← ArchivePathsPoint to JesusDateJuly 26, 2020SpeakerDr Josh BurnhamTextDeuteronomy 34Passages in this sermonDeuteronomy 341:58Acts 8:5615:33Numbers 2721:07TranscriptMachine transcribed. Click any line to jump there.0:00"It's time to get to the end of the world." "I'm not sure how to get to the end of the world." "I'm not sure how to get to the end of the world." "I'm not sure how to get to the end of the world." "I'm not sure how to get to the end of the world." "I'm not sure how to get to the end of the world." "I'm not sure how to get to the end of the world." "I'm not sure how to get to the end of the world." "I'm not sure how to get to the end of the world." "I'm not sure how to get to the end of the world." "I'm not sure how to get to the end of the world." "I'm not sure how to get to the end of the world." "I'm not sure how to get to the end of the world."0:28"I'm not sure how to get to the end of the world." "I'm not sure how to get to the end of the world." "I'm not sure how to get to the end of the world." "I'm not sure how to get to the end of the world." "I'm not sure how to get to the end of the world." "I'm not sure how to get to the end of the world." "I have a lot of people watching online." "If you're just now tuning in, my name is Josh Burnham, lead pastor here at Bethel."0:54"What a joy it is to worship together again." "Man, just nice to be back." "Loreena, great to see you." "You can thank your dad for that later." So it's just great to be back. We are finishing a sermon series in the book of Deuteronomy. We've called many paths but only one way. And this is exactly what we see in Jesus Christ. He says, "I am the way, I am the way, not a way or a possible way.1:23I am the way, I am the truth, and I am the life." And we don't apologize for what we believe. We believe that Jesus Christ is the answer that the world needs. But here's what we also believe. We believe that anyone by faith can be a whosoever. That anyone can have faith in Jesus Christ. There are times that we sing songs and I can just picture where they're sung.1:49That last song that we sing, I can picture Moses on top of Mount Nebo. At the end of his life in Deuteronomy 34, which is what we're going to read shortly. And saying and singing, "God, all my life, you've been faithful. God, all my life, you've been so, so good." And he's looking into the promised land, right? Knowing he's going to die. He can't go there. But he's saying, "I will sing of your goodness.2:16I will tell future generations what I have seen." So today's sermon is on leaving a legacy. And everyone in this room, everyone listening to this message, you are going to leave a legacy. It's not a question of what, if you leave something, you are going to leave something. So what will you be known for? That can change today.2:47So there are five people I want us to look at really quick. And they've given us some last words. And I think this will encourage you and motivate you as we go forward. Hopefully you know some of these people. So Nostradamus, some of you went to high school with him. A great French futurist, right? He's known for predicting the future. So this is what he says on his last words. "Tomorrow at sunrise, I shall no longer be here." He was right.3:15Those were his last words. He passed away. A famous Italian artist, Raphael. Now I know what you're thinking. Not the Ninja Turtle, not the green dude, but the artist. Think about this. His final word that he breathed was happy. Happy. Happy. What a great legacy that is. The famed Harriet Tubman. One of the leaders of the Underground Railroad who rescued hundreds if not thousands of slaves.3:41Her final words, actually her final words were in a song. And it was this. "Swing low, sweet chariots." My, what a great legacy that is. Leonardo da Vinci. I know for those of you who are type A, sorry, these are four, not five people. Leonardo da Vinci said this. Think about the power in this statement. "I have offended God and mankind because my work did not reach the quality it should have."4:09Wow. What have you done lately? And here this man is looking at God and saying, "God, not even my greatest paintings, not even the Sistine Chapel compares to the power and the majesty of who you are." What great legacies these men have left and these women have left. You are making and leaving a legacy right now.4:38I know some of our youth are thinking, "Well, I'm not worried about that. I have another hundred years to live." You are making a legacy right now. And may our legacy be this, that we pointed people to Jesus Christ. That we said, "Don't look at me, but look at him." Which is exactly what we see in Moses. Deuteronomy 34 this morning. We're going to read the entire passage. It's only about 12 verses. The final chapter in the final book of the five books of Moses.5:07This is the end of the end for Moses. And I think we're going to find a challenging word today for our lives. So read with me. I'm actually reading from the CSB translation. Deuteronomy 34 verse 1 and following. "Then Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, which faces Jericho.5:30And the Lord showed him all of the land." So the Bible calls it the land, but we know it by the promised lands. Gilead as far as Dan. All of Naphtali, the land of Ephraim and Manasseh. All of the land of Judah as far as the Mediterranean Sea.5:57The Negev in the plains in the valley of