Special Study Outline

A NEW BEGINNING
Deut. 11:10-24 Life can seem terribly dreary. Familiar patterns are repeated over and over again. Ruts appear. Dishes keep getting dirty. Bills keep coming. The house always needs something done to it. And as we grow older, our bodies signal the rapid passing of time. Energy levels decline. Aches and pains come from nowhere. From being unthinkable, one's own death is seen as a real possibility. Emotionally we can feel trapped by what has gone before. Previous actions, mistakes, and evils close in on our minds. We can be haunted by what has happened. Ezekiel had a vision addressed to such a lifeless and hopeless frame of mind. He saw a valley full of dried out bones. As he prophesied, the bones came together, flesh was put upon them, and breath entered them. From dry bones came a great army. And the Lord said to Ezekiel, *These bones are the whole house of* *Israel. They indeed say, `Our bones are dry, our hope is lost, and we ourselves are cut off!' Therefore prophesy and say to them, ` ... Behold, O My people, I will open your graves and cause you to come up from your graves, and bring you into the land* of *Israel. Then you shall know that I am the Lord when I have opened your graves, O My people, and brought you up from your graves'* (37:11-13). Our bones are dry. Our hope is lost. How pitiful! And how false! Life is repetitive and dreary only if we choose to look at it that way. For all around us there is a renewal of life. New beginnings are taking place constantly. Consider the natural world. Plants and animals are constantly reproducing, much more than this world could support. Every day the sun comes up anew. Each new year is ushered in with festivity. Even in the fall when the leaves turn and life seems to drain away, there is the promise of rebirth. Unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain (John 12:24). Consider also some events in the life cycle. A child leaves home for school. A person leaves school for a job. Single life is given up for marriage. Children grow up and establish their own homes. Retirement comes. Each of these changes involves loss and gain a new beginning. Even death itself is growth. FOR THE CHRISTIAN, LIFE REALLY BEGINS AFTER DEATH. Even as natural life has changes new beginnings so spiritually there can be a constant renewal of life. The Lord is working with our spirits so that we are renewed every moment of every day. The fact is, there are new beginnings in our lives all the time. The Lord is raising up our apparently dry bones, putting flesh upon them, and breathing life into them. ILLUS. – A preacher who had never sailed before told about going sailing with his friend. When he got in the sailboat, he was like most landlubbers. He saw the sailboat only as a means of transportation--like driving to work. He thought their purpose was to get to the next docking place as fast as possible. But his friend had a much different about sailing. He was in no hurry at all. In fact, he took great delight in sailing his boat. The winds and waves were a challenge to him. As a true sailor, he received as much enjoyment from sailing as he did from reaching the destination. We often feel the same way about our journey to heaven as that preacher did about sailing. Thinking only of how wonderful it will be when we arrive, we become impatient and dissatisfied in the trials of this life. So we miss out on much of what God has to offer in the immediate challenges. Great spiritual blessings can be ours as we face life's challenges. There are truths to be discovered, battles to be won, lessons to be learned, and spiritual delights to be enjoyed along the way. Israel missed out on much of what God had to offer as they journeyed through the wilderness. They didn't know how to enjoy the challenges growth required along the way. In Deuteronomy Moses reveals that it took Israel 40 years to make an eleven-day trip. Moses writes, It takes eleven days to go from Horeb to Kadesh Barnea by the Mount Seir road. (Deuteronomy 1:1-3). Kadesh Barnea is on the border of Canaan; it is an eleven-day journey from Horeb. Yet, Israel took forty years to get beyond it. This eleven-day journey on foot would be nothing for our space age. But it took them forty years to make the trip. It wasn't the distance traveled that made it a long journey. Their trip was much like the woman who was asked by a coworker: Well, I hope you enjoyed your three week vacation? The woman responded, Have you ever spent three weeks in a van with people you thought you loved? Israel had wondered forty years in the wilderness and they did not see it as a vacation from gathering straw and making bricks. The beginning of a new year always brings an opportunity for a new beginning IN LIFE. Before they crossed into the Promised Land, Moses reminded the children of Israel of God's care for them as they began their new life. We go into the new year with God’s provision, God’s presence, God’s promise and God’s protection. I. God’s provision (v. 11) The Promised Land is described as a land of hills and valleys. As such, it is nothing like Egypt. Egypt is a flat land. There are no valleys and mountains there. But, Canaan is different. Everywhere the Israelites traveled, when they entered Canaan, they encountered the hills and the valleys. I want you to know that 2009 will be a year of hills and valleys. There will be times when you will experience the mountain top experiences and there will be times when you will walk through the valleys of life. As we enter this New Year, let us not do so blindly, but with the knowledge that it will bring with it both the up experiences as well as the down times too. Be that as it may, let us also remember that all our times, both the ups and the downs, are controlled by the Lord (Psa. 37:23). Let us remember that God must allow anything that comes our way (Rom. 8:28). His intentions for us are not evil but good, all through the year, “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.” (Jer. 29:11) Therefore, do not be surprised when you descend from the mountain into the valley as this year progresses. None of us knows what lies