March 29--What Marks the Life of a Believer

Has faith in Jesus changed you?  Has it made you better, wiser, kinder?  These passages say what a believer's life looks like, and the news might surprise you:  Deuteronomy 11-12, Luke 8:26-56, Psalm 70, Proverbs 12:4.

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Eve reads her Bible journal aloud on this episode.

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Transcript

Deuteronomy 11-12

Luke 8:26-56

Psalm 70, Prayer, Proverbs 12:4

SPEAKER_00 0:00

March twenty nine What marks the life of a believer? Our youngest moved back home to save money and relaunch at some date yet to be determined. Sometimes we have smooth sailing for days, and sometimes we rock a bit. When he first arrived I said something about job hunting that he didn't like, and he responded unkindly. He was lying on the sofa watching TV, and a few minutes later he said, Mama, I'm cold, get me a blanket, will ya? Repeat after me, I said lightly. Mamma, sometimes I can be a jerk and I need you to forgive me. He laughed and repeated my exact words, and when he did, I realized how my initial comment had sounded to him like he's not twenty five years old and capable of finding a job on his own and without his mamma's help. So I said, Stone, sometimes I can be a jerk, and I need you to forgive me. We both laughed as I tossed him a fleece. Messing up, being forgiven, and repairing our relationships, ASAP are what ought to happen in our lives as believers. Today's passages say more about what living as God's people looks like. The Old Testament chapters are Deuteronomy eleven to twelve. Moses addresses the older generation on the plains of Moab. These are those who have been alive for every part of their grand adventure from Egypt to their present day. They're poised just outside the promised land, preparing to go in. Their parents have all died since it was their generation that refused to take the promised land the first time. Everyone twenty one years old and older at that time was included in the judgment, but everyone twenty and under was given another chance to try again. These are those who'd seen all the miracles as children and teens, from the ten plagues in Egypt to the Red Sea crossing, to the building of the tabernacle, to the mouth of the ground opening and swallowing Korah, Dathan, and Abiram. Moses addresses them as the ones who are quote, in charge of keeping the entire commandment that I command you today, end quote. Which makes me wonder what is the entire commandment exactly? Three times in chapter eleven, Moses says the command is to quote, love God your God, end quote, but each time he phrases it a little differently, and each time there's a different reward attached to doing it. The first time it's to love God your God and quote, guard his rules and obey his commandments for the rest of time, end quote, so that they'll have the strength to invade and take the land, and so they'll have a long life too. The second time it's to love God your God and quote, serve him with everything you have within you, end quote, and he'll send spring and fall rain so they'll have a good harvest, grass for their animals, and plenty to eat. The third time it's to love God your God, and quote, do what he tells you, stick close to him, and he'll drive out all the nations that stand in their way, nations bigger and stronger than they are. So the deal God makes is this in exchange for their obedience, God promises He'll give Israel strength to do the task at hand, long life, bountiful provision, and protection from enemies. I don't know about you, but I can't think of any four things I'd rather have promised. The obedience God wants in exchange for all this is quite simple really, or is it? Moses warns them twice to be vigilant, to be on their guard against the gods of the nations they're taking over, and to be careful to obey every rule and regulation that Moses has spoken. To combat the idolatry they'll bump into, Moses commands they destroy every religious thing they come across, whether altar, pillar, shrine, or carving. To combat the forgetfulness they're prone to, he says they must get God's words deep in their hearts, quote, tie them on your hands and foreheads, end quote, teach them to their children, and talk about them every chance they get. It's your standard, obey a little and get a lot of payback, and then Moses talks about making sacrifices at the tabernacle. And I have to wonder why the tabernacle gets brought up here. Moses has been telling them to love God with everything they've got, to love him by obeying him, to love him by demolishing idolatry, and there are rewards, but there are also warnings because this is gonna be tough. It's a pretty straightforward let's step up and do what's right sermon, one everybody loves because it feels so possible, so doable, so achievable this time. I can almost see the sermon title in the bulletin, quote, just do it, promised land edition, end quote. I'd want to call it a day right here and be done. But Moses starts telling them about bringing their offerings only to the tabernacle and not to sacrifice them at any old place as they've been