Repentance
How to Have
Lasting Change
Deuteronomy 8:16-20
1. Humility Before God
(Vs
16)“He gave you manna to
eat in the
desert
something
your fathers
had never
known, to
humble and to
test you so
that in the
end it might go
well with
you.”
n
The beginning of the changed life is
always brokenness
(1 Samuel 2:7)
“The LORD sends poverty and wealth;
he humbles and he exalts.”
n
The enemy of real change is a lack of
total surrender
(Romans
12:16)
“Live in harmony with
one another.
Do not be proud, but
be willing to
associate with
people of low
position. Do not be
conceited.”
(James 4:6)
“But he gives us more
grace.
That is why
Scripture says:
“God opposes the proud
but gives grace
to the
humble.“
(Humility is perhaps the
rarest of great virtues.)
n
Our definition of humility is often
skewed. It is not pacifism or weakness, but utter submission toward God.
(Numbers 12 : 3)
“Now Moses was a very
humble
man, more humble
than anyone
else on the face of
the earth.”
nEvery great servant of God began in Humility
-- Isaiah is an excellent
example (Isaiah
6)
2. This Humility Leads to a Realization
That GOD is the Source of all Blessings.
(Vs 17)
“You may say to
yourself, My power and the strength of
my hands have produced this wealth for me."
(2 Corinthians 4:7)
(Vs
7) “But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show
that this
all-surpassing
power is from
God and not
from us.”
This passage reminds us of our
utter dependence upon GOD’S
enabling grace and power.
3.
Be Ready And Pass
The Tests.
(Vs 16)
“He gave you manna to
eat in the desert, something your fathers had never known, to humble and to
test you so that in the end it might go well with you.”
n We must make clear that GOD expects us to persevere through life’s
trails. We don’t like the concept of a test…it implies an uncaring instructor.
n GOD does test us…but for our own good.
(Romans 5:3-5)
(Vs 3) “Not
only so, but we also rejoice in our
sufferings,
because we know that
suffering
produces perseverance;
(Vs 4) “perseverance,
character; and
character,
hope”
(Vs 5) “And hope does not disappoint us,
because God
has poured out his love
into our
hearts by the Holy Spirit,
whom he has
given us.”
(James 1: 2-5)
(Vs 2)”Consider it pure joy, my
brothers,
whenever you face
trials of
many kinds,
(Vs 3) because you know that the
testing of your faith develops
perseverance. “
(Vs
4) “Perseverance must finish its
work so that you may be mature
and complete, not lacking
anything.
(Vs
5 If any of you lacks wisdom, he
should ask God, who gives
generously to all without finding
fault, and it will be given to
him.”
4. Prepare To Receive Blessings.
(Vs 18)
“But remember the LORD your
God, for it is
he who gives you
the ability to
produce wealth,
and so confirms
his covenant,
which he swore
to your
forefathers, as
it is today”
n Deuteronomy 28:11-13
(Vs 11)”The
LORD will grant you abundant
prosperity--in the fruit of your womb,
the young
of your livestock and the
crops of
your ground--in the land he
swore to
your forefathers to give
you.”
(Vs 12)”The LORD will open the heavens, the
storehouse
of his bounty, to send
rain on
your land in season and to
bless all
the work of your hands. You
will lend
to many nations but will
borrow from
none.”
(Vs
13 )“The LORD will make you the head,
not the
tail. If you pay attention to
the
commands of the LORD your
God that
I give you this day and
carefully follow them, you will
always
be at the top, never at the
bottom”
(The testing is to prepare us for good
things)
5.Follow Pagans No More
(Vs. 19-20)
(Vs 19)”If you ever forget the
LORD
your
God and follow other gods
and
worship and bow down to
them, I
testify against you today
that
you will surely be destroyed. “
(Vs 20) “Like the nations the
LORD
destroyed before you, so you will
be
destroyed for not obeying the
LORD
your God.”
-The ways of their
former lives
were to be done and
gone.
-This means that
associations
MUST change!!
(1 Corinthians 15:33)
“ Do not be misled: Bad
company
corrupts good
character."