Deuteronomy 5:22-6:25, What Do I Do Now?
Deuteronomy 5:22-6:25
What Do I Do Now?
Transcript
Deuteronomy chapter 5 starting in verse 22 here the word of the Lord These words the
Lord spoke to all your assembly on at the mountain out of the midst of the fire the cloud and the thick darkness with a loud voice and he added no more and he wrote them on two tablets of stone and gave them to me and As soon as you heard the voice out of the midst of the darkness while the mountain was burning with fire
You came near to me all the heads of your tribes and your elders and you said behold
The Lord our God has shown us his glory and greatness and we have heard his voice out of the midst of the fire
This day we have seen God speak with man and man still live now
Therefore why should we die for this great fire will consume us if we hear the voice of the
Lord our God anymore We shall die For who is there of all flesh that has heard the voice of the
Living God Speaking out of the midst of the fire as we have and has lived Go near and hear all that the
Lord our God will say and speak to us that the Lord our God will speak to you and we will hear and do it and The Lord heard your words when you spoke to me and the
Lord said to me I have heard the words of this people which they have spoken to you They are right in all that they have spoken
Oh That they had such a mind as this always to fear me and to keep all my commandments that it may go well with them
And with their descendants forever go and say to them return to your tents But you stand here by me and I will tell you the whole commandment and the statutes and the rules
That you shall teach them that they may do them in the land that I am giving them to possess
You shall be careful therefore to do as the Lord your God has commanded you You shall not turn aside to the right hand or to the left
You shall walk in all the way that the Lord your God has Commanded you that you may live and that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land
That you shall possess Now this is the commandment the statutes and the rules that the Lord your
God Commanded me to teach you that you may do them in the land to which you are going over to possess it
That you may fear the Lord your God that your son and your son's son By keeping all his statutes in his
Commandments Which I command you all the days of your life and that your days may be long
Here therefore Oh Israel and be careful to do them that it may go well with you and that you may multiply
Greatly as the Lord the God of your fathers has promised you in a land flowing with milk and honey
Hero Israel the Lord our God the Lord is one you shall love the
Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might and These words that I command you today shall be on your heart
You shall teach them diligently to your children and you shall talk of them when you sit in your house
And when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise You shall bind them as a sign on your hand and they shall be as frontless between your eyes you shall write them on the doorpost of your house and on your gates and When the
Lord your God brings you into the land that he swore to your fathers to Abraham to Isaac and to Jacob to give you with great and good cities that you did not build houses full of good things that you did not fill and Cisterns that you did not dig and vineyards and all of trees that you did not plant and when you eat and are full
Then take care lest you forget the Lord who brought you out of the land of Egypt out of the house of slavery
It is the Lord your God who shall fear him. Here's the Lord your God. You shall fear
Him you shall serve and by his name you shall swear You shall not go after other gods the gods of the peoples who are around you for the
Lord your God in your midst is a Jealous God lest the anger of the Lord your God be kindled against you and he destroy you from the face of the earth
You shall not put the Lord your God to the test as you tested him at Masa You shall diligently keep the commandments of the
Lord your God and his testimonies and his statutes Which he has commanded you and you shall do what is right and good in the sight of the
Lord that it may go well With you and that you may go in and take possession of the good land that the
Lord swore to give to your fathers By entrusting it by thrusting out all your enemies from before you as the
Lord has promised When your son asked you in time to come What is the meaning of the testimonies and the statutes and the rules that the
Lord our God has commanded you? Then you shall say to your son We were
Pharaoh's slaves in Egypt and the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and the Lord showed signs and wonders
Great and grievous against Egypt and against Pharaoh and all his household before our eyes and he brought us out from there that he might bring us in and give us the land that he swore to give to our fathers and The Lord commanded us to do all these statutes to fear the
Lord our God for our for our good always that he might preserve us alive as we are this day and It will be righteousness for us if we are careful to do all this commandment before the
Lord our God as he has commanded us May the Lord had his blessings to the reading of his
Holy Word Well, have you ever waited or hoped worked
Worked hard for some some big achievement some goal some pinnacle of your life.
