Loyalty To God Above All

Deuteronomy 13 and the Test of Loyalty to God

If you'll take your Bibles, please, and turn with me to Deuteronomy chapter 13. The book of Deuteronomy chapter 13. Once again, before we look to the Word of God, let us ask Him to bless our time together.

Our gracious Heavenly Father, as we look into Your Word once again, we would ask that by Your Spirit You would come and You would bless Your people. That You would bless Your people with Your presence.

That You would bless Your people with understanding. Lord, that we would hear Your Word. That You would conform us ever closer to the image of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. In His name we pray. Amen.

Distractions. Distractions. We often pray during the pastoral prayer, Lord, protect us from distractions. And I don't just mean some of the obvious distractions, like when you forget to turn your cell phone off.

Because that happens. Or the distraction I know of, I think it was sometime within the past 18 months or so, it was a Sunday evening, and I had just installed some new applications on my iPad, and I was going to open one up, and I hit the wrong one.

Well, the new one that I hit was an Islamic application, and I didn't realize, I had no way of knowing that the first time it opened up, it would start with the call to prayer. And so, Pastor Fry has heard some interesting things while behind the pulpit when the Islamic call to prayer began from my iPad.

I don't mean distractions like that, though we can certainly have those. Distractions that I'm referring to, when the speaker is preaching from one text and then brings in some other quotations, some other citations, there are times that I start reading that other citation, and I start following what's being said there, and it's sort of like the train tracks, you know.

The pastor goes back off this direction, I'm still on this direction over here. And hopefully, fairly soon, I get back on track, but sometimes, I really start thinking about that other text, and thinking about what might have been said there.

And in fact, both this morning and this evening, our thoughts together are going to be prompted by distractions that I experienced during recent sermons from Pastor Fry. Now, he doesn't need to worry, I'm not going to any of the texts that he cited, and said, he said this, but really it means this.

That would keep you all awake, but that doesn't really happen very often around here. In reality, normally what it is, is Pastor Fry has mentioned a text, he's made some comments on it, he's illustrating a particular point, then he's gone back to the main point that he was making.

At the same time, the thought crossed my mind, my, how this text would be understood by this group or that group. And you need to understand, those of you who are regulars here, maybe those of you who are in membership, you know that I have an interesting calling in life.

And very frequently, when I hear a text cited, what crosses my mind is, if I were on a radio program, if I was in a radio studio, and the lights are blinking, and that host reaches over and hits that button, I don't know what this person is going to be saying.

They could have a question right out of left field someplace. And sometimes, I hear a text and I go, my, how would I respond to that? Especially if I only had just a few moments to do so. What if that was taken out of its context and applied this way or that way?

That's simply how my mind has to work. Because I've found myself in that very situation over and over and over again. Literally, over the past, well, coming up on 30 years now. And so, keeping that in mind, one of the texts that I wanted to look at was cited recently.

It's here in Deuteronomy chapter 13. Now, this is a text I've known for a long time, in the sense that this is the text that talks about how to detect a false prophet. And I've had to go to this text, a couple of texts in Deuteronomy actually, when talking about false prophets, especially back in the olden days, when we would go up to Salt Lake City or go out to Mesa and we'd be talking with our Mormon friends and talking about prophets.

But these days, it comes up every once in a while in talking with my Muslim friends, who likewise have a man that they call a prophet. And they will quote his words and his writings as if they're authoritative.

So, Deuteronomy chapter 13 says this, if a prophet or a dreamer of dreams arises among you and gives you a sign or a wonder, and the sign or the wonder comes true concerning which he spoke to you, saying, let us go after other gods whom you have not known and let us serve them, you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams.

For the Lord your God, Yahweh, is testing you to find out if you love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul. You shall follow the Lord your God and fear Him, and you shall keep His commandments, listen to His voice, serve Him and cling to Him.

But that prophet or that dreamer of dreams shall be put to death, because he has counseled rebellion against the Lord your God, who brought you from the land of Egypt and redeemed you from the house of slavery, to seduce you from the way in which the Lord your God commanded you to walk.

