Mount Nebo: Discovering a New Perspective

Mt Nebo

Sermon 2 of Mountains of the Bible Series

Sunday, July 13, 2014

Scripture:  Deuteronomy 34

Sermon

           

            In the Moab wilderness – in modern day Jordan – Moses stands on the edge of destiny.  He can smell the salt air of the Mediterranean.  The freshness of grass and tress drifts over the Great Jordan River Rift from the Promised Land.  The long journey from Egypt to Palestine has ended.  The land to which God called Abraham so many generations ago – before Joseph and slavery in Egypt – sits ready for the people of Israel. 

These former slaves have been formed in the wilderness into the People of God.  Their identity and covenant, their law and their rituals have matured them into a people ready to serve as God’s light for the nations.  

Moab Wilderness.  Modern day Jordan

            At 120 years young – Moses still possesses he same power and charisma that he displayed growing up in the courts of the pharaoh.  “His eyesight was sharp; he still walked with a spring in his step,” the scripture tells us.  Like an ancient version of Blanche Bowen who died last year at 96, I bet Moses could still be planting his own garden and mowing his own grass. 

            At the heart of Moses 120 years of unparalleled life stands his relationship with Yahweh God.  Yahweh saved Moses as a child and delivered him to the promised land of Pharaoh’s court in the same way God would save the People of Israel and deliver them to their own promised land.  God called Moses out of exile in the wilderness and declared his name for all the world – I am who I am, I was who I was, I will be who I will be – simply – YHWH – Yahweh. 

            Then, when the plagues were done and the People of Israel stood free at last at the base of Mount Sinai, God summed Moses into the Presence of God – a terrifying experience of smoke, thunder and noise to the top of Mt. Sinai.  The Scriptures say, Moses was the one prophet, to whom the Lord knew face to face.  Moses had experienced God and lived.  He confounded all things as they were in order for God to create something new in the world. 

            Now, Moses stands in the place that has only existed in his dreams – the Promised Land is so near he feels it calling him.  Yet, he knows the rest of the story will be left for someone else.  Once, years before, recorded in Deuteronomy 34, Moses begged God to allow him to complete the task before him – to lead the people into the Promised Land.  Like all great leaders, Moses didn’t want to leave a task unfinished. 

            “GOD, my Master,” Moses begged, “you let me in on the beginnings, you let me see your greatness, you let me see your might—what god in Heaven or Earth can do anything like what you’ve done! Please, let me in also on the endings, let me cross the river and see the good land over the Jordan, the lush hills, the Lebanon Mountains.”

            God would have none of it, though.  The Lord wouldn’t listen to Moses. Instead, God said, “Enough of that. Not another word from you on this. Climb to the top of Mount Nebo and look around: look west, north, south, east. Take in the land with your own eyes. Take a good look because you’re not going to cross this Jordan River.”

            Since this moment, Moses has spent his waning moments in an eloquent filibuster – he keeps talking, hoping to wait God out.  Yet, death will wait no longer.

Now - Moses withdraws from the Hebrew camp on the plains of Moab to a high place for a climactic moment alone with the God he first met eighty years earlier on another mountain.  In the ancient worldview, if you went up topographically, you were just a bit closer to God. Mountaintops represented closeness to God. 

Mount Nebo as a mountain is not much to write home about.  Today, it is located in the country of Jordan, just to the East of the Dead Sea.  Rather than a mountain like Yonah or Curahee – standing high and regal for all to see – Mt. Nebo sits more like high ridge line.  Even its elevation doesn’t sound impressive – it’s only 2,680 feet high.  Today, a modern road winds up and over it and you pass the summit without even realizing where you are.  Moses’ walk to the top of Nebo carried none of the courage and stamina needed in those days of climbing up and down Mt. Sinai. 

Looking West over Dead Sea to Israel

Yet, first impressions of Mt. Nebo will fool us.  The top of Mount Nebo offers a breathtaking panorama of the Promised Land of Palestine. Unlike any other mountain in the world, Mount Nebo offers the best view of the Promised Land in the world.  While only standing at 2,680 feet above sea level, it soars over four thousand feet above the Dead Sea – the lowest point on earth at 1,401 feet below sea level.  The northern tip of the Dead Sea washes against the mountain's southwestern foot. A spot just across a small dip to the northwest of Mt. Nebo, is usually identified as Pisgah.  This location affords the best view of the Jordan valley and the land beyond.

