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127: New Commands and a New Covenant
48 Plays20 days ago
Can you recall a time this past week when you lived up to God's law? When you kept His commandments, loved Him with all you had, and put the needs of your neighbor above your own?
Probably not, but you tried, right? Unfortunately, it's in our nature to sin. It's very easy for all of us to go our own way and decide right from wrong based on our desires. We're a very unruly lot. So why would God even bother with us? The answer is the "why" behind Moses being given the Ten Commandments. They weren't given as a measuring stick by which we earn God's favor with each one that we keep. In this week’s episode, Pastor Chuck Schlie explores how God's love is demonstrated in both His law and in Jesus's atoning death.
If you’d like to dig deeper, check out these discussion questions. You can complete them on your own, with your Community Group, or with family and friends.
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Transcript
Introduction and Humorous Anecdote
00:00:00
Speaker
The following podcast is a Jill Devine Media production.
00:00:20
Speaker
Thank you for hitting play on this week's episode of Normal Goes a Long Way. I'm your host Jill Devine and in this week's message, our pastor covers chapter five, new commands and a new covenant. Hey, late one night a burglar broke into a house and he was snooping around, just looking around and he heard a soft voice behind him say, Jesus is watching you.
00:00:46
Speaker
Thinking that this was just his imagination, he continued his search for valuables, and again, he heard the voice. Jesus is watching you. He turned his flashlight around, and and he he noticed a parrot in a cage. And he asked the parrot if he was the one you know doing the talking, and the parrot said yes. He asked the parrot what his name was, and the parrot said Moses.
00:01:12
Speaker
And the burglar asked, what kind of people would name their parrot Moses? And the parrot said, the same kind of people who would name their pitbull Jesus. All right, hey, there you go. Good morning and a very happy Super Bowl Sunday to you. In that little made up story there, Moses the parrot and Jesus the pit bull are partners. ah This morning we are going to encounter the real Moses and the real Jesus working together. Jesus and Moses are on the same team.
00:01:46
Speaker
As we open up to chapter five of the story, we're going to see how this Moses-Jesus connection comes into play and what it all means for you and me.
Types of Teachers and Leaders
00:01:57
Speaker
Okay, by way of introduction, some of you might know that I happen to have taught junior high for several years. um And in the very first year of my teaching career, I was fortunate enough to attend a conference where I learned something that I consider to be pretty valuable.
00:02:15
Speaker
The keynote speaker explained the four different kinds, and it made a big impact on me. The gist of it is that there are four different kinds of teachers.
00:02:28
Speaker
just like there are four different kinds of parents, four different kinds of coaches, bosses, leaders, et cetera. And very briefly, I'm going to explain what the four different kinds are all about by connecting the adjectives high and low with the concepts of control and support.
00:02:49
Speaker
Now control is about, well, you know, someone being in charge. Leadership, control is about order, ah discipline, rules, consequences, and the like. ah Control is a very good thing. For example, when flying, you want the pilot to be very much in control of the plane and in charge of everything relating to it. It is for your benefit. So control is a good thing.
00:03:17
Speaker
And so is support and support. You know what that's about. That's love and care and concern and encouragement. Support means showing up and being there for someone. And so you have control and you have support and there are four different combinations.
00:03:34
Speaker
The first kind of parent or teacher or coach ah can be categorized in the quadrant of high control, low support. And this is the one who is very, very big on the rules, but very light on the love.
00:03:52
Speaker
authoritarian, ah dictatorial, the drill sergeant type, the enforcer, Pastor Jim reminded me at the first service, oh, that's the ah dad from the sound of music, you know, with the whistle, Captain Von Trapp, you know, there's high control, you know, the kids all line up and they do what they're told, but they walk on eggshells in the classroom or in the home and they're fearful because there's an absence of loving support.
00:04:22
Speaker
Now, the next type, however, is just the opposite. This is the parent or the teacher who is nothing but fun and games like all the time. Love, love, love. Love, love, love, love, love, love, love. You know, it is high support, but low with the control.
