A certain young man,
he was a fifth grader,
00:00:28.65\00:00:32.83
was a major
disruption in his classroom.
00:00:32.86\00:00:36.99
He was disrespectful.
He was disobedient.
00:00:37.02\00:00:40.42
He would not pay
attention to his lessons.
00:00:40.45\00:00:43.54
He was mean to his classmates.
00:00:43.57\00:00:46.21
He just generally ran amuck.
00:00:46.24\00:00:49.43
Well, as happens in a
lot of school systems,
00:00:49.46\00:00:54.21
they got the teachers together.
00:00:54.24\00:00:55.87
They got the school psychologist
00:00:55.90\00:00:57.90
and they came up
with a diagnosis.
00:00:57.93\00:01:01.07
This young man,
I'll call him Mark,
00:01:01.10\00:01:03.78
had ADD,
attention deficit disorder.
00:01:03.81\00:01:07.92
Well, they
brought the parents in
00:01:07.95\00:01:09.46
and they had a
little consultation.
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And they assured the parents
00:01:10.94\00:01:12.31
that this ADD was a genetic
00:01:12.34\00:01:15.69
or a biological
problem of some kind
00:01:15.72\00:01:17.75
and it wasn't their fault and,
00:01:17.78\00:01:19.52
you know, they
shouldn't worry about it
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and there were special
ways to take care of it.
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And the parents went home
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and thought
about this for a while.
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And they called
the young man in.
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And they said, "Mark,
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things are going
to change around here
00:01:34.81\00:01:37.14
and this is
what's going to happen.
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You see your door to
your room over there?"
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"Yeah." That was his door.
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Oh, there was
something different.
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There was a padlock on his door.
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Wow, he'd never
seen that before.
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He ran over there
and he tried to get in
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and he couldn't get in his door.
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And he said, "Mom,
dad, what's wrong?"
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They said, "Well,
things are gonna be
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a little different around here.
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For the next 6 weeks,
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things are going to
be entirely different.
00:02:01.29\00:02:03.59
Now you will have 15
minutes in the morning
00:02:03.62\00:02:06.48
to get ready for
school to use your room
00:02:06.51\00:02:08.65
to get ready for school.
00:02:08.68\00:02:10.05
You will have
15 minutes at night
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to get ready for bed.
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But other than that,
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you are not
going to use your room.
00:02:15.27\00:02:16.64
You're going to sleep in
a very comfortable place,
00:02:16.67\00:02:18.98
warm, comfortable, soft
couch in the living room.
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But you won't be
using your room for a while.
00:02:24.18\00:02:28.19
The reason is because
your teacher has complained
00:02:28.22\00:02:31.76
that you are a major
disruption in the classroom.
00:02:31.79\00:02:35.60
Now" they said, "Mark--"
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By the way, this
was quite a punishment
00:02:37.57\00:02:39.83
to Mark because
all of his videogames,
00:02:39.86\00:02:42.36
all of his toys,
00:02:42.39\00:02:43.95
everything that he counted
valuable was in his room.
00:02:43.98\00:02:49.26
They said, "Mark,
00:02:49.29\00:02:51.13
for any infraction
at school or at home,
00:02:51.16\00:02:56.74
there will be a
week added to the time
00:02:56.77\00:03:00.96
the padlock stays
on the bedroom door."
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Well, it was amazing
what happened to this ADD.
00:03:05.72\00:03:10.76
It completely disappeared.
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In fact, Mark was
considered a model child
00:03:13.98\00:03:17.86
both at school and at home.
00:03:17.89\00:03:21.40
He helped with
his chores at home.
00:03:21.43\00:03:22.94
He was respectful.
00:03:22.97\00:03:24.34
At school, he paid
attention to his lessons.
00:03:24.37\00:03:26.60
He didn't bother the other kids.
00:03:26.63\00:03:28.27
He wasn't
disrespectful to the teacher.
00:03:28.30\00:03:32.37
And finally when
the 6 weeks were over,
00:03:32.40\00:03:35.58
the padlock was taken
off of his bedroom door.
00:03:35.61\00:03:38.95
He was allowed
back into his room
00:03:38.98\00:03:41.49
with the promise
that if he relapsed,
00:03:41.52\00:03:45.31
there would be
another 6-week period of time
00:03:45.34\00:03:47.61
with the padlock on the door.
00:03:47.64\00:03:50.13
A year later,
his parents reported
00:03:50.16\00:03:53.45
to his psychologist
that he had never relapsed,
00:03:53.48\00:03:58.19
that he was as good as
gold and was respectful
00:03:58.22\00:04:02.04
and attentive at school as well.
00:04:02.07\00:04:07.27
It's amazing
what the law can do.
00:04:07.30\00:04:11.46
Sometimes parents just
have to lay down the law.
00:04:11.49\00:04:17.66
Sometimes you and I
need the law as well.
00:04:17.69\00:04:23.61
This sermon is called
00:04:27.68\00:04:29.15
"From Sinai to
the Promised Land."
00:04:29.18\00:04:32.09
There is another title
that I almost used for it.