ahead, but we walk with a God Who does. We walk with One Who intimately knows the way, and Who has prepared the way as He has seen fit. Since this is true, we need not worry nor fear, but we should walk quietly, peacefully and humbly with the Lord as He leads us through the ups and the downs of the new year. Israel's deliverance from the bondage of slavery in Egypt--was almost as miraculous as our deliverance from the bondage of sin through Christ. The amazing thing is that the journey to the Promise Land is just as treacherous for me is it was for them. Paul speaks of Israel’s failure to reach the Promise Land after their Exodus from Egypt as a warning for all of us. 1 Corinthians 10:1-13 "For I do not want you to be ignorant of the fact, brothers, that our forefathers were all under the cloud and that they all passed through the sea. They were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. They all ate the same spiritual food and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ. Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them; their bodies were scattered over the desert. They were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea . . . The night before God parted the Red Sea for Israel to cross, God came between the Egyptians and the Israelites in a cloud. The Egyptians only saw darkness while Israel enjoyed the light. Paul referred to God overshadowing Israel with a cloud and crossing of the Red Sea as a baptism into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. He compares it to our baptism into Christ. Paul says that they were also following Christ as their spiritual rock. They ate the same spiritual food . . . they drank the same spiritual drink, for they drank from the same spiritual rock . . . that rock was Christ. They were following Christ. Christ was seeking to lead them to the Promise Land, just as he seeks to lead us to the Promise Land. Unfortunately, Israel was like many of us who have been baptized into Christ (Galatians 3:26,27). They enjoyed the same supernatural food that we do, but it gave them indigestion. It took them a lifetime to make an eleven-day trip. Sadly many of them didn't reach the Promise Land, including Moses. Thank God for the hills and the valleys! Imagine what the world would be like without these beautiful mountains we are surrounded by! So it is in our spiritual life as well. Imagine a life where every day was the same. Imagine a life that was dull and boring because the landscape never changed. Thank God for the good days of life they produce rejoicing in our souls! Also, thank God for the difficult days of life. They drive us to our knees and cause us to look heavenward for the help to make it through. Friends, we could never appreciate the anchor if we never felt the storm! Even though there may be hills and valleys, God will be the source for our provisions. II. God’s presence (v. 12) The Bible tells us that this new land is a land that God cares about. The children of Israel can go there in confidence knowing that their God is going ahead of them and looking at all they will face before they arrive, and that even as they journey, His eye will ever be upon them. The land they are headed to is a land that commands the attention of the Lord. He is committed to watching over their land and over them as well. His eyes are on every curve of the road and they see every hill and valley that His children will face. He sees the situations that are arising ahead of us and He goes before to insure that everything we need will already be in place before we ever arrive. He looks to that way His children take. (Job – Job 23:10) If God will keep His eyes on the sparrow and the needs it has (Matt. 10:29-31) we can rest assured that He will keep His eye on those who have been purchased by the blood of the Lamb. May we never forget that whether our steps lead us through the glorious heights of the mountain top experience, or through the rugged valleys below, we will never leave the gaze of our Father. May we never forget that with every step we take, He is watching and He is working our His perfect will in our lives. May we remember that even when the world and life make no sense, we are in His hand and His presence is ever with us. Heb. 13:5 – Never leave you, never forsake you. Matt. 28:20 – Lo I am with you always Bob Richards, the former pole-vault champion, shares a moving story about a skinny young boy who loved football with all his heart. Practice after practice, he eagerly gave everything he had. But being half the size of the other boys, he got absolutely nowhere. At all the games, this hopeful athlete sat on the bench and hardly ever played. This teenager lived alone with his father, and the two of them had a very special relationship. Even though the son was always on the bench, his father was always in the stands cheering. He never missed a game…It was this way in grade school, in high school, and even in college: he never missed a practice and he never got to play because he was smaller than every other member on the team. He was kept on simply because he was an inspiration to the other members of the team. At the end of his senior football season as he trotted onto the practice field shortly before the big playoff game, the coach met him with a telegram. The young man read the telegram and he became deathly silent. Swallowing hard, he mumbled to the coach, "My father died this morning. Is it all right if I miss practice today?" The coach put his arm gently around his shoulder and said, "Take the rest of the week off, son. And don't even plan to come back to the game on Saturday." Saturday arrived, and the game was not going well. In the third quarter, when the team was ten points behind, a silent young man quietly slipped into the empty locker room and put on his football gear. As he ran onto the sidelines, the coach and his players were astounded to see their faithful teammate back so soon…"Coach, please let me play. I've just got to play today." said the young man. The coach pretended not to hear him. There was no way he wanted his worst player in this close playoff game. But the young man persisted, and