FORWARD by Pastor Shah, Clearview Church, Henderson
Introduction: Have any of y’all ever been lost and realized that you were going in circles? About 26 years ago, my parents were visiting and I was driving them from Georgia to Florida. This is back in the pre-GPS days. I remember coming to this little town that had a business and a bypass highway. I decided to take the bypass. But, for some reason, I kept going in circles. After the third time of coming to the same stop sign, my mom, who had never been here before, didn’t know our traffic signs or driving system, said to me, “I might be wrong but I think I’ve seen that building before.” I realized that I kept missing the last sign. What happens if you keep making all right turns or all left turns? You’ll end up at the same spot. Imagine doing that for over a year! The children of Israel did that! Many people do the same thing. For one reason or another, they keep making all right or all left turns in life and they wonder why they keep going in circles!In today’s message we will learn how to move forward in 2019.
Deut 1 46“So you remained in Kadesh many days, according to the days that you spentthere.”2 1“Then we turned and journeyed into the wilderness of the Way of the Red Sea, as the LORD spoke to me, and we skirted Mount Seir for many days. 2“And the LORD spoke to me, saying: 3“You have skirted this mountain long enough; turn northward.”
Question: Are you moving forward in life or are you going in circles? How was 2018 for you? What are you hoping to accomplish in 2019? Are you saved? Without Christ in your life, you will keep skirting the mountain in 2019.
Context: One of the most amazing historical accounts in the Old Testament is the deliverance of the Children of Israel from Egypt and their journey to the Promised Land. It says in Exodus 2 23“. . . Then the children of Israel groaned because of the bondage, and they cried out; and their cry came up to God. . . 24So God heard their groaning, and God remembered His covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. 25And God looked upon the children of Israel, and God acknowledgedthem.” They cried out to God and he remembered them and his covenant with them. God is a God who remembers his people. You may think that God has forgotten you but that’s not true. What did God do?He sent Mosesto set his people free. If you read the Book of Exodus, he used 10 plagues to break Pharaoh’s choke hold on the people and he reluctantly let them go.
But God was not all business.He knew the plight of his people.They had been slaves for many years. They were not hard-core, well-trained warriors. They were just brick layers who had been broken down under Pharaoh’s whip. He knew that they were not ready to fight against the Canaanites and possess the land. So, listen to Exodus 13 17Then it came to pass, when Pharaoh had let the people go, that God did not lead them byway of the land of the Philistines, although that wasnear; for God said, “Lest perhaps the people change their minds when they see war, and return to Egypt.” 18So God led the people aroundbyway of the wilderness of the Red Sea. God knows us better than we know ourselves. He understands how much we can handle. Even if he puts more on you than you can handle, it is only to come alongside and help you handle what you can’t on your own. He wants to go along with you in the journey.
God made a way for them through the Red Sea and brought them down to Mount Sinai in the desert. On the way, they complained about being thirsty and God provided water for them, even out of a rock. They complained about not having bread and God provided manna from heaven for them. They fussed about not having meat and God sent them quail to eat. The Amalekites attacked them and God helped Joshua defeat them. Finally, they made it to Mount Sinai where the people encountered God. Moses was called up to the mountain where he met God to receive his commandments for the people. By the way, this is also the place where the people made the golden calf and God had to punish those who were responsible. Then, the people built the Tabernacle according to the plans that God had given to them.Here’s the point: God is so patient with us. He could destroy us forever but he is still willing to work with us even when we are undeserving.
What’s next? Instead of moving out and heading towards the Promised Land, the people decided to camp around Mount Sinai indefinitely! Deut 1 6“The LORD our God spoke to us in Horeb, saying: ‘You have dwelt long enough at this mountain. 7Turn and take your journey, and go . . . 8See, I have set the land before you; go in and possess the land which the LORD swore to your fathers—to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—to give to them and their descendants after them.’” Numbers 10 tells us that the cloud was taken up from the Tabernacle. You would think that they would beeager to move forward. Not true. Why? THEY STILL HAD THE SLAVE MINDSET TO CORRECT.
Application: God can save you but if you don’t allow the Holy Spirit to correct your slave mindset to sin through his Word, you will still live in bondage to old habits and old sins. Jesus said in John 10:36“if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.”
