Tag: Travis Peterson

In Deuteronomy 28, God outlines a great blessing for Israel if they simply obey his commands and a great curse if they refuse to obey him. The details that are found in that curse are gruesome, and accurate. Knowing a little about the history of Israel, we can see that what God predicted, he brought about. God did not promise Israel anything that he did not do. They disobeyed his commands, and he punished them in just the ways that he claimed he would. God was perfectly faithful to the covenant.

Without trying to sound morbid, it is important that we recognize that the justice of God is just as true a part of his character as his mercy. God will always be true to his word, and he will always punish all human sin. No sin, not a single one, will ever go unpunished. Either it will be punished in Jesus’ death on the cross, or it will be carried out on the individual sinner who has refused the grace of Christ. God promises hell to all who do not have their names written in “the Lamb’s Book of Life.” Only those who have received Jesus by grace through faith have their names written in that book of those who are forgiven graciously by God.

Yes, the passage in Deuteronomy 28 is a sad one to read. It is frightening and ugly, but it is honest. God takes our sinful disobedience very seriously. We must remember that, when we talk about sinning before God, we are talking about life and death issues. When we talk about receiving or not receiving Jesus, we are talking about the difference in heaven and hell.

Still some have a difficult time believing that God would ever punish sins as he describes in Deuteronomy 28, or as he describes in many of the texts on hell. Let us remember that God is true to his word. We certainly want to believe that the promises of heaven are true. We do not want to ever even entertain the notion that God would not faithfully give all the blessing he has promised to give. However, if we want to trust in that, we must also trust in the truth of God’s wrath over sin and his promised judgment. You can not choose to believe God faithful in one area but not in another. God is totally faithful, and that includes judgment and grace.

Lord, I recognize that you are totally faithful, totally gracious, and totally just. You will do all that you promise. While the judgments of Deuteronomy 28 are frightening to behold, they remind us of your justice and your faithfulness. You promised to punish disobedience in a particular way, and you carried out your word faithfully. You most certainly will also keep all your promises for blessing to those who are forgiven by you in Christ and who faithfully serve you. Lord, I pray that you will help me to remember your great faithfulness, and that this faithfulness extends to your justice as well as your blessings. Help me to take your word even more seriously today, as I remember that you always do what you say. Praise you for being a just God who keeps his word.

Acts 5:29-31 – But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men. The God of our fathers raised Jesus, whom you killed by hanging him on a tree. God exalted him at his right hand as Leader and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. And we are witnesses to these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.”
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Jesus lives! He is risen! Peter and the disciples were able to stand confidently in the presence of the religious opposition, because they knew that Jesus is alive. The Jews, via the Romans, killed Jesus by hanging him on a tree. Jesus, in his death, was cursed by God, though he deserved no such curse. He allowed this to happen, however, in order to redeem us from the curse that should have fallen on us. Paul writes, concerning this, “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree” (Galatians 3:13). No mere mortal could ever live again after suffering the curse for sin, because “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23a). But Jesus lives, proving that he fully paid the price for our sins and has conquered death.

We, like the disciples are witnesses to these truths. We are witnesses, not with our physical eyes, but with the eyes of our hearts. We know that Jesus is risen because the Holy Spirit of God has convinced us that Jesus is risen. We trust in God, and we believe his word to be true.

Lord Jesus, I praise you for rising from the dead. You defeated sin, not by ignoring it, but by paying the price for the consequences of our sin. You rose from the grave, and showed the entire world that you are superior even to death. You are the risen Lord, and I worship you. My entire faith and my entire soul rests in the fact that you live again, and that you paid the price for my sins—a price I could never pay.

Acts 2:13

Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus.

Far too many people place far too much emphasis on a person’s education or credentials. Peter, who spoke so eloquently and boldly to the most educated men in his country, was merely a fisherman. What helped Peter make such a good impression? It was not an impressive resume or transcript. What was impressive was that Peter had been with Jesus.

If we face facts, we must recognize that there are many people with high-level degrees, even from seminaries, who are not impressive. Sure, they may be bright, but something about the way that they come across does not leave a lasting good impression. But, when we encounter a person who truly loves and spends time with Jesus, that is a different story. The person who loves Jesus with all their heart is wonderful to behold. They have a sweet spirit and a Godward direction to their life. They make you want to be around them, because you know they are showing you as much as is possible of the glory of God. They may not even have a high-school diploma, but if they have been with Jesus, it outshines anything the world might say is lacking in their education.

We are created by God to bear his image. Part of that responsibility is for us to show the world around us what God is like. We want people to know God as they get to know us. No, we certainly are not deity in any form. We are only mirrors that reflect to people the glory of God. At least, that is what we are supposed to be. So, if we want to do this rightly, we need, like Peter and John, to be with Jesus. The more we are with our Lord, the more we can help others to see his beautiful face.

Jesus, I want to be with you today. Help me to spend my time, whether at work or rest, in your presence. Allow me to see your glory in your word. Allow me to have sweet fellowship with you in all that I do. Help me to be focused on you and your glory all the day long. I also ask that you would help me to show someone else your majesty. I do not ask this so that they will be impressed with me—we all know I’m not impressive—, I simply want people to see you and be drawn more to you. May others around me only notice someone who has been with Jesus.

Deuteronomy 17:1

You shall not sacrifice to the Lord your God an ox or a sheep in which is a blemish, any defect whatever, for that is an abomination to the Lord your God.

When the people of God were called by him to make offerings, they were not allowed by God to give him their leftovers. Shepherds were not to comb their flocks to find the weakest, ugliest, least worthwhile lambs—the ones they felt they could spare—in order to make their offerings. They were called to give God their absolute best. They were called by God to give offerings that rightly reflected his glory. Of course, not even the most perfect-looking lamb was a sufficient sacrifice to match the glory of our God, but it was crucial that the people not think that they could offer God their castaways.

In our own lives, it is often tempting to give God what time, money, or focus we can spare. We tend to relegate our time with God to whatever our busy schedules will permit. We relegate our worship of God to whatever we can squeeze into our busy days. This is a practice that does not honor him, but is, as he declares, an abomination.

It is time, in the lives of all who read this text, that we offer God our best. We must give to him, not a sacrifice of lambs, but the true sacrifice of our own lives. We do not squeeze God into our schedules, we order our lives around him and his glory. Let us learn to give God the time that he demands long before we think of getting the less important things done. Let us learn to give freely to our God the very best we have to offer. Let us learn to live with our lives centered on him and his kingdom, and let him take care of the remaining needs we have. This does not excuse us from being responsible people in daily life, but it does reorder our priorities so that we will offer God lives that are not the blemished sacrifices that the falsely pious think they can spare.

Dear Lord, I confess to you that it is often far too easy for me to offer to you what I feel that I can spare. This is not something that brings honor to your name. I pray that you will forgive me of this grievous sin, and reorder my steps. I desire to give you my very best. I recognize that this offering is still ugly and blemished in the light of your perfect holiness; but I have nothing else to offer. I pray that you, through the blood of Christ, will see my life as an acceptable sacrifice of praise to your great name.