You're trying to get to and then It comes you reached it and it's over and then you think
What would what do I do now? What do you do after you've achieved? This goal that's consumed your life maybe for years.
Maybe it's graduation You've been writing papers and completing assignments taking tests and then you're graduated now what
Maybe it's marriage you've been waiting for the right one then you plan the wedding you get the dresses and the flowers and all the other clothes and photographers and invitations and plans and then you're married and you come home from the honeymoon and What do
I do now? Maybe it's the birth of a child Especially the firstborn this was the culmination of so much of life of the marriage itself.
And now Now what? Maybe it's that dream career Did you got the education for you've been working for you've been doing internships and so forth
That's the pinnacle of what you've been climbing up to and and finally that acceptance letter comes and You've arrived
Well, what next? Maybe it will be the end of all these these lockdown requirements
They stay at home orders and this and maybe there will be a proclamation that is it is safe to go back to something
Like normal for us here that we can have as many people here as we like We're not confined to ten and we could then think well
What do we do now? Do we really go back just to the way things were before as though the corona virus had never happened
We go back to shaking hands and passing around a basket Passing around the
Lord's Supper plate seated right by each other. Well, maybe eventually but Probably not right away
There will be a new normal Things change once you once you reach some mountaintop some achievement you've been consumed by for years
You may not have even thought of what will come after you've reached that goal after you graduated or you're married or after you've had
That kid or after all this pandemic is over things will be different Then you won't have the goal that that consumed your life that framed your life
Basically determined almost everything you did that gave you something to work for every day.
You'll have a new goal You'll have a new normal But at first you'll be asking yourself
What do I do now That's where Israel is here This is
Deuteronomy It's literally means second law Where they are poised on the verge of the promised land ready to go in It's the second law because Moses here.
He's literally just given them the Ten Commandments again, and he's instructing really a new generation The old generation has passed away.
He's instructing this new generation on how to live again Like they had the previous generation, but they didn't listen very well instructed this new generation
Oh what you're gonna do what to do now, especially What to do after they've reached the goal of the promised land.
This is where God's people are After they've been saved from slavery, they've been given the law
They've been disciplined and purged and trained for 40 years And that's where they when they reach where they will be once they've crossed into the promised land.
This is what they're to do now They've been aiming for this promised land, you know flowing with milk and honey as it says everything they could want
They've been aiming at that for centuries. I'd ever since Abraham. They've been waiting for this this goal.
That's consumed them It's all they've ever known for the next few years, they'll be busy getting it and then
They'll be at rest in the promised land in their salvation in the inheritance that God has had for them and then they'll look around and wonder
What do I do now? We see here what we are to do now six things
There were told to do after we've been saved we are to first honor second to love
Then to teach for to remember that to keep and finally to say
First we are to honor here Moses has recounted the Ten Commandments and he recounts how they how these
Ten Commandments came to them He says out of the midst of the fire the the cloud the thick darkness with a loud voice
Well, that was 40 years before And he recounts it now to a new generation that most of whom weren't there in verse 24
Behold, the Lord our God has shown us his glory His heaviness is weightiness as magnificence his glory and his greatness
He recounts how amazed they were that Moses could hear directly from God Like Moses tells tells this younger generation how the previous generation had been amazed and trembled
That if God drew near to them like he had to Moses that they would surely all die in verse 25
Moses recounts how they had said why should we die for the great fire will consume us?
Here's where the idea where the book of Hebrews gets that our God is a consuming fire And they said if we hear the voice of the
Lord our God anymore We shall die They were shaken to their bones by the terror of the
Lord that the terror of a sinner coming face -to -face with the
Holy Moses recounts that to them now. It's just a generation later He's recounting it about their parents so that they this new generation will tremble also at the voice of God so that they
Also will honor him You know, we've today it's so Domesticated God that people in our culture even among often in the churches think that God exists
It's not really somebody to tremble at he exists to validate our feelings He exists to make us feel good to affirm us as we are to encourage us.