So the people finally moved after sitting around a mountain for almost 11 months and they came to Kadesh Barnea. Now they could see the Promised Land.Listen to Deut 1 20And I (Moses)said to you, “You have come to the mountains of the Amorites, which the LORD our God is giving us. 21Look, the LORD your God has set the land before you; go upandpossessit . . .do not fear or be discouraged.” What was their response? Instead of trusting God and moving forward they begged Moses to send spies first. God agreed but ten of the twelve spies brought back a negative report. They told them how the people were greater and taller and how the cities were fortified up to the heaven. Plus, there were giants in the land. Moses reminded them that God had carried them so far “as a man carries his son” but nothing mattered. The people had made up their minds. God was angry. He cursed them to die in the wilderness (20 years and above), except Moses, Joshua, and Caleb. He told them to go back into the dessert and he
What was their response? Okay, okay, we’re so sorry. We’ll do it. Listen to what happened next – Deut 1 42“And the LORD said to me, “Tell them, ‘Do not go up nor fight, for I amnot among you. . . 43So I spoke to you; yet you would not listen, but rebelled against the command of the LORD, and presumptuously went up into the mountain. 44And the Amorites who dwelt in that mountain came out against you and chased you as bees do, and drove you back from Seir to Hormah. 45Then you returned and wept before the LORD, but the LORD would not listen to your voice nor give ear to you. There’s a play on words here. This was supposed to be “a land flowing with milk and honey.” (Exodus 3:8) To have honey, you need bees. God was going to take the stingers out of the bees for you but since you took God out, the bees still have their stingers. In other words, the blessing is still there but each time you get near, you get stung. What’s the result? Deut. 1:46“So you remained in Kadesh many days. . .” I did the math and that’s 13,880 days (38 years). Daniel Block called it a “classic understatement. A whole generation had to die in the wilderness. Why? THEY STILL HAD SINS TO CONFESS.Someone might say – “What does this have to do with me?” 1 Corinthians 10:11“Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition. . .”
Application:If there is the sin of disobedience and disbelief in your life, you need to confess and repent. Repentance is more than just turn and return. It is a change of mind regarding sin. The Children of Israel were not truly sorry for their sins. They were only sorry that they got caught. Unless you truly confess your sin, you cannot move forward.
As if all this was not enough warning to the next generation, they too made the same mistake as their parents and grandparents. Listen to Deut 2:1“Then we turned and journeyed into the wilderness of the Way of the Red Sea, as the LORD spoke to me, and we skirted Mount Seir for many days.”Mount Seir is in the land of Edom (modern day Jordan). Instead of moving forward, they circled that mountain for a while. WHY? THEY STILL HAD FEARS TO CONQUER.After all these years of wandering, they still had the fear that God was not with them. Listen to Deut 2 2“And the LORD spoke to me, saying: 3“You have skirted this mountain long enough; turn northward.”God had to tell them what he had told their parents and grandparents 40 years earlier – “Enough going in circles! Move forward!”
Why do we go in circles instead of moving forward?Sometimes, we are still living with a slave mindset.It’s easier to blame or feel self-pity than to accept responsibility for our inactions. Sometimes, we still have sins that need to be confessed.It’s easier to sweep things under the rug than to face our sins and repent. Sometimes, we still have fears that need to be conquered. We’re afraid of facing the challenges waiting ahead. We would rather complain and compare than confront our doubts and complacency.
Here are some questions to consider: Are you stuck? Are you wasting time going in circles? What is it that’s keeping you from moving forward? Would you rather skirt the mountain in your life than step out in faith? Do you blame others for your indecisions? Is crying and complaining easier than climbing and conquering? These are tough questions but unless you answer them honestly, there will be no progress in your life.
The place to begin is not by self-determination and self-will or even clarifying your goals or your strategy. Begin by clarifying who God is and whether you know him.Many times, our lack of movement is directly proportional to the size of our God. People who serve a big God attempt big things in life. But, it’s not enough to believe in a big God. You also have to know his heart for you. The only way to come to him is by first coming to his Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus said,“I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.(John 14:6). If you don’t know Jesus, receive him today as Savior and King. If you do know him, it’s time to move forward!
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