Dividing the Nation | Sunday, June 7, 2020 (Full Service)

Good morning, Cross Connection Church family, and welcome to Church at Home. We sure do miss seeing you here on Sunday morning, so I'm going to ask you to do something that we haven't done for quite a few weeks. If you would, take a picture of you and your family or whoever is watching Church at Home with you right now and post it to whatever your favorite flavor of social media is. Use the hashtag #LifeInConnections so that we can be connected with you and see where you're at this morning.

It has been a challenging week, and I think a lot of people are emotionally drained. I read an article this last week talking about all the chaos that you might be experiencing and how it is causing what some clinicians refer to as crisis fatigue. If you've got that today, I think we have just the answer: some time with Jesus in the Scriptures and in worship.

So, I know I just encouraged you to post a picture to social media, but I also want to encourage you to take a Sabbath from social media and maybe the news media as well. Perhaps take a day off after you post that picture. I can promise you, based upon my own personal experience and research, that it will be well with your soul.

Another thing that will be well with your soul this morning is that, in just a moment, Pastor Anthony is going to lead us in prayer and worship. So, send a text message to someone in your life who might be encouraged by a little reprieve from all the chaos, and invite them to join us this morning at live.ccchurch.com.

With that, let's join Pastor Anthony and our team. Let's pray.

Heavenly Father, we thank you, God, for this great day, and Lord, we are here to worship you. It says in Psalm 46 that the nations raged, the kingdoms were moved; He uttered His voice, the earth melted. The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Lord, we hold on to that truth, and we know that you are with us and you are our refuge. Would you rest on us now, and would you speak to us, Lord? Calm us as we lift you high, worship you, and receive your word today. In Jesus' mighty name we pray. Amen. Let praise arise.

Let praise be a weapon that conquers all anxiety. Let it rise. Let praise arise. We'll sing Your name in the dark, and it changes everything. We'll sing with all we are, and we'll claim Your victory. Let it rise. Let praise arise.

We'll see You break down every wall. We'll watch the giants fall. You cannot survive when we praise You. The God of breakthrough is on our side. Lord, ever lift Him high. With all creation, we cry, "God, we praise You." Oh, we praise You.

Let faith be the song that overcomes the raging sea. Let faith be the song that calms the storm inside of me. Let it rise. Let faith arise.

We'll see You break down every wall. We'll watch the giants fall. You cannot survive when we praise You. The God of breakthrough is on our side. Lord, ever lift Him high. With all creation, we cry, "God, we praise You." Oh, we praise You.

Oh, God, we praise You, Lord. This is what living looks like.

This is what freedom feels like. This is what heaven sounds like. We praise You, we praise You. This is what living looks like. This is what freedom feels like. This is what heaven sounds like. We praise You, we praise You. This is what living looks like. This is what freedom feels like. This is what heaven sounds like. We praise You, we praise You. We'll see You break down every wall. We'll watch the giants fall. Fear cannot survive when we praise You. God and breakthroughs are on our side. Forever lift Him high. With all creation cry, God, we praise You. Oh, we praise You. Oh, God, we praise, we praise You. Oh, we lift You up.

Welcome. Thanks for tuning in to Cross Connection Church as we bring you church at home today. I'm Pastor Garrett, and here at Cross Connection Church, we are all about living life in connection with God, one another, and the world through Jesus Christ.

A really big part of life in connection with God and stepping into that real connection with Him is communicating with God through prayer. I want to encourage you this week. We are living in very interesting and heavy times. We need to be on our knees praying more than ever before. We should be praying for peace and that we, as a collective church—not just Cross Connection Church, but all of North County and even our country—would be vessels of love. That we would be a light in a dark place. That God would use us in powerful ways.

So, I want you to be praying for that specifically. I also want you to check out prayer.lifeinconnection.com. You can submit all of your personal prayer requests there.

We have a prayer team that loves you. They are praying for you. Please tell the prayer team how God has been answering your prayers during this trying time by visiting prayer.lifeinconnection.com. It is encouraging for us, as pastors and the prayer team, to read those testimonies. We know that God is answering many prayers right now.

Aside from prayer, check out lifeinconnection.com for all other ways to connect. We would love to be connected with you during these next couple of weeks, so please visit the website for that.

In just a moment, Pastor Anthony will lead us in a time of worship. This time is set aside for those of us who call Cross Connection Church our home and are ready to worship the Lord with our giving. I will not ask anyone else to give to the church except for those who consider this their home and family.

There are a couple of different ways you can give, and I encourage you to do so. First, you can text 84321 on your phone. Second, you can visit our website at give.lifeinconnection.com. Third, you can also mail your check or offering to the church at 1675 Seven Oaks Road, Escondido, California.