God is often presented now. It's it's therapeutic In our culture. That's the way we think he's the therapeutic
God In order to help you adjust to your all your fears not one who causes fears
Well many people do they have no sense of the terror of encountering the Holy but here they had really encountered the
Holy and so they begged Moses to go for them to the
Lord and the Lord accepted that he accepted that because That came from hearts that were honoring the
Lord that was trembling at his holiness And so in verse 29, the Lord says, okay think of what the people said
They're so shaken in terror of God's holiness his weightiness that they said we're gonna die
He's a consuming fire and God says about that in verse 29. Oh That they had such a mind as this this attitude this this instinct of their sinfulness
God's holiness Oh that they had such a mind as this always To fear me and to keep all my commandments that it might go well with them and their descendants forever
I would say they keep this attitude. That's this fear of the Lord that will keep them in God's grace
Not only for them now for their descendants forever So what's next?
Have the same fear of the Lord that same reverence. That's a trembling honoring of him
Today many Christians commonly think that now that they're saved they have nothing to fear That's almost what salvation's for and I have nothing to fear now they they don't need to tremble they think it's cheap grace
That is easy believe ism That's really fire insurance sold as salvation the false doctrine of the carnal
Christian that you could have Jesus as Savior But not as Lord that as long as you say you believe in Jesus Even if you don't honor him as Lord, you know, even if you don't become a disciple you don't tremble at his word still
That's okay Grace covers all that up. Some people are to say you don't have to do anything
You don't have to fear anything and indulge You can say you're saved as long as you say you believe some bare doctrine
And you can then indulge your greed or your lust to be deceived by riches Liz it live as if money was what matters most seek first your own kingdom your own will and yet still they think you have nothing to fear because of Grace, so just relax
Right, no trembling needed honor nothing But that's not the
Bible's picture of the pilgrim in the promised land. He's been saved by grace
But still honors the Lord he trembles at his word
In verse 29 the Lord says oh, oh that they that we had such a mind as this
Let's see what they're saying. Oh, he's he's a God is a consuming fire if he comes close to us
He will destroy us. God says that's the attitude you want such a mind is that to fear me?
That's a key to always be fearing the Lord to take him seriously to be shaken at the thought that you've been living in Disregard of his word.
It's when Christians are most careful to obey When they're when they're when they fear disobeying
That they are safest When a Christian asks whether it is right, you know, really maybe really wondering and asking basking pastor asking somebody, you know
They're troubled by the idea. Is it some ethical question? Maybe like is it is it okay to watch?
someone else's pirated videos they're invited over watch a movie and It's a pirated video.
They're afraid is this is this stealing? Is this breaking God's commandment again? Is it displeasing the father? When that kind of question burdens a
Christian I'm really not so interested in what the answer to the question is
You know, is it absolutely? No, that's copyright theft You cannot take part in it or or is it kind of like eating foods offered idols in the marketplace, you know
Or not offered idols, but in the marketplace, you don't know whether it's offered idols Not is it kind of like that put on a movie, you know, so don't ask but if they tell you it's pirated
Then you have to walk away. Is it kind of like that or is it is it just okay? But well those Hollywood people they made was so much money
They make a lot of money from when it's shown in theaters and never mind. You're not really taking anything Much from them that are already rich.
Anyway, is it is it is it like that the question comes from up? It's a sort of a tangled ethical issue, but it it comes from a heart that doesn't want to do anything
That might displease the father that the craves To honor him and it fears him fears his judgment as long as that is your passion.
I Don't think it really matters which of those which are the ways you eventually end up concluding About say an issue like that, which is fairly small issue, but whether what not you should watch pirate in the videos
It's when that passion dies off When it gets cold When you get to the point where you just kind of shrug your shoulders, you don't really care whether it's wrong or not
And it's once you get to that attitude. There's something relatively small like that Then soon it's not not very long
You can go off and commit sexual immorality and just shrug that off, you know, just call it. Well, that's my besetting sin
Everybody's got a few it's no big deal Grace is what grace is for So I can sin and grace may abound but that attitude that attitude.