00:04:32.12\00:04:34.31
It's called "What
part of 'thou shalt not'
00:04:34.34\00:04:36.51
don't you understand?
00:04:36.54\00:04:38.78
Instructions on the
way to the Promised Land."
00:04:38.81\00:04:41.82
It seems that we have
ADD when it comes to God.
00:04:41.85\00:04:46.15
No matter how many
assurances and warnings we get,
00:04:46.18\00:04:49.90
the human race just
doesn't get it sometimes.
00:04:49.93\00:04:54.75
God's
Commandments help us get it.
00:04:54.78\00:04:58.88
A rather young Dr.
Martin Luther King said
00:04:58.91\00:05:01.70
in a sermon in 1954, the quote,
00:05:01.73\00:05:04.21
"This is a moral universe,
00:05:04.24\00:05:07.35
the laws of which we
violate at our own peril.
00:05:07.38\00:05:11.43
We must remember," he said,
00:05:11.46\00:05:12.83
"that it's possible to
affirm the existence of God
00:05:12.86\00:05:15.83
with your lips
00:05:15.86\00:05:17.31
and to deny the
existence of God with your life.
00:05:17.34\00:05:21.73
The most
dangerous form of atheism,"
00:05:21.76\00:05:24.83
said Dr. King, "is
not theoretical atheism,
00:05:24.86\00:05:28.29
but practical atheism."
00:05:28.32\00:05:33.83
This message is
divided into basically
00:05:33.86\00:05:37.01
three observations
on child discipline,
00:05:37.04\00:05:40.32
as applied to our
spiritual lives, of course.
00:05:40.35\00:05:42.57
Number one,
00:05:42.60\00:05:44.20
good parents lay down
the law for their child.
00:05:44.23\00:05:48.32
They do not lay down the
law for someone else's child.
00:05:48.35\00:05:51.84
Laying down the
law does not change
00:05:51.87\00:05:53.79
the child's status of
belonging to the family.
00:05:53.82\00:05:56.86
In other words,
breaking the law means
00:05:56.89\00:05:59.11
that discipline is applied,
00:05:59.14\00:06:01.10
not that the kid is
kicked out of the family.
00:06:01.13\00:06:05.31
Second observation,
improvement in behavior
00:06:05.34\00:06:09.80
does not make a child any more
00:06:09.83\00:06:11.80
or less a child of the family.
00:06:11.83\00:06:14.98
It does mean, however,
that the child's happier,
00:06:15.01\00:06:17.95
more productive, less selfish
00:06:17.98\00:06:19.91
and more pleasant to live with.
00:06:19.94\00:06:22.75
Number three,
00:06:22.78\00:06:24.70
when the child grows up,
he or she will be attracted
00:06:24.73\00:06:28.69
or not attracted to their family
00:06:28.72\00:06:31.11
and will choose whether
to be part of it or not.
00:06:31.14\00:06:35.46
Choice and natural consequences
00:06:35.49\00:06:39.29
not the punishments or rewards
00:06:39.32\00:06:40.96
from the parents determine
00:06:40.99\00:06:42.40
the ultimate
destiny of the child.
00:06:42.43\00:06:48.01
We can look at
Israel's experience
00:06:48.04\00:06:51.84
as they traveled from
Sinai to the Promised Land
00:06:51.87\00:06:55.96
and see how these principles
apply to our spiritual lives.
00:06:55.99\00:07:00.76
First of all,
00:07:00.79\00:07:02.16
the observation that
good parents lay down
00:07:02.19\00:07:03.73
the law for their child
00:07:03.76\00:07:05.13
and that they
don't lay down the law
00:07:05.16\00:07:06.53
for someone else's child.
00:07:06.56\00:07:08.24
Laying down the
law does not change
00:07:08.27\00:07:09.80
the child's status of
belonging to the family.
00:07:09.83\00:07:15.23
In the wilderness of
Sinai, God met His people.
00:07:15.26\00:07:22.64
Do you know how the
Ten Commandments begin?
00:07:22.67\00:07:25.27
Oh, everybody knows
that, "Thou Shalt Not."
00:07:25.30\00:07:27.07
No, that's not how the
Ten Commandments begin.
00:07:27.10\00:07:29.79
Go to the first
verse of Exodus 20.
00:07:29.82\00:07:32.66
In fact, let's
read Exodus 20:1, 2.
00:07:32.69\00:07:37.01
God says, "I am
the Lord your God,
00:07:37.04\00:07:40.30
who brought you out of Egypt,
00:07:40.33\00:07:42.86
out of the land of slavery."
00:07:42.89\00:07:46.12
That is how the
Ten Commandments begin.
00:07:46.15\00:07:50.70
God saved them from slavery
and then gave them His law.
00:07:50.73\00:07:54.86
Having the law of
God then was a sign of
00:07:54.89\00:07:58.90
having the grace of God.
00:07:58.93\00:08:01.90
They were already His children.
00:08:01.93\00:08:03.50
They were the children of Israel
00:08:03.53\00:08:04.90
that He had saved out of Egypt,
00:08:04.93\00:08:06.84
out of slavery, out of bondage.