00:04:41
Speaker
This is the adult who wants to be best friends with the child, and that is the last thing that a kid needs. Be friendly, and but do not be a BFF. You see, what they need, and really what they want, is someone who's in charge, someone to learn from, a role model to look up to,
00:05:04
Speaker
But this teacher or this parent desperately wants to be liked. And so anything goes. There's no discipline. There's no right from wrong. And the kid runs wild. No respect, no rules, no consequences. And ultimately, this produces a very frustrated and confused child.
00:05:31
Speaker
The third type now is the person who has just basically checked out. They don't care enough to care. Low control, low support. yeah They're kind of just apathetic. you know They're absent. Kind of have the attitude, ah you know they shrug, whatever, anything.
00:05:48
Speaker
yeah ah This relationship is not much help there, not much of a relationship at all actually. Now the fourth kind, that's the best kind, that's what we're shooting for. High control, high support. We want someone who is in control of a home or a classroom. We want a leader, we want rules so that there would be safety, so that there would be predictability, but we also want and we also need support.
00:06:17
Speaker
Children need their parents around and teachers who care, who will lay down the law, who will keep their word, who will make you a better person, but it always comes alongside loving support and the children flourish. So what's my point? My point is that we have a God, the God of Abraham.
God's Leadership and the Ten Commandments
00:06:44
Speaker
and Isaac and Jacob, who is a high control, high support God, law, gospel. They go together as Moses and Jesus, high control,
00:07:00
Speaker
High support. Now, if you are reading along in the story, then you know that God's people, the children of Israel, who by the way, if you're reading, they're also are called the Hebrews, okay? Don't let that throw ya. They're called the Hebrews. They're called the Israelites. Same group, okay? But they're now free. They're free from hundreds of years of Egyptian bondage. Freedom, freedom. But freedom without rules is not good.
00:07:28
Speaker
um So God met with Moses on Mount Sinai, and he chills without 10 words on two stone tablets, aka the Ten Commandments. It's too bad that the commanders aren't playing today, because that would have just fit nicely. Oh, well, you can't have it all.
00:07:50
Speaker
The Ten Commandments. The first tablet or table describes the rules for a right relationship with God. And we know them as commandments one, two, and three, and they are all about God and people about God and you.
00:08:06
Speaker
Think of an up and down vertical arrow. One, you shall have no other gods before me. Two, do not misuse God's name. Three, remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Now, the second tablet or table describes a right relationship between people and their neighbors. It's about you and everybody else. Think of a horizontal arrow, and these are commandments four through 10. Starts at home, honor your father and mother.
00:08:36
Speaker
ah Do not murder. Do not commit adultery. Do not steal. Do not give false testimony. And nine and ten are about not coveting what belongs to somebody else. Now, Jesus was asked out of all the commandments, which is the most important. And Jesus answered by summarizing the first tablet. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength.
00:08:59
Speaker
And then he said, this is the greatest, but the second greatest is just like it. Then here, Jesus summarized the second tablet or table by saying, love your neighbor as yourself. Now, if you don't know these commands, or if you don't use them properly, well, you're just in for some serious frustration with life. And so are your children, by the way. And of course, that is not God's desire. He only wants the best for his children.
00:09:30
Speaker
He is a high control, high support father. His commandments are for our benefit and they help us to know Him and have a true and lasting relationship with Him. God wants you to know His heart. He wants you to know what He values. He wants you to know what He holds dear.
00:09:56
Speaker
Now, if he didn't express what he wants, you know, for us or from us, we'd be in the dark and we'd be, is this right? Is this wrong? I don't know. We would always be kind of fearful of him, never knowing, walking on eggshells. And what kind of a relationship is that? And so it was in love that God gave us his law. Now, huge point here. Don't miss this one. Here it comes.
00:10:25
Speaker
We don't do not, we do not obey the law so that we can be accepted by God. That's not it. Rather, we are accepted by God through what Jesus has done. Ah, therefore we obey, or more honestly, try to obey. Another way to put it, I'm not saved because I'm good.
