Man Blessed, but Not Satisfied Deuteronomy 32:11-20

INTRODUCTION:

Any man who is fair and honest with himself will readily admit that in the final analysis he is dependent upon God for all his blessings. No man could live in this world a single hour without God’s benefits. Yet, in the face of all this, it is a notable fact that man is seldom satisfied with the things that God so graciously bestows upon him. A thoughtful consideration of these truths should cause man to realize that his nature is depraved through sin, and that he should seek to get back to God.

  1. MAN AND HIS HOME IN EDEN:
    1. Jehovah gave Adam and Eve a home in the Garden of Eden and told them how they might keep it, but not being satisfied to do as God command them, they lost it. Genesis 3.
    2. Man has been told how he may regain the lost paradise, but he is not satisfied to follow God’s instructions and he will have no one to blame but himself if he is finally lost.
  1. ISRAEL’S DELIVERANCE FROM EGYPTIAN BONDAGE:
  1. The life of the Israelites was a bitter one while they were serving the Egyptians (Exo. 1:13-14). But God in his goodness led them out of that bondage and instead of showing their appreciation for his kindness, their after-life was one of almost continual murmuring. They complained about the way they had to travel, their food, drink, the giants in the land, walled cities, etc.
  2. Both the Scriptures and human experiences teach us that the way of sin is hard (Prov. 13:15). God in his mercy delivered us from the bondage of sin (Rom. 6:16-18), yet how often do we complain of our lots as Christians?

III. THE MISUSE OF THEIR GOD-GIVEN RICHES:

  1. Before the people left Egypt, God gave them favor with the Egyptians, and when they requested it, they gave them jewels of gold and silver (Exo. 12:35-26), but it was not long afterward until these things were made into an object of their worship (Exo. 32:1ff).
  2. The same God has bestowed many material blessings upon us but how often do we worship them instead of God!? The Israelites were not satisfied to use their blessings as Jehovah intended, and neither are we (Heb. 13:5; Mal. 2:2).
  1. THE REMEDY FOR THIS UNHOLY ATTITUDE:
  1. Not only do these examples demonstrate that man is blessed, yet not satisfied, but they also emphasize the fact that human nature is the same in all ages of time.
  2. The only cure for this disorder is to realize that if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature, or there is a new creation (2 Cor. 6:17), and that if he wants to please God, he must walk after that rule (Gal. 6:15-16). There must be a putting off of the old man and a putting on of the new man (Eph. 4:22-24). Then it will be that he may find himself.

a sermon by the late Wayne E. Holland

preached at:

Hiawassee, GA (1/08/1984)

Roxboro, NC (7/15/1989)

Henderson, NC (1/14/1997)