Deuteronomy 12:1-14; Acts 19:23-41

No Neutrality

Preached at Sycamore RPC

Kokomo, IN

December 9, 2001

Sermon Text

1 “These are the statutes and the judgments which you shall carefully observe in the land which the LORD, the God of your fathers, has given you to possess as long as you live on the earth.  2 “You shall utterly destroy all the places where the nations whom you shall dispossess serve their gods, on the high mountains and on the hills and under every green tree.  3 “You shall tear down their altars and smash their  sacred pillars and burn their Asherim with fire, and you shall cut down the engraved images of their gods and obliterate their name from that place.  4 “You shall not act like this toward the LORD your God.  5 “But you shall seek  the LORD at the place which the LORD your God will choose from all your tribes, to establish His name there for His dwelling, and there you shall come.  6 “There you shall bring your burnt offerings, your sacrifices, your tithes, the contribution of your hand, your votive offerings, your freewill offerings, and the firstborn of your herd and of your flock.  7 “There also you and your households shall eat before the LORD your God, and rejoice in all your undertakings in which the LORD your God has blessed you.

8 “You shall not do at all what we are doing here today, every man  doing whatever is right in his own eyes;  9 for you have not as yet come to the resting place and the inheritance which the LORD your God is giving you. 10 “When you cross the Jordan and live in the land which the LORD your God is giving you to inherit, and He gives you rest from all your enemies around  you so that you live in security,  11 then it shall come about that the place in which the LORD your God will choose for His name to dwell, there you shall bring all that I command you: your burnt offerings and your sacrifices, your tithes and the contribution of your hand, and all your choice votive offerings which you will vow to the LORD.  12 “And you shall rejoice before the LORD your God, you and your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, and the Levite who is within your gates, since he has no portion or inheritance with you.

13 “Be careful that you do not offer your burnt offerings in every  cultic place you see,  14 but in the place which the LORD chooses in one of your tribes, there you shall offer your burnt offerings, and there you shall do all that I command you.

The principle of “no neutrality” cannot remain in our apologetics classroom! It must be taken out there and applied everywhere!

The apologetics class has been studying how to defend and promote the faith, and one of the basic principals that should govern our approach to apologetics is that there is no neutrality. We are not to be swayed by arguments from the unbelieving world that try to convince us that the gospel (they would call it “religion”) has no right to speak to certain spheres of this world. For a most prominent example, men may claim that religion has nothing to do with science, but we beg to differ. Based on the Scriptures, we proclaim to the atheistic, evolutionary scientist how and even why God created the laws that govern what the scientist observe, and show them how their beliefs of a godless universe are not only religious but also truly baseless in nature. Contrary to proving that God does not exist, the evolutionist only proves by his theories what the Bible says about him. He is a blind hater of God. His desire to live in darkness and dictate to others to leave the lights off must not prevent us from coming into his darkened world and flipping on the light switch. There is no neutrality.

This world belongs to the LORD our God. No area is off limits to the Almighty because everything in this world bears the stamp of His ownership. So science, business, family, education, politics are to acknowledge God’s rightful rule. We profess that here. We know that here. But to believe it is to put it into practice.

That is what in effect Moses is telling the Israelites. Recall last week we saw that Deuteronomy is not just a law code but also a sermon. As Moses now begins to develop in a more detailed fashion the way Israel was to live in the Promised Land, he is exhorting them to practice no neutrality. Obedience to the statutes and judgments of God means taking possession of the land into which they were going (verse 1). He explains how that will take place

I. War against the false worship in the land. (vss. 1-4)

Everywhere Israel would look they would see the effects of the godless nations they were invading. Every mountain, hill and great tree would have altars devoted to the idols of their land. Men since the days of the builders of the Tower of Babel have believed high places and mountains bring them closer to their gods. Great trees also often been place for gathering as the strength and shade they offer inspire devotion. The LORD Himself uses the mountains and trees as reminders of His power and might. Yet the wicked twist these symbols of God’s creative might by worshiping and serving created things rather than the One true Creator. In a prayer letter from the Pinsons, who are serving the LORD in Southwest China, they told of how recently they were on a walk with their children and saw shrines along the road under the trees made for ancestors of the Naxi people among whom they are living. As they encountered these altars, they pointed out to their children how darkened the people were. That is the reason why they are there, to see Christ deliver the Naxi from their idolatry.

