The Most Important Thing I Could Tell You

 Deuteronomy 30:19-20 

PSBC 10/27/02

In a nutshell: The most important thing I can tell this church on my last Sunday of preaching at this church is this: God is chasing you. Let Him catch you.

I. Introduction

A. What do you do?

It's hard to believe that this will be my last Sunday, standing before you as your pastor and bringing the Word of God to you. It has been a great privilege to be able to open up the Bible with you each week and share with you what God has been teaching me.

But now we come to the last message. What do I tell you? What parting words do I give to a congregation that I have grown to love and appreciate more than words can express? As I thought about it this week, it really seemed like a "no-brainer". I simply have to share with you the very most important thing I could ever tell anyone. It's as simple as that.

Now, this message is so simple, yet so important that I want to give you the central theme right here at the beginning before I unpack it for you, and so you don't miss it, in case you fall asleep. So here it is. Are you ready? Here goes: God is chasing you. Let Him catch you.

B. God is chasing you

Pretty simple, huh? But it's really true. God is chasing you. And you must let Him catch you. That's the most important thing you could ever understand. I say that because the very quality of your life (both now and for eternity) depends on whether or not you fully grasp that concept.

Just think about it… …The God of the Universe… …the God who just spoke and His voice brought all things that exist into existence… …the one whom the Bible calls the King of Kings and Lord of Lords… …the one who parted the Red Sea… …raised people from the dead… …fed more than 5000 people until they were full with just a sack lunch… …IS PURSUING A LOVE RELATIONSHIP WITH YOU, AND YOU NEED TO LET HIM CATCH YOU!

II. God does the pursuing

A. How is this possible?

But you may be thinking, as I did, when I first understood this incredible truth….How is this possible? How can that happen? Friends, that's what I want to unpack for you this morning.

B. God does the chasing

The first thing you must understand in all of this is that God is the one who pursues. God is the one who chases. God is the one who initiates a love relationship with you and me. It's not our whim or our doing. It all starts with God giving chase…the second you were born. Let me show you what I mean. Look at this verse on the screen…

Revelation 3:20 20 Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.

Now, this picture of Jesus-God-standing at the door of a person's life, asking to come in, is recorded in the very last book of the Bible. But it is a truth that runs completely through the entire Bible-from beginning to end. Think about it…

-When Adam and Eve sinned in the garden of Eden and separated themselves from constant fellowship with God…it was God who put into motion the events that would eventually bring Jesus, God's only Son, into the world to give Himself as the atonement for the sins of the human race, in order to re-establish that relationship with people which was lost when sin came into the world.

-It was God who pursued Abraham to be the patriarch of the nation of Israel-a people whom God called, MY CHOSEN. The nation from whom His Son, Jesus, would come.

-It was God who pursued Moses through a burning bush, that burned but wasn't consumed, in the far reaches of the dessert, to be the leader of His chosen people's Exodus out of the land of Egypt and into the Promised Land.

-It was God, through Jesus, who pursued 12 of the most unlikely guys in the world, to take His good news of salvation to the entire world, and in the process, turn the world upside down.

-It was God who pursued a rogue Pharisee by the name of Saul on the Damascus Road and used him to become the greatest missionary the world has ever seen.

-And it was God, who from the beginning of history to this very day, who stands at the door of every man, woman, young person and child and says, "I want to come into your life and establish a love relationship with you. And I the Lord God, King of the Universe want you to love me back with all your heart and soul." (see Deut. 30:6)

In fact, God is not the "fox" in the game of fox and hounds. We don't have to chase God and try to catch Him in order to have a relationship with Him. God is the hound, who is pursuing us.

So, if this is the case, and God is chasing each one of us…what must we do to let Him catch us? Very simple…three things…

III. The Three Things that will enable God to "catch" us

For these three things I want you to turn in your Bibles to the Old Testament book of Deuteronomy-the fifth book in the Bible-and go to chapter 30, verses 19 and 20.

Deuteronomy 30:19-20 19 This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live 20 and that you may love the LORD your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the LORD is your life, and he will give you many years in the land he swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

The immediate context of this passage is that after 40 years of wandering in the desert, and poised at the entrance to the promised land, Moses gives his last advice to God's chosen people-the nation of Israel. His parting words-the most important thing he can think to say at the end of his life, concerns the way to respond to God's pursuit of a love relationship with His chosen people. The advice holds true for us as well. So, let's look at the three things Moses tells Israel and apply them to us, today.

A. Choose Life

The first thing is stated in verse 19. Choose life. Don't choose religion. Don't choose self -centeredness. Don't choose spirituality. Choose life-a relationship with God.