Ascent

            Moses ascends Mt. Nebo driven by the desire to see things differently.  The topography and promise of the land in front of this mountain has been carried in the conscious memory of Moses’ people for over 400 years.  Generation after generation from Joseph through history have told their children and grandchildren stories about this fertile place.  The land of our ancestor Abraham overflows with green mountains and trees, fresh water and produce.  This is the exact opposite of the wilderness with its dry, barren landscape.  Moses ascends Mt. Nebo to see the truth for himself – does the land live up to the promises?

         

   Moses also ascends Mt. Nebo to gain a new perspective.  Moses has driven the people of Israel relentlessly in trust Yahweh to provide.   He has pushed and prodded, begged and yelled to get them to this spot.  In the middle of the desert when everyone seems to be against you and God seems to have let you down – the vision that drives you forward gets lost.  We lose sight of the final goal.  Why are we doing what we are doing?  Why are we living like this?  Survival overcomes vision – and we live simple to get through the day. 

            Moses has been living day by day for 40 years – now, he ascends to see the vision of what started him on this odyssey.

            The desires that drive Moses to ascend Mt. Nebo – I would imagine – drives many of us to the mountain as well.  Caught in the daily crisis’ of life – the next doctor’s visit, remembering which medication to take at what time, where the kids need to be today, keeping the bills paid and the house clean – we also yearn to see life and faith differently too.

            Like Moses, we can forget the motivations and visions which started us on our life journeys.  We forget the love story that bought our spouse into our lives.  We forget the joy of holding that new born baby when temper tantrums or adolescent indifference claim all of our waking moments.  We forget the claim of Jesus on our lives when friends or co-workers invite us into compromising positions.  We forget the joy of serving Jesus when we are exhausted from long days and nights at VBS and Camp Agape.

            So – like Moses – God invites us up to the mountain as well.  God invites us up to gain a new perspective on our life and faith and ministry and job and family.  What drives you up the mountain today?

Looking Around

            When Moses gets to the top of Mt. Nebo – the whole Promised Land spreads out before him in a glorious panorama.  On a crystal blue sky day – with no smog or pollution or cataracts to hinder him – Moses sees all that God promised. 

            In the scripture passage that summarizes this moment – the writer records all that can been seen.  In a zig zag manner – he follows Moses gave from one landmark to another.  If you have a map in your Bible let me invite to turn over to it to get an idea of all Moses saw that day. 

Immediately across the valley on the Western slope of the Jordan rift valley stood the city of Jericho, one of the oldest human settlements in the world.  It is still known as a city of Palm trees.  God then showed Moses all the land from Gilead in the south to Dan – all the way in the North near today’s Lebonan border.  Dan was the first place Abraham had entered into the Promised Land. Then God showed him all of Naphtali – the Northern Galilee, Ephraim and Manasseh – the central highlands with their rolling hills and valleys; all Judah reaching to the Mediterranean Sea – including the mountains that would one day hold Jerusalem, the Mount of Olives and Bethlehem; the Negev – the southern desert wilderness and the plains which encircle Jericho, City of Palms, as far south as Zoar.

Moses came up to see the Promised Land – and it was even grander than he could ever have imagined.  It was more spectacular than any family myth had remembered.  From the perspective of Mt. Nebo – Moses regained God’s vision for the people of Israel.  The Promised Land was no long a myth or a promise – it was here in front of Moses, ready to be received. 

Mountaintop experiences help us to re-orient our lives around God’s vision for us as well.  The mountaintop is the place we can go to get perspective on what we are doing.  On the mountaintop, we can transcend ourselves to ask the important questions about ourselves and others.  It’s a place we can see the patterns of the life.

Like Moses, our mountaintop experiences allow us to get a panoramic view of our lives – we can see better what we are doing, where we are going, and what stands in our way. 

When we stand on the mountaintop, we see our family more completely.  We see the joy that lies at the foundation of the daily chores and challenges – we remember the laughter we share and the love that bonds us.

When we stand on the mountaintop – we get a glimpse of our vocation – the passion and experiences that brought us to where we are.  We rekindle the joy that started us on this journey.

When we stand on the mountaintop, we see the daily medical challenges that confront us differently.  We see God molding us into the image of his son, as we walk each new day.  We see more clearly our ultimate destination and the fear of death and dying slowly slip away. 