That's the big deal. That's a huge deal It's a lack of fear of the Lord of honoring him In fact, it might be a deal -breaker
For your salvation. You should always have a heart that fears the Lord that fears your own sinfulness.
And so is intent Or not turning aside from the
Lord Not even just a little That you may live long in the land as in verse 33 may live long eternally in The land and the new earth in your father's love always honoring him
You honor him practically he says by keeping his commandments That's what we saw in James a year and a half ago.
Your faith leads to obedience here It's your your honoring your fear of him leads to obedience
Always have a heart that believes that trembles at God's Word with a passion for honoring the Lord that that fires your obedience
You have commands from God You have the Ten Commandments You have the commands of the
Lord Jesus like on the Sermon on the Mount Love your neighbor be perfect as your father in heaven is perfect now
If you fear the Lord You honor him then you will then that that fear that honoring that passion will drive you to obey him
It will show itself in obedience. You'll follow his word. You fear the Lord your God in chapter 6 verse 2
Notice that you fear our honor Not just by having an attitude You know reverence without works
James talks about faith without works some people think they can have a reverence without works But of course that doesn't make any sense here.
We see it doesn't make any sense You don't fear him just by an attitude or just by saluting symbols like taking the sacraments
No, you fear the Lord by you and your children and their children in verse 2 by here's how you fear the
Lord By keeping his statutes and his commandments his statues teachings you fear you honor by doing and You do it all the days of your life you know not just kind of an attempt like some people do dieting an
Attempt for a while when they're young and idealistic they go through a phase No, you do it every day so that Your days may be long for us eternally long
So we'll be in a new earth with a new body living forever with him. So in verse 6 here here
It's a key in this passage, isn't it? Do you notice that here pay attention? Listen to this
Here therefore because You need to fear the Lord here pay attention
Because truly say people honor and that keeps you for the reward of salvation because of that Oh Israel or people of God Here be careful to do don't just be entertained by preaching or Educated by doctrine but be a doer of the word that it may go well with you that you might grow
That your children spiritual children. You hope your physical children are also your spiritual children that Then they would be doers of the word not just quoters
They'd memorize it they can quote it Whether they do it they live by it and so you'll help by that by doing you populate a land
Flowing with milk and honey the promised land where all God's children are blessed so You're saved
Congratulations, you think now, what do I do? Honor the Lord tremble at his word and then
Love him starting in chapter 6 verse 4 Now we know verse 5 is the greatest commandment should be very familiar without the
Lord Jesus was asked what was the greatest commandment and this was his response right from this passage Love the
Lord your God with all your heart your soul your strength other words with all that you are The Jews know this passage is the
Shema from the Hebrew word which means here Traditionally they repeat it three times a day
Shema Oh Israel Yahweh Aloha, Yahweh God something like that Shema means here.
Listen pay attention to this. It's the same word that began Verse 3 remember that here and be careful to do true hearing results of being careful to do
The Lord's commandment because you honor him here in verse 4 second point
What are we to do now? Okay, we're saved now. We're saying what do we do? We're in the promised land.
What do we do next? Well first We love the
Lord himself here Here Oh Israel Oh people of God.
Are you listening? Are you hearing if you honor him? If you tremble at his word, you'll listen when he speaks
The Lord is our God now Baal not Asherah not whatever fertility God the locals in Canaan will try to tell you
Are the gods that will help make your crops grow and your wife bear healthy children? No, the
Lord is our God not the money. They tell you makes the world go around not the dollars You're supposed to spend your life chasing
Unless there's a virus, of course Yeah, then we understand. Okay, then we can stop business then we'll shut down Then we'll sacrifice our business our income.