So, you shall purge the evil from among you. That's normally where we stop. That's normally where we stop, and it makes perfect sense. It's an exhortation to the people of Israel. Just, even if a person comes along, and they tell you something and it happens, or they have an ability to interpret dreams, or they have some, what seems to be some supernatural kind of capacity, but that supernatural capacity is joined with an exhortation to you to leave your God.

There are some other gods I want to introduce you to. Or there's some new truths about Yahweh I want you to tell, to tell you they're seducing you, they're trying to get you to go away from the right path.

And you see, you heard one of the, well, you just heard the greatest commandment. Did you not? Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength. That, Jesus identified that as the greatest commandment.

We are to cling to our God. There is to be such an intimacy, such a heartfelt connection to our God, that for someone to come along, even though they give some kind of evidence of some supernatural capacity, if they say, leave that God, I'm going to direct you to something better, something new.

And, oh, isn't that always the thing today? We are to not only reject that, but within the nation of Israel, where God was to be king, that was an act of treason. That was an act of, well, what was the term used there?

Rebellion. It's rebellion against God. It's rebellion to preach falsehood about who God is. That's not a morally neutral thing. And we have to be reminded over and over again, because we live in a day where this is being pounded into our head, the idea that, well, you know, they have their views, and they have their views, and they have their God, and isn't it just wonderful when we all just get together, and don't you think God, who is all-loving, don't you think He'd just accept every kind of teaching and worship, because He just likes when people like Him.

He's a little bit like Mr. Rogers. Could you imagine Mr. Rogers, who is a Presbyterian, by the way, but can you imagine Mr. Rogers as God? Ever getting angry because someone had a misunderstanding of who Mr. Rogers was.

Well, no, of course not. And that's the kind of God we want, right? And as long as you worship a God like that, then you're going to be acceptable to everybody else. That's nowhere to be found in the sacred scriptures.

That's not the God that Jesus directed us to. That's not what the law that Jesus said He came to fulfill actually teaches. And yet, that is what we are told every single day in our culture. It's acceptable if you believe in that God, but this God, the people of God, once this person was detected, well, He wasn't just rebuked, was He?

And He wasn't just put in a lower position in the society. He was executed for rebellion, for seeking to overthrow God's rulership of His people, the people, by the way, through whom the Messiah was going to come, who was going to provide forgiveness of sins, which is of vital and utmost importance.

And of course, we need to have as important for us what is important for God. Mankind today seems to think that what's important for us is what should be important for God, not the other way around. It's all backwards.

And so, you shall purge the evil from among you. Not you shall just turn the other cheek, and not you shall just close your eyes. The people of God, there is to be a purging of the evil from among you in the execution of anyone who from within Israel, from within the people who are defined by their covenant with God, would say, break that covenant.

It doesn't matter whether he does it quietly or publicly. As long as this person says, let's go after other gods, that's an act of rebellion, it's an act of being a traitor. And the evil is to be purged from the people.

That's normally where we stop. And that just in and of itself would be bad enough in our day. I mean, once again, my mind goes to if I were interacting with someone today, if I were talking with people today, and there's just so much active hatred toward our faith by so many people in our society today.

I can see them quoting that text. Oh, so you're into that Old Testament law stuff, huh? So, you think that false prophets should be killed, it says in Deuteronomy chapter 13, if it says to go after another god, you should...

So, you think that... So, you think I should be killed. You see, my mind is automatically thinking of exactly how someone would probably want to use that text. And what that forces me to do is, I need to know what the context is.

And I need to be able to place it in its proper context, not because I'm concerned about this person's views of God, because he's already in rebellion, but because I want to be able to give an accurate God-honoring response that God can then use in two ways.

He can use it, A, as the means by which he draws his elect into himself, and B, he can use it as the means by which he limits, and he controls, and he brings his law to bear in limiting and controlling the evil of man.

And, of course, I also recognize when he does it that way, very often he's doing that in such a way as to bring judgment upon those individuals. They've heard the Word of God explained to them, and yet they love their rebellion against it.