Mountaintops reorient our lives and force us to look up off the sidewalk and catch God’s vision for our lives. 

Like Moses, we must intentionally seek these mountaintop experiences.  They begin in prayer as we meditate on scripture.  They become intentional retreats at home or away from home.  Our mountaintop experience may be a mission trip or Camp Agape, a spiritual get away or a morning at home with the Bible.

We must be willing to allow the presence of God to meet us in these moments for this re-orientation to take place.  We can all climb a mountain of some fashion – but we have to be willing to see with the vision of God for that re-orientation to occur. 

Descent

            Finally, Moses doesn’t stay on top of Mt. Nebo.  At some point, he has seen all that he can see and it’s time to return to the valley.  If Mountaintops give us vision, the valleys give us life. 

            When the Cherokee and the old time pioneers first settled these Georgia Mountains, they didn’t build mountaintop cabins like we see today.  They settled in the lowlands, the valleys and the river bottoms were the places that produced crops and offered constant water.  Mountaintops offer vision, but we can never live there.

            Moses returned to his tribe and his people and then died.  He was full of vigor and vision till the very end. 

            I love the Oswald Chambers quote on the front of our Order of Worship. 

“The mountaintop is an exceptional type of experience; we have to live down in the valley.  After every time of exaltation we are brought down with a sudden rush into things as they are, where things are neither beautiful nor poetic nor spiritual nor thrilling. The height of the mountaintop is measured by the drab drudgery of the valley.  We never live for the glory of God on the mount; we see His glory there, but we do not live for his glory there; it is in the valley that we live for the glory of God.”  We descend the mountain to live for Jesus with a new vision

Conclusion

This is the Gospel for us today:  From the mountaintop, God reorients our vision for our life in the valleys. 

God has a path for you and your life.  Roadblocks and barriers block our paths.  On the mountain top, we begin to see with God’s eyes the direction and purpose of this path before us – with God’s vision these the barriers no longer seem as big, the path no longer feels as long, and joy suddenly descends into our lives again. 

What part of your life does God need to re-orient today to help you begin walking God’s path and faith purpose again?

Over the past year, I have hike Mt. Yonah through every season.  I love the Mount Yonah hike because it is a high reward hike.  From the mountaintop, the whole Georgia Blue Ridge opens up before you – like a panorama of God’s handiwork.  From the backside of Yonah I can look across the valleys and fields of white and Habersham Counties to see Chenocetah rise up on the horizon.  All of the struggles and challenges of my life live in those valleys – but from the mountaintop, they no longer look imposing or impossible.  Instead, they look small, feeble and doable.  God meets me every time I struggle up that steep road on Yonah and re-orients again with a vision for life in the valley.  He wants to do the same in your life today.  Will you let him? Thanks be the God.  Amen.  

Early Spring from Mt. Yonah

Sanctify Yourselves

Sanctify Yourselves

Joshua 3

FBC, Cornelia

January 22, 2012

Walk of Faith Series #3

Eric's notes:  I've been influenced by the work of Reggie McNeal for over 13 years in the areas of prayer and preparation.  I'm thankful for the opportunity to share some of these ideas here.  

In the late 1980’s the red-on-yellow K logo of Kodak was a signature brand synonymous in every corner of the planet with capturing, collecting and sharing images.  Kodak played a role in pretty much everyone's life in the 20th century because it was the company we entrusted our most treasured possession to — our memories.  In the late 1980’s, though, a competitor from across the ocean, Fuji film, began to challenge Kodak’s monopoly.   Over the last 2 decades both of these large companies have watched their core cash cow – 35 MM film – disappear.  Last Thursday, Kodak filed for chapter 11 Bankruptcy while Fujifilm now thrives.  The story of these two firms demonstrates the choices of confronting an unknown future.    

            By 1990 both Kodak and Fujifilm realized the writing on wall – the world was going digital.  35 MM cameras would be disappearing and digital cameras would be replacing them.  For the next 10 years both companies worked to milk as much money from their film divisions as possible – struggling to figure out what came next.  In 10 years Fujifilm’s profits from film went from 60% of their income to basically nothing. 

            Both companies confronted the same circumstances – but they differed greatly in how they choose to respond to the future.  According to the Economist - Kodak choose the easy route.  They depended on their marketing and branding to save them.  They predicted their strong brand identity would save them as it had for over 100 years - and hen they planned as much as they always had – to meet that prediction.  They worked just as hard as Fuji – they just worked at the wrong things for the changing culture. 

