Deuteronomy 1:26-42: Bitterness of Sin... Freedom in the Lord!

TVCC Students,
It was so great to see so many of you out last night having fellowship before service and engaging with the Lord during worship and teaching. We are continually humbled to be a part of your journeys with the Lord. Last night we finished up Deuteronomy 1 as Moses took the newest generation on a quick trip down "memory lane" one more time to remind them of the consequences their parents had experienced because of disobedience. Here is a recap:

Deuteronomy 1: 26-42: When we look at the nation of Israel as a whole, we see a picture of how the Lord deals with us on an individual basis throughout our lifetimes. Just as Israel as a nation would have seasons of rebellion due to unbelief, discipline from the Lord in order to bring them back to the Lord, and restoration after the Lord had led them to repentance, so we too have seasons individually of rebellion, discipline, and restoration as the Lord uses this life to refine us and mold us as His children through faith in Christ. For Israel, the promised land represented nearness to God and being established in His presence through walking in faithful obedience. For us, we are offered a spiritual promised land. When we choose to walk in faithful obedience to the Lord, we experience a nearness to Him, a security, peace, and joy that nothing else can compare to.

~1:26-32: As we saw last week, Israel had been enslaved to the Egyptians and were basically an entire nation with nothing. When the Lord called them to leave Egypt they did not have weapons to fight against their enemies. They were completely without defense against the enemies that they were supposed to overtake when possessing the promised land. The Lord was to be the Victory. He was going to defeat their enemies by His power so that He would get the glory, not them (Exodus 14:14). The same is true for us on a spiritual level. We were all slaves to sin, without hope of releasing ourselves (Romans 6). We were dead in our sins without hope of life again (Colossians 2 & Ephesians 2). We had no hope and needed the Lord to completely rescue us from the slavery and death that we were in. Our freedom and life is completely His doing through the death and resurrection of Christ on our behalf so that in all things, He gets the glory (1 Peter 4:11)! Christ is our Victory!!

Q: Do you realize how desperate you were apart from Christ? You were dead in your sins and He made you alive. He accomplished your salvation for His glory and your good. What does it look like for you to live thankfully for this completely undeserved, amazing gift of life and freedom that He has given you through His death and resurrection?

~1:33-35: As Moses explains the life of the past generation that had died in the wilderness, we see something so similar to our own lives. Despite all that the Lord had done for that generation by taking them from Egypt through the Red Sea, leading them by a cloud by day and fire by night... despite all of this, Israel still thought that the Lord was against them! They kept saying to Moses that they thought the Lord had taken them from Egypt just to have them destroyed! We are so similar in a spiritual way. The Lord frees us from our bondage to sin and offers us His presence though at times it might require that we make some changes to the way we are living in order to enjoy His presence unhindered. We grumble and complain, thinking that He his commands are just out to destroy us and that He doesn't want us to enjoy life. How narrow-minded we can be. His commands are not burdensome (1 John 5:3). They are for our good and for His glory! His ways are higher than ours and though we might not always understand why He is calling us to certain things that may be uncomfortable and hard, we must learn to trust Him and obey.

Q: What is an area of life where you have felt like the Lord was trying to "ruin" your life by calling you to do something hard or uncomfortable? Are you still in that situation now or has He allowed you to see, looking back, that this really was for your good and His glory? We encourage you to meditate on Isaiah 55 (especially 8-9) and remember that His ways are higher than ours!

~1:36-40: Moses calls the new generation to see that the old generation had not been able to enter the promised land because of their disobedience. The Lord had allowed the nation of Israel as a whole to see that sin lead to bitterness and death (wandering aimlessly in the desert without seeing the promised land). Jeremiah 2:17 shows us that it is bitter for us to forsake the Lord. Just as God let Israel feel the bitter sting of sin, so He will often let His children (those who are in Christ) feel the bitterness sting of sin in order to bring them to repentance and trust in Him. The Lord disciplines His children just as a great father disciplines his children (Hebrews 12).