the Jericho. The city of Palms as far as Zor. The Lord said to him, "This is the land which I promised Abraham and Isaac and Jacob. I will give it to your descendants. I have let you see it with your own eyes, but you will not cross into it." So Moses the servant of the Lord died there in the land of Moab, according to the Lord's word.6:25"He buried him in the valley in the land of Moab facing Bet Peor. And no one knows to this day where the grave is." Moses was 120 years old when he died. His eyes were not weak and his vitality had not left him. The Israelites wept for Moses that day in the plains of Moab. And they wept for 30 days.6:54Then the days of weeping and mourning for Moses came to an end. Joshua son of Nun was filled with the spirit of wisdom because Moses had laid his hands upon him. So the Israelites obeyed him and did as the Lord had commanded Moses. No prophet has arisen again in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face. He was unparalleled for all the signs and wonders the Lord sent him to do against the land of Egypt,7:22to Pharaoh, to all of his officials, and to all his land. And for all the mighty acts of power and terrifying deeds that Moses performed in the sight of all Israel." Wow, what a legacy. So what legacy are you leaving right now? Let's pray. Father, we have read your word.7:49It is holy. It is living. It is active. It is sharper than any sword. It is penetrating the very division of our soul and spirit, joints and marrow. Lord, where there is sin in our lives, remove it. Father, where there is weakness, embolden us. And Lord, may we be encouraged to live and lead like never before. May we leave a legacy. And may we point people to Jesus Christ because you are worth it.8:16And you are worthy to be praised. Father, hear our prayer. We thank you for doing something in our midst today that even if you were to tell us we would not believe. Lord, this is our prayer we ask in Jesus' name. Amen. And amen. So the passage starts, this is the end of Moses' life. And some of you are thinking, who is Moses? Well, he is the greatest prophet in the history of Israel.8:43There is no one else like him. And there has been no one else like him. So the Bible says that Moses here is standing on Nebo. Right? Just pretend I am standing on Nebo. And he is standing at 3 o'clock. This is our clock. He is standing at 3 o'clock. And he is now looking in a counter-clockwise direction. So if you look in your Bible in verse 1, he begins in Gilead, Dan region, which is north. That's 12 o'clock. He is looking at the Golan Heights.9:11If you have ever heard of the Golan Heights, that is where Moses is looking. And then he now moves counter-clockwise. So he is looking to the Mediterranean Sea, Caesarea Maritima. He is looking that way. And you might be thinking, well, can Moses see that far? Israel is only about 35 miles to 50 miles across. So Moses is peering there. And now he is looking in a more 4 o'clock, 5 o'clock, 6 o'clock direction to the south. He looked from Dan out to Beersheba.9:39And he is looking at Jericho. He is actually on this side of the Jordan River. He is in the territory of Edom. He is not in the Promised Land because of his sin. He is looking across into the Promised Land looking at Jericho. The land of dates. The beautiful land. What is going on here? I think that God is bringing Moses to this place so he can go back shortly and say, "Listen guys, I saw it. I saw it."10:06We've been working for 40 years. You know the land that God has promised us? It's been longer than that because it says that he promised it to Abraham and to Isaac and to Jacob. You know the land that we've been waiting for for 500 years? I saw the lands. And you can only see it by faith right now, but just trust me on this.10:31God is promising and he will deliver. You know what people of Legacy do? They're people who can go up on the mountain and say, "Listen, you guys can't see it right now, but by faith it's going to happen." The world needs people of faith that can lean forward. That can say, "I know it's been 39 years in the desert, but just one more step. I know the pandemic.11:00I know there have been hundreds of thousands of people die. I know we don't understand it, but I do know that God is faithful." If you just trust him by faith, believe, that's what Legacy does. We need people right now who are leaning forward. And you know what happens? Sometimes God brings us on the mountain so we can see, so that way we can go back down to the bottom of the mountain and say, "Guys, you'll never believe what I saw. I know we've been reading about it, but it's real.11:29Trust the Lord. Follow him. He is worth it. Are you willing to be the person that says, "Listen, you can trust God." You can't see it, but he will deliver. He is true. He is the way. There is abundant life. We need more people who lean forward in faith. That when no one else can see, that God brings them to the mountain and says, "Listen, one day what we see with our eyes,11:55what we see by faith, we will see with our eyes." Would you be willing to say, "I'll be that person today. I will believe the legacy of faith." That's what we need. And what a great legacy that would be to say, "Listen, man, Joshua's really whacked out. He believed in heaven. No one's ever seen that.12:23He believed one day that he would go see God face to face." I want to live a life where if you