ALL or NOTHING
KYLC was a slap in the face every talk. Here are my notes... nothing fancy or anything. You may look at the photos after you've finished reading =).
Morning talks - Deuteronomy - Kirk Patston
Talk 1: The Choice – Deut 6.
There is a Yahweh who is one. This means he is consistent, reliable, unique, exclusive,….thus it logical that every all of what you are is used to live in loving devotion to him. However, the choice to obey and love God is a big one. All or nothing. If you chose to love Yahweh, then you are to love with all your heart, soul and all your “very muchness.” But remember - loving God is not just a chore or a job – it is a passion. Enjoy it. Loving God is not something done out of guilt, but out of thankfulness for Jesus in winning forgiveness for us, just as the Israelites love God in thankfulness towards their deliverance out of Egypt.
Talk 2: The Choice in Shocking Detail – Deut 7.
Zero tolerance. The passage tells the Israelites to show no mercy to other religions in order for them to remain holy, set apart, distinctive. Why should Hitite children stay alive if it destroys the religious purity of the Israelites? Lives are less important than holiness. Deut 13.. if ur friend wants to check out Buddhism, it’s not “take him out for coffee and talk sense into him.” It’s kill. Do not yield. Why? 13: 10-11. All or nothing. You either Deut 6:5 or you don’t. The shocking details continue. In Deut 23 Yahweh continues to insist on the right to be demanding, outrageous and intrusive. Yahweh is more important than human privacy.
On this side of Jesus, Yahweh is still just as uncompromising when it comes to our holiness. Check out the teaching of Jesus – gouge eye, hate family, give up lives, crucify ourselves to follow him. Check out the death of Jesus – God would rather kill his son than to see our purity pooed. What’s different in AD is that Jesus has built a different kind of kingdom. Israel was a temporary thing, getting us ready to understand Jesus. Jn 18:36 “My kingdom is not of this world.”
Are there things I will not tolerate?
Will I let God be intrusive? God wants my every thought, breath and moment.
Talk 3: The Choice to be Gracious – Deut 15:1-18.
Grace for the poor – v1-11. The idea of cancelling debts is profound and brave. The concern here is attitude – v7,8,10 etc. LOVE! Think the best, be open hearted – the choice to be gracious. I can give things away cos I can trust God to provide. Duet 15:12-19 – grace for servants. Check out vv13-15. And then there’s grace for Levites (18:1-8). Grace for the man slaughters (19:1-10). Grace for soldiers (20:1-20). vv5-9 wow. People are not just things that get jobs done. V10: Grace for enemy cities. V19 Grace for trees. Don’t hurt trees cos they’re not people.
On this side of Jesus, the call to be gracious is still the same cos God doesn’t change. Jesus: Jn 13:4. Early church: Acts 4:32-35. Paul: Rom 12, Gal 6:10. Be gracious, not because God’s rescued us from Egypt, but because Jesus rescued us from death. Our graciousness is a response to the graciousness of Jesus.
Choose to be gracious. Be imaginative about it.
Talk 4: The Consequences of the choice - Deut 28:1-19.
The land was a gracious gift, like the world’s best coffee (Deut 8). Iraelites had to choose – Do they keep living for God or not? If they keep putting God first, then they will be blessed – get participation in God’s purposes (vv 9-10). If not, then God will punish (v20-24). The idea of enjoying life is over (vv 30-32 – contrast to 20:1-20). Exodus will be undone (v68) – ultimate humiliation. They will NEED to sell themselves and NOONE will wanna buy them. Foreign military powers will defeat and judge them. It will be a degrading humiliation. (vv28, 34, 65-67, 53-57). Reduced to worse than an animal.
On this side of Jesus, God’s profound hatred of disobedience is still the same. What’s different is the work of Jesus. Jesus is the representative Israelite. Jesus obeyed and was blessed. Jesus shares blessings with us (Eph1, Phil 2:4-6). Jesus became a curse for us (Gal3:13). It is in Jesus that our curse be taken, and blessing is received.
Remember that choices have consequences.
Heb 6:4-8 – blessing and curses.
Heb 6:10-12 – work and love diligence, not laziness.
Your choices matter. Don’t make excuses not to do right.
Talk 5: The choice and the future – Deut 29-30.
God’s word is accessible (30:11-14): Moses has presented it to them clearly, so they can memorise, etc. It is also doable – describes situations that make sense. Not easy, but simple.
There is a real choice to be made here (30:15-18). Between good and evil, life and death. Blessed or cursed.
An appealing choice (30:19-20).
Tricky – is it optimism or pessimism that’s expressed in Deut
It’s sorta like star wars.
History of Israel shows one act of unfaithfulness after another (Deut 29:27-28, 30:1, 31:16-18, 32).
So how can Moses say they can choose life when they don’t?
They’re gonna make the wrong choice. Things will be bad before they be good.
Deuteronomy pessimistic. Check out 32.
Think about how Jesus answers the tension.
Moses’ optimism in 30 awaits its fulfillment in Jesus, the ideal Israelite.
On this side of Jesus, the source of real life is Jesus.
Check out Rom 10:5-13
Rom 10:6-8: an accessible word – Jesus.
Rom 10:9-10: a real choice about Jesus.
Rom 10:11, 13: an appealing choice. Choose life!
God can offer life to people in a simple way.
God’s loving nature hasn’t changed.
gimmie the Hebrews!