            Fuji on the other hand, chose the harder route of developing new products and new businesses.  The world was changing and they chose to prepare themselves for the opportunities this world might offer.  To build these new projects, Fujifilm began applying its technologies in new areas.  They sought new ways to use what they did well.  They didn’t know what the unknown future held – but they would be prepared with new products as that world emerged. 

            Over course of our lives - the world has changed completely for all of us here in this sanctuary.  The world as we knew it – the culture that shaped us – the institutions we trusted – are no longer the same.  Most of us grew up in a film oriented world – we placed film in the camera, took 12,24, or 36 pictures at a time, rolled in back into its canister, took it out, drove over to a drug store, gave it to a professional film developer, and days later – picked up the film, pulled the pictures out of the envelope – and finally saw the memories our cameras had captured.  Our children and grandchildren will never have these memories.  If they cannot run to the photographer after the picture has been taken to see instantly the memory that has been captured, they are disappointed. 

            Like Kodak and Fujifilm - We all face choices in how we adjust to this new world. 

            Like Kodak - our typical approach to the future involves Predicting and planning.  We attempt to predict what will happen in the future and then we plan accordingly.  This way we have more control over what happens.  We do this often in our businesses, family and church.  This approached worked well when the world was not changing as rapidly as it has been over the last few decades.  In our film oriented world – we knew what would be happening over the next 10 years because it was the same as the last 10 with just a few modifications.  We could predict and plan for how to respond.  But what happens when our film oriented world turns digital.  Our businesses lose their profit margins, our family members disperse around the world, and our churches fight to stay the same – and end up dying and declining. 

           

            A different and more biblical approach to the future involves prayer and preparation.  Approaching the future through prayer and preparation recognizes God as the Master Weaver residing in the future and weaving his purposes through our lives.  Prayer and preparation requires us to relinquish control over our lives and our church – learning how to walk by faith and not by sight.  Prayer and preparation acknowledges a world in drastic realignment where we cannot predict what will happen tomorrow – let along plan for it.  Instead, prayer and preparation seeks listen to the Spirit of God and prepare ourselves for what God has in store for us. 

            Let’s examine the 3^rd chapter of Joshua as a model for approaching the future God has in store for each of us and our church.  Over the last 2 weeks, we’ve examined the importance of walking by faith, not by sight into God’s future – striving the reach our full kingdom potential.  This chapter reveals how we do this. 

Scripture Lesson

            In Joshua 3, we find a wandering nation - the People of Israel - on the banks of the Jordan River.  It’s been 40 years since a scared, mass of former slave refugees walked across the Red Sea.  Over these 40 years in the desert – God has nurtured, matured and transformed these former slaves into a new nation – a new people – the People of God.  

            Joshua leads the Israelites down from their camp at Shittim in the desert into the wadis beside the Jordan River in expectation of their crossing into the Promised Land.  Between them and their future lies the Jordan River overflowing its banks - at its highest, harvest levels.  Getting to God’s future seems dangerous and not simply downright impossible.  The People of Israel stay 3 days beside the raging river – looking out across a new land – questioning how they could achieve God’s future, afraid of what might happen to them, but still excited, wanting what God has prepared for them.

            v. 2 tells us what happens next: 

2At the end of three days the officers went through the camp 3and commanded the people, ‘When you see the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God being carried by the levitical priests, then you shall set out from your place.

Before the Israelites go into the Promised Land of their future they are instructed to:

1.  Wait til God moves. 

            Before they walk into the future ahead of them – they must wait for God to move.  The Ark of the Covenant represented the Presence of God for the People of Israel.  It usually sat in the holiest spot in the traveling tabernacle in the middle of God’s people.  Now as they prepare to walk into God’s future they must attune themselves to a new way of experiencing God’s presence.   “When you see the ark move – then you are to start moving.” 

            In our typical approach to the future - Waiting til God moves sounds like a cope out.  We tend to see waiting as inaction rather than an action.  “Let’s get started,” we say.  “Let’s plunge ahead.”  We would rather see Joshua testing the river’s depths and making for getting thousands of people over or through it.   

