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- Let me give you a quick class on the book of Deuteronomy up to this point-
- Deuteronomy 1 Moses recounts Israel’s journey from Sinai to Kadesh. He recalls the sending of spies, Israel’s disobedience, and God’s judgment, leading to 40 years of wilderness wandering.
- Deuteronomy 2 Continuing the narrative, Moses recounts the Israelites’ encounters with various nations, including the Edomites, Moabites, and Ammonites. God commands respect for these nations during Israel’s journey.
- Deuteronomy 3 Moses recalls battles with King Og and King Sihon, emphasizing God’s help in conquering their lands. Moses himself cannot enter the Promised Land due to disobedience.
- Deuteronomy 4 Moses stresses obedience to God’s commandments and the significance of the covenant. He warns against idolatry and recounts the revelation at Sinai.
- Read Dueteronomy 4:1-10
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- So Moses is here and stresses obedience to God- the importance of obedience-
- Four times in chapter 4 he says TAKE HEED- Pay attention to- Make sure you’re paying attention
- Things that are not paid attention to will break, bust and no longer work.
- Your faith is not something that you set and forget- you must manage it. It must be a focus.
- If you know anything about people, they preach out of their pain. They have focuses that come from their pasts. Its natural. What you’ve been influenced by influences your passions.
- I care about evangelism. Repentance. Fatherlessness. Standards. Respect. Honor. In everything.
- Moses- Obedience. Why? He suffers and suffered because of his disobedience.
- Moses’ disobedience refers to an incident that occurred in the Book of Numbers, specifically in Numbers 20:1-13. In this account, the Israelites are in the wilderness of Zin, and they are thirsty and complaining about the lack of water. God instructs Moses to speak to a rock, and water will flow from it for the people.
- But moses didn’t follow God’s explicit command, Moses strikes the rock twice with his staff
- Water comes out, but God’s punishment upon Moses is that he will not see the promise land.
- After leading the Israelites in the desert for 40 years, Moses is denied the victory Charge.
- READ Deuteronomy 3:23-28 behold it with your eyes, for you shall not cross over this Jordan.
- God takes him up on the mountain, shows him the inheritance and says- You don’t get to Go.
- Ouch. That’s a punishment. That’s a painful lesson. You don’t get to go into the promised land.
- So Moses firm preaching to the Nation of Israel is in direct connection to his own disobedience
- He says- My disobedience cost me, but it doesn’t need to Cost you. You can learn from my mistake and walk in obedience to the Lords commands.
- Obedience is not a dirty word. We’re all obedient something.
- Our innate desires, our passions, our plans, spouse, boss, kids, or to the Lord.
Obedience is easy. Disobedience is hard. Military- Just do what they say no matter what. - We don’t have time for the whole chapter- but we’re going grab a bit from the first 10
- 9 Only take heed to yourself, and diligently keep yourself, lest you forget the things your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life. And teach them to your children and your grandchildren,
- There’s an overtheme to the main theme of personal diligence- Don’t forget and teach them
1. Take heed- Stay in the word
- v1 listen to the statutes and the judgments
- v2 You shall not add to the word which I command you, nor take from it, that you may keep the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you.
- We are a people of the book. A people of the written word. The jewish people were people of the word and we are people of the word. Even the OT people had scripture. We have scripture.
- Psalm 119- Written by David- The law is perfect, Hidden your word in my heart that I wont sin, your word is a lamp to my feet, your words give light, makes simple people smart, your word is pure, I love it! All of your word is truth! How can I cleanse my way? TAKE HEED according to your word! Your word is settled in heaven, your words are sweet-sweeter than honey!
- Romans 10:17: “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”
- David knew- If I don’t have the word of God- I don’t have anything- I need the word!
- its what Jesus said! Matthew 4:4: “But He answered and said, ‘It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.”
- Here’s what I’ve seen- People that don’t read their bible and don’t listen to good Bible preaching, are not spiritually strong. They are spiritually weak.
- But YOU are the one who need to TAKE HEED and Pay attention- Only YOU can do it
- Moses says- Don’t forget- and teach them to your children and grandchildren
- How can you do that unless you know them yourself? HOW? What are you teaching?
- You must know them yourself. And that takes the work of reading, memorizing.
- Seems like a lot of work. Seems like it would take time away from fun stuff.
- context- Moses disobedience to the known word of God kept him from the promised land.
- God’s word isn’t just for you to study and become filled with head knowledge- its for obedience
- Jesus said this- Luke 8:21: “But He answered and said to them, ‘My mother and My brothers are these who hear the word of God and do it.”