We won't do that for the Lord. Of course, isn't that interesting? You won't you won't close down business for the for the for the
Lord to go worship In church, but there's a virus. No, that's a different thing We won't
We won't sacrifice our income in order to seek first his kingdom but if If it means keeping from getting sick, okay.
Yeah. Yeah, then finally we see the logic of Closing the shop. Yeah, what is when there's a pandemic?
Yeah, then we'll do it when it's interesting when conflicts come between conflicting things
It's then we see people's priorities What they what they love first But they love second or what our last
I'm not criticizing those who closed shop because of the pandemic. Maybe that maybe that's the reasonable thing for them to do
But why won't they do the same thing? For the Lord, that's the interesting question
Your physical health for their families. Maybe that's the first thing they love money or family second money or or family is second
Well, it's really hard to tell whether they value money or family because be they were earning the money for their family But where's the
Lord in there? You know, it's just it's somewhere behind money For many, isn't it?
I Mean because they're willing to close the business Do not get the virus, but they aren't willing to close it to seek first the kingdom of God You see the values way things are shaking out
If they won't sacrifice a little business for the Lord like by closing on Sunday morning so they can come to church But they will sacrifice the whole business to avoid the risk of a virus
Well, then in their actions we see where the Lord ranks in their heart Here You people of God here
The Lord is your God Not money not even family not even health now that doesn't mean you do something foolish
To get infected just because you're foolhardy He wants he wants you to love your neighbor if you really love the
Lord you're gonna love your neighbor G when Jesus said What's the greatest commandment? He quoted from this and then he said the second is like it so it's really attached
He wants you to love your neighbor. So you love your children or your neighbors your elderly parents who are very vulnerable
Are your neighbors you should love them take care of them Your love your literal neighbor.
They're helping to stop the virus practice social distancing That's a practical way to love your neighbor, which is it like loving the
Lord your God, so it's connected But you do it not just because you love yourself You don't want to get sick
But you love and family by the way is usually just an extension of yourself for most people
You don't do it just for that. You love your neighbor Because you love the Lord in whose image they are made here this church the
Lord is your God and He is one he's one
God one essence and one nature and Practically in this context that means well first he is to be the the number one that you love really the one
The only one you love you love your neighbor Sure as a way of loving the
Lord you love your wife or husband our children as a way of loving the Lord So you love them in a way?
That's not competing With the Lord you love them in a way that That doesn't make
Their love for you compete with their love of the Lord It's not that you give 51 % which way some people think
I get the majority of my love to the Lord 30 % or whatever to my spouse and you kind of divide up the rest
Some for country some for children or whatever some kind of rationing of love. It doesn't really practically work
Now you love the Lord first with all that you are and as a way of expressing that love for the
Lord Right love the Lord your God with all your heart soul and strength and the second is like it like it love your neighbor
And a way of expressing your love for the Lord you love others Love the Lord your God your personal one and only
God Here the commentator said he the word you You love the
Lord your God is singular like he's speaking to everyone individually That's just the nation as a whole you nation of Israel.
You should love the Lord, but every one of you in particular Love the Lord your God with all your heart the center of your mind and will your heart the fountain of What you love of who you are who you are at your core is focused on loving the
Lord Love the Lord your God Not just your family's
God, you know mama's God and you're carrying on the family tradition of worshiping
Maybe that's why you go to church. But no you love your God with all your all your soul
He says it's your life Your mind your thoughts
The way you think thinking with God in the center Allowing him to judge what our good and bad thoughts
As Paul says you take every thought Captive to the obedience of Christ.
Do you think God's thoughts after him? So we study study God's Word in particular
Also to love the Lord with all your soul means loving with your feelings Not just your thoughts reform people are big on loving
God with their thoughts their intellect But not so big on the feelings part your passions your affections
I Got that song. It's when I like that song that Rachel did for us.
I Like I even like the dancing expresses a love and affection for the
Lord So don't be a one -dimensional lover of the Lord. Are you loving with your doctrine?
You love him with your intellect? You'll read deep theological books, but you're kind of cold and when it comes to affections expressing.
