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Stephen Ministry

Today we come to the conclusion of our series Life in Exodus. There is, of course, so much more of the Exodus story to talk about. We’ve not even looked at anything from the book of Leviticus and very little from Numbers and Deuteronomy. The story of Balaam and his talking donkey is in Numbers. We haven’t looked at that. Might be hard to make relevant to your life a story about a talking donkey, but maybe not. Don Francisco has a song about Balaam and his talking donkey the tagline for which addresses anyone with a big ego who thinks he or she is God’s gift to Christianity. The song ends something like this: "So if you think you’re a gift to God and are getting a big head; just remember if He wanted to He could have used a donkey instead." Something like that. You get the point. So perhaps there is more relevancy to Balaam and his talking donkey than first meets the eye! Anyway, we have come to our conclusion on Life in Exodus even though there is more of the Exodus story to learn from…and, of course, our lives continue on in our own personal Exodus. There is much for us to learn from the Exodus story as we live our lives in our own personal Egypts (something that brings bondage to our lives) and as we journey through our own personal wilderness on the way to the Promised Land.

Today’s Scripture reading comes near the conclusion of the book of Deuteronomy. The Israelites have wandered in the wilderness for 40 years, the consequence of their grumbling and mistrust and failure to move into the Promised Land as Caleb and Joshua had encouraged them to do. They now stand poised to move into the Promised Land, only Moses won’t be going with them. He is a part of the generation that will not enter into the Promised Land because of their grumbling and mistrust. A new leader, Joshua, stands ready to take over and the story of Israel’s entrance into the Promised Land is told in the book that follows Deuteronomy and bears his name, the book of Joshua. The passage we are about to read is a part of Moses’ farewell address to the Israelites. He has spoken to them about blessings to come their way if they obey the Lord, and curses that will occur if they disobey. He has reminded them of the covenant promises from God and held a covenant renewal ceremony. Now he places before them a decision they must make. It is, in fact, the most important decision they, or anyone else for that matter (including us), must make. Listen to the word of God spoken through Moses in his farewell address found at Deuteronomy 30:11-20. (Read)

Life is filled with decisions. From what shall I wear today to decisions about college, whom we’re going to marry, names for children and jobs to take, every day is filled with decisions to be made—some more momentous than others. Life in Exodus is filled with decisions. In fact, some are suggesting we have too many decisions to make, too many choices from which to make a decision. Time magazine, for example, in its January 28, 2002 edition and an article entitled You’re On Your Own put it this way:

"Choice is good. We Americans consider it a measure of our freedom and a source of our innovation and prosperity. Riches flow to the person who builds a better mousetrap—or computer mouse. Yet a grocery shopper blankly staring at hundreds of varieties of toothpaste might reasonably conclude that there can be too much of a good thing." The article goes on to cite a simple study conducted by Mark Lepper and Sheena Iyengar, he a psychology professor at Stanford and she a professor of management at Columbia, in which they set up tasting booths at a grocery store. One booth offered six flavors of jam to sample while the other offered 24 flavors of jam. They discovered that while shoppers were more enticed to sample the wider selection of jams

—60 % who passed the booth with 24 types of jam stopped and sampled some while only 40% stopped at the booth with six types of jam—the wider selection was more confounding—only 3% who sampled the jam there bought anything while 30% purchased some jam at the booth with only six types of jam. The article goes on to say that our society is placing in our hands the responsibility for more and more choices—from jams to retirement portfolios, toothpaste to cellular phone providers—and the effect can be paralyzing: "…we are now responsible for so many decisions requiring so much homework that many of us feel helpless and paralyzed. The risks of inaction or unwise action are rising, even as many of the professionals on whom we would like to rely for guidance are proving untrustworthy and even corrupt." And this was written six years before the economic downturn, the housing and mortgage collapse and Bernie Madoff! It’s only gotten worse since January 28, 2002!

Life is filled with decisions. Paper or plastic? Regular, light, or extra light? Will you be paying by cash, check or credit card? How do you like your latte—after all, Starbucks can make your coffee some 19,000 different ways. Which flavor of toothpaste do you prefer? Gel or paste? Whitening agent or tartar control? Trying to figure out what kind of toothpaste I want has cost me too much of my lifetime that I’ll never get back! It can be paralyzing! Life in Exodus is filled with decisions, some quite mundane and some very profound and life-altering. Toothpaste, by the way, would be in the mundane category. But life in Exodus is filled with decisions.