00:08:06.87\00:08:08.80
They were His.
00:08:08.83\00:08:11.11
The good news of
the Ten Commandments
00:08:11.14\00:08:13.99
is that God
saved His people first.
00:08:14.02\00:08:16.54
And then gave them His law.
00:08:16.57\00:08:20.40
The law as correctly understood
00:08:20.43\00:08:22.17
by the Jews was never a curse.
00:08:22.20\00:08:24.27
It was a gift, a blessing,
an evidence of God's grace.
00:08:24.30\00:08:30.61
Dr. Laura
Schlessinger published a book
00:08:30.64\00:08:33.88
not too long ago
called "The Ten Commandments."
00:08:33.91\00:08:37.98
A contemporary
explanation of the law
00:08:38.01\00:08:40.19
as it was meant
to be understood.
00:08:40.22\00:08:42.43
This is what she had to say.
00:08:42.46\00:08:44.41
"In our extensive
discussions with various groups,
00:08:44.44\00:08:47.96
we have found that,
00:08:47.99\00:08:49.45
although many
people are comfortable
00:08:49.48\00:08:51.27
with the idea that humans have
00:08:51.30\00:08:53.31
such general
obligations to God as
00:08:53.34\00:08:56.17
"Do onto others as you
would have them do onto you,"
00:08:56.20\00:08:59.33
they are
uncomfortable with the idea of
00:08:59.36\00:09:01.73
specific
obligations to God such as,
00:09:01.76\00:09:04.37
"Remember the
Sabbath day and keep it holy"
00:09:04.40\00:09:06.37
which she said
puts a definite crimp
00:09:06.40\00:09:08.20
in their shopping schedules.
00:09:08.23\00:09:10.85
Does that limit our freedom?
00:09:10.88\00:09:12.91
On the contrary, Dr. Laura said,
00:09:12.94\00:09:15.24
"It expands our lives."
00:09:15.27\00:09:18.17
In her introduction to the book,
00:09:18.20\00:09:19.57
she relates how she
once based her ideas of
00:09:19.60\00:09:21.92
goodness and success
on her own standards.
00:09:21.95\00:09:25.75
When she
discovered God's standards
00:09:25.78\00:09:27.60
and started living
by them, she found quote
00:09:27.63\00:09:30.24
"a higher
idealism, a more profound,
00:09:30.27\00:09:33.43
just and consistent morality,
00:09:33.46\00:09:37.08
found only
through the commandments.
00:09:37.11\00:09:39.30
My life," she says,
00:09:39.33\00:09:40.70
"has focus,
purpose, and meaning.
00:09:40.73\00:09:43.02
I feel a part of
something more important than
00:09:43.05\00:09:45.65
my daily
experiences might indicate.
00:09:45.68\00:09:48.38
I don't feel so
alone anymore," she says.
00:09:48.41\00:09:51.86
You ever feel
alone in the universe?
00:09:51.89\00:09:55.60
Find a way to belong to
something bigger than you.
00:09:55.63\00:09:59.12
And there is nothing
bigger than belonging
00:09:59.15\00:10:01.09
to the purposes of the
Almighty ruler of the universe.
00:10:01.12\00:10:06.31
You see, the proper
view of the Ten Commandments
00:10:06.34\00:10:09.03
is the same for us as it was
00:10:09.06\00:10:13.64
for those Israelites camped
at the foot of Mount Sinai.
00:10:13.67\00:10:17.20
Our obligations to God
are a sign of His love for us
00:10:17.23\00:10:21.27
and an indication that
He has already saved us.
00:10:21.30\00:10:25.76
When put into practice
as a response to that love,
00:10:25.79\00:10:29.03
we find more freedom not less.
00:10:29.06\00:10:34.63
Our second observation
on child behavior says
00:10:34.66\00:10:39.44
that improvement in
behavior does not make
00:10:39.47\00:10:42.89
a child any more or
less a child of the family.
00:10:42.92\00:10:47.87
It does mean, however,
that the child is happier,
00:10:47.90\00:10:50.58
more productive, less selfish
00:10:50.61\00:10:51.98
and more pleasant to live with.
00:10:52.01\00:10:53.88
Now this is an
area that Christians
00:10:53.91\00:10:55.52
often have a hard time with
00:10:55.55\00:10:56.92
because once we start
responding to God's love
00:10:56.95\00:11:00.85
and we start trying
to keep the commandments,
00:11:00.88\00:11:03.26
we think--
00:11:03.29\00:11:05.15
out of our natural
sinful ways of thinking,
00:11:05.18\00:11:08.76
we think that the better we are,
00:11:08.79\00:11:12.20
the more qualified we are
to be a son or daughter of God.
00:11:12.23\00:11:16.81
It's not true.
00:11:16.84\00:11:18.60
Where the
Israelites any more or less
00:11:18.63\00:11:20.49
the children of Israel
00:11:20.52\00:11:21.89
when they had
the Ten Commandments
00:11:21.92\00:11:23.29
than when they were saved
out of the bondage of Egypt?