finally feeling sorry for the kid, the coach gave in. "All right," he said. "You can go in." Before long, the coach, the players and everyone in the stands could not believe their eyes. This little unknown, who had never played before was doing everything right. The opposing team could not stop him. He ran, he passed, blocked and tackled like a star. His team began to triumph. The score was soon tied. In the closing seconds of the game, this kid intercepted a pass and ran all the way for the winning touchdown. The fans broke loose. His teammates hoisted him onto their shoulders. Such cheering you never heard! Finally, after the stands had emptied and the team had showered and left the locker room, the coach noticed that the young man was sitting quietly in the corner all alone. The coach came to him and said, "Kid, I can't believe it. You were fantastic! Tell me what got into you? How did you do it?" He looked at the coach, with tears in his eyes, and said, "Well, you knew my dad died, but did you know that my dad was blind?' The young man swallowed hard and forced a smile, "Dad came to all my games, but today was the first time he could see me play, and I wanted to show him I could do it!" Moses refers to the God of Israel as "your God." He is a personal Savior and Lord. His eyes are upon us. III. God’s promise (vv. 13-15) God promises that if we love Him and serve Him with all our hearts then His blessings will be upon us. The 430 years of bondage in Egypt had brought reproach upon Abraham’s descendants in the eyes of the world. Their reproach had done untold damage to their psyche. In Egypt they had been humiliated and ostracized to the point that they thought that slavery was the natural way of life. They often pleaded with Moses in the wilderness to be allowed to go back into bondage rather than suffer the wilderness experience. The reproach of the world sought to draw them back into slavery. They had suffered such a great loss of self-esteem that it was all but impossible to lead them to a better way of living. The road ahead of them was difficult but it was the road that would lead them to share in God’s glory. God had led the Israelites as they were kicking and screaming through their forty-year wilderness journey. The forty years of bondage had convinced them that there was nothing better ahead of them. They couldn’t imagine that a gracious God was seeking to take away their reproach. As Israel approaches the land of promise after their forty years of kicking and screaming in the wilderness, God reveals his plan to roll away their reproach. Joshua 5:2-9 At that time the LORD said to Joshua, ‘Make flint knives and circumcise the Israelites again.’ So Joshua made flint knives and circumcised the Israelites at Gibeath Haaraloth. Now this is why he did so: All those who came out of Egypt-all the men of military age-died in the desert on the way after leaving Egypt. All the people that came out had been circumcised, but all the people born in the desert during the journey from Egypt had not. The Israelites had moved about in the desert forty years until all the men who were of military age when they left Egypt had died, since they had not obeyed the LORD. For the LORD had sworn to them that they would not see the land that he had solemnly promised their fathers to give us, a land flowing with milk and honey. So he raised up their sons in their place, and these were the ones Joshua circumcised. They were still uncircumcised because they had not been circumcised on the way. And after the whole nation had been circumcised, they remained where they were in camp until they were healed. Then the LORD said to Joshua, ‘Today I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you.’ So the place has been called Gilgal to this day" (NIV). God seeks give Israel a new identity as he rolls away the reproach of Egypt. God’s rolling away their past was an important aspect of Israel’s inheritance of the Promised Land. Israel was ready to claim God’s new identity for them. Overcoming our past is the most difficult part of a new beginning. The world won’t allow us to forget our past. Often we think God imposes the reproach of guilt and shame upon us, but these are things the world’s system imposes upon us. Guilt and shame enslave us to further guilt and shame through self-hatred and self-rejection. This is why God’s rolling away the reproach of the guilt and shame of sin is an important part of our salvation. It signifies the new identity God has given us. It is no accident that the Bible speaks of those enslaved to sin. Satan’s world order of things seeks to enslave us to the reproach of this world. Most of our problems in life result from the way we feel about ourselves. If we don’t feel that we deserve God’s blessings we won’t live so as to avail ourselves of his blessings. How do we look upon those who have been disgraced? More importantly, how do those who have been disgraced look upon themselves? Disgrace means to fall from a place of honor. It is to lose favor or standing. It is accompanied with humiliation and a loss of self-esteem and enduring reproach. It is usually accompanied by ostracism. The Israelites were circumcised at Gilgal. Circumcision was indicative of God rolling away their past. It was to give them a new beginning as they crossed over into the Promised Land. Their circumcision typified what baptism does for us as God takes away our sin. C. S. Lewis writes, “I find a good many people bothered by ... our Lord's words, Be ye perfect. Some people seem to think this means ‘Unless you are perfect, I will not help you’; and as we cannot be perfect, then ... our position is hopeless. But I do not think he did mean that. I think he meant ‘The only help I will give is help to become perfect. You may want something less: but I will give you nothing less.’” Too many are looking for a perfect church. Many seeking to come to Christ are trying to live good enough lives to deserve a better standing before God. They think they have to be good enough to deserve what God wants to give them. This leaves them feeling the shame of their spiritual inability. The world’s system convinces