Michiana Covenant Presbyterian Church

aith – now share in those same promises. Here in chapters 10 and 11, Moses concludes his exposition of the first commandment. He has focused on what it means to have no other gods besides Yahweh, and has repeatedly drawn us back to our need to love the Lord our God with all our heart, all our soul, and all our strength. Moses offers us our motivation for why we should love and obey God TODAY...

[Sung Psalm: 84] Sermon Outline: 1. Restoration (vv. 18–26) 2. Renewal (vv. 27–31) 3. Recognition or Rejection (vv. 32–34)

Before we dig into our text tonight, I want to show you how the temptations of Jesus in Matthew 4 map pretty closely to what Moses describes here in Dt 7-10. We've been using three "m's" – militarism, materialism, and moralism. In chapter 7 we heard about the temptation of militarism – "Do not say in your heart..." 7:17 that the nations are mightier and more numerous than you. Only Yahweh can defe...

[Sung Psalm: 98] There are all sorts of fascinating ways in which Pentecost completes Passover. In the OT, the very structure of the two feasts makes it clear. The fiftieth day (which is what Pentecost means) is calculated from the day after the seventh Sabbath (the seventh Saturday) after Passover. So Pentecost is always on a Sunday! Seven times seven plus one – makes Pentecost the ultimate eight...

Sermon outline: 1. Our Blessing (v. 24) a. In This Life b. In The World to Come 2. God's Blessedness (v. 25)

[Sung Psalms: 16 & 110] Have you ever wondered why preachers often use three point sermons? Perhaps it is because Peter's first sermon had three points! The first sermon preached after the outpouring of the Holy Spirit was a three-point sermon, each point demonstrated from scripture: 1. The Coming of the Holy Spirit Is the Beginning of the Last Days (from Joel 2)... 2. Jesus Was Raised from the De...

[Sung Psalm: 81] Passover was the feast commemorating Israel's deliverance from Egypt; but Pentecost was the feast that commemorated Israel's being brought into the land - it is a harvest feast celebrating God's provision. Some rabbis even called it "the closing season of the Passover" because Pentecost brings Passover to completion. After all, when you end the feast of Passover, where are you? In...

Last time, in chapter 7, we saw that there were two poles to the temptation of militarism: there was the temptation of spiritual arrogance (God chose us because of our strength!), but also the temptation of spiritual anxiety (our enemies are too strong!) In the same way, chapter 8 shows that there are two poles to the temptation of materialism: Do you believe that God will provide? (will you remem...

Three temptations from Deuteronomy 7-10 find their final answer from our Lord Jesus. Each time Satan tempts Jesus in the wilderness, Jesus responds by quoting from Deuteronomy 7-10! Jesus plainly thought that Deuteronomy 7-10 contain the answers to the temptations of Satan. Jesus was being tempted with the same temptations that Israel faced. The difference is that Jesus succeeded where Israel fail...

[Sung Psalm: 69] Why must Jesus have twelve apostles? When Judas kills himself, Peter seems to think that a twelfth apostle is needed. What is the point of having twelve apostles? Our passage today starts with the return to Jerusalem, reminds us of David, and of what David said about Judas, and then emphasizes the importance of having twelve apostles. Jerusalem, David, and the Twelve. Watch what h...

Sermon outline: 1. Scoffers (vv. 17–19) 2. Yourselves (vv. 20–21) 3. Others (vv. 22–23)

[Sung Psalm: 47] Here at the beginning of Acts, Luke makes it plain that he thinks of Acts as "part two" of the story of what Jesus has done and taught. Luke opens his second book by referring back to his first book. "In the first book, O Theophilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach, until the day when he was taken up, after he had given commands through the Holy Spirit to th...

[Sung Psalm: 45] Sermon outline: 1. New Disciple(s) [vv. 9–13] 2. New Era(s) [vv. 14–17]

Last time we saw that Moses speaks of "your fathers" as Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Here – in verse 10 – you see this explicitly. Do you see how the rebellion at Massah is not attributed to "your fathers" – but to "you" – even though all those who rebelled at Massah are dead. But it was you who rebelled at Massah – because you are Israel. The LORD swore to your fathers that he would give you the la...

Tonight we are listening to Moses' reflections on what the Covenant at Sinai was all about. Moses is about to die. And so he reminds Israel of the things that matter most. Forty years earlier he had received the Ten Commandments. Now he reminds Israel what that was all about...

[Sung Psalm: 40] Here, at the end of his epistle, Peter draws back the curtain for a moment, and shows you the source of the fiery trials that you endure. "Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour." Suffering has a demonic source. We often speak of the world, the flesh, and the devil. We believe in the world–its temptations are too obvious to deny. We b...

Last week we didn't really have time to talk about the cities of refuge – and since the end of chapter 4 is setting up Moses' second sermon (which starts in chapter 5) – I thought it would be useful to spend a little time today doing precisely what the end of chapter 4 does – and set us up for Moses' second sermon! Deuteronomy consists of three main sermons. But rather than jump straight from the...

[Sung Psalm: 130] Sermon outline: 1. Demons (8:28–34) 2. Sin and Bones (9:1–8)

How do you avoid idolatry? How do you avoid letting your sinful desires and cravings gain control? Moses gives us the answer here in Deuteronomy 4. We avoid idolatry by doing what God commands. The Reformation said that there are three uses of the Law: 1) to show us our sin and drive us to Christ 2) to restrain evil and maintain order in society 3) to teach us how God wants us to live There's a wa...

[Sung Psalm: 28] Last week we looked at the calling of the shepherd. The elders are called to shepherd the flock that is among them. And as shepherds they are to lead the flock, feed the flock, and defend the flock from their enemies. Today we turn to the character of the shepherd. I should start by pointing out that Peter's exhortation is in the plural. Peter assumes that there are a plurality of...

Sermon Outline 1. Text 2. Doctrine 3. Application

[Sung Psalm: 23] When shepherds fail, in Ezekiel 34, the result is that the sheep begin to fight and quarrel. The sheep that have good pasture trample on the rest to prevent other sheep from eating; after drinking themselves, they muddy the water so that the rest have nothing. The strong sheep "thrust at all the weak with your horns, till you have scattered them abroad." "Strong" – you see – does...

It's important to see that Herem warfare, or holy war, is actually spiritual warfare. With Sodom and Gomorrah, God brought fire from heaven. But his purpose is to bring salvation to the earth – and fire from heaven cannot accomplish that! His purpose is to bring salvation through a man – and so humanity must become the agent of salvation: and thus of judgment also. In Egypt it was the angel of dea...

[Sung Psalm: 129] Judgment begins with the household of God! We've been seeing that in the opening chapters of Deuteronomy on Sunday evenings. God brought Israel – through judgment – into the Promised Land. Now, let's be clear what we mean by judgment. Judgment does not equal condemnation. When a judge renders his verdict, he proclaims his judgment. The judgment that comes on the household of God...

Sermon outline: 1. Three Names (v. 1a) 2. Three Truths (v. 1b) 3. Three Gifts (v. 2)