00:11:23.32\00:11:26.55
No way.
00:11:26.58\00:11:29.67
The Israelites were a
bunch of former slaves,
00:11:29.70\00:11:32.48
on their way to
the Promised Land.
00:11:32.51\00:11:34.35
They were delivered.
00:11:34.38\00:11:35.75
Their destination assured,
00:11:35.78\00:11:37.15
but they needed to
become better people
00:11:37.18\00:11:39.03
not in order to
be accepted by God,
00:11:39.06\00:11:41.53
they were
already accepted by God,
00:11:41.56\00:11:43.69
but in order to be
happier, more successful,
00:11:43.72\00:11:46.43
more able to relate to God
00:11:46.46\00:11:48.13
and more able to represent
God to the world around them.
00:11:48.16\00:11:53.54
Notice David's view
of the law in Psalm 119
00:11:53.57\00:11:57.18
starting with verse 97.
00:11:57.21\00:12:00.04
"Oh, how I love your law. I
meditate on it all day long.
00:12:00.07\00:12:05.24
Your commandments make
me wiser than my enemies,
00:12:05.27\00:12:07.57
for they are ever with me.
00:12:07.60\00:12:09.01
I have more insight
than all my teachers,
00:12:09.04\00:12:11.19
for I meditate on your statutes.
00:12:11.22\00:12:13.06
I have more
understanding than the elders,
00:12:13.09\00:12:15.21
for I obey your precepts.
00:12:15.24\00:12:17.02
I have kept my feet
from every evil path
00:12:17.05\00:12:19.78
so that I might obey your word.
00:12:19.81\00:12:21.93
I have not
departed from your law,
00:12:21.96\00:12:23.84
but you yourself have taught me.
00:12:23.87\00:12:25.64
How sweet are
your words to my taste,
00:12:25.67\00:12:27.99
sweeter than honey to my mouth?
00:12:28.02\00:12:30.13
I gain understanding
from your precepts.
00:12:30.16\00:12:32.64
Therefore I hate
every wrong path."
00:12:32.67\00:12:36.96
God's law was never intended
to be a legalistic device
00:12:36.99\00:12:41.05
to make us acceptable to God.
00:12:41.08\00:12:44.34
It was intended to be a gift,
a promise of a better life,
00:12:44.37\00:12:48.44
a life of freedom
from the negativity of sin.
00:12:48.47\00:12:52.25
When those Israelites
received the law on Mount Sinai,
00:12:52.28\00:12:54.89
it was with the promise
00:12:54.92\00:12:56.88
that they were on the
way to the Promised Land.
00:12:56.91\00:13:00.06
How that all relates to
everyday life is sometimes
00:13:04.39\00:13:07.55
rather interesting?
00:13:07.58\00:13:09.67
When my son was young,
00:13:09.70\00:13:14.11
I probably learned
more than he did about
00:13:14.14\00:13:17.97
how the law is
applied to everyday life?
00:13:18.00\00:13:21.65
You see one time we went
to camp meeting together.
00:13:21.68\00:13:27.86
And my son when he was little
did not like wearing shoes.
00:13:27.89\00:13:32.58
He hated wearing shoes.
00:13:32.61\00:13:34.45
And so he ran all over
the camp without shoes.
00:13:34.48\00:13:37.83
And as trying to be
a responsible father,
00:13:37.86\00:13:42.64
I kept telling him,
"Son, wear your shoes."
00:13:42.67\00:13:46.39
But he didn't
want to wear a shoe,
00:13:46.42\00:13:47.79
so he might put
them on for a minute.
00:13:47.82\00:13:49.73
And then I'd see him
running around the camp later,
00:13:49.76\00:13:52.15
he wouldn't have the shoes on.
00:13:52.18\00:13:55.32
Well, there came a
point where I decided
00:13:55.35\00:13:59.20
that nagging him
into wearing his shoes
00:13:59.23\00:14:01.73
was really not going to work.
00:14:01.76\00:14:04.16
The more I nagged
him to put his shoes on,
00:14:04.19\00:14:07.51
the less he wanted
to put his shoes on.
00:14:07.54\00:14:10.40
So I decided to back off
00:14:10.43\00:14:13.88
and just let
natural consequences
00:14:13.91\00:14:15.90
take their course.
00:14:15.93\00:14:18.86
Casey ran around
without his shoes.
00:14:18.89\00:14:21.29
My son, Casey did
not put his shoes on
00:14:21.32\00:14:24.34
when his dad told him to.
00:14:24.37\00:14:26.42
And, therefore, he
suffered the punishment
00:14:26.45\00:14:29.45
of bleeding feet.
00:14:29.48\00:14:32.32
Now I didn't say, "Casey,
00:14:32.35\00:14:34.15
because you
didn't wear your shoes,
00:14:34.18\00:14:36.30
I'm going to cut your
feet and make them bloody."
00:14:36.33\00:14:39.37
What a horrible
father I would've been?
00:14:39.40\00:14:42.25
In fact to this day,
I feel a little guilty
00:14:42.28\00:14:45.07
for not laying
down the law sooner.