many they don’t deserve or need the blessings of divine grace. Ephesians 2:1-10 "As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath. But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions-it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do" (NIV) Salvation is by grace and not by works. Salvation is not getting what we deserve; it is accepting what we don’t deserve—the righteousness of Christ that makes us sons and daughters of God. God is not out to give us what we deserve. He is seeking to give us what we don’t deserve—divine forgiveness—as he rolls away the reproach of our sin and gives us this new identity in Christ. God is seeking to give you a new identity by making you his child as you accept the sacrifice of Christ for your sins. That identity is seen in the righteousness of Christ. Galatians 3:26-29 "You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise" (NIV). Galatians 4:6-7 "Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, ‘Abba, Father.’ So you are no longer a slave, but a son; and since you are a son, God has made you also an heir" (NIV). Israel had to claim her identity before she conquered the Promised Land. Israel had to accept God’s willingness to roll away their approach--they lined up and were circumcised at Gilgal. We must claim God’s new identity for us at baptism. It is there that make a commitment to walk in this new identity as God raises us up in Christ. You can’t come to Christ and continue to live under the reproach of this world. To do so will only bring disgrace. It is absolutely essential that you understand your new standing before God in Christ—you are a child of God. If you join a church without understanding and claiming what God is seeking to do for you personally through Jesus Christ, you will never discover a new beginning. You will never walk in victory. You are a child of God; this is what the church is about—human beings becoming God’s children—what a great standing from a heavenly perspective. Hebrews 11:6 And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him" (NIV). God only rewards those who have faith in him. It is not our works that give us a right standing. Works—or righteous living is only proof of our faith—of our new identity; they are not a means to earning our standing before God (James 2:14-26). There are the means of claiming this new identity. Satan convinces us that God only rewards the perfect person that never makes a mistake, but God rewards those who place their trust in him, regardless of their imperfections. God thinks you deserve sharing his glory despite your imperfections. IV. God’s protection (vv. 16-24) The Lord will go before us and drive out our enemies. How many of us would like to have a new beginning? We may often dream about how we would do things differently if we had life to live over. We would want to make some crucial changes in hopes of a different life or a new beginning. But this only happens in our dreams. Although it is impossible to live life over, you can have a new beginning. A new beginning is our only hope, for life moves forward even when we look backwards. It is not what has happened, but what is about to happen that is all-important. Paul was concerned that many in the church at Corinth would never make it to the Promise Land. I am concerned that many I preach to may not make it. I am concerned about making it to the Promise Land, myself. Paul warns us saying, "These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the fulfillment of the ages has come. So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall! No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it." It's scary to realize that most of the people who failed in Scriptures failed in the second half of their lives. When Moses struck the rock in anger, it was at the very near the end of the forty years wandering in the wilderness. It cost him the Promise Land. King Saul’s demise happened in the last years of his life. 1 Samuel 15:10-11 "Then the word of the LORD came to Samuel: "I am grieved that I have made Saul king, because he has turned away from me and has not carried out my instructions." Samuel was troubled, and he cried out to the LORD all that night" (NIV). Solomon’s heart was drawn away from God, as he grew old. 1 Kings 11:4-6 "As Solomon grew old, his wives turned his heart after other gods, and his heart was not fully devoted to the LORD his God, as the heart of David his father had been. He followed Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and Molech the detestable god of the Ammonites. So Solomon did evil in the eyes of the LORD; he did not follow the LORD completely, as David his father had done" (NIV). These things serve as our reminder. Romans 15:4 "For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope" (NIV).** WE NEED TO RESPECT THE ELDERLY AND THE OLDER PERSON. THE BIBLE TEACHES THIS. BUT SO OFTEN SOME CHRISTIANS THINK BECAUSE THEY ARE OLDER THEY KNOW EVERYTHING. OR THEY HAVE THE RIGHT TO SAY WHATEVER THEY WANT WHENEVER THEY WANT. BEING OLD DOESN’T GIVE YOU THE RIGHT TO BE CHILDISH. TO ACT ANY WAY YOU WANT. TO RUN THINGS LIKE A DICTATOR. IT CARRIES, INSTEAD, RESPONSIBILITY TO LEAD. BE CAREFUL OLD FARTS, YOU MAY FALL AWAY WITH THE FINISH LINE IN SIGHT (IF YOU CAN SEE THAT FAR). 34 times during the days of Israel’s wilderness wanderings, God sounded the triumphant note that they were going to possess the land. This was not a maybe so proposition, but it was a divine given. The land was theirs and they would be victorious in entering it, conquering it and possessing it. It was their land and nothing could or would stand in the way of that becoming a reality. IF WE ARE FAITHFUL IN JESUS, WE HAVE THE SAME ASSURANCE. There isn’t a person in this room that knows what this year will bring into view. However, I believe I can tell you with absolute confidence that this year will be YOUR year. When the mix of hills and valleys has all been averaged together, when all things are considered from the perspective of the Lord, when the smoke has cleared and the dust has settled, we will see that God has indeed brought us to the place of victory in our lives. No on