doing. And when I think about what happens at the tabernacle and why God says only at the tabernacle, I realize this is the perfect time to remind them of grace, because they're gonna need it when they just don't do obedience. For all their good intentions and leaf turning and resolving by bootstrapping as they stand there listening, the truth is they'll fail to obey God and they'll need his forgiveness. This is what the tabernacle was set up to show them how to be forgiven and how there's only one way to do it. Moses says they can eat meat anytime they please in their neighborhoods, but when it comes time to making an offering for sin, they must bring the animal to the tabernacle, not offer it where they live. And here's something I haven't read in the Bible yet this year. The meat offerings they give to God are given back to them to celebrate with one another afterwards. I've had a hunch that this is what was done, but here it's spelled out clearly. Three times in chapter twelve, God says to feast on the meat in God's presence and to celebrate with everybody after, family, servants, and Levites for everything God's blessed them with. It's a dinner on the grounds with family and friends, and they do it over and over and over again because celebrating their forgiveness and their fellowship is what God is really about. And I melt because I love this about him. God doesn't name Israel's sins every time they come to the tabernacle, he leaves that up to them. He doesn't make a list of our sins and check it twice either. God's plan for sin was that Jesus would come and pay for it. But even before Jesus did, sacrificial animals pointed to what Jesus would do because God wanted to move Israel and the rest of us quickly into the party he's throwing every time we repent and turn to him because feasting and celebrating are what God loves best. He invented it. This is the activity of heaven come to earth. How do I know he wants to move quickly into celebration? The story of the prodigal son shows me the Father is so overjoyed to lay eyes on his returning son that he hardly listens to his apology. He's too busy calling his servants to get a party started to feast and to celebrate him. At the wedding supper of the lamb at the end of time, the same thing is happening, feasting and celebrating at the marriage of Jesus to his bride, the church, which includes all those who trust him. Yes, God has rules and regulations, commands and commandments he wants us to keep. There are real rewards for loving God by obeying him, no question. But the really unbelievable news is this. God's known ever since he first thought us up that we will never keep all his laws, and rather than shake his head in eternal disappointment, he opens his arms in eternal forgiveness through Jesus for one look of I need help from us. And why? To have us near him for life after life after life. Can you imagine a love this free and easy, this wide open and adoring, this impossible to take in or let go of? The real life God has for us is to party while we ponder what He's done for us in Jesus. Celebrating your saving marks the life of a believer. The New Testament passage is Luke eight, twenty six to fifty six. A victim of demon possession meets Jesus and his disciples as soon as they step off the boat. No clothes, no home. He lives in the graveyard and howls when he sees Jesus. The mob of demons inside him beg to be sent into the pigs rather than ordered into the pit. So Jesus does and they drown themselves. The people watching are stupefied and run to tell the tale. Those who come back see the man seated and dressed and making sense. Later folks get together and ask Jesus to leave, quote, too much change too fast and they were scared, end quote. What Jesus offers doesn't suit everybody, and he doesn't stick around where he's not wanted, but when he turned this needy mad man into glad man, he gave a glory story to the whole community. Jesus was asked to leave, but the man formerly known as Nuts takes Jesus home inside him. I can only imagine the impact of this one life birthed right out of a graveyard. When Jesus changes you, you simply cannot stop talking about it. Experiencing Jesus and telling others about it mark the life of a believer. From Psalm seventy As he often is, David's in trouble. This time he doesn't elaborate except to ask God to hurry up. Four times in five verses David tells God to step on it. Knowing God doesn't mean we don't have troubles. David needs God's help with his enemies to send them down a blind alley and give them a taste of their own medicine. Troubles come, but so do his rescues, and when they do, David rejoices with God's people, quote, let those on the hunt for you sing and celebrate, end quote. Depending on God and celebrating his rescues mark the life of a believer. Prayer. God forgive my preoccupation with myself. Give me eyes to see you and what you're doing. Let your life mark me. In Jesus' name, so be it. From Proverbs 12 4. A good wife gives life to her husband, but a bad one rots him. The passages in Deuteronomy, Luke, Psalms, and Proverbs are selected for today in the yearly Bible. This is Eve de Bartalaban, Robuck.