00:14:45.10\00:14:48.02
If I had laid
down the law sooner,
00:14:48.05\00:14:49.86
I could have saved him
some pain and suffering.
00:14:49.89\00:14:53.52
So it is my fault for not
laying down the law sooner.
00:14:53.55\00:14:57.61
Nevertheless,
the natural result of
00:14:57.64\00:14:59.91
disobedience is
what brought about
00:14:59.94\00:15:02.87
his cut and bloody feet.
00:15:02.90\00:15:04.92
So once I did lay down the law
00:15:04.95\00:15:07.27
and he had to put the shoes on,
00:15:07.30\00:15:09.61
it was a little
painful to put those shoes on.
00:15:09.64\00:15:13.25
Now was my son Casey
ever in danger of being
00:15:13.28\00:15:17.17
kicked out of the family?
00:15:17.20\00:15:19.10
No. Of course, not.
00:15:19.13\00:15:20.56
Was he
disobedient? Oh yes, definitely.
00:15:20.59\00:15:25.74
He was in danger,
however, of being hurt,
00:15:25.77\00:15:29.74
unhappy, possibly even infected
00:15:29.77\00:15:32.16
with some nasty bacteria.
00:15:32.19\00:15:34.57
The law was a gift to
save him from the pain of cut,
00:15:34.60\00:15:41.69
dirty, and bloody feet.
00:15:41.72\00:15:43.78
The law could
have made him happier.
00:15:43.81\00:15:49.35
Number three,
00:15:49.38\00:15:51.11
when the child grows up,
00:15:51.14\00:15:53.33
he or she will be
attracted or not attracted
00:15:53.36\00:15:57.96
to their family and will choose
00:15:57.99\00:16:00.43
whether to be part of it or not.
00:16:00.46\00:16:03.41
Choice and natural
consequences not the punishments
00:16:03.44\00:16:07.41
or rewards from the parents
00:16:07.44\00:16:08.81
determine the
ultimate destiny of the child.
00:16:08.84\00:16:11.61
Now this is where we start
feeling a little bit uneasy
00:16:11.64\00:16:14.29
because ultimately,
there is a final destination
00:16:14.32\00:16:19.88
for both you and me.
00:16:19.91\00:16:21.87
And no matter how much God tries
00:16:21.90\00:16:24.06
to discipline us along the way,
00:16:24.09\00:16:26.60
we still have freedom of choice.
00:16:26.63\00:16:28.26
We can choose
whether we want to go
00:16:28.29\00:16:30.21
all the way to the Promised Land
00:16:30.24\00:16:31.61
with God or not.
00:16:31.64\00:16:34.56
We sometimes view
God as a rather large,
00:16:34.59\00:16:38.20
supernatural,
disciplinarian who zaps people
00:16:38.23\00:16:40.97
when they get out of line.
00:16:41.00\00:16:42.68
Or to the other extreme,
00:16:42.71\00:16:44.85
we think of God as
some heavenly Santa Claus
00:16:44.88\00:16:47.87
who never lets
anything bad happen to us
00:16:47.90\00:16:50.55
no matter what we do.
00:16:50.58\00:16:52.76
What we do does
have consequences
00:16:52.79\00:16:55.15
for good or for evil.
00:16:55.18\00:16:58.89
And it will have
ultimate consequences
00:16:58.92\00:17:03.32
for good or for evil.
00:17:03.35\00:17:06.93
The generation of
Israelites that camped
00:17:06.96\00:17:08.90
at Mount Sinai did not
go into the Promised Land.
00:17:08.93\00:17:13.39
Did you realize that?
00:17:13.42\00:17:15.53
After all of that time
that God spent with them,
00:17:15.56\00:17:17.83
giving them His
law and marching them
00:17:17.86\00:17:21.12
right up to the
border of the Promised Land,
00:17:21.15\00:17:23.73
that generation did not
go into the Promised Land.
00:17:23.76\00:17:27.28
Why? Because they rebelled.
00:17:27.31\00:17:30.63
Back in the Book of
Numbers, it recounts the story,
00:17:30.66\00:17:33.75
how they came
right to the border
00:17:33.78\00:17:35.15
of the Promised Land
and they picked a spy
00:17:35.18\00:17:36.76
out of each one
of the 12 tribes.
00:17:36.79\00:17:38.98
And they sent them
to spy out the land.
00:17:39.01\00:17:42.62
And after a while,
those 12 spies came back
00:17:42.65\00:17:44.62
and gave their report.
00:17:44.65\00:17:47.07
10 spies said,
"This is horrible. Why?
00:17:47.10\00:17:50.92
The land will devour us."
00:17:50.95\00:17:53.44
There's the
descendants of Anak, the Giants.
00:17:53.47\00:17:57.86
"We better turn back.
00:17:57.89\00:17:59.26
We'd have been better off
just dying in the wilderness.
00:17:59.29\00:18:01.48
We'd have been
better off back in Egypt.