Deut. 11:10-24

Life can seem terribly dreary. Familiar patterns are repeated over and over again. Ruts appear. Dishes keep getting dirty. Bills keep coming. The house always needs something done to it. And as we grow older, our bodies signal the rapid passing of time. Energy levels decline. Aches and pains come from nowhere. From being unthinkable, one's own death is seen as a real possibility.

Emotionally we can feel trapped by what has gone before. Previous actions, mistakes, and evils close in on our minds. We can be haunted by what has happened.

Ezekiel had a vision addressed to such a lifeless and hopeless frame of mind. He saw a valley full of dried out bones. As he prophesied, the bones came together, flesh was put upon them, and breath entered them. From dry bones came a great army. And the Lord said to Ezekiel, These bones are the whole house of Israel. They indeed say, `Our bones are dry, our hope is lost, and we ourselves are cut off!' Therefore prophesy and say to them, ` ... Behold, O My people, I will open your graves and cause you to come up from your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel. Then you shall know that I am the Lord when I have opened your graves, O My people, and brought you up from your graves' (37:11-13).

Our bones are dry. Our hope is lost. How pitiful! And how false! Life is repetitive and dreary only if we choose to look at it that way. For all around us there is a renewal of life. New beginnings are taking place constantly.

Consider the natural world. Plants and animals are constantly reproducing, much more than this world could support. Every day the sun comes up anew. Each new year is ushered in with festivity. Even in the fall when the leaves turn and life seems to drain away, there is the promise of rebirth. Unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain (John 12:24).

Consider also some events in the life cycle. A child leaves home for school. A person leaves school for a job. Single life is given up for marriage. Children grow up and establish their own homes. Retirement comes. Each of these changes involves loss and gain a new beginning. Even death itself is growth. FOR THE CHRISTIAN, LIFE REALLY BEGINS AFTER DEATH.

Even as natural life has changes new beginnings so spiritually there can be a constant renewal of life. The Lord is working with our spirits so that we are renewed every moment of every day. The fact is, there are new beginnings in our lives all the time. The Lord is raising up our apparently dry bones, putting flesh upon them, and breathing life into them.

ILLUS. – A preacher who had never sailed before told about going sailing with his friend. When he got in the sailboat, he was like most landlubbers. He saw the sailboat only as a means of transportation--like driving to work. He thought their purpose was to get to the next docking place as fast as possible. But his friend had a much different about sailing. He was in no hurry at all. In fact, he took great delight in sailing his boat. The winds and waves were a challenge to him. As a true sailor, he received as much enjoyment from sailing as he did from reaching the destination.

We often feel the same way about our journey to heaven as that preacher did about sailing. Thinking only of how wonderful it will be when we arrive, we become impatient and dissatisfied in the trials of this life. So we miss out on much of what God has to offer in the immediate challenges. Great spiritual blessings can be ours as we face life's challenges. There are truths to be discovered, battles to be won, lessons to be learned, and spiritual delights to be enjoyed along the way.

Israel missed out on much of what God had to offer as they journeyed through the wilderness. They didn't know how to enjoy the challenges growth required along the way. In Deuteronomy Moses reveals that it took Israel 40 years to make an eleven-day trip. Moses writes, It takes eleven days to go from Horeb to Kadesh Barnea by the Mount Seir road. (Deuteronomy 1:1-3). Kadesh Barnea is on the border of Canaan; it is an eleven-day journey from Horeb. Yet, Israel took forty years to get beyond it.

This eleven-day journey on foot would be nothing for our space age. But it took them forty years to make the trip. It wasn't the distance traveled that made it a long journey. Their trip was much like the woman who was asked by a coworker: Well, I hope you enjoyed your three week vacation? The woman responded, Have you ever spent three weeks in a van with people you thought you loved? Israel had wondered forty years in the wilderness and they did not see it as a vacation from gathering straw and making bricks.

The beginning of a new year always brings an opportunity for a new beginning IN LIFE. Before they crossed into the Promised Land, Moses reminded the children of Israel of God's care for them as they began their new life. We go into the new year with God’s provision, God’s presence, God’s promise and God’s protection.

I. God’s provision (v. 11)

The Promised Land is described as a land of hills and valleys. As such, it is nothing like Egypt. Egypt is a flat land. There are no valleys and mountains there. But, Canaan is different. Everywhere the Israelites traveled, when they entered Canaan, they encountered the hills and the valleys.

I want you to know that 2009 will be a year of hills and valleys. There will be times when you will experience the mountain top experiences and there will be times when you will walk through the valleys of life. As we enter this New Year, let us not do so blindly, but with the knowledge that it will bring with it both the up experiences as well as the down times too.

Be that as it may, let us also remember that all our times, both the ups and the downs, are controlled by the Lord (Psa. 37:23). Let us remember that God must allow anything that comes our way (Rom. 8:28). His intentions for us are not evil but good, all through the year, “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.” (Jer. 29:11)

Therefore, do not be surprised when you descend from the mountain into the valley as this year progresses. None of us knows what lies ahead, but we walk with a God Who does. We walk with One Who intimately knows the way, and Who has prepared the way as He has seen fit. Since this is true, we need not worry nor fear, but we should walk quietly, peacefully and humbly with the Lord as He leads us through the ups and the downs of the new year.