We love you and look forward to worshiping the Lord together. Let's go ahead and hand it over to Pastor Anthony to worship together.

The Lord bless you and keep you. Make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you. The Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace. The Lord bless you and keep you. Make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you. The Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace.

Amen. The Lord bless you and keep you. Make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you. The Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace. Amen.

May His favor be upon you and a thousand generations, and your family and your children, and their children. May His favor be upon you and a thousand generations, and your family and your children.

And their children. May His favor be upon you and a thousand generations. May your family and your children and their children be blessed. May His presence go before you, behind you, and beside you. He is with you, all around you and within you.

In the morning, in the evening, in your coming and your going, in your weeping and rejoicing, He is for you. Amen. May His favor be upon you and a thousand generations. Your family and your children and their children be blessed. May His presence go before you, behind you, and beside you. He is with you, in the morning, in the evening, in your coming and your going, in your weeping and rejoicing. He is for you. Amen.

Yes, Father, Lord, we thank You, Lord God, for Your blessing on us. Day after day, You speak words of life to us, and we thank You for being for us. We know no one can be against us. So speak to us in Your word now. In Jesus' mighty name, Amen.

The Old Testament, the first two-thirds of the Bible, is almost exclusively focused on the people and nation of Israel. There's good reason for this, as it relates to the larger story of God's plan of redemption in the world. However, I think it's important for us to understand how the larger story of what God is doing in the world connects with what we're currently looking at in the book of Deuteronomy. This morning, we'll be looking at the middle of Deuteronomy chapter 3.

The passage needs to be set in the larger context so that we can understand why this story is even necessary for us to know, as we're distanced from it by 3,400 years. It really is worth asking the question: why should I care about this story? What does it have to do with me? It is important for us to answer those questions because the vast majority of people in 2020, even those who attend church, have spent very little time considering the Old Testament.

We don't really know the names Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh, nor do we really care about them because these three tribes in Israel have nothing to do with us, right? So how does this fit into the larger story of God, and why should I care to know anything about it? In the third chapter of Genesis, the first book of the Bible, we are told by way of an allusion to God's redemptive salvation plan for humanity.

Why do we need a redemptive salvation plan? Well, I'm sure you would agree that the world is pretty screwed up. It's broken. Right now, it's very clear to us. If you ever wanted evidence of the brokenness of the world, all you have to do is watch the news, open Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Snap, or TikTok, listen to a podcast, or go on YouTube. At this moment, you cannot not be affected by the brokenness of this world. That's why we need redemptive salvation from God.

Genesis 3 tells us where all of this brokenness in the world came from. In Genesis 3:15, we are given the first indication that God desires to do something about the brokenness. If you're not familiar with Genesis 3, this passage describes the first humans, created in God's image, who are deceived and seduced by a serpent to disobey God. This is the first sin described in the Bible. Through the disobedience and sin of Adam and Eve, humanity has since been subjected to death and judgment.

However, in this passage, God gives us what one Bible commentator, Derek Kidner, called the first glimmer of the gospel. Going all the way back to the second century AD, this passage has been referred to as the Proto-Evangelium, which means "first good news." I'm sure you've never been through an experience that seemed like one bit of bad news after another, and in the midst of it, you were hoping and praying for just a glimmer of good news.

We are told that the serpent deceived and seduced Adam and Eve to sin. Through their sin, death and judgment have spread to all humanity. We are all subject to it and acquainted with it, especially over the last 13 weeks. Yet, in the Proto-Evangelium of Genesis 3:15, God promises to deliver a death blow to the serpent who encouraged this disaster. We are told that this death blow would come through a male descendant of Eve. This is the first allusion to Jesus in the Bible.

Thousands of years before the advent of Jesus, this is the first allusion to God's redemptive plan in Scripture. That's why it is called Proto-Evangelium, or "first good news." Of course, this is the first allusion, but it is not the last. The Bible, from beginning to end, is a cohesive story of God's creation, creation's fall into sin, and then God's redemption, ultimately leading to God's restoration. The story continues as Genesis progresses. We see the escalation of sin and just how bad sin is and what sin does.

In Genesis 4, the brokenness of sin shows itself in fratricide, specifically the murder of Abel by Cain. Cain's act of killing his brother, who was an image-bearer of God, stems from his anger as sin overtakes him. Additionally, in Genesis 4, we witness the growth of immorality and brutality through a man named Lamech, a descendant of Cain. Lamech is involved in polygamy and murder, mirroring the actions of his great-great-great-grandfather, Cain.

