24-1103a Transcript

Preacher: Mike Mathis

(0:04) Good morning. (0:07) Today’s scripture reading comes from Deuteronomy chapter 31, verse 19. (0:14) Therefore, write this song for yourselves and teach it to the sons of Israel.

(0:20) Put on their lips so that this song may be a witness for me against the sons of Israel. (0:26) Amen. (0:32) Morning.

(0:32) Good morning. (0:33) Good morning. (0:34) Morning second.

(0:36) Scripture reading also comes from the book of Deuteronomy chapter 32, verse 3 verses, (0:47) it says as follows. (0:52) Hear, O heavens, I will speak. (0:56) Hear, O earth, words of my mouth.

(0:59) Let my teaching drop as the rain, as each distill as the dew, as raindrops on the tender (1:11) herb, as showers on the grass. (1:17) I proclaim the name of the Lord, and ascribe greatness to our God. (1:28) Good morning, everyone.

(1:32) It is my turn to speak this morning in the rotation, which I am pleased to do so. (1:46) And I am glad to see everyone here that is here, and those who are on the phone. (2:01) I am glad.

(2:03) I was reading through Deuteronomy, and I came to chapter 32, which contains the Song of (2:28) Moses, which in the Scripture reading Stephen said, I told Moses to write a song that would (2:52) be a witness for me against the children of Israel. (2:57) Because God knew what the Israelites would do after they settled in the land which he (3:08) was leading them. (3:13) God said to Moses, after they would eat and be satisfied and grow fat, that they would (3:24) turn other idols and serve them.

(3:29) So Moses wrote this song that day, and taught the children of Israel that song. (3:43) It’s in chapter 31, verse 22. (3:52) The song is in Deuteronomy 32, verses 1 through 43.

(4:03) I’m not going to do a verse-by-verse study of this song, but something that caught my (4:14) eye in Deuteronomy 32, verse 20, God says in the Tree of Life version that they are (4:39) an upside-down generation. (4:44) Before we get into this verse, let’s look at the beginning of the chapter. (4:56) Song of Moses, verses 32, 1 through 6. (5:02) But I’m only going to look at just a few verses in this.

(5:12) He began with saying, (5:15) Give ear, O heavens, I will speak, let the earth hear the words of my mouth. (5:31) Song is supposed to be a reminder and a way of instructing and teaching, admonishing. (5:51) We are to sing songs of praise, teaching and admonishing one another in songs, hymns and (6:00) spiritual songs.

(6:03) We are to teach and admonish one another through these songs. (6:10) And this is what this song that Moses is writing is supposed to do. (6:18) So we should, when we sing, concentrate on the words of the songs and what they say.

(6:34) And it says, I will proclaim the Lord’s name in verse 3. (6:44) The Lord’s name should be proclaimed. (6:48) We need to proclaim His name because it is through His name that we receive the gospel. (7:01) It is through His name that we are saved.

(7:07) And we worship His name. (7:10) That is Christ’s name. (7:15) In verse 4 it says, The Rock.

(7:19) My English says His work. (7:24) The Rock. (7:26) Now we are reading this.

(7:30) We may not realize this, but we are told in 1 Corinthians 10 by Paul writing to the Corinthians (7:45) that the Rock, they received nourishment. (7:52) They received water. (7:54) They received the food.

(7:58) He said that Rock is Christ. (8:02) So when we are reading this, let us remember that we receive the Rock. (8:11) Let us remember Christ.

(8:18) He is also our Creator. (8:22) As John 1 tells us that He made us. (8:34) In verse 6 of this song it says, He made you and established you.

(8:44) That is talking to the children of Israel. (8:51) In verse 12, it is God alone that guided Israel. (9:05) God heard their cries in Egypt and He sent Moses to deliver them from that bondage.

(9:18) And He was with them all through the trip, the Exodus from Egypt. (9:31) And even when it was time for them to go over into the land that He was leading them to, (9:40) they refused to go over. (9:42) And so the spies searched out the land of Canaan for 40 days.

(9:56) And because of their refusal and listening to 10 of those 12 spies, they would not go in. (10:08) And then for each day that the spies spied out the land, they were to spend one year in the wilderness. (10:21) So they spent 40 years wandering in the wilderness.

(10:28) And God was their guide. (10:32) And this song, since there are references in this song that seem to be after they were in the land, (10:58) these people were reminded that God guided them. (11:08) And He brought them into the land.

(11:13) And He made Israel to mount the heights of the land. (11:19) Yes, God brought them into the land. (11:26) And they climbed it to great heights.

(11:31) And they ate the produce of the field. (11:34) And verse 13. (12:04) You drink, you drink.

(12:08) So see, as Jim prayed this morning, that God cares for us. (12:17) He cares for Israel. (12:19) He made them His own special people.

(12:24) Brought them into the land. (12:27) And let them feed off that land. (12:34) But then we have the sad news.

(12:40) Bad news. (12:43) Israel forsook God. (12:48) Yes, God knew that Israel would depart from Him.