don't include Jesus, the things I believe are absolutely crazy. I want to live a life that people look at me and say, "Man, he keeps talking about this land. And we've been wandering for 40 years. And we've never seen it." But Jesus says it's true. Live by faith.12:52That's what the world needs. Would you be a, "I can see it. I can see it" type person. That's a legacy of faith. And then we see up on the mountain, something happens to Moses. We see in verse 4 and 5, verse 5 especially, that Moses dies there. Now this is pretty anticlimactic, right? I'm building up and there's this promised land and it's beautiful. And you know what? Moses dies.13:21Moses dies. But he doesn't just die. Look at what happens in the Word. He dies there in the land of Moab according to what? According to the Lord's Word. So he doesn't die from old age or frustration. He doesn't die from social distancing. He dies according to the Lord's command. I want to be someone that dies looking up to God.13:47This is the beauty for the Christian. If you are a Christ follower, no Christ follower just dies and goes to the ground. You are ushered into the presence of your heavenly Father. So you die at the Lord's command. Really the command is, okay, time to go home. And then we say, I've been waiting for this. I get to receive the reward of the upward call in Christ Jesus.14:14I want to die looking up. Looking up. The Hebrew here actually says that not only did he die at the word of the Lord, but he died at the mouth of the Lord. There's an ancient Midrash tradition here in the Hebrew that says that Moses actually died from a kiss by God. Think about that. It's as if God kissed Moses on the forehead and said, come on, you've done enough.14:39Come be with me. Come to the real promised land. The one you saw is pretty good, but the one you're going to experience, it's better. Moses died looking up from a kiss from Yahweh. And you might be thinking, well, this is the Old Testament. This has never happened in the New Testament. Are you sure about that? Because the first person to die for their faith in the New Testament that we see in the New Testament church is a man named Stephen.15:07Stephen was a man who lived his life leaning forward in faith. He was a man who would walk up on the mountain and say, guys, you can't believe what I just saw. God is real and Jesus is true. And people hated him for this message. And so they began to stone him. They wanted to kill Stephen. And the Bible says in Acts 8:56, as Stephen is giving his life, he's dying, people.15:33As he is dying, he looks up to heaven. And this makes everyone really happy. They're killing him because he believes in Jesus Christ. And he looks up into heaven and you know what he sees? He sees God. The heavens open and he's verbalizing this too. He sees God and he sees Jesus Christ standing at the right hand of God.16:00And in that moment, people who don't believe, it drives them incessantly mad and they kill him. But Stephen dies looking up. And I want to leave a legacy where when I give my last breath, I am looking up to the heavens. And say, God, I have given everything for you. Here I am. Are you willing to do that? We have brothers and sisters right now in the world that when they gather, they know it might be their last time because they are risking their life doing what we do right now.16:24And you know why they're doing this? Because they feel like it's worth it. They're saying, God, if we die today because of your word and your name and the gospel, we're going to die looking up because you are worth it. Can you and I say the same? That's a legacy of faith.16:51Oh, that we would live and lead this legacy. That Moses doesn't stop there. He dies looking up. He dies from a kiss from the Lord. But look in verse seven. You might think, well, Moses, man, dude's old by this point, right? Well, the Bible tells us he is a hundred and twenty years old. OK, so some of you are real old. You're not that old.17:20OK, so God is still using you. No one here is a hundred and twenty. You might feel that way, but you're not. And the power of this is that Moses, Moses is not going up to Mount Nebo on his hover rounds. But we see in the word that his eyes are bright and he has vitality. He has strength. Now, what's interesting in the ancient world, they believe that you could look into someone's eyes and tell their help.17:49And so this is saying Moses is still strong. What's interesting, again, in the Hebrew tradition, the rabbis interpreted this verse vitality this way. And most of you are going to think, if this is what Jesus does for me, I am in. There's an ancient rabbi tradition that says Moses died without any wrinkle. So that's the invitation. Come to Jesus. You've got all your wrinkles today. Some of you are like, yes, Lord.18:18But what is that tradition saying? That to the very end, Moses fought the good fight and he ran the race. That's the legacy I want to live. And you know what? If you can't walk good and you walk with a limp, you run the race with a limp. And if you're tired and you're worn out, you say, Lord, you strengthen me. Give me what you need. But may we be people who run and fight until the end.18:46God's not through with anyone yet. You know how I know that? Because you're here. So if you feel like you're 103, listen, you still have 17 years. Keep going. If you're 119, you still have one more good year in