Revering the Word
Deuteronomy 6 Believing is to lead to obeying.
Good morning everyone this morning. We are in Deuteronomy 6 and we have one of the most famous passages That we will cover today in all the Bible In fact, it's known as the Shama or Shema some might pronounce it and it comes to us in Deuteronomy chapter 6 verse 4 now we already talked about that word in the previous chapter but probably word that word has become more famous has come from this chapter got a lot of my mind as I Partake of this chapter, you know, this book being when the Israelites are about to enter the promised land and God's about to give them victory and As he calls it a land flowing with milk and honey and his concern is is that when they get there that They obey him that they follow him A couple of things that are on my mind is, you know, like when we have transitions in life where we're going to enter a new stage of life I recently had a young lady reach out to me that I've ministered to to a certain extent and She is going away to college and she's like I'm kind of worried about keeping my faith in college and I'm also kind of concerned about what am I supposed to do? I want to have the full college experience, but I also don't want to turn away from God. So we're trying to You know talk about those things and I think one of the things that I'll talk to her about is the book of Deuteronomy Because it is a real transition book where you're You're going to a new land. You're starting a new Place, you know, and I would say let's say you move or you move churches or you you move with your job And now you have to start a new phase of life really important that you you do what you need to to get reconnected again and keep up your own spiritual disciplines in the Word of God so that you keep your faith strong and You know going away to college in particular is a really hard thing and I think that I You know, I could go back with each of my children I think Deuteronomy would be a great place to spend some time while they're in high school before those college years come and Reminding them of the things that God has said another thing that's really on my mind this morning is You know, we know that we're Saved by faith in Jesus and we're forgiving our sins because he was the lamb of God and we believe in him and because we believe in him We've been accredited righteousness just as Abraham was made righteous by faith. So are we and that's all good and right, but life is More than about salvation like You know salvation. Yes, it's something that we receive the promise of now That we're gonna come into the fullness of one day when we, you know, die or maybe when Jesus comes back to rapture his church Then we're gonna walk into the salvation, but it's a promise we have now, but life's More than about salvation like we have a life to live here on earth, you know, one of the most You know famous New Testament passages Without turning there comes from Ephesians chapter two verse eight where it says, you know, you're saved by grace through faith Not of works so that no man can boast In fact, I'm gonna turn there real quick and then it says a lot of times we'll just you know stop there on The beautiful rich gospel that's presented in Ephesians chapter two But then it says But we were created in Christ Jesus for good works Which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them that I didn't actually get there yet But that was from memory and I think that was pretty pretty darn close But let me let me go ahead and turn there Let me read it. It says for by grace you have been saved through faith and that and not of yourselves it is the gift of God not as a result of work so that no one might boast and What that would do that passage you would emphasize The faith right and I mean that's good and right, you know salvation's through faith and that's that's good and right But then it says for we are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus for good works Which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them and it's kind of like well What you know what use is faith if we say we believe or maybe we are we believe and we get saved But then we don't live for God like we're here to serve him We're here to make an impact for his kingdom and and you don't just do that without Doing something with your faith like just saying you have faith in doing nothing is not honoring a God Yeah, you might get saved by the skin of your teeth But God has us here to serve his kingdom and you know as James said, you know I'll show you you show me your faith by what you say. I'll show you my faith by what I do and The Bible old and New Testaments is rich on your behavior Your tree showing that you have the fruit of being a Christian. Yes, you're saved by faith but not just to be saved but to live a life that's Honoring and pleasing to the Lord and we get that emphasis Significantly in the book of Deuteronomy and I I think sometimes when we focus so much on the salvation part through faith without Talking about works without talking about Living to honor the Lord and please the Lord in doing the things he commanded And we lose a very significant emphasis of what we're saved for we're saved to serve God and Now let's dig in to Deuteronomy chapter 6 Now this is the commandment the statutes and the judgments which the Lord has commanded me to teach you That you might do and in my version here. I'm using that asp 95 I have John MacArthur study Bible in front of me I typically preach and read out of the lsp and actually side note the lsp legacy standard Bible, which is a Bible that I recommend is coming out this fall with a Study Bible with John MacArthur study notes in it and I've already pre-ordered one You might want to get ahead of the curve on that they might be already sold out, but nonetheless Let me begin now again now. This is the commandment The statutes and the judgments which the Lord your God has commanded me to teach you that you might do them He commanded me to teach you that you might do them in the land where you are going over to possess it So that you and your son and your grandson might fear the God fear the Lord your God to keep all his statutes and his commandments which I command you all the days of your life and that your days may be prolonged what a wonderful verse that we may learn to fear God to Revere him to to honor him to highly respect him To keep what he's said To honor him and that it will prolong our days It will lead to greater blessing when we honor the Lord. That's what this book has been about Listen to what it says. Can you imagine Moses