(12:55) God knew that they would do that. (13:02) The children of Israel were shown that they were a stiff-necked people. (13:08) They complained when they were getting low on food.

(13:15) Asked whether God could feed them and give them a table to eat. (13:25) And they were thirsty, low on water. (13:28) They complained to Moses.

(13:31) They were really complaining to God also. (13:37) And God brought them water, provided them water. (13:44) And yet they complained.

(13:48) And then when in the land they grew fat, as it is stated here. (13:57) They grew fat, but just short. (14:04) That’s another name for Jacob.

(14:07) And it’s referring to Israel. (14:10) It’s like Washington, you might say, as referring to the United States. (14:20) Representing the United States.

(14:22) Or Moscow representing Russia. (14:27) And Jacob is the one that is referred to. (14:34) And it’s referring to the children of Israel.

(14:39) And said that he who grew, he got fat. (14:46) He grew thick. (14:48) He gorged.

(14:49) He forsook God who made him. (14:53) That is Jacob forsook. (14:57) And it’s talking about Israel.

(15:00) Children of Israel. (15:02) Forsaking him. (15:07) And so in verse 18.

(15:15) They ignored the law to birth them. (15:20) It says. (15:23) I am using the Tree of Life version.

(15:29) And I’m using it because of a certain phrase that I’ll use as a title of this lesson. (15:40) And we’ll be getting to that in just a minute. (15:44) They ignored the law to birth them.

(15:49) It says you forgot God who brought you forth. (15:58) Sounds like we’ve got a similar situation today. (16:03) People forget God.

(16:05) They want to leave God out of everything. (16:11) And then some wonder where God is. (16:16) And one woman, when that question was posed, told him.

(16:24) You took God out of the schools. (16:27) You took him out of the government. (16:30) You took him out.

(16:34) So he left you. (16:38) God bless you. (16:41) If you wonder why he’s not here, just ask.

(16:47) Have I let God down? (16:52) Or have I pushed God aside? (16:57) Now, I’m going to read from verse 19 to 20. (17:06) And I saw, and he spurned his eyes, and his daughters out of vexation. (17:17) He said, I will hide my face from them.

(17:22) I want to see their hair hereafter, or therein. (17:32) For they are an upside-down generation. (17:38) That’s the title of my lesson.

(17:43) An upside-down generation. (17:46) Children with no faithfulness in them. (17:53) This is, in this song, how God is burying them when they departed him.

(18:05) New King James Version says they are a perverse generation. (18:14) New American Standard Version says they are a perverse generation. (18:24) King James Version says they are a very, they are a very forward generation.

(18:32) They don’t have any faithfulness in them. (18:42) It sounds like the present day, doesn’t it? (18:46) We have people that are very forward. (18:53) They do not want to accept God for what God says.

(19:03) For those that are atheistic, they don’t believe in God. (19:07) They deny that he exists, that there is no God. (19:13) And that they choose to believe that man evolved.

(19:20) And he came forth by accident. (19:27) There’s no creator. (19:31) They make a show of the perversion, of the marriage arrangement.

(19:43) You know, you used to have problems with divorce. (19:52) It seems like the divorce situation is down because people do not marry. (20:02) Which is not what God arranged.

(20:07) And not what God did. (20:10) When he created man, he made male and female. (20:17) And he made from man, woman.

(20:26) He presented the woman, Adam. (20:32) Adam called her Eve, as she is the mother of all living. (20:42) Male and female is what God created.

(20:49) We have the perversion of this. (20:53) We have people wanting to have same-sex marriage. (20:58) Perversion.

(21:00) And they make a show of this. (21:02) They want to come out of a shell, as they want to call it. (21:11) And call themselves gay.

(21:15) And make it known. (21:19) And yet, this is a perversion of the marriage arrangement. (21:25) The people seem to not want to hear what God says.

(21:35) As we began this. (21:41) Of course, it was seen as the ones who are singing the song. (21:49) Are the ones that are speaking.

(21:53) That are singing the song and saying, (21:57) If there are all heavens, I will speak. (22:02) Let the earth hear the words of my mouth. (22:06) This song that they are taught, that God cares for them.

(22:14) And yet, the people said God. (22:21) It means they turned away to idols. (22:25) They served idols.

(22:29) They perverted what God wanted them to do. (22:37) And therefore, they viewed them as a perverse generation. (22:43) Or as the free of life version, the upside down generation.

(22:57) Right now, I want to pause and I want to give an invitation to anyone who wants to obey the gospel. (23:10) If they haven’t done so. (23:13) If they haven’t left Christ and went astray.

(23:21) Wished to be restored. (23:24) You are invited to do so. (23:29) Why not come? (23:31) Why not get away from the perversion of the world? (23:38) Why not let the Lord save you? (23:46) Instead of being in an upside down situation.

(23:53) Be right side up. (23:57) Be with the Lord. (24:01) If there is anybody subject to the gospel invitation in any way.

(24:06) Let them do so while we stand and while we sing.