They love their mockery of it. And it only increases their condemnation before God. Sometimes, sometimes the truth functions that way. That is why whenever you speak the truth of God, as long as you do so as a redeemed sinner, doing so for the glory of God, you don't have to worry about what the result is.

God's been glorified in the proclamation of his truth. Whether he uses it to bring his people unto himself, or whether he uses it to bring judgment, God's been glorified as long as his truth has been proclaimed, and you have done so in the proper fashion.

Not in an arrogant way that puffs you up, etc., etc., but as long as you have sought his glory and to be obedient to him, you do not have to worry about what the result is. You don't have to trim off the tough edges.

You don't have to try to convince people to do something outside of the work of the Spirit of God. And so I think about that type of text, but do you remember Pastor Frank quoted this text, but he didn't start there.

He started with the next verse, and that's what caught my attention. If your brother, your mother's son, or your son or daughter, or the wife literally of your heart whom you cherish, or your friend who is as your own soul, entice you secretly saying, let us go serve other gods whom neither you nor your fathers have known, of the gods of the peoples who are around you, near you, or far from you, from one end of the earth to the other end.

It doesn't matter what god it is. You've just not known this god. They secretly say, let's go serve this god. You shall not yield to him or listen to him, and your eyes shall not pity him, nor shall you spare or conceal him.

But you shall surely kill him. Your hand shall be first against him to put him to death, and afterwards the hand of all the people. So you shall stone him to death because he has sought to seduce you from the Lord your God, who brought you out from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.

Then all Israel will hear and be afraid and will never again do such a wicked thing among you. If you hear in one of your cities which the Lord your God is giving you to live in, anyone saying that some worthless men have gone out from among you and have seduced the inhabitants of their city, saying, let us go and serve other gods whom you have not known, then you shall investigate and search out and inquire thoroughly.

If it is true and the matter established, this abomination has been done among you, you shall surely strike the inhabitants of that city with the edge of the sword, utterly destroying it and all that is in it and its cattle with the edge of the sword.

Then you shall gather all its booty into the middle of its open square and burn the city and all its booty with fire as a whole burnt offering to the Lord your God, and it shall be a ruin forever. It shall never be rebuilt.

Nothing from that which is put under the ban shall cling to your hand in order that the Lord may turn from his burning anger and show mercy to you and have compassion on you and make you increase just as he has sworn to your fathers if you will listen to the voice of the Lord your God keeping all his commandments which I am commanding you today and doing what is right in the sight of the Lord your God.".

The Demand for Undivided Covenant Loyalty

Those are not easy words. Those are not easy words. When you think about these words, you're troubled. I don't know how anybody could not, as I read those words, think, what would I do? Because the text is very clear.

The people who are the closest to you, the wife whom you cherish, the friend who is closer to you.

Than your own soul,.

Your son, your daughter, your brother. I mean, that is... You can't get any closer here. We're talking about those who have the most intimate relationship to you if one of them comes to you secretly. Secretly.

And says, maybe it's your wife. Maybe it's your husband. It's addressed to the men. And I want to show you something. I haven't told you about this, it's just so exciting. What is it? Well, let me show you.

You go into another room. Make sure the kids aren't around. They're off playing. Okay, we're okay. You take out a box. You open the lid. There is one of the gods of the peoples. You recognize it because you've seen it.

Maybe you're on the neck of one of the pagans in the marketplace over at one of the cities or along the border. Maybe someone who is traveling through. You recognize it because it's an idol. It's a hideous god from amongst the Philistines, the Canaanites, the Amorites.

The very same people that God said, I'm going to bring you into the land. I'm going to wipe them out because their transgression is not yet full. While you're down in Egypt, I'm letting their transgression become full.

And when I take you into the land, you're to wipe them out. They cause their children to go through the fire. They offer little infants upon altars. They are in the utter depths of depravity. And here's your wife, your husband, and here's an idol.

I've been worshiping this idol. And you know what? I think this idol has done me some good. I think this idol may be why I've been having success in business recently. Because I've been praying this idol.