One common phenomenon among pagan, idolatrous worship is to seek not only a humanized god but also a feminized one. Fallen man wants to soften the severity and justice of the Lord. He may construct idols, but he does not like a god with hard edges. The desire for a feminized god was the case of the Canaanites, as the idol Asherah (Asherim being the plural form in reference to the multitude of idols spread throughout the land) that is mentioned in verse 3 was a goddess. She was a goddess of the sea believed to have given birth to other gods, most notably Baal. Judges 2:13 and other references show in later ages Israel would worship both. As we saw in our reading from Acts, throughout history the mark of pagan religion is to exalt a female god such as Artemis. (NOTE: This is only ONE phenomenon. Other men, such as the Muslim, err in making their god one of severity. One man corrupts the mercy and tenderness of God by removing a sense of justice; another man twists the wrath of God by making their god distant and unforgiving. Sometimes both phenomenon can appear in a people, as the Canaanite worshiped both Asherah and Molech, a male god who required the sacrifice of their children). When theology begins to be influenced by paganism and liberalism, it will have a tendency in this direction. This can be seen in Catholic and Mormon theology, which exalt a female figure to have equality with a male god. In liberal and homosexual theology similar tendencies are seen in the exalting of goddesses like Sophia and Gaia (“Mother Earth”). This movement has been seen in recent years as the church sings softer hymns and changes even language of Scripture to make it “gender-neutral” (Yet remember there is no neutrality. The liberals do not want an “It” god. They want a feminized one.).

Understand that this feminization seen in idolatry and liberal theology is not BIBLICAL femininity, which balances gentleness with strength, beauty with modesty, quietness with firmness, motherhood with submission to husband and God. It is a pagan femininity that promotes excess indulgence, sexual promiscuity, lewd dress, and slavish behavior. As we continue to study Deuteronomy, and see how the LORD was preparing the people to go into the land, we shall see that this was the type of behavior of the Canaanite. Yet what Moses is addressing here is the worship that led to these behaviors.

What does he say to do? Destroy this false worship. Remove it from the land. Indeed, it is time to pronounce war against false worship. For if you allow it to remain it will affect you. Where the battle must begin is overcoming the pagan worship of the godless nation. Consider these following applications as obedience to this word and a means of putting “no neutrality” into operation.

Start with the obvious. American Evangelical Christianity has become so blind it cannot see anymore. The liberalism that we were warned of by men like Machen and Hodge at the beginning of the last century has so infiltrated the church that today even those who consider themselves evangelicals espouse liberalism and do not even realize they are doing it. They are blind, and they need stark pictures and hard realities to help them to see.

So begin with the obvious object lesson God has put before this nation. Begin to point out to the people around you, especially others professing Christ, how the Islamic religion is contrary to Biblical Christianity and cannot be in fellowship with the church. As the Muslim denies the Son, he is to be considered of the spirit of the antichrist. Here again the Apostle John speak clearly in this age of confusion, and recognize my repetition of this point over the last month or two is deliberate, an attempt to clarify as well as equip you to speak boldly and certainly:

“Who is a liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist who denies the Father and the Son. Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father either; he who acknowledges the Son has the Father also.”

-I John 2:22-23

As you make this distinction, and liberals then begin accusing you of being intolerant and starting a crusade, then tell them that a jihad is lot worse. Point them back to the towers, show them the oppression of Muslim nations, or tell them to study history and see what Islam has left in its wake. Though I do not know the details, yesterday in front of a mosque in Parma, Ohio the National Reform Association conducted a prayerful protest. They are calling our nation to recognize that to worship Allah is to dishonor the true God – Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Start with the obvious.