00:18:01.51\00:18:03.75
Caleb and Joshua, however,
00:18:03.78\00:18:05.15
gave a little different report.
00:18:05.18\00:18:06.55
They said, "This
was a wonderful land.
00:18:06.58\00:18:08.00
Look at what we brought back."
00:18:08.03\00:18:09.40
They had found a cluster
of grapes that were so big.
00:18:09.43\00:18:11.59
It took two men to
carry it on a pole.
00:18:11.62\00:18:13.50
And they brought
back some pomegranates.
00:18:13.53\00:18:14.90
They said, "This is a land
00:18:14.93\00:18:16.30
flowing with milk and honey."
00:18:16.33\00:18:17.75
It's interesting
that 10 out of the 12
00:18:17.78\00:18:20.97
saw the
hardships and the danger.
00:18:21.00\00:18:23.88
And two of them
saw the promises of God
00:18:23.91\00:18:26.88
being fulfilled
right before their eyes.
00:18:26.91\00:18:31.06
And so they rebelled.
00:18:31.09\00:18:33.00
The people were persuaded
by the report of the 10 spies.
00:18:33.03\00:18:35.80
And they rebelled and
they chose another leader.
00:18:35.83\00:18:38.86
And they said,
"We're not going in."
00:18:38.89\00:18:42.62
It's kind of
interesting what happened next
00:18:42.65\00:18:44.50
because in the
sight of this rebellion,
00:18:44.53\00:18:48.26
what is God supposed to do?
00:18:48.29\00:18:51.16
And so God came
and talked to Moses.
00:18:51.19\00:18:55.39
And said, You
tell the people that
00:18:55.42\00:18:57.42
they've chosen not to
go into the Promised Land,
00:18:57.45\00:18:59.26
they're not going."
00:18:59.29\00:19:02.94
And Moses pleaded for
God to forgive those people.
00:19:02.97\00:19:09.37
It's interesting
how God put Moses
00:19:09.40\00:19:12.36
in a mediatorial
position intentionally.
00:19:12.39\00:19:17.29
It sounds at
first like God is being
00:19:17.32\00:19:19.25
rather harsh
because He's threatening
00:19:19.28\00:19:21.12
to wipe out all of Israel.
00:19:21.15\00:19:22.65
And Moses steps in
just like Christ does
00:19:22.68\00:19:26.37
as our mediator.
00:19:26.40\00:19:28.02
And says, "Don't destroy them."
00:19:28.05\00:19:30.85
I think God was
really showing through Moses
00:19:30.88\00:19:33.60
what He was really like.
00:19:33.63\00:19:36.29
And so God says, "Don't worry."
00:19:36.32\00:19:38.54
Turn with me to Numbers 14:20,
00:19:38.57\00:19:42.28
in the Book of
Numbers Chapter 14,
00:19:42.31\00:19:46.56
we have God's response to Moses.
00:19:46.59\00:19:51.59
When God was threatening
to wipe out the Israelites,
00:19:51.62\00:19:58.09
He was looking like the bad guy.
00:19:58.12\00:20:00.34
He was looking
like that nasty old ogre
00:20:00.37\00:20:03.23
that was gonna
wipe everybody out
00:20:03.26\00:20:04.83
just because He
didn't get His way.
00:20:04.86\00:20:06.55
But, you know, God
has never been like that,
00:20:06.58\00:20:08.82
never has, never will.
00:20:08.85\00:20:10.65
And through Moses,
00:20:10.68\00:20:12.05
He was showing
His true character.
00:20:12.08\00:20:13.72
But when He meets with
Moses again in Numbers 14:20,
00:20:13.75\00:20:20.46
"The Lord replied,
00:20:20.49\00:20:21.86
'I have forgiven
them, as you asked.
00:20:21.89\00:20:26.85
Nevertheless,
as surely as I live
00:20:26.88\00:20:28.73
and as surely as
the glory of the Lord
00:20:28.76\00:20:30.14
fills the whole earth,
00:20:30.17\00:20:31.54
not one of the
men who saw my glory
00:20:31.57\00:20:33.20
and the miraculous
signs I performed in Egypt
00:20:33.23\00:20:35.12
and in the desert
but who disobeyed me
00:20:35.15\00:20:37.98
and tested me ten times--
00:20:38.01\00:20:41.04
not one of them
will ever see the land
00:20:41.07\00:20:43.30
I promised on oath
to their forefathers.
00:20:43.33\00:20:46.49
No one who has
treated me with contempt
00:20:46.52\00:20:48.45
will ever see it.
00:20:48.48\00:20:50.36
But because of my servant
Caleb has a different spirit
00:20:50.39\00:20:54.64
and follows me wholeheartedly,
00:20:54.67\00:20:56.33
I will bring him
into the land he went to,
00:20:56.36\00:20:58.55
and his
descendents will inherit it."
00:20:58.58\00:21:02.08
God always forgives,
00:21:02.11\00:21:05.77
but He can't force
our loyalty and our faith.
00:21:05.80\00:21:10.97
Faith has to be
won. It can't be forced.