sharing these words and you know relaying what God has told them? Oh Israel you should listen. Oh that you would listen and Be careful to do it That it may be well with you and that you may multiply greatly Just as the Lord the God of your fathers has promised you in a land flowing with milk and honey Oh that you would do that hallelujah. Oh What a what a wonderful word and here one of the most famous verses in the Bible Shama oh Israel Here oh Israel here listen and obey. Oh Israel the Lord our God the Lord is one or he is the Lord alone You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might hallelujah Deuteronomy 6 4 and 5 one of the most significant passage in the Bible Shama oh Israel These words which I am commanding you today shall be on your heart You shall teach them diligently to your sons 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 up You shall bind them as a sign on your hand and they shall be as frontals on your forehead You shall write them on a doorpost of your house and on your gates Oh that the word of God would be kept close that God would be kept close that we would put reminders of God and his word All around us and in our homes You know, I think back my kids are adults and I've got two of my three children following the Lord I'm very sad about the one who is not at this stage. I trust God. Oh God move his heart to return to you Something I pray I'd like to say daily and it's close, but Lord, please draw him near to you And I think of how I remember That son Even when he was just a young child Reading the word of God to him before you could even understand it And in their later years we had you know devotionals that Could be done at dinner, and I want to say sadly enough I we didn't do it as often as we should have We did do family meetings. I know the kids remember those and we get together in a living room And we might talk about significant things in the family and typically that was going to be also significant things about God I was a pastor during much more many of the years that my kids were growing up and At times we did devotions at dinner, but I wish I would have done a more Lord God just grab hold of my children my young adults now bring them near to you hallelujah Teach him diligently while you have them home with you Give them the word of God Talk with them at dinner In your house when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up Then it shall come about when the Lord your God brings you into the land which he swore to your father's Abraham Isaac and Jacob to give you great and splendid cities which you did not build and House is full of all good things which you did not fill and hewn cisterns which you did not dig vineyards and olive trees which you did not plant and You eat and are satisfied then watch yourself. See he's concerned that After he gives them victory. They're gonna forget then watch yourself and you do not forget the Lord who brought you from the land of Egypt out of the house of slavery You shall fear only the Lord your God and you shall worship him and swear by his name You shall not follow other gods any of the gods of the peoples who surround you and that was a huge concern that as they mixed With people around them that they'd start taking on worship of their gods for the Lord your God is in the midst of you is a jealous God He does not want you to worship anything other than himself Otherwise the anger of the Lord your God will be kindled against you and he will wipe you off the face of the earth and indeed God's people were punished later in history for turning away from God You shall not put the Lord your God to the test as you tested him at Massa You shall diligently keep the commandments of the Lord your God and his testimonies and his statutes Which he has commanded you you shall do what is right and good in the sight of the Lord Look at you shall do what is right and good not just believe but as a result of believing do What is right and good in the sight of the Lord that it may be well with you and that you may go in and possess the Good land which the Lord swore to give your fathers By driving out all your enemies from before you as the Lord has spoken I just think you know to all of you listening right now. It is so good and right for you to Be in the Word of God to be reminded of God to read be minded of what he desires to know what he desires How can we do what we don't know so it's so important to stay in the word and to learn what the word says so that you may obey it When your son asks you verse 20 and time to come saying what do the testimonies and the statutes and the judgments mean Which the Lord our God commanded you then you shall say to your son We were slaves to Pharaoh in Egypt and the Lord brought us from Egypt with the mighty hand More over the Lord showed us great and distressing signs and wonders before our eyes against Egypt Pharaoh and all his household he brought us out from there in order to bring us in to give us the land which he has sworn to our fathers So the Lord commanded us to observe all the statutes to fear the Lord our God and our For our good always and for our survival as it is today. That is so good and right Isn't it he commanded us to observe all these things and to fear him The Lord our God for our good always and for our survival as it is today. Hallelujah God means for good. He wants it to go well with you his ways lead to a better life. Hallelujah It will be righteousness for us If we are careful to observe all this commandment before the Lord your God Just as he commanded us You know the good news is That we can be forgiven of all of our sin through faith in Jesus And with all this emphasis on observing and doing and being careful I think we can all see that we have false sword of the glory of God All of us have sinned and false sword of the glory of God and hallelujah that we have Jesus who took our curse for our disobedience to this law He took it upon that tree and he saved us through the blood of the lamb hallelujah He's forgiven us of our trespasses hallelujah But now we still seek to obey him to please him to honor him not to earn our way to heaven We receive salvation by faith, but now we do we observe and we're careful to follow him to honor him And because we trust him that it is going to go better for us and honor him When we observe and do and be careful to obey what he has commanded It's for the honor and glory of God and for our own good hallelujah When we shama may we hear may we listen may we obey the Lord our God and love him with all of our heart our soul and our mind God bless you all You