Then proceed to the root cause. The reason modern Americans are so susceptible to false religions is because of will worship. Will worship is destroying the church and our nation. The greatest hero of modern evangelicalism really should be treated far more severely for the devastating heretical teachings he made popular. An important figure of the 1800’s, Charles Finney’s separation of evangelism from the church and covenant life, coupled with his belief in the power of man’s will, has devastated our land. These teachings have led to entertaining worship, perpetual altar calls, the following and contributing to cult personalities, and a feminized pagan concept of the gospel that seeks to soothe and manipulate sinners rather than boldly call them to repentance. Have you ever considered that it was following the revival movement of Finney in the early 1800’s that all the major cults in our nation were established? Mormonism, Jehovah’s Witness, Christian Science, Seventh Day Adventist - all cults with similarities to Biblical Christianity – began in the mid-1800’s after Finneyism had effectively separated much of the protestant church from historic confessional Christianity. Today these teachings no longer know any denominational lines, for they are found in the liberal, evangelical, independent, charismatic churches, and sadly, even the reformed churches have given in as well. To the point that throughout the land the church can no longer even differentiate itself from the cults and the Islamic religion, as ministers are inviting Muslim clerics into their pulpits.

Yet we cannot succumb to this will worship. We must seek to destroy this idolatry. We must actively educate about true worship, and promote it with humility. We must fill the land with our teachings, writing and proclaiming the truth of God without wavering. We must guard this congregation and our denomination against these dangerous trends. We must pray imprecatory prayers against false forms. We must refuse to accept as legitimate those places that call themselves Christian ministries or churches where they do not have the Biblical marks of the church, places that abound in our community. We must re-evaluate how the church is doing evangelism, recognizing that in Biblical evangelism and church planting those going out were sent by the church and their fruits were blessed and confirmed by the church. So must ours be, for these battle strategies will be how we overcome the idol worship filling our land.

Never ever give up. These words of Winston Churchill bear repeating here, for the war in which we are involved requires a continual diligence and indefatigable spirit. No matter how slowly the change, we need to keep warring for the LORD. And make no mistake about it – to be faithful in this war will mean facing controversy and misunderstanding. Like Paul experienced in Ephesus, people do not turn away from their idols lightly. Yet when we see the world hate us, we need to recall that our efforts will not be in vain. They will result in the righteous being saved and the Lord being glorified

II. Worship accurately the true Lord in the assembly.

Rather than everyone doing as they pleased, as Moses says in verse 8, they were to go into the land and be centralized and specified what they were to do with respect to worship. Notice how often Moses mentions this particular location where Israel will be required to gather for worship. Verse 5 – the place.

• Verse 5 - But you shall seek the place where the LORD your God chooses, out of all your tribes, to put His name for His dwelling place; and there you shall go.
• Verse 6 - There you shall take your burnt offerings, your sacrifices, your tithes, the heave offerings of your hand, your vowed offerings, your freewill offerings, and the firstborn of your herds and flocks.
• Verse 7 - And there you shall eat before the LORD your God, and you shall rejoice in all to which you have put your hand, you and your households, in which the LORD your God has blessed you.
• Verse 9 – for as yet you have not come to the rest and the inheritance which the LORD your God is giving you.
• Verse 11 - then there will be the place where the LORD your God chooses to make His name abide.
• Verse 14 - but in the place which the LORD chooses, in one of your tribes, there you shall offer your burnt offerings, and there you shall do all that I command you.

This “place” would eventually be Jerusalem, where the tabernacle rested and later the temple was built. The LORD wanted their formal worship of Him to be centralized at one location, in contrast to the idolatry strewn around the land of Canaan.

This place or assembly would be the place where they would make offerings. It was only at this location that offerings were appropriate.

In the New Covenant age, as you were called to worship upon and have sung about in the psalms, the LORD Jesus built a new temple called the church where His name is to dwell (I Peter 2:4-5). The church has become the appropriate place to worship Him and make sacrifices to His name, the courts into which the faithful are to come and make holy offerings to the LORD. Five types of offerings are mentioned in verse 6 and then spoken of again in verse 11, offerings that we are still to come and bring to God, not in the shadows and ceremony of the Old Covenant, but in the reality and joy of the New.

Bring the offering of confessed sin. The people were to bring their burnt offerings and sacrifices before the LORD. These were the offerings that consisted of the removal of sin from the worshiper. They would bring their offering before the priest, such as a bull, and while laying their hands on its head and confessing their sin the priest would then slay the animal to make the offering.

As Hebrews tell us, these animals never succeeded in removing human sin. Only Christ the Lamb can. The remarkable, amazing aspect of Christian worship is that God does not require an offering for sin, but has provided the offering Himself in Himself. Praise be the name of the LORD! And can we grasp grace enough to understand that Christians worship not by bringing offerings trying to demonstrate their self-righteousness, but by bringing their sin to God? Beloved, do you see this? The first offering you must make is bringing your sin to Jesus, so He can cleanse you with His blood.