00:21:11.00\00:21:17.64
In Hebrews 8:10, we
have another picture
00:21:17.67\00:21:22.16
of how the law
was intended to be.
00:21:22.19\00:21:25.54
In Hebrews 8:10.
00:21:25.57\00:21:29.42
"This is the
covenant I will make
00:21:29.45\00:21:31.72
with the house of
Israel after that time,
00:21:31.75\00:21:33.99
declares the Lord.
00:21:34.02\00:21:35.39
I will put my
laws in their minds
00:21:35.42\00:21:36.84
and write them on their hearts.
00:21:36.87\00:21:38.24
I will be their God,
and they will be my people."
00:21:38.27\00:21:44.67
You see, God, He
doesn't just want obedience.
00:21:44.70\00:21:50.63
He wants a family.
00:21:50.66\00:21:52.45
He wants to give us
what we really want.
00:21:52.48\00:21:55.13
And He is waiting
for people to be won
00:21:55.16\00:21:57.02
over to His side
and to really want Him.
00:21:57.05\00:22:01.52
His law is a gift for
those who want to know
00:22:01.55\00:22:03.88
what God is like
and want to imitate Him.
00:22:03.91\00:22:07.43
Being saved or lost
is not a matter of law,
00:22:07.46\00:22:11.97
but for those who are
glad to be saved already,
00:22:12.00\00:22:14.66
it is a precious gift.
00:22:14.69\00:22:17.11
For those who choose to be lost,
00:22:17.14\00:22:18.81
it is a warning and a
promise of better things
00:22:18.84\00:22:23.13
if they choose to
change their minds.
00:22:23.16\00:22:26.54
Are you bound for
the Promised Land?
00:22:26.57\00:22:29.46
If you are part of
God's family, you are.
00:22:29.49\00:22:33.17
If you are part of God's family,
00:22:33.20\00:22:34.69
you have already
been saved from sin
00:22:34.72\00:22:37.36
not because of
any goodness in you,
00:22:37.39\00:22:39.00
but because God chose to do it,
00:22:39.03\00:22:40.43
just as He took those
poor slaves out of Egypt
00:22:40.46\00:22:43.91
and brought them into
the wilderness of Sinai
00:22:43.94\00:22:47.00
and then onto the Promised Land.
00:22:47.03\00:22:50.04
If you accept the salvation,
00:22:50.07\00:22:52.12
God will instruct you
and make you a better person.
00:22:52.15\00:22:54.76
He'll put His
laws in your hearts.
00:22:54.79\00:22:56.67
He will
transform you by His love.
00:22:56.70\00:22:58.34
You will enter
the Promised Land,
00:22:58.37\00:23:00.75
unless you deliberately
lose faith with God.
00:23:00.78\00:23:05.49
You see that was the
problem with the Israelites.
00:23:05.52\00:23:08.55
Right on the border of Canaan,
00:23:08.58\00:23:10.47
they could have gone in,
00:23:10.50\00:23:12.24
but it wasn't
because God gave up on them,
00:23:12.27\00:23:14.84
it was because
they gave up on God.
00:23:14.87\00:23:17.71
Sometime, after my experience
00:23:20.94\00:23:25.43
at camp meeting
with Casey's shoes,
00:23:25.46\00:23:28.02
he and I decided to
go for a little hike.
00:23:28.05\00:23:29.58
We were living in
Tucson, Arizona at that time.
00:23:29.61\00:23:31.83
And the Catalina Mountains
are a beautiful place to hike.
00:23:31.86\00:23:35.64
And we knew of a
little abandoned mineshaft
00:23:35.67\00:23:37.98
that was just 2 or
3 miles up the trail.
00:23:38.01\00:23:40.39
And so one afternoon,
we took our flashlights
00:23:40.42\00:23:44.08
and a couple of
little hammers to see
00:23:44.11\00:23:47.03
if we could find a
couple little pieces of quartz.
00:23:47.06\00:23:49.79
And we headed up the trail.
00:23:49.82\00:23:52.46
Well, we got up
to the destination
00:23:52.49\00:23:56.05
in this little hole on
the side of the mountain
00:23:56.08\00:23:58.06
and we walked in,
turned our flashlights on
00:23:58.09\00:24:01.22
and we had a nice time.
00:24:01.25\00:24:02.75
We really didn't
find anything valuable.
00:24:02.78\00:24:05.42
It's very
accessible to the trail
00:24:05.45\00:24:08.68
and lots of
hikers have been in there
00:24:08.71\00:24:10.23
and not too many
pieces of quartz left.
00:24:10.26\00:24:14.93
But we had a good time anyway.
00:24:14.96\00:24:16.95
When we were done we came
out of the entrance to the cave.
00:24:16.98\00:24:21.65
We discovered the
sun had gone down.
00:24:21.68\00:24:26.07
It was now getting dark.
00:24:26.10\00:24:28.66
Well, I wasn't too worried
because the moon was full.
00:24:28.69\00:24:34.92
And the desert
landscape just lit up before us.
00:24:34.95\00:24:38.42
And it was gorgeous.