you. Keep working. Keep fighting. Keep fighting. Some of you are thinking, well, I'm three. God can use you right now. The same gospel that changes the heart of adults is the same gospel that changes the heart of our kids and our children.19:15And we're not going to water it down. They're equally sinners as we are. And the same adult version of Jesus died on the cross is the same version that radically brings redemption in their life. May we run and fight until the end. So may I never say, God, I have done my time. You are through with me. What a sad legacy that I would leave if I said that.19:41I want to give everything I have to my Savior because he is worth it. I want to be the one that dies at 120 on Mount Nebo. So we don't even know where his grave is. But he gave everything he had for his faith because it is worth it. Run the race. Fight until the end. But the story doesn't end there.20:09Some of you think, well, Moses died. The story does end. No, it doesn't. Because something has happened. There was a point where Moses knew that his time was going to be short. And so he wanted to make sure that the leadership transitioned from current generation to another generation. And so this is where we meet a man named Joshua. Joshua we find here in verse 9. But we've seen him throughout the Pentateuch.20:36The Pentateuch. So here in verse 9, Moses dies and his life comes to an end. But Joshua, son of Nun, was filled with the spirit of wisdom. Why? We read it earlier. You can cheat. We read it earlier. You can cheat. Because Moses had laid his hands on him. At what point does that happen? Does that happen here in verse 34? No. No. Previous.21:05Previous. Especially in Numbers. We see in Numbers chapter 27. Moses has already laid his hands on him. So if you want to leave a legacy, you have to bless future generations. You have to bless future generations. That's exactly what Moses is doing here. Why does he bless future generations? Because he's investing in a young man named Joshua. Moses lived his life on behalf of future generations.21:32How do I know that? Because other than Joshua and Caleb, every single person in Moses' generation would not go to the promised lands. So if Moses were living his life for his contemporaries, he would have had no legacy to leave. And this is what my heart is for this church. Hey, look around right now. We have people who are not young in this service.22:01I'm not going to say an age, because I don't want to receive any emails later. You're not 120, okay? And we have people who are really young in this service. Little eyes. Do you know how many churches would kill to have what you have right now here? How many churches are dying out because they're only gray hair? Or how many churches that are new and there's only young adults and young kids and they have no wisdom?22:26Look at the possibilities just right here. And how much do we need our Moses's, our Joshua's, to lay their hands on some of these young generations to say, hey, come along. I'm going to impart what God has done in my life. Listen, senior adults, you can define that however you want to. Moses's, you need Joshua's in your life.22:53You need people who you are investing in and you are praying for and that you are giving your life for. Even if you never see it, one day they will go into the Promised Land. Bless future generations. Hey, our young adults, our students, our youth, I know who you are. You need, you need these older generations in your life.23:20I know that your parents don't know anything, but call them back in 20 years. They know a lot more than you think they do. But you know what the Bible says about things new under the sun? Some of our senior adults are like, I don't know Twitter. I can't tweet. I don't know this Instagram thing. I don't know what a TikTok video is. But there's nothing new under the sun. Students, you need these generations before you.23:49Because they've been through the fire. Let them bless you. Let them pray for you. Let them encourage you. That should be the heartbeat of who we are as Christians. And I've already talked to Pastor Benny. Some of you might think, well, I haven't seen a youth in 100 years. He would love for you to help the youth or serve them. To invest in them. That door is wide open.24:17Will you be someone who blesses future generations? And here's what drives me insane about young generations. But here's what's beautiful. They'll never let you know they're listening. But they are. My son does stuff all the time. He's playing his little video games. He's not paying attention. And in mid-conversation, he'll repeat something that I've said. What did you just say to me? You were listening?24:46Bless future generations. Let me put it in modern language. Hey, Moses, you need to invite Joshua in the room where it happens. You need to invest. What a beautiful and powerful moment that is. Studies show in business that 80%, 79% of millennials believe that their success in their professional life depends on a mentor. That's not even church language. That's business language.25:16Invest. Who are you investing in someday? In this church right now. Do not leave here without God putting someone on your mind, someone on your heart that you can call, that you can text, that you can invest in. It is worth it. Leave a legacy. And then we see this. After Moses has imparted his wisdom in the Spirit of God into