There is one essential decision we must make, a decision around which all other decisions revolve. To not make a decision about this is to make a decision. It is THE most important decision we have to make. And it is the one Moses put before the Israelites. Are you going to follow the Lord or not? Do you choose obedience or disobedience? Will you choose life and prosperity, or will you choose death and destruction? It seems like an easy decision—even Moses says it is "not too difficult for you or beyond your reach." But Moses is saying it is possible for you to make this decision, not that it is easy. He knows the temptations the Israelites will face, temptations not unlike ours, to make other things our gods in life. Moses does not say it will be easy, but that it is possible, it is "within our reach" to make this decision. The world will dangle in front of us other pathways to prosperity—fudge a bit on your taxes, skim a little bit off the top of the profits, loosen up morally a bit to attract someone of the opposite sex, "possession is 9/10 of the law, so it really isn’t stealing that item someone left behind." Even more subtly, invest your money and time in yourself—none of this investing in the Kingdom of God stuff. The world will dangle other pathways to prosperity in front of us. Will we choose life…or death?

Let me be clear about the decision that is before us, THE most important decision we have to make in this life. There are really two decisions, but they go hand in hand. One decision is whether or not we will trust in Jesus Christ as our Savior. The second decision is whether or not we will trust Him as our Lord. Related, but different decisions. Two decisions we must make. One is permanent and established, Jesus as Savior. The other is ongoing every day, Jesus as Lord. Do we, first of all, trust in Jesus Christ as our Savior? Do we admit that we are in need of a Savior, that we cannot do enough on our own to merit God’s love and salvation? Do we accept what Jesus has done for us on the cross, offering payment for our sins, giving us victory over sin and death and restoring us into a right relationship with God? That’s the first decision we have to make and it is a once-for-all time, the deal is sealed decision. You cannot lose that.

But then there follows that decision, accepting Jesus Christ as your Savior, the question of whether you will commit to following Him as Lord. Do you trust that His way is best for your life, better than your way? Do you seek to learn His will for you and follow that rather than your own will? Do you commit to learning His laws and commands for your life and commit to following them and not some other policies for prosperity? Will you let Him be Lord of your life? That is an on-going decision that we make every day—several times a day as we face the temptations of a world that suggests there are other pathways to prosperity in life. Who will we let rule as Lord over our lives—this day and in the days to come?

Ultimately, that is the decision of the Exodus. The rules for religious and social life given to the Israelites during their Exodus pointed them toward and prepared them for the time when God would send His Son to seal the deal, if you will, or to fulfill the covenant God had made with Abraham and his descendants to be their God and they to be His people. The Exodus journey doesn’t end with the conclusion of Deuteronomy and the death of Moses. It doesn’t end with entrance into and conquest of the Promised Land under the leadership of Joshua. It is an ongoing story. It is the story of the Bible. And the story continues beyond the Biblical story into our journeys today. A decision must be made. This is the pathway to the Promised Land--and for a prosperous life in whatever Egypt you live in, or whatever type of wilderness you are journeying through on your way to the Promised Land—the covenant promise of God confirmed in Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord. Which will you choose? For God will not force His way upon us. He wants us to come to Him because that is what we want to do and not because we have no choice in the matter. The decision is yours. Which way will you choose?

Let us pray.

I want to provide everyone here the opportunity to make that decision today. If you’ve never accepted the gift of Jesus as your Savior, you have that opportunity to do so today. If you’re not prepared to do that today, that’s ok. God is willing to wait for you. But I encourage you to do so today. There’s one thing that God doesn’t know…and that’s a better time than right now for you to come to Him and accept the covenant He has prepared for you. So, if you’ve never accepted the covenant gift of Jesus Christ as your Savior and are prepared to make that decision today, I invite you to do so by repeating in the silent prayer of your heart these words: Lord, I am a sinner in need of Your grace and love. I cannot do it on my own. I turn to You and accept with gratitude the gift of Your salvation made possible through Jesus Christ. Thank You, Lord, for this gift.

Then, I invite all here today to re-commit—or perhaps commit for the first time—to following Jesus as Lord by offering this prayer in your hearts: Thank You, Lord, for the gift of Jesus Christ as my Savior…and as my Lord. I commit this day to following Your will for my life. Forgive me, Lord, for where I have allowed other lords to rule my life. Help me and strengthen me through the power of Your Holy Spirit present with me to learn and obey Your commands so Jesus Christ would reign as Lord in my life. I commit to seek this today…and to You be all glory and honor. Amen.

Let’s take a moment for silent reflection.