Israel's deliverance from the bondage of slavery in Egypt--was almost as miraculous as our deliverance from the bondage of sin through Christ. The amazing thing is that the journey to the Promise Land is just as treacherous for me is it was for them.

Paul speaks of Israel’s failure to reach the Promise Land after their Exodus from Egypt as a warning for all of us.

1 Corinthians 10:1-13

"For I do not want you to be ignorant of the fact, brothers, that our forefathers were all under the cloud and that they all passed through the sea. They were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. They all ate the same spiritual food and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ. Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them; their bodies were scattered over the desert.

They were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea . . . The night before God parted the Red Sea for Israel to cross, God came between the Egyptians and the Israelites in a cloud. The Egyptians only saw darkness while Israel enjoyed the light. Paul referred to God overshadowing Israel with a cloud and crossing of the Red Sea as a baptism into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. He compares it to our baptism into Christ.

Paul says that they were also following Christ as their spiritual rock. They ate the same spiritual food . . . they drank the same spiritual drink, for they drank from the same spiritual rock . . . that rock was Christ. They were following Christ. Christ was seeking to lead them to the Promise Land, just as he seeks to lead us to the Promise Land.

Unfortunately, Israel was like many of us who have been baptized into Christ (Galatians 3:26,27). They enjoyed the same supernatural food that we do, but it gave them indigestion. It took them a lifetime to make an eleven-day trip. Sadly many of them didn't reach the Promise Land, including Moses.

Thank God for the hills and the valleys! Imagine what the world would be like without these beautiful mountains we are surrounded by! So it is in our spiritual life as well. Imagine a life where every day was the same. Imagine a life that was dull and boring because the landscape never changed. Thank God for the good days of life they produce rejoicing in our souls! Also, thank God for the difficult days of life. They drive us to our knees and cause us to look heavenward for the help to make it through. Friends, we could never appreciate the anchor if we never felt the storm!

Even though there may be hills and valleys, God will be the source for our provisions.

II. God’s presence (v. 12)

The Bible tells us that this new land is a land that God cares about. The children of Israel can go there in confidence knowing that their God is going ahead of them and looking at all they will face before they arrive, and that even as they journey, His eye will ever be upon them. The land they are headed to is a land that commands the attention of the Lord. He is committed to watching over their land and over them as well.

His eyes are on every curve of the road and they see every hill and valley that His children will face. He sees the situations that are arising ahead of us and He goes before to insure that everything we need will already be in place before we ever arrive. He looks to that way His children take. (Job – Job 23:10) If God will keep His eyes on the sparrow and the needs it has (Matt. 10:29-31) we can rest assured that He will keep His eye on those who have been purchased by the blood of the Lamb.

May we never forget that whether our steps lead us through the glorious heights of the mountain top experience, or through the rugged valleys below, we will never leave the gaze of our Father. May we never forget that with every step we take, He is watching and He is working our His perfect will in our lives. May we remember that even when the world and life make no sense, we are in His hand and His presence is ever with us.

Heb. 13:5 – Never leave you, never forsake you.

Matt. 28:20 – Lo I am with you always

Bob Richards, the former pole-vault champion, shares a moving story about a skinny young boy who loved football with all his heart.

Practice after practice, he eagerly gave everything he had. But being half the size of the other boys, he got absolutely nowhere. At all the games, this hopeful athlete sat on the bench and hardly ever played. This teenager lived alone with his father, and the two of them had a very special relationship. Even though the son was always on the bench, his father was always in the stands cheering. He never missed a game…It was this way in grade school, in high school, and even in college: he never missed a practice and he never got to play because he was smaller than every other member on the team. He was kept on simply because he was an inspiration to the other members of the team.

At the end of his senior football season as he trotted onto the practice field shortly before the big playoff game, the coach met him with a telegram. The young man read the telegram and he became deathly silent. Swallowing hard, he mumbled to the coach, "My father died this morning. Is it all right if I miss practice today?" The coach put his arm gently around his shoulder and said, "Take the rest of the week off, son. And don't even plan to come back to the game on Saturday."

Saturday arrived, and the game was not going well. In the third quarter, when the team was ten points behind, a silent young man quietly slipped into the empty locker room and put on his football gear. As he ran onto the sidelines, the coach and his players were astounded to see their faithful teammate back so soon…"Coach, please let me play. I've just got to play today." said the young man. The coach pretended not to hear him. There was no way he wanted his worst player in this close playoff game.

But the young man persisted, and finally feeling sorry for the kid, the coach gave in. "All right," he said. "You can go in." Before long, the coach, the players and everyone in the stands could not believe their eyes. This little unknown, who had never played before was doing everything right. The opposing team could not stop him. He ran, he passed, blocked and tackled like a star. His team began to triumph.

