Deuteronomy 6:20-25
“When your son asks you in time to
come,
‘What is
the meaning of the testimonies and the statutes and the rules that the LORD our
God has commanded you?’
then you shall say to your son,
‘We were
Pharaoh's slaves in Egypt.
And the
LORD brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand.
And the
LORD showed signs and wonders, great and grievous,
against Egypt and
against Pharaoh and all his household,
before our eyes.
And he brought us out from there,
that he might bring us in and give us the land that he swore to give to our
fathers.
And the
LORD commanded us to do all these statutes,
to fear the LORD our God,
for our good always,
that he might preserve us alive,
as we are
this day.’
And it will be
righteousness for us,
if we are careful to do
all this commandment before the LORD our God,
as he has
commanded us.’”
Deuteronomy 6:20-25 this side of the cross
When your son or daughter asks you in time to come,
“Mom and/or Dad, why do we do all
of these things? What is the meaning of these commands and songs and prayers
and testimonies and baptisms and communion and sermons and Home Group meetings
and acts of service and telling people about Jesus?”
Then you shall say to your son or daughter,
“We were
slaves of sin and enslaved to the fear of death. We were blind to our blindness,
in the domain of darkness, under the heavy hand of the wicked Prince of Darkness.
And the
LORD brought us out with a mighty hand. It was SO amazing!
He showed his unstoppable power
through unassuming weakness. He so loved us that he sent his only Son to enter
this dark world, taking on our flesh and blood. He lived the perfect life that
we could not live so that he could be the perfect sacrifice for our sins. And
he died in our place on a shameful, cursed cross so that the curse would fall
on him and not on us. He was condemned – it looked like weakness and a defeat –
so that we would be pardoned.
Do you see the power of the cross?!
The signs and wonders, great and
grievous, that you expect on the day of the Lord’s deliverance fell not on us,
not on any earthly enemies, but on Jesus! Deep darkness at midday, rocks
splitting, the earth shaking – it was all evidence of God’s righteous wrath
being poured out on his Son! It looked like the Son of God was bound in
weakness to a wooden cross, but really he was binding the Prince-of-Darkness
Strongman and plundering his house!
And he brought us out from there, he
rescued us,
that he might bring us in – home to himself. He reconciled us to
God. We have peace with God now through our Lord Jesus Christ. We’ve been
adopted into his family. Nothing can separate us from the love of God that is
ours in Christ Jesus. And not only that, but he went away to prepare a place
for us. One day he will return in power and make all things new! And we will
inherit the earth! Not this old earth with all its brokenness and groaning and
pollution, but a new heavens and new earth where there will be no more death or
crying or pain anymore. We will see God face-to-face and walk in the light of
his face forever! That’s when we’ll experience the fullness of what it means
that he brought us out…to bring us IN!
And the LORD commanded us to do all
these things,
to fear the LORD
our God,
for our good always,
not
in
order to live and be accepted,
but because
he has made us alive together with Christ, because Jesus Christ is
himself our righteousness, and because we are already accepted and loved and have
eternal life in him.
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