Q: In what areas of your life have you felt that the Lord was letting you feel the bitter sting of sin in order to bring you to repentance and to a more trusting and intimate relationship with Him once you saw that His ways were better?

~1:41-46: In wrapping up his lesson to the new generation, Moses reminds the new generation that Israel had tried unsuccessfully to defeat their enemies apart from the help of the Lord. Once Israel had disobeyed and been called to wander in the desert, they tried to have delayed obedience apart from the Lord's help. This was a disaster. They were defeated and completely discouraged. The same is true for us spiritually. We must remember continually that just as the Lord redeemed us through His power, He sanctifies us through His power. We do not have enough willpower to walk with Him and obey Him apart from His Spirit. We are saved by grace through faith and we are sanctified by grace through faith! We cannot just muster up enough energy to obey His commands on our own. To overcome this world and our sin, it is completely necessary that we continue to behold Him. We must continually see that pursuing Him is better and that His Spirit leads us in victory. This happens as we meditate on His Word and on who He is. 2 Corinthians 3:18 says that we are changed as we behold Him. He is worth pursuing.

Q: What does it look like for you to genuinely trust in the Lord on a daily basis to help you overcome the spiritual enemies that you encounter? What does your life look like when you try to muster up obedience and good works on your own, apart from the Spirit of Christ?

Dear Students,
It is an honor and joy to walk through Deuteronomy with you all and see the great things that the Lord wanted for Israel and the great things that He has in store for us spiritually as we seek to follow and trust Him. It is so important that we learn from Israel that it is empty and bitter for us to walk in sin. Jesus is better! Only Jesus satisfies!! Just as Israel's weapon against their enemies was trusting in the Lord physically to defeat other armies, our weapon against the spiritual battles that we fight is to trust in the Lord. Ephesians 6 tells us what the armor of God is. The Sword of the Spirit (which is the Word of God) is one of our greatest defenses. We pray that this week you will have sweet and intimate times with the Lord and that He will continue to refine you, showing you that His way is better. We pray that you will enjoy intimacy with Him and that you will continue to overcome the dark areas in your life as you walk in His Spirit and are conformed to His image through meditation on His Word. We love you all!

With hope,
~Sonny and Casi

Deuteronomy 1:19-33: Victory in the Lord

TVCC Students,
It has been so wonderful to be refreshed in the truths of Deuteronomy with you guys. We are encouraged to see you all on Wednesdays and Sunday evenings as we all seek to know our King more and learn what it means to live in His presence on a daily basis. This week we spent time looking further into Deuteronomy 1 and all of the truths that we can take from looking at the lives of the Israelites as the new generation stood ready to enter the Promised Land. Here is a recap...

~Deuteronomy means "second giving of the law" and where one generation of Israelites had failed to enjoy the Lord's promised land because of disobedience, the new generation stood ready to trust and obey.

Q: When you look at your life as a whole, would you say that you are more like the 1st generation of Israelites that lived in fear and disobedience or are you more like the 2nd generation that had fears but learned from the failures of others and was ready to trust the Lord and do whatever it takes to enjoy His presence (the wonderful promised land)?

~1:19-20: Israel was leaving the land of Horeb which was a dry, parched land to head into Kadesh-barnea which was the wonderful promised land that resembled the lush and beautiful garden of Eden. The Lord was calling them through Moses to leave the desert and pursue a new land that was so wonderful it couldn't even be compared with the parched desert from which they were leaving. The rebellion of the past generation had led to the people spending their lives wandering in a miserable land. This is a great picture of how sin and rebellion affects our lives. When we live in rebellion against the Lord, our lives are dry, empty, exhausting and unfruitful. The Lord has so much more for us if we will trust and obey Him.

Q: Has your life looked more like a dry, parched land lately because of your disobedience/ lack of faith or have you been living with the Lord in His presence ( more like a spiritual "garden of Eden" )? What changes do you feel the Lord calling you to make so that you can leave the desert and enjoy the promised land?

