Richvale Community Church
Sunday, February 8 2026
- Have you ever wondered How we all Survived Childhood?Children have a special talent for getting themselves into predicaments.When Pam was a nanny some interesting situations came up…One moment that stands out was when Ivan—who we had from the time he was a baby,really like one of our own—somehow managed to take the toilet seat off his potty and wear it like a fashion accessory.The strange part? It slid right on over his head… but when we tried to take it off, his ears had other plans.After a few failed rescue attempts, I finally had to grab the bolt cutters… and cut him loose..choices have consequences..We learn that lesson early on..This morning we are finishing up our sermon series, Starting Well, for past several weeks we HAVE BEEN in the book of Deuteronomy….today we are looking Power to chooseMoses is standing on the edge of the Promised Land with a new generation—These men and women didnt experience Egypt the same way their parents did…And so Moses tells their story again to reminded the. AND TO help THEm avoid MAKING THE same mistake THEY made..He does this by laying out the Covernant of promises and blessings …HE SHOWS THEM that God had their best interest at heart..As Moses comes to the closing chapters of Deuteronomy, his focus sharpens…HE REDUCES every thing he has said TO this POINT ..to makingmaking good choices.He tell a us that out Choices Matter!The reason is simple ... THE choices we make have consequences…James MacDonald who wrote the book wise up to wisdom said,.Life is made up of choices. Who we are today... is the sum total of our choices.… C.S. Lewis put it like.Good and evil both increase at compound interest. That is why the little decisions you and I make every day are of such infinite importance.C. S. LewisNow.. Theologically…there seems to be a conflict between sovereignty of God and free wall..They seem to be juxtaposed to each otherBut here is the thing ..in scripture …God never sets aside human responsibility.From the very beginning, in the Garden of Eden,It was perfect world ..the perfect environment..but here is the delemna. It wouldn’t be perfect with out responsibility …because we would just be robots..Just Obeying order a.. so God gave humanity in Adam and Eve the gift of free will.. … ButUnfortunately, they make poor choices and there where consequence..In other words..Sovereignty and Responsibility are not competing truths—they were complementing truths.They exist together..God is fully sovereign, yet He invites us His people to live responsibly..Moses ends the book of DeuteronomyBy placing before the people choices…of blessing and curse, life and death, and he urges them to choose wisely.The first thing we Learn making Good choices……that the..1. Grace that InstructsWhat we have seen in Deuteronomy is that Moses is a master teacher. He doesn’t simply announce laws; he explains them, unfolds them,like a master bricklayer—carefully laying a foundation, precept upon precept, principle upon principle. line up line ..He is not rushing the process.Moses helps Israel see not only what God requires throughout thr law.., but thatGod had given them a hope and a future—one prepared in advance,not just for their generation, but for generations yet to come.His commands were not meant to burden them, but to shape into a people who could live fully and faithfully in the land He was giving them.In Deuteronomy 28, he laws out blessings and courses..Let’s read…
Deuteronomy 28:1–6 ESV 1 “And if you faithfully obey the voice of the Lord your God, being careful to do all his commandments that I command you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth. 2 And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, if you obey the voice of the Lord your God. 3 Blessed shall you be in the city, and blessed shall you be in the field. 4 Blessed shall be the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your ground and the fruit of your cattle, the increase of your herds and the young of your flock. 5 Blessed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl. 6 Blessed shall you be when you come in, and blessed shall you be when you go out.Moses begins with blessings..These are incredible Promises given to Israel…Obedience would bring Gods favor… and God himself would set them above all the nations of the earth…His blessing would not only come upon them his blessing would overtake them…God would bless them in the citybless them in the countryBless their familiestheir cattle and herds-They would have protection, provision and prosperity..This is abundant grace..in vers 8.Deuteronomy 28:8 ESV 8 The Lord will command the blessing on you in your barns and in all that you undertake. And he will bless you in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.