The score was soon tied. In the closing seconds of the game, this kid intercepted a pass and ran all the way for the winning touchdown. The fans broke loose. His teammates hoisted him onto their shoulders. Such cheering you never heard! Finally, after the stands had emptied and the team had showered and left the locker room, the coach noticed that the young man was sitting quietly in the corner all alone. The coach came to him and said, "Kid, I can't believe it. You were fantastic! Tell me what got into you? How did you do it?"

He looked at the coach, with tears in his eyes, and said, "Well, you knew my dad died, but did you know that my dad was blind?' The young man swallowed hard and forced a smile, "Dad came to all my games, but today was the first time he could see me play, and I wanted to show him I could do it!"

Moses refers to the God of Israel as "your God." He is a personal Savior and Lord. His eyes are upon us.

III. God’s promise (vv. 13-15)

God promises that if we love Him and serve Him with all our hearts then His blessings will be upon us.

The 430 years of bondage in Egypt had brought reproach upon Abraham’s descendants in the eyes of the world. Their reproach had done untold damage to their psyche. In Egypt they had been humiliated and ostracized to the point that they thought that slavery was the natural way of life. They often pleaded with Moses in the wilderness to be allowed to go back into bondage rather than suffer the wilderness experience. The reproach of the world sought to draw them back into slavery. They had suffered such a great loss of self-esteem that it was all but impossible to lead them to a better way of living. The road ahead of them was difficult but it was the road that would lead them to share in God’s glory.

God had led the Israelites as they were kicking and screaming through their forty-year wilderness journey. The forty years of bondage had convinced them that there was nothing better ahead of them. They couldn’t imagine that a gracious God was seeking to take away their reproach. As Israel approaches the land of promise after their forty years of kicking and screaming in the wilderness, God reveals his plan to roll away their reproach.

Joshua 5:2-9

At that time the LORD said to Joshua, ‘Make flint knives and circumcise the Israelites again.’ So Joshua made flint knives and circumcised the Israelites at Gibeath Haaraloth.

Now this is why he did so: All those who came out of Egypt-all the men of military age-died in the desert on the way after leaving Egypt. All the people that came out had been circumcised, but all the people born in the desert during the journey from Egypt had not. The Israelites had moved about in the desert forty years until all the men who were of military age when they left Egypt had died, since they had not obeyed the LORD. For the LORD had sworn to them that they would not see the land that he had solemnly promised their fathers to give us, a land flowing with milk and honey. So he raised up their sons in their place, and these were the ones Joshua circumcised. They were still uncircumcised because they had not been circumcised on the way. And after the whole nation had been circumcised, they remained where they were in camp until they were healed.

Then the LORD said to Joshua, ‘Today I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you.’ So the place has been called Gilgal to this day" (NIV).

God seeks give Israel a new identity as he rolls away the reproach of Egypt. God’s rolling away their past was an important aspect of Israel’s inheritance of the Promised Land. Israel was ready to claim God’s new identity for them.

Overcoming our past is the most difficult part of a new beginning. The world won’t allow us to forget our past. Often we think God imposes the reproach of guilt and shame upon us, but these are things the world’s system imposes upon us. Guilt and shame enslave us to further guilt and shame through self-hatred and self-rejection.

This is why God’s rolling away the reproach of the guilt and shame of sin is an important part of our salvation. It signifies the new identity God has given us. It is no accident that the Bible speaks of those enslaved to sin. Satan’s world order of things seeks to enslave us to the reproach of this world.

Most of our problems in life result from the way we feel about ourselves. If we don’t feel that we deserve God’s blessings we won’t live so as to avail ourselves of his blessings. How do we look upon those who have been disgraced? More importantly, how do those who have been disgraced look upon themselves? Disgrace means to fall from a place of honor. It is to lose favor or standing. It is accompanied with humiliation and a loss of self-esteem and enduring reproach. It is usually accompanied by ostracism.

The Israelites were circumcised at Gilgal. Circumcision was indicative of God rolling away their past. It was to give them a new beginning as they crossed over into the Promised Land. Their circumcision typified what baptism does for us as God takes away our sin.

C. S. Lewis writes, “I find a good many people bothered by ... our Lord's words, Be ye perfect. Some people seem to think this means ‘Unless you are perfect, I will not help you’; and as we cannot be perfect, then ... our position is hopeless. But I do not think he did mean that. I think he meant ‘The only help I will give is help to become perfect. You may want something less: but I will give you nothing less.’”

Too many are looking for a perfect church. Many seeking to come to Christ are trying to live good enough lives to deserve a better standing before God. They think they have to be good enough to deserve what God wants to give them. This leaves them feeling the shame of their spiritual inability.

The world’s system convinces many they don’t deserve or need the blessings of divine grace.