~1:20-21: God had freed the Israelites from the bondage of slavery of the Egyptians. He has freed us from the bondage of sin and death. The Israelites had been slaves in Egypt. We were once slaves to sin and death. The Lord gave them victory over their masters. The Lord gives us victory over our masters through the death and resurrection of Jesus!

~Colossians 2:13 explains this very clearly by showing us how we were once dead and He made us alive!

~Colossians 2:6 calls us to walk with Him in the same manner by which we have been saved- by grace through faith!

~John 17 is a great passage that shows Jesus' heart for us as we seek to be in His presence. God wants us to be one with Him not just for us but also so that the world will see God in us. The Lord also wants to be with us as He was with Adam in the garden... not for His good... but for our good! It is best for us to be with Him, to be near to Him. This brings Him glory and lets us enjoy the peace of His sweet presence.

~Another thing that we must note in this passage is that while the Lord gave the Israelites the Promised Land, they had to go and take it. He was calling them to action. Actions reveal faith. In the same way, we have as much of the Lord as we want but it does require action on our part. We must pursue Him.

Q: When you look at the actions in your life on a daily basis, would you say that you are actively pursuing a relationship with Jesus? What does it look like to pursue His presence?

~1:22-29: The new land that the Lord was calling Israel too was not an uninhabited land. The Anakim (giants) were still dwelling there and part of Israel's call to obedience was to overtake them by trusting in the Lord and obeying Him in battle. God often calls us to wage war against things that are "giant" to us but He calls us to trust in Him to lead us into victory over those things. Life with Jesus is not always comfortable or easy but only in Him will we find true and everlasting peace. Exodus 14:14 is a great reminder for us. The Lord fights for us!

Q: What "giants" are there in your life that the Lord is calling you to overcome BY HIS POWER and SPIRIT? Remember that we overcome everything by the power of Christ within us, not by trying to do things ourselves. What does it look like to overcome "giants" by HIS POWER?

~The Israelites had been living in tents and God wanted to give them a permanent, wonderful home. We are so similar. We had been wandering around spiritually in insecurity and instability and the Lord wants to give us eternal peace and stability in His presence. Let us not complain when things are difficult because our eternity is secure in Him!!

Q: Do you find yourself being someone who continually complains about your life or are you taking each struggle and using it as a way to be refined by the Lord for His glory and your good? What is the most recent struggle that you have gone through that could have been used to grow you? How did you react to that challenge?

~Take a look at Mark 5 and let it sink in as to how powerful Jesus is. Just as the Lord was more than able to overcome the enemies of Israel in the book of Deuteronomy, He is more than able to overcome every struggle and battle that we face. Jesus is powerful!!

Q: Which section of Mark 5 is most encouraging to you? Why?

~1:30-33: Before sending Israel out to overcome their enemies, Moses has them call to mind past victories that the Lord had led them in. When facing battles of our own, it is always so important that we call to mind past victories that the Lord has led us in and even dwell on past victories that we have seen Him lead other in. The Lord has overcome for so many people and He continues to lead His people in victories, both small and great! He carries us for His glory and our good! Let us trust in Him.

Q: What is the most powerful victory that you have seen someone go through by the Lord's power?

Dear students,
We love you all so much. We love getting to spend time with you and see how the Lord is moving in your lives. We pray that you will spend time meditating on His word today and enjoying fellowship with one another as we seek to be in His presence and represent His name well to the world around us. Meditate on His victories and continue to pursue a relationship with Him by grace through faith. Again, we love you!!

With hope,
~Sonny and Casi

Deuteronomy 1: Before Entering the Promised Land...

TVCC Students,
We continue to be encouraged to see you all every Wednesday night. It's always refreshing to worship with you guys! Last night we made the switch to Deuteronomy from Hebrews. We will most likely be jumping back into Hebrews once we get a good overview of Deuteronomy and God's heart towards His people then and now. Here is a recap from last night...