00:10:52
Speaker
But I'm trying to be good because I'm saved. Does that make sense? ah Good, because a lot of people have that completely backwards. God did not give us the 10 commandments in order for us to somehow try to earn His love or to gain a spot in heaven. Oh, what a disaster that would be.
00:11:16
Speaker
No, God gave them to us for three reasons. One is basically to keep us safe from one another. Don't kill each other. Don't steal each other's stuff, okay? Second reason is that these commandments show us our sinfulness, and that's a good thing.
00:11:36
Speaker
It really is because, you know, it's hard for us to obey the law, ah which then we look at the law and we realize, oh, we're in trouble. I need help. I can't be the savior, obviously. I need a savior. Yeah, I need a savior. And they make us kind of, they force us to Jesus. The third reason then is that they serve as a guide for us.
00:12:02
Speaker
kind of directions for life, the the very best way to live life. and And God who created life knows a little something about it. And he goes, hey, do this, right? Don't do that. These commandments are an indescribable gift. He's gifted us with the very best way to go. And so God blessed his children, the children of Israel with clear instructions. Their life will be a whole lot sweeter if you do it my way, because I have your best interest at heart. High control. But He also blessed them with His presence. High support. He was there. He was present. He was with them. Now, there's a story that I share.
00:12:50
Speaker
in confirmation with the class that goes back a few years. It was the days when I was a student in junior high. Well, it just so happened that my seventh grade teacher was about 100 years old. And he was in his final year of teaching. He lived in a house which is right next door to our little Lutheran school. And get this, he went home for lunch every day.
00:13:17
Speaker
which meant an unsupervised classroom of about 20 middle schoolers who were left alone to eat lunch all by themselves for what seemed to be about an hour. And we had a lot of fun when our teacher was out of the room. Kind of. Not really. Actually, it was more frightening than fun. Mostly because we had some major league jerks in our class.
00:13:45
Speaker
who like to go around and smack kids in the head and pick on easy targets. Sheila was an easy target. Her clothes were hand-me-downs, very much out of style. In fact, I think they might've been homemade. She wasn't the most popular. Well, that's putting it way too nice because really, she was alone.
00:14:13
Speaker
Well, one day during the lunch break, Sheila brought out some knitting supplies. And I suppose it gave her something to do because nobody really talked to her, ate lunch with her. So I guess it made sense. But it didn't. ah Because when Sheila brought out the basket, three or four of the cool kids grabbed several balls of yarn and made this gigantic web.
00:14:42
Speaker
throwing those balls of yarn all over the room. String was everywhere and Sheila was kind of caught up in the middle of it. Most laughed. Sheila cried. Now, I didn't join in on the web design, but I was no hero. No, because I didn't do anything. I did nothing. I didn't love my neighbor.
00:15:13
Speaker
That was 46 years ago and it still bugs me. I wish I could go back in time and revisit that day. And by the way, yes, I have tried finding Sheila on the internet and I cannot.
00:15:32
Speaker
um If there was such a thing as a time machine, and I could go back and, you know, go to three events. Well, first I'd go to the tomb on Easter Sunday. And then I'd like to go to Wittenberg and see Luther, power those 95 Theses on the church door. Oh yeah, I'll be there. And I'll tell you, I'd like to go back to that seventh grade classroom. I would. And I'd kick the seventh grade me right in the backside.
00:16:02
Speaker
I tell them, wake up, do the right thing. Well, I tell that story to the kids, and you kids too, because that's what it looks like when we are left without supervision. ah When there are no rules, when we are left to our own devices, it's chaos, because we naturally choose the wrong.
00:16:32
Speaker
You see, deep down, and contrary to popular belief, deep down we're not good. Go back to chapter one in the story. By nature, we're sinful. and And God knows this full well. He knows we need help.