Sin continues to escalate in Genesis 6, 7, 8, and 9. Sin always escalates. It is depicted in the Bible as leaven or yeast. If you've ever made bread and added yeast to the mixture, you know that yeast causes the dough to rise and expand. This is exactly what sin does. As sin escalates, it invites God's judgment in the form of a flood, as described in Genesis 6-9. This serves as one of the important themes in the narrative. Man's rebellious disobedience is termed sin, which results in separation and death, ultimately inviting justice and judgment. This principle holds true universally. If you reflect on your own sin, you will recognize this truth in your own experience: sin always causes separation.

Sin continues to grow after the flood, as seen in Genesis 11, where a leader named Nimrod and a people in a place called Babel emerge. However, we finally arrive at Genesis 12, where we find another allusion, a signpost pointing ahead to Jesus and guiding us along the story of God. In Genesis 12-13, we read, "Now the Lord had said to Abram, 'Get out of your country, from your family, and from your father's house, to a land that I will show you. I will make you a great nation. I will bless you, and I will make your name great, and you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you. And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.'"

Here, God calls a man named Abram, whose name He would later change to Abraham. God calls Abraham to a venture of faith, saying, "Come, follow me to a land. If you do, then I will give that land to you and your descendants."

But more than that, I will multiply you and your descendants. I will bless you, and through you, all the families of the earth will be blessed. When God made this proclamation and promise to Abraham, he was an old man and childless. However, God promised the reward if Abraham would follow Him by faith. This may seem like a lot of unnecessary information, but it is really important. Ultimately, God made good on His promise to Abraham, and eventually, He gave him a son, Isaac.

Here’s an important review to show us why Deuteronomy 3, the passage we are actually at this morning, is necessarily important. The serpent in Genesis 3 deceived and seduced Adam and Eve to disobey God's command. Their disobedience is sin, which has spread to all of God's creation, especially humanity, which is created in His image. This sin has brought death and judgment.

In immediate response to Adam and Eve's sin, God promises a deliverer who will come one day through Abraham. Abraham is promised a land, descendants, and to be a blessing for all people. This becomes the prototype: man transgresses God, bringing separation, death, justice, and judgment. But God intervenes to bring a promised blessing of redemption and salvation through a man, born to a woman, who will be a descendant of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel. This man will come to and through the land given to Abraham's people, Israel.

This prototypical picture shows up over and over in the Old Testament story because it is an enduring signpost, pointing us in the direction of the Redeemer and His redemption. This is why the people, the descendants of Abraham, and the place, the promised land, become such an important motif in the biblical narrative.

But what does this have to do with Deuteronomy 3? In Deuteronomy 3, verses 12 through 22, we are reminded of a story that happened previously in the Bible, in the book of Numbers, chapter 32. This story serves as a reminder of what happened before the descendants of Abraham, the children of Israel, came in and conquered the promised land. God had promised the land to Abraham 400 years before these events, and now they are finally about to take possession of it.

Remember, this land and these people are necessary for God's redemption for all people in all places. It is important for what God is doing in the world for Israel to be in their promised land. God has done a lot to get Israel to this point in the story. The movement of the whole story has been progressing toward Israel possessing the promised land so that God can accomplish His redemptive purpose through them.

Your interpretation of what I am about to say will depend a lot on how you view the purpose of God and the sovereignty of God in the world. God had a purpose and plan for Israel going all the way back to Genesis 3:15. As God has been working to accomplish His purpose in and through Israel, they appear to hinder His working constantly. You may have a view of God's sovereignty that doesn't allow for the people of God to hinder God's working, but that is certainly how it appears in the text.

If the story of Scripture teaches us anything, it teaches us that God is working supernaturally in apparently natural ways in the world. While God is working supernaturally, there are supernatural forces that are opposing the working of God in the world, often in very natural ways. In other words, there is something opposing God's working in the world, seeking to frustrate His work. Fortunately, God will not ultimately be frustrated.

God's people, along the way of God's plan being accomplished through them, have encountered famines, warfare, oppression, slavery, giants, fortified cities, venomous snakes, and dehydration. Everything possible that you could imagine that could come against them to frustrate their progress has come against them. One of the most effective tactics that has been used against God's people to frustrate the plan and purpose of God has been the work of the enemy to divide them and to keep them out of the land.

Through all of their progress, the enemy has worked to frustrate their advance into the promised land. Forty years prior to Deuteronomy 3, the enemy accomplished this in a dramatic fashion when he seduced Israel to get their eyes off of God. Through unbelief, they failed to enter into God's blessing. Thirty-eight years later, Israel is about to advance into the promised land.