Joshua. We see in verse 10, I think, a beautiful summary of his life.25:45This epithet in the eulogy. Verse 10 says, "There is no prophet again has risen like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face." He was unparalleled for all his signs and wonders in verse 12 in the mighty acts of his power. Listen, here's the point of all this. There has never been anyone like Moses. So if as close as Moses can get to the promised land is going onto the mountain and seeing it but not entering it, you don't have a chance.26:13You are not Moses. And you'll never be Moses. My sermon today is not, be a Moses. Let's go, guys. My sermon is, you will never be Moses. You have no hope. Good luck. But what does the Bible say about Moses? That there has never been a prophet, look at verse 10, who the Lord knew face to face.26:43But this is the power of the gospel. If you give your life to Jesus Christ, you can know this God face to face. Think about that. That Moses was taken to the precipice of Mount Nebo so he could see the promised land. And yet God knew that we had never had a chance on our own to go into the promised land.27:11So he sent his only son, Jesus Christ, that we might enter into the promises of God. And so with all of this, the books of Moses, as they call them, are closed. And the people of Israel, for hundreds of years, the Bible shows us, are looking for a prophet like Moses.27:33They're looking for the one who would be like that because never again is there anyone as mighty or as strong. And we even find in the time of Jesus, they're still waiting for Moses. But the people of God, their story does not end with Moses.28:01This is how the story ends. A man named Joshua carries the people into the promised land across the Jordan. What Moses saw with his eyes, the people experience with their lives. And even today, God is still working in his people through his Holy Spirit. The story of God does not end when we close the Bible.28:31The story of God is continuing through Jesus Christ. Here's what's beautiful about Joshua. The name Joshua, and I have an inner look towards this because that's my namesake, right? The name Joshua, does anyone know what that name means? It means the Lord is our salvation. So the one who brings the people into the promised land, his name means God saves. Fast forward about a thousand years or so.29:02Really, it's about 1400 years. A man named Jesus comes, born of a virgin, to live a sinless life, who was the only begotten son of God. The name Jesus means our God saves. It's the Greek equivalent to the Hebrew, Yahoshua, Joshua. You see, God sent his only son, Jesus Christ, to bring you into a land where you could never receive on your own.29:32That's a legacy. That's hope. And if you're here today and you have never given your life to Jesus Christ, let me just say that again as gently as I can. You are not Moses. If Moses cannot enter the promised land based upon his merit, you have no shot in any world of ever going to heaven.29:56Based on who you are. And I have no chance based on who I am. If Moses can't do it, come on guys. But God knows that. But God knows that. And he sent his only son, Jesus Christ, to live a life that I should have lived, but I could not, a sinless life.30:20And Jesus Christ died a death that I deserved on the cross. That whoever might believe in him will not perish, but have what? Have everlasting life. Let me put it in Deuteronomy language. If you give your life to Jesus Christ today, you can come into the promised land.30:46You don't just have to hear about it. You can enter into rest if you trust God by faith. And you say, well, what does that look like? The Bible says that we must turn from ourself and turn to him. It's called repentance. Literally, it just means turning your back. God, today, I believe Jesus is who he says he is. And I will turn from my way, my struggle, my religion, my striving.31:11And God, I am going to turn to you. I'm going to turn from Moses, and I'm going to turn to Jesus. And the Bible says, whoever believes in him will be saved. And maybe that's you right now. Maybe you realize for the first time that you are a sinner. I know I am. And that you need Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior. Right where you sit, would you spend time and pray and say, God, I need you.31:39I believe. If you believe with your heart and you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, you will be saved. And there is no greater decision that you can make in your life than to say yes to Jesus Christ. Maybe you're here and you've done that. You're listening online and you say, well, I've given my life to Christ. Now what? Listen, the story of God does not end in Deuteronomy.32:06The same spirit that was imparted to Joshua through the laying on of hands is the same spirit that every single believer has when they give their life to Jesus Christ. So you want to know what Jesus is still doing and God is still doing in the history of the world? Look around. And may we leave a legacy of faith. May we be people who say to the world, guys, you can't see it, but promise, I promise you, it is there.32:32Trust God. He is worth it. My prayer is that we would leave a legacy that points to Jesus Christ. Church is worth it. Because he is true. And he is worthy to be praised. Let's pray. Father.← Previous in PathsCelebrating RedemptionMore sermons on Deuteronomy →