00:24:38.45\00:24:40.60
It had cooled off a little bit,
00:24:40.63\00:24:42.09
but it was so comfortable
just to be hiking along.
00:24:42.12\00:24:46.74
And so as we
headed down the trail,
00:24:46.77\00:24:49.58
we knew that the Promised Land,
00:24:49.61\00:24:53.08
the parking lot was
just around the corner.
00:24:53.11\00:24:57.69
And we kept hiking
and we kept hiking.
00:24:57.72\00:25:00.86
And we were making good time.
00:25:00.89\00:25:06.40
And the problem was
the landscape was starting
00:25:06.43\00:25:09.28
to look unfamiliar.
00:25:09.31\00:25:15.10
Finally, Casey
turned to me and he said,
00:25:15.13\00:25:17.49
"Dad," he knew I
was lost by that time.
00:25:17.52\00:25:22.17
He said, "Dad,
maybe we should pray."
00:25:22.20\00:25:25.57
I said, "Okay,
let's pray." So we prayed.
00:25:25.60\00:25:30.60
And then we looked up
and we still didn't know
00:25:30.63\00:25:32.22
where we were.
00:25:32.25\00:25:33.68
And we did something
that you should never do
00:25:33.71\00:25:37.12
in the dark and you
should never, never do
00:25:37.15\00:25:41.05
in the dark in the desert
with lots of cactus around.
00:25:41.08\00:25:46.09
And that is we left the trail.
00:25:46.12\00:25:48.18
You see, we could see the lights
00:25:48.21\00:25:50.48
from the parking
lot just over the ridge.
00:25:50.51\00:25:54.99
I mean, we could see
the glare of the lights
00:25:55.02\00:25:57.56
and kind of the halo
and we knew we were so close
00:25:57.59\00:26:01.08
and so we wanted just to
get up on that little ridge
00:26:01.11\00:26:03.53
and look down
and see where it was.
00:26:03.56\00:26:07.42
We didn't find it.
00:26:07.45\00:26:08.90
And after messing around
for a while off the trail,
00:26:08.93\00:26:11.44
we found the trail again.
00:26:11.47\00:26:12.84
And Casey wanted to pray again.
00:26:12.87\00:26:14.33
He said, and then he wanted
to pray again and he said,
00:26:14.36\00:26:17.71
"Dad, you know, in
the Bible, didn't they,
00:26:17.74\00:26:19.51
didn't they pray
seven times at one time."
00:26:19.54\00:26:21.52
I said, "Okay."
00:26:21.55\00:26:22.92
And so we prayed seven times
00:26:22.95\00:26:24.32
and we headed
back on to the trail
00:26:24.35\00:26:26.10
this time in the opposite
direction we'd gone before.
00:26:26.13\00:26:28.49
And suddenly I
knew where we were.
00:26:28.52\00:26:31.27
In the dark, we
had missed the turnoff
00:26:31.30\00:26:33.55
to the parking lot.
00:26:33.58\00:26:34.95
And so we had to
retrace our steps,
00:26:34.98\00:26:36.35
not very far.
00:26:36.38\00:26:37.88
Make the right turn and
make it to the parking lot.
00:26:37.91\00:26:40.59
In our travels through
the deserts of this life,
00:26:43.17\00:26:49.22
we are a lot
like those Israelites
00:26:49.25\00:26:50.80
who went through
God's school in the desert.
00:26:50.83\00:26:55.04
We are not perfect hikers.
00:26:55.07\00:26:57.20
Sometimes we get
off on the wrong trail.
00:26:57.23\00:26:59.90
Sometimes we
ignore God's instructions.
00:26:59.93\00:27:02.63
Sometimes we don't
follow the rules of the road
00:27:02.66\00:27:05.39
like we should.
00:27:05.42\00:27:06.84
And we find
ourselves in the dark and lost
00:27:06.87\00:27:12.48
just as the Israelites
received the gift of grace,
00:27:12.51\00:27:15.65
God's law, and
then finally stood
00:27:15.68\00:27:18.20
on the banks of Jordan River.
00:27:18.23\00:27:19.76
After all the
mistakes and learning,
00:27:19.79\00:27:21.28
they still had
to cross by faith.
00:27:21.31\00:27:23.98
We must cross by faith.
00:27:24.01\00:27:26.94
Only a faith-trust
relationship with God
00:27:26.97\00:27:31.24
will bring us across Jordan.
00:27:31.27\00:27:33.59
And just as my son
and I had to turn to God,
00:27:33.62\00:27:36.86
out of faith,
out of desperation,
00:27:36.89\00:27:38.97
knowing that we didn't
know our way out of this,
00:27:39.00\00:27:42.46
we can trust in
our Heavenly Father.
00:27:42.49\00:27:45.69
God will bring us across Jordan,
00:27:45.72\00:27:47.95
not because He
will take revenge on us,
00:27:47.98\00:27:51.71
not because
we'll be afraid of Him,
00:27:51.74\00:27:53.48
but because we love Him,
00:27:53.51\00:27:55.08
we have chosen Him
and we are loyal to Him.
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