The last enemies standing as an obstacle to their progress have been destroyed. That's what we considered a couple of weeks ago when we were going through the text. Then a problem arose. Right as Israel was about to finally move into God's plan by taking the promised land, Numbers 32 tells us that the men of two and a half tribes in Israel—the men of the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and half of the tribe of Manasseh—came to Moses and said, "We don't want to go into the land. We want to stay on the east side of the Jordan River, outside of the promised land. The land over here is nice enough for us. So, is it possible for us to just stay behind?"

Moses' response to their request can be found in Numbers 32, verses 6 and 7. He basically says, "Why? Why will you discourage the heart of the rest of Israel from going over into the land which the Lord has given them? This is exactly what your fathers did 38 years ago."

There are varying perspectives on this whole situation among commentators and Bible teachers. Were the two and a half tribes wrong to want to stay on the east side of the Jordan, or was this actually God's plan for them all along? There are different opinions, and the Bible doesn't give us a definitive answer. However, I want to present a few considerations from the text in Deuteronomy chapter 3, and also in the next book, the book of Joshua. Then I want to make some applications to us in June of 2020.

Moses reminds his hearers about this situation of the two and a half tribes. He says in Deuteronomy chapter 3, verses 18 through 20, "Then I commanded you at that time, saying, 'The Lord your God has given you this land to possess. All you men of valor shall cross over armed before your brethren, the children of Israel, but your wives, your little ones, and your livestock—I know that you have much livestock—shall stay in your cities, which I have given to you, until the Lord has given rest to your brethren as to you, and they all possess the land which the Lord your God is giving them beyond the Jordan. Then each of you may return to his possession, which I have given you.'"

Moses gave these tribes the opportunity to have their request, but he said, "First, all of your men have to come with us into the promised land to help us take possession of the land." In other words, you're not going to enjoy rest in your possession of the land until the rest of Israel has received theirs.

On the east side of the Jordan, before your brothers have rest in their possession, there is no reward for deserters. We find this in the accounting of this story in Numbers chapter 32, verses 30 through 23. Then Moses said to them, "If you do this thing, if you arm yourselves before the Lord for the war, and all of your armed men cross over the Jordan before the Lord until He has driven out His enemies before Him, and the land is subdued before the Lord, then afterward you may return and be blameless before the Lord and before Israel. This land shall be your possession before the Lord. But if you do not do so, then take note: you have sinned against the Lord, and be sure your sin will find you out."

For many Christians, verse 23 is a familiar verse, but it is likely that you didn't know the immediate context. It still teaches a valuable lesson: there will be ultimate judgment for sin. After the conquest of Canaan, recorded in the book of Joshua, which we will study someday after we finish Deuteronomy, the men of the two and a half tribes will be released from Joshua to return to the land that they requested from Moses. This is found in Joshua chapter 22.

We read of Joshua's parting exhortation to the men of Reuben, Gad, and the half tribe of Manasseh in Joshua chapter 22, verses 4 and 5. "Now therefore return and go to your tents, and to the land of your possession which Moses, the servant of the Lord, gave you on the other side of the Jordan. But take careful heed to do the commandment and the law which Moses, the servant of the Lord, commanded you: to love the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways, to keep His commandments, to hold fast to Him, and to serve Him with all of your heart and with all of your soul."

Ultimately, the people of these two and a half tribes will return to their land. However, when they do, the book of Joshua gives us an interesting story. In Joshua chapter 22, verses 10 and 12, it says, "And when they came to the region of the Jordan, which is the land of Canaan, the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh built an altar there before the Jordan, a great and impressive altar." Now the children of Israel heard someone say, "Behold, the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh."

Have built an altar on the frontier of the land of Canaan in the region of the Jordan on the children of Israel's side. When the children of Israel heard it, the whole congregation gathered together at Shiloh to go to war against them. Division in the nation inevitably leads to conflict.

Fortunately, if you read the rest of the story, which I don't have time to go into today in Joshua chapter 22, you'll see that a wise man named Phinehas is able to keep Israel from coming out of the promised land to destroy their brothers of the two and a half tribes on the east side of the Jordan. It is only right to conclude that it was not God's desire for His people to be divided and in conflict in this way. Sadly, the division of the two and a half tribes from the rest of their brothers would lead to greater conflict in years to come.

The book of Judges, right after the book of Joshua, tells us in chapters 8 and again in chapter 12 that there ended up being an extended conflict and war between the people of the Jewish tribe of Ephraim in the promised land and the people of the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and the half tribe of Manasseh on the east side of the Jordan. Division in the nation inevitably leads to conflict. Sadly, we are experiencing this today in our own nation. There is division and conflict.