No Have both There's no reason you can't have both Well, someone said well, you know, he or she not respecting my he's not respecting my feelings
Well feelings aren't not are not meant to be respected or validated they are either meant to be mastered or Ignored and Judged they're judged as is good
It's a good feeling if it's helping me love the Lord or that's a bad feeling because that's leading me away from loving the
Lord Feelings are gonna be true or they can be false There but it's not true just because it's a feeling you can have an overwhelming feeling of something
Sometimes married people go through phases in which they get an overwhelming feeling of attraction to someone.
They're not married to you just got to say no to that and overcome it and Same way with the
Lord you get an overwhelming feeling everything in you can feel like doing something that the
Lord says no to You have to master that feeling You have to you have to make your feelings
Love the Lord if your feelings don't help you love the Lord Then you resolved to discipline them until they do you're you're resolved that your soul will
Love the Lord so you feed those feelings like putting wood on a fire that help you love the
Lord and you douse those feelings that Don't help you love the Lord Love the
Lord your God Not just your culture's God. We're in the South. We're in the Bible Belt. So we'll do the religion thing
No, you're a God and you love him with all your your strength with your body
Your your your very physical nature Everything you do with your body you're eating you're drinking your sex you're dressing your exercise
You're you're doing your best To keep yourself from from getting a virus that can be a way of loving the
Lord, you know Practice your social distancing good hygiene wash your hands so you don't get it But also do your best to keep from getting heart disease
Don't clog your arteries or do your best to keep up getting cancer Love him by not smoking because that's horrible for your health love him with with with sweat and tears and sleep and a beating heart and every breath from your lungs
Well now you're saved You've heard God's law What are you to do now?
Love the Lord Love the Lord in and third You teach about him
Especially children especially the next generation in chapter 6 verses 6 to 9 now
I like to quote these words and in a baby dedication So that the parents will note that they it's their duty to teach
God's Word to their children but I think this passage is really it's for the people of God to raise up the next generation of the people of God and We hope that includes our physical children our natural children, but we also hope includes other people's children
Right like the children of Jim jr. That we bring here You still need to be praying for even though we can't Have that run that program right now
The Lord says in verse 6 these words that I command you today Like in the ten commandments the greatest command that he's just given love the
Lord your God Shall be on your heart It should be at the center of who you are and as a result of our seven and onward you shall teach them teach these words
Ten commandments have no other gods before me this greatest commandment. Love the Lord your God teach them diligently
Diligent means you keep doing it Okay, we come here. We haven't seen really hardly any growth the church from Jim jr
Are much from Jim, but you just keep teaching. We're not we're not called to To have big numbers
We're called to keep diligently teaching to your children to God's children to the covenant children who we don't know who they are
So we teach all the children we can we could get in here You teach them not just in formal settings like Jim jr
Or Sunday school, but when you're sitting at home and this is your own children particularly around the table when you're driving
When you're going to bed and when you wake up I mean, you don't got to be a pastor or you pastor load staff anywhere to do that.
You're sitting at home You're eating dinner. You teach About the Lord in verse 8 you bind them on your hand
Particularly people in that day were almost all either farmers or craftsmen at some time and you know Like they're saying we have in our culture
I know it like the back of my hand because if like that working a job I think you're always looking at the back of your hand, right?
This was always in your view So you bind them the Word of God on your hand. So you're they're always looking at God's Word and And he says you put them between your eyes
Now he didn't mean literally You know like we saw a lot last week of the hypocrites who took it literally so they these factories they put on their foreheads
Now he means you you soak your mind with it. You think about the Word of God constantly
So you put it in places in your life that you come across it often you can memorize verses you can meditate on them
You can listen to sermons that help you unpack Scripture or today. You can listen to the Word of God sung good good
Christian music, especially That is putting the word like in our Psalms putting the
Psalms to music so you're singing it to surround yourself Like your doorframe surrounds you when you go through it
Surround yourself like that with it and teach it then to your children fourth now that you're saved and you're in the promised land
Where you have everything that you need for life and godliness with all these blessings now
Remember in verses 10 to 15 Remember Most of the people were too young to have walked through the
Red Sea Just these people he's talking to here Most of them probably grew up were born after that or grew at least grew up after that Maybe there was maybe they were small children and some of them remember it
But most of them hadn't to it. Most of them hadn't seen the Mount Sinai shake and smoke when the law was given
So here they are being reminded of it by Moses now none of us here.
