God made the earth and the heavens. Now no shrub had yet appeared on the earth and no plant had yet sprung up, for the Lord God had not sent rain on the earth and there was no one to work the ground, but streams came up from the earth and watered the whole surface of the ground. Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.

Genesis 2:4-7 New International Version (NIV)

Genesis 2:8-25

Genesis 2 is a Theology lesson.

It gives us insight into the nature of God 
and God’s creation.
It gives us insight into God’s personal relationship 
with creation, especially us.

adam (Hebrew) – man

adamah (Hebrew) – earth

Different Aspects of God

Genesis 1 – Cosmic God

Genesis 2 – Personal God

Genesis 3 – God who loves despite disobedience

Do you know this God who desires 
a personal relationship with you?

The Whole World

In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) And everyone went to their own town to register. So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.
Luke 2:1-7 New International Version (NIV)

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”
Luke 2:8-14 (NIV)

So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.
Luke 2:16-19 (NIV)

After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”

BC – before Christ
AD – Anno Domini (in the year of our Lord)

Jesus is not just the great historical interrupter; he’s the great personal interrupter as well.

Whenever God sends a messenger with good news for us, it usually means a complete abandonment of the life into which we have settled.
M. Craig Barnes, When God Interrupts, p. 39

 

Joseph

Matthew 1:18-19
New International Version (NIV)

This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. 
Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind 
to divorce her quietly.

Matthew 1:19
New Living Translation (NLT)

Joseph, to whom she was engaged,
was a righteous man and did not want
to disgrace her publicly, so he decided
to break the engagement quietly.

Matthew 1:20-23 (NIV)

But after he had considered this 
[quietly divorcing Mary], an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David,
do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people
from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel”
(which means “God with us”).

Yeshua = Jesus = God saves

Matthew 1:24-25 (NIV)

When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife.
But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son.
And he gave him the name Jesus.

What happens when 
God interrupts your life?

When God interrupts your life, whose plan will you follow?

The Wesley Covenant Prayer

I am no longer my own but yours.
Put me to what you will,
rank me with whom you will;
put me to doing, put me to suffering;
let me be employed for you,
or laid aside for you, exalted for you,
or brought low for you;
let me be full, let me be empty,
let me have all things, let me have nothing:
I freely and wholeheartedly yield all things
to your pleasure and disposal.
And now, glorious and blessed God, Father,
Son and Holy Spirit, you are mine
and I am yours. So be it.
And the covenant now made on earth,
let it be ratified in heaven. 

Joseph

Matthew 1:18-19
New International Version (NIV)

This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.

Matthew 1:19
New Living Translation (NLT)

Joseph, to whom she was engaged,
was a righteous man and did not want
to disgrace her publicly, so he decided
to break the engagement quietly.

Matthew 1:20-23 (NIV)

But after he had considered this [quietly divorcing Mary], an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David,
do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people
from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel”
(which means “God with us”).

Yeshua = Jesus = God saves

Matthew 1:24-25 (NIV)

When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife.
But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son.
And he gave him the name Jesus.

What happens when God interrupts your life?

When God interrupts your life, whose plan will you follow?

The Wesley Covenant Prayer

I am no longer my own but yours.
Put me to what you will,
rank me with whom you will;
put me to doing, put me to suffering;
let me be employed for you,
or laid aside for you, exalted for you,
or brought low for you;
let me be full, let me be empty,
let me have all things, let me have nothing:
I freely and wholeheartedly yield all things
to your pleasure and disposal.
And now, glorious and blessed God, Father,
Son and Holy Spirit, you are mine
and I am yours. So be it.
And the covenant now made on earth,
let it be ratified in heaven. 

Mary and Elizabeth

In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary.
Luke 1:26-27 New International Version (NIV)

The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.” Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father, David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”
Luke 1:28-33 (NIV)

“Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.”
Luke 22:42 (NIV)

“How can this be,” Mary asked the angel, “Since I am a virgin?” The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. For no word from God will ever fail.”
Luke 1:34-37 (NIV)

NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE WITH GOD.

For no word from God will ever fail.
Luke 1:37

Where is it in your life that God brought about a possibility that at first seemed unbelievable?

“I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her.
Luke 1:38 (NIV)

In a loud voice she [Elizabeth] exclaimed: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!”
Luke 1:42-45 (NIV)

My soul, my soul magnifies the Lord
My soul magnifies the Lord
He has done great things for me
Great things for me

My Soul Magnifies the Lord, Tomlin & Carson

M. Craig Barnes. An Extravagant Mercy (p. 63)

They made an interesting pair. Elizabeth was “getting on in years” when she became pregnant with a boy who would become John the Baptist, her first pregnancy after many years of trying to have a child with her husband. By contrast, her young cousin Mary assumed she would need to have a husband before she started having babies. So it was too late for Elizabeth to have a child and too early for Mary. Unless, of course, you are God, in which case these pregnancies make perfect sense. [When Mary learned of Elizabeth’s pregnancy and went to her home] they formed the first community of Christ because they were two people gathered in his name (three, if you count John, who leaped up in Elizabeth’s womb because he was so excited about the coming Savior). Years later, Jesus would say that whenever two or three were gathered in his name, he would always be in their midst. To this day, whenever the community of Christ gathers, it is a community of interrupted lives. Some of us, like Elizabeth, have discovered life isn’t what we had settled for. Others, like Mary, have discovered life isn’t what we had hoped for. All of us have discovered that when a Savior is in our midst, life isn’t limited by our despair or our hopes.

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