…remember God did not choose Israel because they were any thing special..the y were not strong or numerous, but because of His love and grace. …As we read this — we need to remember that…This is not pretext to a prosperity gospel — but rather this is for Israel and there part in Redemptive History…Gods blessing was part his big plan in salvation.. …In fact God has called the church … something greater that materialistic prosperity…proclaim God’s message of Salvation.This what Peter tells y..1 Peter 2.9 says it well..1 Peter 2:9 ESV 9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.For these promises weee conditional—God says he is going to bless them in the land.. - If they turn from false idols and chose the true God . But with this condition came the consequences of the law…If they continued in disobedience.Vrs 20 God would send Curses confusion and frustration in everything they do..Moses says.Deuteronomy 28:20 ESV 20 “The Lord will send on you curses, confusion, and frustration in all that you undertake to do, until you are destroyed and perish quickly on account of the evil of your deeds, because you have forsaken me.Instead of God’s goodness overtaking them… they would have frustation in all that they do.. instead of being provision they would struggle…We all suffering the consequences of the fall…But for the church out blessings are found in Christ..T/s we Learn making Good choices……we have..1. Grace that Instructs2. Grace the EnablesWe have all missed exist or two at some point.. we all get distracted..- but there story about woman named Mary Ann Noland from Ohio.(who I think beat us all)One day, Mary Ann was driving her granddaughter home after a wedding in Toledo and had planned to head back to her home in Cleveland.But as she drove, she missed her exit and kept going. Mile after mile, she grew more and more lost, thinking she was just a little off course.Finally, after hours of driving, she saw signs that were…unfamiliar.And when she finally pulled over, she discovered she was no longer in Ohio.In fact, she was no longer in the United States. She had accidentally crossed the border into Ontario, Canada!Thankfully, customs officials helped her get turned around, and she got home safely.In our text..God gave Israel these wonderful promises of blessings… but they kept on being distracted…As a result.. they struggled to keep the Law… They kept missing theexists..… kept going..Even though Gods laws was good and perfect.. it lacked was needed to keep then on track..The problem with the Law is that there were bothDivine limitations,and human limitations..—Divine Limitations -Was really —Limited atonement.You see.in that in order to keep the system going they had - continue to make sacrifices for sin…They had to have flocks if sheep…They had to sacrifice Daily for sins and the annually for the whole nation…This is limited atonement.. forgiveness only lasted until the next sacrifice.then there where Human limitationsThe priesthood would always need succession..—They need to replace the High Priest and the levitical priesthood… after period of time..…in book of Hebrews it adresses this issue and talks about better priesthoodThat Jesus fulfilled all the requirement of the law through h is death on the cross..and Resurection…Jesus fulfilled the law..What we learn from Moses is thatB. God Provides for Failure in advance.…In the begining Chapter 30 —even before the New generation puts one foot in the Land Moses— we told that God Had a contingency plan.. for when things went wrong… lets read..Deuteronomy 30:1–4 ESV 1 “And when all these things come upon you, the blessing and the curse, which I have set before you, and you call them to mind among all the nations where the Lord your God has driven you, 2 and return to the Lord your God, you and your children, and obey his voice in all that I command you today, with all your heart and with all your soul, 3 then the Lord your God will restore your fortunes and have mercy on you, and he will gather you again from all the peoples where the Lord your God has scattered you. 4 If your outcasts are in the uttermost parts of heaven, from there the Lord your God will gather you, and from there he will take you.God says..… When these things come upon you… both the blessings and Curses… (Remember what God did in the past..