00:16:54
Speaker
And therefore, in love for his children, he developed clearly stated rules, high control. But he also gave us himself high support. He would be there for them. He would be there with them. God told Moses, have them make a sanctuary for me and I will dwell among them.
The Tabernacle and Sacrifices
00:17:20
Speaker
Make this tabernacle exactly the way I'll show you.
00:17:25
Speaker
And the word tabernacle means tent or place of dwelling. This is gonna be the spot where God was going to be present. Exactly one year after Pharaoh reluctantly let the people go, this large portable tent with very specific ornate furnishings was set up to some very detailed instructions. It was an elaborate structure. You can read all about it in Leviticus. It's a whole book practically.
00:17:55
Speaker
But notice in the upper right hand corner of this diagram, and you will see that the tabernacle was about a quarter size of a football field. Now feel free to share that little tidbit at your Super Bowl party this afternoon, and you will wow your friends. Nevertheless, the tabernacle was the place where God would be physically present. It was a place of worship, it was a tent of meeting, and it was exactly what God's people needed.
00:18:24
Speaker
As you recall before the tabernacle, maybe you remember this, ah Moses went up the mountain to meet with God. He went to Mount Sinai and there he spent 40 days and 40 nights and the children of Israel felt abandoned and left to their own devices. Chaos ensued.
00:18:45
Speaker
The cool kids convinced Moses' brother, Aaron, to make for them a golden calf, because they wanted something they could see. They said, make for us a visible god. That's what they demanded. And shockingly enough, and I'll never get this, he did. Not good, little bro. Moses was ticked. Can you imagine that?
00:19:13
Speaker
after all that God had done for them? I mean, amazing, the miraculous plagues in Egypt, the Passover, the rescue. They walked through the Red Sea for crying out loud. He gave them food from heaven every morning and ah Moses comes down the mountain. There they are. He finds them dancing around a golden
00:19:41
Speaker
He was carrying God's own handwriting written in stone and yet the Israelites are worshipping a shiny farm animal. And this was more than Moses could take. And so what he did was he melted that that metal cow down and he pounded that gold in the dust and then he scattered that gold dust on the water and he made everybody drink up.
00:20:09
Speaker
You see, when God's children go alone, it's not good. So he would dwell among them. He would be present among the Israelites and they would know he was with them because when he was present, a cloud covered the tent. Now get this, God did not turn into a cloud.
00:20:32
Speaker
Nor was God symbolized or represented as a cloud. No, and this is gonna come into play later. God was in the cloud. He was with the cloud. He was under the cloud. And the people of God knew that God was there. Now, just because the Lord was present, it didn't mean that you could just barge on in any old time you want. We can now, but you couldn't then.
00:21:00
Speaker
And although God wanted to dwell with his children, the gap between his perfect holiness and their flawed sinfulness had to be dealt with. Because God... By nature, God is pure. God is holy. And humans are corrupted with sin.
00:21:30
Speaker
And so a sinner coming into the holy presence of God would instantly vaporize and burn up. It would be like getting too close to the sun. It happened to a couple of guys. Check out a little bit of Leviticus chapter 10. Who need to have and a be who? They got smoked. God is holy. God is just. God is a God of justice, high control.
00:21:59
Speaker
but also high support. So God devised a way for people to pay for or atone for their sin, namely animal sacrifices. They would take an animal without blemish and take it to the priest and slaughter it. And this was to be their most valuable of animals. Not one of their leftover scrubs, not one of their sick ones, not one of their sicklier blemish, you know, no.
00:22:29
Speaker
It was to be the best, and the blood was gonna pay the price for the people. The shed blood was going to cover their sin, and you can bet that this whole thing is pointing to Jesus. Now, when we think animal sacrifice, we go, you know, weird, primitive, cruel. But for the Israelites, or maybe even in Uganda, I'll say, I've been there many times, their animals are precious.
00:23:00
Speaker
is Like life itself, kind of the way money is for us. But for them to sacrifice an animal was very profound and meaningful. A pure, innocent animal would take the punishment. I don't know, maybe we could just, you dog lovers, you know. If you could think, every year you would have to sacrifice, let's say, your pet.