            Rather than inaction, though, waiting for God to move requires much action - Just a different kind of action.  It requires us to pay attention to God.  This requires attuning our senses to God’s ways.  This requires us to spend time in prayer, to spend time meditating and listening to scripture, to make worship a priority in our lives.  When we do these spiritually oriented things – we are prepared to notice when God moves.  Otherwise – we might be just sitting around camp – and miss the Presence of God passing us - missing the future God has in store for us. 

            This year as part of our Walking by Faith initiative – our church has been challenged to build spiritual disciplines into our lives.  We are challenged to read through the books of Luke and Acts, to make worship a priority in our lives, and to pray for FBC.  These spiritual actions are designed to attune us to the movement of God – as we wait til he moves. 

Follow … God’s New Paths

            After the People of Israel are instructed to wait til God moves – they are next told to Follow … God’s new paths.  Look at verses 3-4:

When you see the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God being carried by the levitical priests, then you shall set out from your place. Follow it, 4so that you may know the way you should go, for you have not passed this way before.            Besides being attuned to the Presence of God moving – the People of Israel must have the courage to follow God’s Presence where it goes – into the unknown future. 

            These verses represent the whole principle of walking by faith, not by sight for me.  Remember – everyone in camp knows where they are headed – to this new future in the uncharted territory of the Promised Land.  They also know what lies between them – the Raging Jordan River.  They have not seen bridge builders out there building a bridge to get them safely across.  Joshua simply says – wait for God to move – then follow God’s new path.  Walk by faith – following the presence of God – because you have not passed this way before. 

            Think about why walking by faith is so important.  Over the course of the next several years – as the People of Israel make their way into their promised future – life will not always be easy. They will have to trust God in this new future.  In order to face the challenges of the future – the People of Israel needed to see what God could do when they trusted him.  What would happen whey the walked by faith and followed him. 

            As we listen and attune ourselves to God – eventually God tells us to follow him - To walk by faith – in God’s new paths because we have not passed this way before.  As we do – we are to:

3.  Expect … God to amaze us. 

            When we wait til God moves and follow God’s new paths, we can expect God to amaze us.  Look at verse 5

5Then Joshua said to the people, ‘Sanctify yourselves; for tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among you.’

            As they People of Israel wait to follow God – Joshua instructs them to ritually purify themselves – consecrate themselves – make themselves spiritually ready – for the wonders they are about to experience.  So – over the next day – the People of Israel prepare themselves for the miracle God has in store for them by anointing their families with oil.  They organize themselves for a future they could not control.  They didn’t know what would happen, but they would be prepared when it did.

            In order for us to expect God to amaze us – we must sanctify – prepare - ourselves for God’s future as well.  While we do not know the future and we do not know where God will lead us – there are things we can do now to prepare ourselves for it. 

            For example – we do not know God’s future of FBC, but we do know we must retire our debt in order to be unencumbered to follow God where he leads.  When the debt of our Family Ministry Center is released from our necks – imagine how quickly we can follow God. 

            Another example – we do not know the future, but we do know, we must understand our identity as the People of God at FBC and understand the mission field of Cornelia, GA if we are ever to follow God.  That’s why a focused process of listening, discerning, and dreaming is so important to us.  It’s our way of sanctifying – preparing ourselves when God’s presence walks forward out into the world and we are called to follow! 

            In a world that changes quickly – God calls us to abandon our predict and plan approach to the future and choose to pray and prepare:  To wait, follow and expect! 

            I picture it this way:  Like a surfer waiting for the perfect wave.  When we lived on the coast of SC – I had several good friends who lived to surf.              I loved to watch them in the ocean.  These guys never planned a single wave. They never said, “I predict that movement of water 100 yards from here will be a 5 foot wave and I plan to ride it forward then cut backwards as I get to the shore.”  No, instead, my surfer friends who simply paddle out to the deeper water and wait.  Sitting on top of their boards til they saw just the right swell begin to rise.  Then they would start paddling and at just the right moment they would stand and ride the power of the wave with as much creativity as possible.  They never controlled the wave – they simply attempted to ride it. 

            Getting to the point of riding that wave, though, required much time and preparation.  Before they ever found themselves on the ocean, they had waxed their boards, practiced their stances, monitored the weather and tides and gotten into the water.  These steps of preparation – allowed them to be ready with the power of surf rose beneath them to amaze them. 

            You see – God wants to amaze us - in our lives and in our church.  To do so, God calls us to sanctify ourselves – so we may be ready when the opportunities of God’s future rise beneath us.   Amen!