Bring the offering of tithed first fruits. The first and the best of the land was to be brought and dedicated to the LORD. Far from being abrogated, this commandment proceeded Mosaic law and was acknowledged and commanded by Christ Himself (see Genesis 14:20; Matthew 23:23). The churchman who does not tithe cannot truly appreciate that ALL of his life has been granted to him by God and redeemed for Him by Christ. To separate ourselves from the weak expressions of religiosity today we must obediently in trust and thanksgiving set aside a tenth of what we receive and bring it to the LORD. We will be spending more time on tithing as we journey further into Deuteronomy, so I will simply say that in this war against idolatry it is the unfaithful soldier who is unwilling to pledge what belongs to the Commander. Be sure that you have disciplined yourself in this issue and are tithing to the church.

Bring the offering of voluntary sacrifices. Yet not only were tithes to be brought. The people were required by the Law to bring their burnt offerings and tithes to God, but they also were encouraged by the Law to experience the blessing of giving by taking voluntary sacrifices to the house of the LORD. These sacrifices would be given so the worshiper could express his love for God, his joy in seeing God accomplish a goal in his life, his recognition that he had an abundance and wanted to honor God with it, and his desire to meet the needs of others in the midst of the assembly. These are not required, but to fail to give over and beyond what is required is an indication of a covetous spirit. The Bible encourages us that our generosity should abound bountifully (II Corinthians 9:6-7).

Bring the offering of fulfilled vows. When the worshiper has heard God Himself call him to worship through the pastor, heard a prayer sanctifying the congregation’s assembly, sits under the word in singing, reading, and proclamation, he has come into the presence of God that he should treat just as seriously as he will the Day of Final Judgment. What God desires from him is the sacrifice of obedience and response to what the worshiper is hearing and experiencing. The LORD wants the worshiper to make solemn promises to God, and then to keep his word.

I know we have been memorizing from Matthew 5:33-37, which at one point says “make no oath at all.” But recall this is addressing frivolous oath-making. We are not to make false vows, or say we will do something then not honor our word. Listen to the strong warning against this in Ecclesiastes 5:

“Walk prudently when you go to the house of God; and draw near to hear rather than to give the sacrifice of fools, for they do not know that they do evil. Do not be rash with your mouth, and let not your heart utter anything hastily before God. For God is in heaven, and you on earth; therefore let your words be few. For a dream comes through much activity, and a fool’s voice is known by his many words. When you make a vow to God, do not delay to pay it; for He has no pleasure in fools. Pay what you have vowed— better not to vow than to vow and not pay. Do not let your mouth cause your flesh to sin, nor say before the messenger of God that it was an error. Why should God be angry at your excuse and destroy the work of your hands?” If you make a commitment here in this building on the LORD’s holy day to serve God, to care for a brother, to obey a calling, then keep it. To not do so is like making an offering to God then taking it back out of His hand. He is not pleased with this foolishness.”

Bring the offering of joyous fellowship. Finally, beloved, look at verses 7 and 12. All these offerings are to be made to the end that you can rejoice before the LORD and call others to do the same. Note they were to eat before the LORD, enjoying God and one another’s fellowship. That Fellowship Lunch we have downstairs is not just a social activity. It is a love meal, an act of obedience, of dwelling together in unity and love. I like to say after some of us straggle out of the building or home from the Marion study late on Sabbath afternoon or evening, after hours of enjoying one another, that we really believe in eternal life! Yet it is true. We who are to spend eternity with one another in heaven, should we not give some serious time to one another on earth? This is what the Sabbath, our rest, is for! Laughing, rejoicing, enjoying God and one another, expressing what we have in Jesus!

Beloved, you want to see the Asherim and ­­­­Artemis of our day destroyed? I mean, nothing less can be our goal, can it? Then let me say in conclusion that if we will live like this in holy worship, this will be how the war is won. For the LORD of hosts will be glorified, the troops will be invigorated, the church will experience the presence of the Holy Spirit, and the peoples around with their worthless idols will begin trembling in fear. May it be!