In the midst of such conflict, it is difficult for us to envision a clear path forward. There is an impulse among Christians in general, and pastors especially, to sound off on these issues, particularly on social media. Let me be clear: I have a lot of opinions on these issues, but I have decided to keep them to myself because of what I perceive to be the madness of crowds in all of this. There is really no way to speak on these issues without immediately being massacred in the court of social media.

If you receive my weekly email, I ended my email two weeks ago with a verse from the book of James. I think that we would all be really well served to remember the words of the apostle James in James chapter 1, verses 19 and 20. There we read, "So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, and slow to wrath. For the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God." That is pure wisdom right there.

So, in lieu of speaking personally on the current divisions in our nation, I want to leave you this morning simply with the words of the Apostle Paul in the book of 1 Corinthians, a passage that I think you probably know very well. In the context that we're in right now, I believe that 1 Corinthians chapter 13, verses 1 through 13, are important for us to think about and to meditate upon.

There, the Apostle Paul says this: "Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become as a sounding brass and a clanging cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing. Love suffers long and is kind. Love does not envy. It does not parade itself. It is not puffed up. It does not behave rudely. It does not seek its own. It is not provoked. It thinks no evil. It does not rejoice in iniquity but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail. Whether there are tongues, they will cease. Whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away. For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away with. When I was a child, I spoke as a child. I understood as a child. I thought as a child. But when I became a man, I put away childish things. For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know also as I am known. And now abide faith, hope, and love, these three, but the greatest of these is love."

Father, I pray as we close our time together in the Scriptures today, in a passage that speaks about the division of a nation and the conflict that comes, we look at our own nation right now that is so divided and filled with conflict. Clearly, Lord, we need to be swift to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger. We know the Scriptures teach that our anger, our wrath, will not bring about Your righteousness. So, God, I pray that You would compel us by Your love to love others. Jesus, You demonstrated Your love towards us so that we could receive Your love and that we could demonstrate Your love to others.

And as we see that the greatest of all things in 1 Corinthians 13 is love, I pray, God, that you would help us to be slow to wrath, slow to anger, slow to speak, and quick to hear. Lord, also help us not to be rude, arrogant, or puffed up. Instead, may we endeavor to keep the unity of the Spirit and the bond of peace, perfecting love because love covers a multitude of sins. Your love has covered our sins, and Jesus, we are so grateful today for your love. Would you fill us with it and help us to be conduits of it, giving it out to other people? We ask this today in Jesus' name. Amen.

Worthy of every song we could ever sing, worthy of all the praise we could ever bring, and worthy of every breath we could ever breathe, we live for you. Jesus, the name above every other name, Jesus, the only one who could ever save. Worthy of every breath we could ever breathe, we live for you.

Holy, there is no one like you. There is none beside you. Open up my eyes in wonder. Show me who you are and fill me with your heart. Lead me in your love to those around me. Jesus, the name above every other name, Jesus, the only one who could ever save. Worthy of every breath we could ever breathe, we live for you, God. Oh, we live for you.

Holy, there is no one like You. There is none beside You. Open up my eyes in wonder. Show me who You are and fill me with Your heart, and lead me in Your love to those around me.

I will build my life upon Your love. It is a firm foundation. I will put my trust in You alone, and I will not be shaken.

Holy

And maybe even turn on or turn off the news for a period of time as well. Just take a break. I think that it might be a really helpful thing for your heart and your mind. The Scriptures make it very clear that we need to set our minds on things above. Part of the reason we find ourselves in such emotional turmoil in the midst of everything that's going on right now is because our minds are not in the proper place.

I just want to encourage you, as your pastor, to set your mind on things above and think on those things that are lovely, good, virtuous, and of good report. The peace of God will guard your heart and mind in Christ Jesus.

With that, let's finish our day together in prayer. God, I do pray for your church. As last week we celebrated Pentecost, we pray for a fresh infilling of your Holy Spirit. We ask, God, that you would do a work in our hearts and minds and help us to trust in you even in the midst of all the things that are going on.

Lord, I pray especially that you would do a work in and through your people, your church, so that we would be an example of that kind of peace that surpasses all understanding, and of grace, mercy, and love to others. Lord, do a work in us, we ask in Jesus' name.

And now may the Lord bless and keep you. May He make His face to shine upon you and be gracious to you. May the Lord lift up His countenance upon you and give you His peace. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God the Father, and the fellowship of His Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen. I trust in you alone, and I will not be shaken.