00:23:30
Speaker
For me, it wouldn't be much of a sacrifice, but maybe for you.
00:23:36
Speaker
But you take this animal who you love and care for, right? You offered up to take your punishment. Instead of a sinful person being struck down for their sin, the lamb took the punishment so that the sinner could keep on living and enjoying a relationship with God. Sound unfair? It was. And that's exactly the point God is making.
00:24:01
Speaker
Yeah, it's totally unfair that an innocent creature gets what you deserve. Because that was the only way. Because we can't get rid of sin on our own. And so God will provide a way. You see, God does not condone sin. He never winks at it, never just says, that's not a big deal to me. He's not some kindly old grandpa.
00:24:30
Speaker
He is holy and He is just. He is a God of justice and He will not ignore sin, nor will He ignore us. God is love.
00:24:46
Speaker
Our sin does not stop as love. Notice the opposite. God gets actively involved personally. He will provide a way. He will provide the way, the truth, the life, the way, high control, the highest support. You see, if you look ahead in the story, if you look ahead in your Bibles, go to the book of Hebrews, and you will see that this tabernacle stuff,
00:25:16
Speaker
All those animal sacrifices and all that, that was just temporary. It was just for a time. They would offer the Israelites a way to deal with their sin until another lamb was sacrificed. The way who would defeat sin and death once and for all. God sent Moses down Mount Sinai with his perfect law.
00:25:44
Speaker
And Jesus went up Mount Calvary to save those who broke that law. He carried the whole weight of it. The one who never sinned became sin for us. And his blood was shed so that we would be the redeemed children of God. This is gospel.
00:26:08
Speaker
Jesus, John says right away, the first line in his book, John writes, Jesus came and he tabernacled among us. He dwelt among us. That word's actually tabernacled. He tabernacled among us and he took all those commands of Moses and he fulfilled them to the very letter of the law. And then Jesus, the lamb of God was offered up as the permanent perfect sacrifice, so we don't need animal sacrifice anymore.
Jesus' Fulfillment of the Law
00:26:41
Speaker
It is finished. The innocent one gets what we deserve so that we may dwell and come into the holy presence of God. And today you've come with your sin, just like you do every Sunday, me too. After all that God has done for us, yet by nature,
00:27:05
Speaker
We choose to break, ignore, misuse, neglect God's commands. We dance around our own version of golden cows out of control. We done specifically what he told us not to do. We have not loved him with our whole hearts.
00:27:34
Speaker
Nor have we loved our neighbors as ourselves. We sinners sin. That is the law. And yet God still wants us. God doesn't want us to go it alone. He wants relationship with us. So he removes that sinfulness. He provides away all we saw this morning at baptism.
00:28:07
Speaker
Then he comes with a new covenant. Jesus comes to us. He is present in the Lord's Supper. He offers us his body and his blood, truly present in, with and under the bread and the wine. You recall his presence in, with and under the cloud. Good, you're getting the connection. See that Old Testament stuff points to Jesus today.
00:28:34
Speaker
It's too bad that we're not going to be communing today. Unfortunately, the story schedule did not line up with Messiah's worship schedule, but that's okay. God is with us on non-communion Sundays too. Just like he is Monday through Saturday, God is with us. When closing, I will offer to you the words of Moses the parrot. Jesus is watching you.
00:29:03
Speaker
He's watching you, but not to bite you on the backside or to catch you sinning. No, he's watching over you because he loves you. Don't you see that you have a God who is so merciful that he will do anything to save you so that you could be with him.
00:29:31
Speaker
That's what this story is all about. And it is to be continued. Amen. After listening to this week's message, if you'd like to go a little bit deeper, head to normalgoestalongway.com and check out our show notes because there we have some questions that will help you dig a little bit deeper. And don't forget to come back on Thursday as Miss Hannah and Miss April, they present the kids version of chapter five.