This relationship is a gift that is received. It is taken by us, as it's given by God. Most of you have already done this, put let me put it into perspective so all of us understand.

1. From the beginning of time, God has wanted to have an individual love relationship with every person who has ever lived. He wants it so badly that He is the one who pursues this relationship.

2. However, you, me, and every human who has ever lived, have rebelled against God. In the Bible's words, "we all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." And sin brakes the ability to have a relationship with God, because God is completely holy. And sin and holiness cannot exist in the same place. Just like light and dark cannot exist in the same place. So this causes a gulf between us and God.

3. Now, most people are aware of this gulf and try to do things to restore this relationship with God. They do things like trying to be religious, doing good deeds, giving to charities, being kind to small animals and children, and the list can go on and on. But none of that works-it all falls short-because the initiators (us) are still unholy at our core.

4. Furthermore, because God is perfectly holy, that means he is perfect in all His other attributes-one of those being justice. So, in His perfect justice, God must demand restitution, or atonement, or payment for our individual sin. That punishment is Hell-eternal separation from the God who wants a relationship with you.

5. But because God wants this love relationship us, He did something that we could not do. He built a bridge back to a relationship with Him. He provided a way.

6. Jesus, God who came down to earth and took on human form, provided the way by paying the price. He died in our place, on the cross. And He holds out that sacrifice to every person, and says, "Here is the debt, paid in full, by My death on the cross."

7. Now comes the practical application of Moses' words in Deuteronomy 30:19. Moses said, "Choose life", and God says that you choose life by receiving or taking the of His sacrifice from Him by asking Jesus to be the forgiver of your sins and the leader of your life. And when you make that decision to take the gift, the cross of Jesus becomes the bridge connecting you with God.

That starts the relationship. But like with any relationship we have, if this relationship is going to get stronger and get better, we need to work at it. And Moses tells is how to do this, in the next verse.

B. Listen to His Voice

Moses says in the beginning of verse 20, "Listen to God's Voice". What does that mean. Well the Hebrew word that's used hear, literally means, "To Publish".

Illustration: When I worked for Gospel Light Publications, almost 20 years ago, I was the Managing Editor of the Curriculum Division. My job was to make sure that the style, form, and content of each age level editor's work met the standards and guidelines that were needed to fit into a specific amount of space and would educate students in what God's Word said.

My boss was the Senior Editor. He made sure that the material I approved stayed within the financial guidelines that our division had to work with, he made sure that it was theologically accurate, and he made sure that our work was coordinated with the art department, printing department and warehousing.

But the Senior Editor reported to the Publisher. It was the Publisher who made sure that all the material that came off the printing press and the final product that went out to the public was consistent with the purpose and mission that had been established by the founder of Gospel Light, Dr. Henrietta Mears. The Publisher was ultimately responsible for maintaining the reputation of the company through the products it produced.

Now friends, when you and I cross the bridge and respond to God chasing us, by letting Him catch us, we must become God's publishers. Quite simply, we must uphold the reputation of our God by obeying what He commands in His Word. This is so beautifully summed up in one of my favorite poems, by the poet, Frances Hess. I've included it on the front of your copies of "This Week…"

The Master's will, for this I pray, Whatever it may be! I do not want to miss Your best; Reveal it, Lord, to me. My own desires may lead me wrong, I must consult my God; His counsel will be justified, when all the way I've trod. O soul of mine, delight in Him! His Word discern, obey! The plan you seek to know will then unfold from day to day. We do not live our lives alone: If I am in God's will. The lives of others will be helped, His purpose to fulfill! My all, O Lord, I give to You, my body, mind and soul; May all the days that lie ahead, be under Your control.

When we obey God's commands, we become fit to be involved in God's Kingdom work. You see, God isn't just pursuing a love relationship with you and me, but also with every person you make eye contact with on a daily basis. Publishing-or listening to God's voice-affects the people around us whom God is also pursuing.

And when we live our lives in ways that show our love for God and our trust in God, and our obedience to God, we start to influence the people around us and we are involved in the will of God. And Jesus simply stated God's will in these terms…

John 6:40 40 For my Father's will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day."

C. Hold Fast

Now, here comes the third thing Moses tells us will allow God to catch us. Not only is it choosing life; and not only is it Publishing Him…In the latter part of verse 20, he also says, "Hold fast to God." The literal Hebrew word here, is "Cleave". Which means…Stick together like glue. The closest English word I could think of that conveys this meaning is the word PLYWOOD.

Illustration: Sounds weird, but think about it. Have you ever tried to pry apart the layers of a piece of plywood? Plywood is made by applying glue and tremendous pressure to a series of thin layers of board…to bind them together to a desired thickness.