I still go to the temple. I'm still offering sacrifices. But you see, there's really nothing wrong. I'm still worshiping Yahweh. But I think there's more. In fact, do you really think... I mean, is it really fair that Yahweh would be so jealous?

That Yahweh would be so narrow as to demand all my worship? I mean, come on. These other gods have got some things going for them. They've won some battles. Could it really be all that bad? I mean, I just have so much worship I want to give.

And wouldn't God just be a narrow little God? A petty little jealous God? If He wants all my worship, can't I share it just a little bit? And what is the person to do?

My son. My daughter. My friend in all the world. And what does God's law say? Every one of you thought about this.

When you heard it first read. I think it was even last week. If you were listening, if you were tracking, your mind started going along with some lines that aren't overly pleasant. What did I do? How can I fulfill this?

And then the real question, let's be honest, how could God require this of His people? And when you think about it, when you think about that commandment, it forces you to do one of two things. I'm afraid for the vast majority of people who call themselves Christians today, normally when you run into these tough texts, we're going to be looking at some other tough texts.

There are a lot of tough texts in the Bible. And you know what the vast majority of evangelicalism does with tough texts? You just ignore them. You just put them aside. You put them in the maybe someday I'll actually finish thinking this through category.

And then those tough texts come back and you never did think them through. And because you didn't think them through, your faith remains a shallow faith, a superficial faith. And when your faith doesn't go deep and it doesn't have to build roots, which is what happens when you actually deal with these texts.

That's either easily blown over or you've got to replace that depth with something else. And the world would be the first one along to offer you something. And unfortunately, that's what happens. And we see entire denominations where today, if you were to read that text, they would universally dismiss it as being utterly irrelevant to us today.

Well, that's just law. But what did it mean? How could God have done this? Oh, well, he sent Jesus to fix all that. Jesus honored this law. In fact, Jesus lived in light of this law. In fact, his love for the Father was so supreme that it ordered every other aspect of his life.

And it was his love for the Father and his honor of God's law that took him to the cross of Calvary. So unfortunately, one of the responses is, I don't like it. And I don't want to think through what that might mean about God.

The only other response is you have to look at the text and you have to go, God, what does this mean? Why did you give this commandment? Jesus and the apostles clearly believed that this is your Word.

This is the very speech of God. And so I can't ignore this. You preserved it for me for thousands of years. Now you're facing me with it. What do I do? What does it mean to me? Is this just one of those, well, don't wear two different kinds of fabric things?

Well, it definitely has something to do with the people of Israel. The death penalty is involved. We're talking about the nation of Israel here. We're talking about rebellion against Yahweh. Definitely that's there.

So some people might say, yeah, that's why it's really not relevant to us today. But it talks about people close to you. The people who are your intimate companions. And though it doesn't lay out the issues here, it's pretty clearly seen, especially in regards to what happens to a city where this happens.

The law was to be brought to bear. And that meant you had to testify. And it says that you're to be the first one to be involved in the execution of this person. It doesn't mean you're doing it by yourself.

There is nothing here about vendettas and vigilantes and, oh, I can use this. I don't like this neighbor of mine, so I'm just going to go and start stoning them. And once they're unconscious, say, I heard him say...

No, no. There is to be testimony. The law was to be followed, especially in any type of capital case. But the point that's being said is very clear, and it's somewhat frightening to us. And that is, it's one thing to hear Jesus saying, oh, the greatest commandment is to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind.

Isn't that beautiful? That's just such a wonderful thing. But you see, here's the greatest commandment in action. You see, that person, that friend who is closer to you than your own soul is seeking to corrupt the people of God in their worship of God.

This person is committing a grievous, horrible sin. In fact, most people would admit, yeah, if God wanted to just turn them into a crispy critter right there, He could. But you see, God normally uses means to bring that about.

You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart. Well, except for the part of my heart where I love other people more than Him. With all your heart. With all your soul. Except that person who's closer to me than my own soul.

You see, what this is doing is illustrating negatively the positive command that we saw before. You shall cling to Him. You shall follow. Verse 4, the Lord's testing you. Verse 3, to see if you love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul.