Ephesians 2:1-10

"As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath. But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions-it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do" (NIV)

Salvation is by grace and not by works. Salvation is not getting what we deserve; it is accepting what we don’t deserve—the righteousness of Christ that makes us sons and daughters of God. God is not out to give us what we deserve. He is seeking to give us what we don’t deserve—divine forgiveness—as he rolls away the reproach of our sin and gives us this new identity in Christ.

God is seeking to give you a new identity by making you his child as you accept the sacrifice of Christ for your sins. That identity is seen in the righteousness of Christ.

Galatians 3:26-29

"You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise" (NIV).

Galatians 4:6-7

"Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, ‘Abba, Father.’ So you are no longer a slave, but a son; and since you are a son, God has made you also an heir" (NIV).

Israel had to claim her identity before she conquered the Promised Land. Israel had to accept God’s willingness to roll away their approach--they lined up and were circumcised at Gilgal. We must claim God’s new identity for us at baptism. It is there that make a commitment to walk in this new identity as God raises us up in Christ.

You can’t come to Christ and continue to live under the reproach of this world. To do so will only bring disgrace. It is absolutely essential that you understand your new standing before God in Christ—you are a child of God. If you join a church without understanding and claiming what God is seeking to do for you personally through Jesus Christ, you will never discover a new beginning. You will never walk in victory. You are a child of God; this is what the church is about—human beings becoming God’s children—what a great standing from a heavenly perspective.

Hebrews 11:6

And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him" (NIV).

God only rewards those who have faith in him. It is not our works that give us a right standing. Works—or righteous living is only proof of our faith—of our new identity; they are not a means to earning our standing before God (James 2:14-26). There are the means of claiming this new identity.

Satan convinces us that God only rewards the perfect person that never makes a mistake, but God rewards those who place their trust in him, regardless of their imperfections.

God thinks you deserve sharing his glory despite your imperfections.

IV. God’s protection (vv. 16-24)

The Lord will go before us and drive out our enemies. How many of us would like to have a new beginning? We may often dream about how we would do things differently if we had life to live over. We would want to make some crucial changes in hopes of a different life or a new beginning. But this only happens in our dreams. Although it is impossible to live life over, you can have a new beginning. A new beginning is our only hope, for life moves forward even when we look backwards. It is not what has happened, but what is about to happen that is all-important.

Paul was concerned that many in the church at Corinth would never make it to the Promise Land. I am concerned that many I preach to may not make it. I am concerned about making it to the Promise Land, myself.

Paul warns us saying, "These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the fulfillment of the ages has come. So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall! No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it."

It's scary to realize that most of the people who failed in Scriptures failed in the second half of their lives. When Moses struck the rock in anger, it was at the very near the end of the forty years wandering in the wilderness. It cost him the Promise Land.

King Saul’s demise happened in the last years of his life.

1 Samuel 15:10-11

"Then the word of the LORD came to Samuel: "I am grieved that I have made Saul king, because he has turned away from me and has not carried out my instructions." Samuel was troubled, and he cried out to the LORD all that night" (NIV).

Solomon’s heart was drawn away from God, as he grew old.

1 Kings 11:4-6

"As Solomon grew old, his wives turned his heart after other gods, and his heart was not fully devoted to the LORD his God, as the heart of David his father had been. He followed Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and Molech the detestable god of the Ammonites. So Solomon did evil in the eyes of the LORD; he did not follow the LORD completely, as David his father had done" (NIV).

These things serve as our reminder.

Romans 15:4

"For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope" (NIV).

WE NEED TO RESPECT THE ELDERLY AND THE OLDER PERSON. THE BIBLE TEACHES THIS. BUT SO OFTEN SOME CHRISTIANS THINK BECAUSE THEY ARE OLDER THEY KNOW EVERYTHING. OR THEY HAVE THE RIGHT TO SAY WHATEVER THEY WANT WHENEVER THEY WANT. BEING OLD DOESN’T GIVE YOU THE RIGHT TO BE CHILDISH. TO ACT ANY WAY YOU WANT. TO RUN THINGS LIKE A DICTATOR. IT CARRIES, INSTEAD, RESPONSIBILITY TO LEAD. BE CAREFUL OLD FARTS, YOU MAY FALL AWAY WITH THE FINISH LINE IN SIGHT (IF YOU CAN SEE THAT FAR).

34 times during the days of Israel’s wilderness wanderings, God sounded the triumphant note that they were going to possess the land. This was not a maybe so proposition, but it was a divine given. The land was theirs and they would be victorious in entering it, conquering it and possessing it. It was their land and nothing could or would stand in the way of that becoming a reality. IF WE ARE FAITHFUL IN JESUS, WE HAVE THE SAME ASSURANCE.

There isn’t a person in this room that knows what this year will bring into view. However, I believe I can tell you with absolute confidence that this year will be YOUR year. When the mix of hills and valleys has all been averaged together, when all things are considered from the perspective of the Lord, when the smoke has cleared and the dust has settled, we will see that God has indeed brought us to the place of victory in our lives. No on