Have we heard the Sermon on the Mount? None of us went to the empty tomb We need to be reminded of what
God has done and to constantly be made to remember Because we're prone to forget
Right. That's why we need to remember. That's what we're doing right now Hopefully I'm causing you to remember what
God has done for you because we tend to forget It's not like school where you can learn algebra or Shakespeare graduate.
You don't have to go back every every week This we need constantly to remember we're especially prone to forget when we're blessed
You know when we're comfortable, but life's good When we made it, you know, we've reached that pinnacle that we were reaching that we were working so hard for And we're sitting back
Enjoying life. We have enough money. We can we can retire. We have a nice house.
Maybe on a lake with a boat Family is sweet Everything's great We made it and Then we're likely to forget
Affluence leads to indifference to carelessness You know, the
Puritans came to this country to America out of zeal for God. That's what drove them here
They were willing to give up everything really to risk their lives on crossing the ocean and those rickety sailboats
They were willing to do all that so that they could worship God According to God's Word They first started coming 400 years ago this year.
This is the 400th anniversary this year. They wanted above all biblical churches where the
Word of God could be taught without interference and they got it and Then they prospered they were blessed and then
They declined what happened to the Puritans They they say their godliness begat prosperity and the daughter devoured the mother
They got prosperous and so Got careless and forgot
When the Lord brings you to what he promised you have the grace you have the blessings that you didn't earn and Then in verse 12
Be careful Lest you forget Be careful to remember who saved you how you got all the blessings.
That's why we have church That's why we have this assembly to come together to remind each other what God has done notice verse 12.
Don't forget the Lord Moses tells them who brought you out of Egypt out of the house of slavery.
Don't just remember what you are supposed to do Don't just keep these commands remember what
God has done That's why we have the Lord's Supper To remember what
God has done in the cross in verse 13. It is the Lord your
God you shall fear Don't forget that So, you know just by teaching duties what you're to do that's all we did
And people imply that then we only need to fear our Our failure to obey and we can correct that then by changing our life
But but here it is the Lord that we are to remember and to serve him to swear by his name
Because we're committed to him because he's your God not money or feelings or self authentication my self
Identification validated whatever slogan people now are entranced by as an excuse really just for serving themselves
Catering to their own feelings. No, but to the Lord serve him because in verse 15 the
Lord your God is in your midst He's among you
Remember that remember that during a pandemic when perhaps all the church can't meet at once and then you're tempted to think well
Maybe the church is not an essential service That's why we're being told Walmart Sam's Club gonna have a lot of people not us because we're not essential, right?
We can only have ten at a time We're so small You're gonna buy that and you just go along with it.
At least the attitude that that is founded on. I Hope not remember
No matter what they're saying remember he is in our midst and He is a jealous
God he doesn't tolerate us loving other gods beside him. Not even just a little a little cheating on the side
Remember that because if you forget you think you can you can give way maybe maybe do a little a little money idolizing a
Little covetousness or greed which is idolatry You know living for the the fat bank account
The big house the car the fancy gadgets That's like it's like bowing before an idol for bail
If you provoke his jealousy by forgetting to love him with everything Then he will set his anger on fire
He's already shown our God is a consuming fire and he will devour you or your business or your bank account or your health
He might even shut it all down with a tiny virus so Remember him
Well now that you're saved what do you do Well, some say it doesn't matter what I do Grace grace grace is excuse.