You shall follow your God and fear Him. And you shall keep His commandments, listen to His voice, serve Him and cling to Him. And there is to be nothing else that can begin to compare to the fidelity and faithfulness you have to your covenant God.

And in fact, the fidelity and faithfulness you have to that husband and to that wife and to that person closer to you than your own soul and to your son and your daughter is to be ordered in light of your first commitment.

They know that your first commitment is to your God. That kind of radical organization of priorities is considered dangerous in our society. In fact, I would not be surprised if in a short period of time they might add that as an example of psychosis.

Something wrong. You love your God so much. You love your God so much that you would make Him number one in front of every other relationship? Yeah. I seem to recall someone else teaching that. In Sunday school stories that most people know.

Didn't Jesus Himself teach that? Jesus said in Luke 14, If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.

You know, it's funny. A lot of people don't mind just dismissing anything in the Old Testament. Law, Moses, evil Old Testament God. But when Jesus repeats the same thing, that's bothersome. If anyone comes to me, and realize what Jesus is doing here.

Jesus lays out the parameters that defines what it really means to come to Him. We don't get to do that. We don't get to do that. One of the greatest things that amazes me in listening to the young generation today, is they think they get to define all this stuff.

God doesn't have the right to tell me how I'm to come to Him. He should just be lucky to have me. If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.

Now, I don't think we have to spend a whole lot of time explaining the point here. He's not talking about despising your family. He's not talking about locking them out of the house and never speaking to them again.

But in comparison to the fidelity, love, attachment that must exist between the disciple and Christ, every other human relationship must pale. Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.

What does it mean to carry the cross? It's not like those guys, God bless them, who walk through various major cities with a big old honking cross on their back. Okay? And every one of them has a wheel on the bottom.

Jesus didn't get one of those. All right? That's not what Jesus is talking about. Now, you know, it gets them into a lot of conversations, Lord bless them, but that's not what he's talking about. Everybody knew that if you take up your cross, you're joining the death march.

You're going to your death. You're going to your execution. And the crowds are going to mock you and spit at you, and the soldiers are not going to stop them because that's part of the process. So, you are rejecting everything of this life.

All the relationships, any attachment that would come before your attachment to following after Christ, you're dying to it. It's over. That's what Jesus said. That's Jesus's own teaching. He seemed to understand.

And then you look at a text like the beautiful little book of 1 John, which is with its simple language and loving one another and not walking in darkness. What could be so difficult there? Except even John understands.

He says, do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. Oh, John! You too? This stark, black and white line. You either love the Father or you love the world.

But if you love the world, the love of the Father is not in you. Well, wait a minute. Isn't that very much like what the person was saying back in Deuteronomy? Look. Look at my God. We can still worship Yahweh.

It's okay. We can still go with the people to the tabernacle and we can still offer the peace offerings. But in secret, we can also get some extra benefits, see? Because this God will help us in this area.

You know, Yahweh does pretty good in most areas, but this God has a special power in a particular area, see? You can join Him together all the way across the cannon, all the way across redemptive history.

John says, love the Father, love the world. You can't put them together. You love the world. You don't love the Father. Jesus teaches it. His disciples teach it. It's hard because it really requires you to see when God talks about worship, He's not talking about something we just do on a Sunday morning.

For a few minutes, He defines worship. He defines what's pleasing to Him. And the follower of this God, what are the words again? He wants us to cling to Him. He wants us to love Him with all your heart, with all your soul.

He wants us to follow Him and fear Him. Fear and love, you know, how do they go together? Folks, if that bothers you, you want a God who's way too small. You want a very simplistic God. Not the God of the Bible.

Not the Creator. Not the One. I mean, we're learning so much. You heard this week about they think they found Higgs boson. Ooh, you're all going, huh? Was he missing? One person knows what Higgs boson is.

Very good. They think they found the particle that in essence gives mass and it's been called the God particle. I think they might have found it. They're not 100 sure, but they think might have found it.