And if you try to pry these boards apart, most often you will tear one or more of the layers of board, before you would break the glue joint. That's because when the individual layers of board are properly glued together, that glue joint becomes stronger than the board itself. When plywood is properly glued, the layers "cleave" to one another.

That's what it means to "hold fast". But how do we hold fast to God?

That becomes a matter of establishing priorities-but not your priorities-God's priorities. Here's what God says…

Exodus 20:3-6 3 "You shall have no other gods before me. 4 "You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. 5 You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, 6 but showing love to a thousand [ generations] of those who love me and keep my commandments.

And here's what Jesus says…

Matthew 6:24 24 "No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.

Do you get the idea that God doesn't share very well? In fact He doesn't want to share His place of leadership in your life with anyone or any thing else. He wants us to be glued to Him and Him alone.

And here's the two parts of the glue that hold us tightly to God… 1. meditating on His Word and 2. talking to God about it in prayer.

But here's what I've found. Since meditating on God's Word and talking to God are so important to "being glued to God", it is the strategic area that the devil tries to keep us from doing the most.

For the majority of Christians, if we'd admit it, personal Bible Study and prayer very often are things that become a chore or something we feel we have to do and feel guilty when we don't do it. Do you think it's an accident that most Christians struggle with taking time alone to be with God? Duh! If it's the primary way we get glued to God, then it's the last thing our enemy wants us to be doing.

That's why the devil will make Bible study and prayer seem like a chore, rather than a joy. He'll keep you so busy doing "stuff" that you won't have time to get alone with God. He'll make everything else seem more important at the time, then spending personal time with God. Keep in mind why this is so important-the combination of Bible study and prayer is the glue that binds you to a relationship with God. Listen to what Henry Blackaby writes in Experiencing God (p. 59)

In the same way (as dating), you will learn much about God, His Word, His purposes, and His ways as you spend time with Him. You will come to know Him during the day as you experience Him working in and through your life. Learning about Him is not, however, why you should want to have a quiet time with Him. The more you know Him and experience His love, the more you will love Him. Then you will want that time alone with Him, because you do love Him and enjoy His fellowship.

IV. Conclusion

A. Paul's experience

One of the complaints I hear from the people of younger generations is that the Christian faith is "boring". Church is "boring". Studying the Bible is "boring". Praying is "boring". That doesn't surprise me because this is the generation that has come from people who have grown up watching "Sesame Street", experienced fast moving music videos on MTV and VH-1, and take part in the adrenaline-rushed-activities of the X games. And a personal faith or a faith experience that doesn't include some sort of "rush" is considered "boring", just like so many other things in their lives.

But if you think the idea of God pursuing a love relationship with you is boring, just listen, as I close, with these words from the apostle Paul-someone who was chased by God, and who finally let God catch him. Listen to how Paul describes the love relationship he had with his God despite a lot of trials, hardship and discouragement…

Even though we can list what many might think are impressive credentials. You know my pedigree: a legitimate birth, circumcised on the eighth day; an Israelite from the elite tribe of Benjamin; a strict and devout adherent to God's law; a fiery defender of the purity of my religion, even to the point of persecuting Christians; a meticulous observer of everything set down in God's law Book.

The very credentials these people are waving around as something special, I'm tearing up and throwing out with the trash-along with everything else I used to take credit for. And why? Because of Christ. Yes, all the things I once thought were so important are gone from my life. Compared to the high privilege of knowing Christ Jesus as my Master, firsthand, everything I once thought I had going for me is insignificant-dog dung. I've dumped it all in the trash so that I could embrace Christ and be embraced by him. I didn't want some petty, inferior brand of righteousness that comes from keeping a list of rules when I could get the robust kind that comes from trusting Christ-God's righteousness.

I'm not saying that I have this all together, that I have it made. But I am well on my way, reaching out for Christ, who has so wondrously reached out for me. Friends, don't get me wrong: By no means do I count myself an expert in all of this, but I've got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward-to Jesus. I'm off and running, and I'm not turning back! (Philippians 3:4-14, The Message)

B. Don't settle for anything less

Have you settled for second best in your life? Or are you experiencing an exciting, fulfilling, purpose-driven, abundant and adventure-filled life?

The most important thing I could ever tell you is that this kind of life that the apostle Paul just described is a result of being chased by God and letting Him catch you. This kind of life starts with… …receiving the gift of a relationship with God; …then obeying Him as your leader; and …sticking close to Him on a regular and daily basis.

This results in the life Jesus spoke about it when He said…

John 10:10 10 …I have come that they may have life, and have it more abundantly.

The last challenge I leave to you, my friends is this…don't settle for anything less!

Amen.