I could do nothing if I feel like it. I can be careless God's promises They say, you know, they'll keep me no matter how careless
I Am they think there are probably some foolish people. I'm guessing
I've ever seen in one exactly yet But just knowing human nature, there are probably some foolish people that think they could quote a verse
Maybe like from Psalm 91 The Lord will keep me from from the enemies that they think they can quote a verse that will keep the corona virus
From them. No need for PPE. I just quote the verse and the virus dies right blow it away some
Prosperity preacher was saying he blowing the virus away from America. That was about a month ago. Does it seem to have worked?
but there's some Foolish people think they can just you know quote a verse And don't practice any social distancing or don't wash their hands particularly and don't do their part and God is my
PPE But the Lord says in verses 16 to 19 that you need to do your part do your keeping keep his commandments
Don't put the Lord to the test with your failure to keep his word You know
Satan brought the Lord Jesus to the pinnacle of the temple And just told him, you know step off Satan said jump off Trust the
Lord the promise from Psalm 91. God will send his angels to keep you from being hurt, but Jesus said
No, there's the command. Sure. There's a promise in Psalm 91. I won't be hurt, but there's also the command right here in Deuteronomy Don't test the
Lord. You shall not put the Lord your God to the test. He's promised to protect you sure But don't use that promise like a bungee cord, you know just for fun
I'm gonna jump off this bridge Knowing that I'll bounce back before I hit the ground you don't not work and Expect God to supply your needs you don't not study and Expect God to help you do well on the test or for the sermon
You don't sin That grace may abound instead in verse 17 you shall
Diligently is that word again? Diligently keep his commands to work to study to do what you're called to do
To flee immorality, whatever flee sin keep doing it. Keep keeping his word
Persevere in it because it is perseverance. That is the grand mark that separates true believers
They either wasn't persevere from hypocrites who get tired and go do something else
So if you keep keeping his word, then you will finally get Full possession of what
God has promised you the Lord will put all his enemies in your life under his feet through you
Keeping on Keeping his word. Well now that you say what do you do?
You keep his word diligently You know remember what he's done you teach about him particularly to the children you love him with all that you are you honor him by trembling and his word and finally
Say What he has done? say the gospel tell people
Tell people to ask speak the truth in those last six verses. We're told what to say
When you're saved You're free from slavery to sin The wrath of God has passed over you you pass out of death to life and and someone maybe your son
Ask you Does all this mean? You know these commands these ten commandments this
Bible this this stuff that we hear in church. What's it all mean? What's it all about?
Well, you are to say We're told starting in verse 21 We were slaves to the world the flesh of the devil long my imprisoned spirit lay fast bound in sin and nature's night, but as I defused a
Life -giving ray may became alive. I woke the dungeon was filled with light
My chains fell off. My heart was free. I rose went forth and followed the
Him He brought me out with a mighty hand He brought me out with a mighty hand that he might give us
Eternal life life forever in that new earth. He brought Christ out from death
With a mighty hand hand so mighty it overpowered death itself
And he brought us out with him Resurrected in a new heaven and a new earth
Promises that nothing we now have promises that nothing can separate us from the love of the
Lord Promises of things so great. He says we can't even we can't even imagine it. All we have to do now
Is to honor him to love the Lord To teach about him to remember him to keep his word.
It is after all why not keep his word It is after all good for us Through that Will persevere he'll preserve us.
He'll keep us safe. So that's what you're to say say Especially to your children how we'll be right
With him through Christ living this way. We'll have righteousness. We'll have a right relationship with the father
So he'll say Thinking of what we're to say We say that we testify what he'll say at the end is come blessed ones
Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world So you saved?
What do you do now? The work of saving is over It's been applied
Salvation has been done it is Being implemented it doesn't depend on us
So, what are we to do? Nothing No, not if not if we've really been saved if we've been saved then the work of him who worked is
Working in us So we'll honor him will tremble at his word We'll love him with all our being just amazed that his grace has saved us and will teach about him
Especially to our children and will remember what he did by keeping his commandments if you've been saved
The work is done and now you will get to work honoring and loving and teaching and remembering and saying
Amazing love how can it be? That you my god