… Remember -God’s part of covenant .. he always keep a his side..when we are faithless he remains faithful..Gods rescue.. teaches us his plan is not an after thought..God builds repentance, return, and restoration into the covenant itself.Because of God’s foreknowledge.He knew in advance that Israel would fail and struggle to obey the law..and .. We know how it went - we can go to scripture..hit the fast-forward button.When Israel entered the land, they began with a stunning victory at Jericho.But the very next stop was Ai. This time God said, “Do not take anything from this city.” And Israel stumbled.Achan disobeyed, took some of the forbidden spoil, and the consequences were severe—not just for him, but for the whole nation…It was one family..Later, they were all deceived by their neighbors, the Gibeonites. The Gibeonites pretended to be travelers from a distant land, and Israel made a covenant with them without seeking the Lord’s guidance.Israel lacked discernment and made poor choices.And here’s the thing—we do too. Sometimes we rush decisions, trust what we see instead of seeking God, or take the easy path instead of the right one…ButGod’s grace and mercy has provided an off ramp a means to get them back on track…Bance Havener said..God’s grace is not only amazing grace, it is abounding grace.Vance Houston HavnerHis grace overtakes us,,In Chapter 30..Moses says when you mess up and miss the mark… RETURN to me — no matter how far down the road you get..Moses says even if you find yourself on the other side of heaven.. …(as far as you can get from ).and what you do?vrs 2 return to the Lord and obey his voice--when YOU return to God with your whole hearts and souls…Jeremiah 33:3 ESV Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known.Call upon him and he will answer youHe’ll hear you. He’ll gather you. He’ll bring you back. He’ll restore what was lost.That’s grace. That’s restoration.The OT is foreshadowing what is coming in Christ..In The Old Testament forgiveness through comes through covenant and sacrifice; the New Testament reveals forgiveness through a person.— Jesus…This plan was in place form the beginning of..The Bible says in Revelation 13.8. that Jesus was the sacrifical lamb was slain form the foundations of creation.What is required of us is repentance… returning to God.When we come in true repentance the Lord will once again take delight in blessing us..1 John 1:9 ESV 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.Here’s what Moses wants us to see: God didn’t make the way back complicated. He didn’t hide it. He didn’t move the goalposts.He made the path back doable. Accessible. Right in front of us.So no matter how far you’ve wandered— the road home is still there.Deuteronomy 30:11–14 ESV 11 “For this commandment that I command you today is not too hard for you, neither is it far off. 12 It is not in heaven, that you should say, ‘Who will ascend to heaven for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?’ 13 Neither is it beyond the sea, that you should say, ‘Who will go over the sea for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?’ 14 But the word is very near you. It is in your mouth and in your heart, so that you can do it.Moses says this command is not to hard... its not beyond your reach… WEare always closer to deliverance and breakthroughs than we think……Our rescues …is as close.. as his name..Moses says,, - It is not in heaven-- we don't need an angel ascend to heaven to bring it back to us..We don't need a boat go to another continent to find it...Moses says —God word is,,.-- is in your mouth --- in your heart that your can do it.In other words..Life in the covenant was right there in front of them.Paul in Romans picks up on this very themePaul says in Romans 10.5-8Romans 10:5–8 ESV 5 For Moses writes about the righteousness that is based on the law, that the person who does the commandments shall live by them. 6 But the righteousness based on faith says, “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’ ” (that is, to bring Christ down) 7 “or ‘Who will descend into the abyss?’ ” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). 8 But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim);Paul tells us.In the New Testament, grace is without limits. We don’t need the priesthood or daily sacrifices anymore—Jesus fulfilled the Law completely.Where the Law fell short, Christ steps in.Jesus took on the role of servant, becoming both priest and sacrifice. He offered one perfect sacrifice for all time.Paul reminds us that the Word of God is near us—right in our hearts and mouths.The word of Faith..This means we are never without the resources to choose well. God has made the way accessible. His grace surrounds us, empowers us, and invites us to respond in faith.gainst Him here and now,…Lastly3. Grace that invitesThere’s a photo my sister-in-law took years ago of her son—my nephew Luke—and their dog, Lilly. They’re in England, sitting by a window on a rainy day, just looking outside.It’s