~Before jumping straight into Deuteronomy, it's a good idea to find out how the Lord had been dealing with Israel in the past. When we look at Genesis 12, we see that the Lord chose Abram out of all of the people in the world to make a great nation out of him. God promised to give Abram land, a great name, and innumerable descendants. Just as with our salvation, God's choosing of Abram was not based on his good works, nor could Abram sustain the promise. The Lord made this promise and the Lord would keep it! While we often fail to keep our word, the Lord never does! He is faithful!

Q: Have you spent time lately looking through the Word at the promises of God? We encourage you to look through the Psalms this week and throughout the Word to meditate on His promises.

Deuteronomy 1:1-8
~1:1-3: As we saw last week, the journey that should have taken Israel only 11 days ended up taking them 40 years because of their disobedience! Though God never abandoned His people and continued to provide for them throughout their wilderness journey, their disobedience and lack of faith prevented them from being used by the Lord to take the promised land. Instead of enjoying His presence in the land flowing with milk and honey, they wandered aimlessly for years in "survival mode" with the Lord still providing for and sustaining them. We are often in a similar situation as the Israelites. We are offered as much of the Lord as we want. We can enjoy the fullness of His presence here on earth- a spiritual land flowing with milk and honey- or we can just "survive" with the Lord if we choose not to trust and follow His leadership.

Q: What does it look like on a daily basis for you to be resting in the "promised land" of the Lord, enjoying His presence? Do you find yourself walking in obedience to the Lord, ready to be used by Him, or would you say that He could easily see you as one who could be "passed over"  as He waits for trust and obedience to come from your children or grandchildren?

~1:3: The book of Deuteronomy is an account of Moses' words to the Israelite nation before they would head into battle with foreign nations to claim the land God had promised to give them. This overtaking of occupied lands would not be easy. Instead of Moses discussing war strategies, He is calling the people to renew their faith in the Lord and walk in obedience to Him. Moses knew Exodus 14:14 really well, "The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent." Battles are not won by the most advanced armies. Battles are won because the Lord allows them to be won! Moses knew this and was calling the people to seek the Lord's favor as the battles approached (Psalm 20:7).

Q: Are you someone who trusts in the Lord to fight on your behalf or are you constantly trying to defend yourself? Remember that we are called to obey and trust Him and let Him be the one that defends and provides for us.

~1:3: While Moses was calling the Israelites to renew their trust in the Lord, he also reminded them often of the past generation that had chosen disobedience over trust. Though that generation was still God's chosen people, He spent their lives disciplining them as a nation just as He often does with us as individuals for a season. When we look at Hebrews 12:4, we see that the Lord disciplines His children for their good. When we find ourselves under the Lord's disciple, let us spend time meditating on that disciple and find out how the Lord is trying to change us. Learn from discipline. Don't get angry or exhausted... repent and change. He wants an intimate relationship with His children.

Q: Can you recall the last time you felt the Lord's discipline? How did you respond to it? Did you find yourself rebelling against Him or ready to repent and change so that you could enjoy a more full and intimate relationship with Him?

~1:3: One thing that we must not look over is the fact that though Israel had walked for a time in disobedience, the Lord was still speaking to them through Moses. The callings of God are irrevocable (Romans 11:29). Once we are the Lord's through faith in Christ, nothing can change that!

~1:4-8: Moses ends this section with some strong action words! He calls the Israelites to "go," "turn," and "set their journey." He was calling them to stop wandering and to take what the Lord had promised to give them! We can look at our calling as believers in Christ and see a similar charge in Romans 12. Let us be transformed by the Lord and walk in a manner that pleases Him! Let us not settle for being mediocre. Let us not just wander aimlessly through life! Let us throw off anything that hinders us from having an intimate relationship with Jesus and enjoy the fullness of His presence. He died so we could walk in intimacy with Him!

Q: What is hindering you from walking in an intimate relationship with the Lord? By His Spirit, we encourage you to throw that off this week and walk in freedom with Christ!

Dear students,
We love you all so much. We are so honored to get to walk with you in this journey to know, love, and glorify Jesus. We pray that this week you will meditate on Jesus. Spend time enjoying Him through His Word and spend time thinking on His promises that will never fail. We are praying for you!

With hope,
~Sonny and Casi