Well, we sure do know a lot more about how stuff works today than we did 20 years ago, 50 years ago, and certainly more than back when this was written. And all the pride that gives to a lot of people.

Oh, we know a lot. Of course, you know, well, I'm not gonna get into a sermon on that, but we know a lot. But knowing how something works doesn't actually tell you how it started to work that way. Where did all this come from?

In fact, it seems as we, especially as we look into biology, cellular biology and things like, we see such incredible complexity. It's absolutely amazing. In fact, it's downright beautiful. It points us to this Creator.

But for many people, the more we know, the less likely we are to glorify the One who made it in the first place. There is such a modern arrogance on the part of so many people that they look at something like this.

They look at this text. It couldn't have any relevance to me. Can't have any relevance to me. And yet for the believer, for the believer, we hear these words and we see in Jesus the perfect fulfillment of what the commandments of verses 3 and 4 and 5 are.

He showed perfect reverence to the Father. He followed the Lord God. He loved His Father with all His heart and His soul. He kept His commandments. He listened to His voice. He served Him in everything that He did.

And He clung to Him. It's a difficult text. It's a hard text. But fundamentally, here's the question that you have to ask yourself this morning. And I have to ask myself. How easy would it be for you and me to compromise right here?

To put something before our love of God, especially someone. How easy would it be? How easy would it be for us to justify? In fact, how many times have we done that even this week? We can see in the overarching scheme of things what has happened to denominations and churches when divine truths have been jettisoned over and over and over again until it becomes a pattern.

And we see these empty shells today. It's easy to look out and see this, but I'm talking about you and me. As I look at my own life, are there not times that I have recognized this would be what God would have done but, oh, I know this person who means so much to me, they're going to be so hurt.

If I do this, if I say this, if I act in this way, oh, they're going to be so hurt. Oh, it's going to cause real problems for me. And I don't want to see that look on that face. And we start looking for justification.

Oh, I think it would be better this way. And you know, maybe it'll mean this. We've got the clear guidance, but we find a way around it. We find a way around it because when it comes down to it, it has been well and rightly said that every act of sin is a demonstration that we love someone or something more than we love God.

Every act of sin shows we're not there yet. That we're not fulfilling the greatest commandment. And could anything else show you the absolute necessity of salvation by grace than this? Because if the first commandment is so completely out of our range, how could anyone ever be saved?

If it was up to us to somehow fulfill righteousness in our own lives. How we must be thankful for the grace of God and Jesus Christ that brings salvation to us. But at the same time, those who are saved do not just go, oh, I'm glad that's over with and never give a second thought to these things.

We contemplate this and we ask, Lord, Lord, what does it mean to take up my cross? What does it mean to cling to you? To keep your commandments? To listen to your voice? To serve you? So much so that when I hear the voice even of those who are closest to me seeking to draw me away from following after your path, following after your true worship, that I say, no.

We don't live in a situation where you're going to be getting out your cell phone and say, my wife just tempted me not to follow God and calling the cops. They're going to go, what? We don't live in that day.

But do we then use that as an excuse to diminish the seriousness of the temptations to idolatry that so many people do present to us? And do we use that as an excuse to look at how often we do compromise?

We do give to the world that which is only due to God. Do we go, ah, no big deal. It's a tough text. I hadn't thought about it in a long time. I was challenged once again to think, what does it mean to truly love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength?

I hope you will consider well what that really means to a believer. If you are here amongst us this day and you have not bowed the knee, if you have not bowed the knee to this God who has provided such a perfect demonstration of His grace and mercy in Jesus Christ, then I pray God will be merciful to you.

Open your heart and your mind. You will turn from your sins and embrace this one in repentance and faith. Let's pray together. Indeed, our gracious Heavenly Father, we thank you for your Word and the fact that you have preserved it for us.

But likewise, in your Word you challenge us. There are times your Word is so clear, so direct that it truly offends that remaining sin. It offends our creatureliness because it reminds us you're God and we are not.

Lord, continue to offend us that we might be true worshipers of yours. We pray in Christ's name, Amen.