the cutest picture. You can see the longing—the desire to be out there, to be where life is happening.And I think sometimes that’s how we live. We sit on the inside,looking out, longing for something meaningful, something significant— but it feels like the conditions aren’t right. Life keeps saying, not yet.But when it comes to God’s Word, we don’t have to wait. God invites us now.Not when circumstances improve. Not when everything makes sense.Hebrews tells us, “Now faith is…” Faith is not later. Faith is not someday. Faith is now.He invites us right where we are— to trust Him, to believe His promises, to step forward in faith.Hebrews 11:1 ESV 1 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.Faith is believing in the present what God to do in the future…Moses says to Israel in light of God promises… Make the right choices..Moses ends with the wordsDeuteronomy 30:15–20 ESV 15 “See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil. 16 If you obey the commandments of the Lord your God that I command you today, by loving the Lord your God, by walking in his ways, and by keeping his commandments and his statutes and his rules, then you shall live and multiply, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land that you are entering to take possession of it.This is the climax of Moses sermon.. to the New generation…Moses had gone into great effort and detail to give the History of Gods works.. — saving and delivering Israel…He has given instructions to live and thrive in the land..He takes all that he taught and reduces it to one thing….Make the right choice…“Choose Life”These choices are not always black and white..Sometimes it is making choice between good and the best…Remember when Jesus was in Bethany visiting with his friends.. lazarus…He was giving a teaching and.Martha complained about Mary… that she was not helping with house hold chores..She was sitting at his feet learning..Jesus said to Martha ..Mary has chosen the better part, a part that would not be taken from her..Jesus was saying to Martha… Following God is the ultimate “best” above any good alternative…They say History repeats itself… if you— Fast forward to end of life of Joshua (almost same situation that Mose was in.….. Joshua is leaving farewell address leaders in Joshua 24..Like Moses he gives a farwell address.. He calls for the people to review their history..so..Joshua just like Moses = walked and lived with Israel… been through it all the hills and the valleys.. He warns them of chasing after the wrong things.. the gods of Amorites in Cannan…He says choose today choose who you are going to serve…Joshua 24:15 ESV 15.. …..But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”Joshua couldn’t control the people’s hearts, but he knew hown tolead his household—Closing ThoughtThere God’s part soveriegnty.. and our part in his plan. ResponsibilityEven though God had given Israel promises of the covenant — the blessings — the promised land they still had to be possessed.. The had walk in obedience…When it comes to making good descisons .. it both faith and grace.One of the biggest challenges we face is managing our emotions and our feelings.Some days we wake up and think, “I’ve got this. I can accomplish my goals. I can find fulfillment.”But other days, we drag. We struggle to get out of our own heads, and we stumble.Faith is putting our confidence in God (trusting God with out lives and our emotion)When we walk in Faith -God’s grace meets us in those moments.He is that loving Father, patiently waiting for us toHe has worked restoration into His plan of redemption… He has already worked a solution.—If you miss the exit get back on…. stumble forward fall on to Grace and get up …We don’t have to be on the inside looking out…Think of the parable of the prodigal son: he took his inheritance and ran, squandering it on wild living. But the Father spent every day watching, waiting, longing for his return. And when the son came back, the Father ran to him, saying,“Bring the ring and the best robe. Prepare the fattened calf. My son who was lost is now found.”No matter how far we wander, God is calling us home. His grace is real. His mercy is patient. His love is relentless…— Final words are always important… and Moses — saysChoose life..Choices are God gifts… that..instructsEnablesAnd Invites…Today we can Choose Christ. Step into the grace that God has provided for us..lets pray.. Deuteronomy 28:1–6CSB
Deuteronomy 28:8CSB
1 Peter 2:9CSB
Deuteronomy 28:20CSB
Deuteronomy 30:1–4CSB
1 John 1:9CSB
Deuteronomy 30:11–14CSB
Romans 10:5–8CSB
Hebrews 11:1CSB
Deuteronomy 30:15–20CSB
Joshua 24:15CSB
Richvale Community Church
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