- He said- Ma 7:24-25Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.”
- Reading the word of God and doing nothing with it is pointless. Its for you to be obedient.
- You don’t just sit around and look at the word and go “oh, man, that’s nice for someone”
- Luke 11:28: he said, ‘More than that, blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it!
- But how? How do you do that?
- One- Make bible reading a non-negotiable. Make up your mind to do it every day no matter what. No matter where, no matter what. You are a person who reads your bible
- That’s legalism- Listen- I’m not telling you you’re not saved, you’re going to hell if you don’t.
- DON’T READ IT- Be spiritually ignorant and illiterate. Forget everything and teach nothing.
- Two- Have a reading plan- A good reading plan takes you through the whole bible in a year
- OT and NT. Get to know all of it.
- Three- Study it further than the page. Get into some cross references and commentaries
- Four- Memorize and talk about it. Get it into your daily conversation. Make it central. With you, your spouse, and kids. Make the word central to your existence.
- Five- Meditate on it. Think about it throughout your day. Look for it to direct and encourage.
- You’ll see what it does to your life.
- 1 Thessalonians 2:13: “For this reason we also thank God without ceasing, because when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you welcomed it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which also effectively works in you who believe.”
2. Take heed- Hold fast to the Lord.
Here’s the second part- when you are obedient to the word- you are obedient to GOD
4 But you who held fast to the Lord your God are alive today, every one of you.
5 “Surely I have taught you statutes and judgments, just as the Lord my God commanded me, that you should act according to them in the land which you go to possess.
6 Therefore be careful to observe them; for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples who will hear all these statutes, and say, ‘Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.’
Psalm 63:8: “My soul follows close behind You; Your right hand upholds me.”
People want the presence of God- they just don’t want the obedience that it requires
John 14:21 He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.”
If you live your life in disobedience don’t expect that God will come to you and manifest.
This scripture Isaiah 41:10: “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.”
And that’s true! But it requires obedience! You’ve got to walk in the statues of God!
Listen to Moses, again, speaking out of his disobedience- You held fast- How?
Det 4:4: “But you who held fast to the LORD your God are alive today, every one of you.”
People who weren’t obedient didn’t live. Disobedient Christians today die as well.
Ro 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Haven’t you been there? Walking in disobedience and experiencing death?
Worship is dead. Sermon is dead. Fellowship angers you. Stop giving. Living dead.
The answer is obedience!
Joshua 23:8: “But you shall hold fast to the LORD your God, as you have done to this day.”
How to Hold fast to the Lord
One- Immediate obedience. Don’t delay. If he says start or stop, do it. Don’t wait
Two- Consistency. Get off the obedience elevator. Change direction and stay
Three-Worship. Worship breaks the chains of bondage. It sets you free and reminds you
Moses said- don’t forget and teach your children.
Don’t forget what happens to disobedient people in the Bible. Teach your children obedience
This is problem with parents- they want their kids to be more than they are- but they aren’t willing to be obedient to what they know to be true .
I don’t think there’s anyone who wants their kids to go to Hell. They just aren’t willing to be obedient to the Lord to help keep them out of it. They want someone else to teach them.
Walk it out yourself! Experience the closeness of God and see what he does with it!
Philippians 2:16: “Holding fast the word of life, so that I may rejoice in the day of Christ that I have not run in vain or labored in vain.”
3. Take heed to yourself
- 9 Only take heed to yourself, and diligently keep yourself, lest you forget the things your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life. And teach them to your children and your grandchildren,
- This is the one right here- Take heed to yourself. No one else is going to do if for you.
- I’ve really got my diet and exercised dialed in the past 6 years. I’ve changed to be a guy who only eats from 12-8. This will never end. Its what I do. Workout 6 days a week.
- I do it at home. I do it on vacation. Everywhere. I’ll do calisthenics in a hotel room.
- Why? I know its good for me. I know no one else is going to do it for me. No one cares more about me than me. Crystal will run without me. People will feed me. No one cares.
- I must be the master of my body and no one else. No trainer. No chef. No restraint.
- I can stop. I can go and eat whatever I want. I choose not to. “you cant’ v “I choose not to”
- 4 times in Deuteronomy 4 Moses says “Take heed to yourselves’
- Deuteronomy 11:16: “Take heed to yourselves, lest your heart be deceived, and you turn aside and serve other gods and worship them.”
- Joshua 23:11: “Therefore take careful heed to yourselves, that you love the LORD your God.”
- 1 Timothy 4:16: “Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine. Continue in them, for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you.”
- Luke 21:34: “But take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that Day come on you unexpectedly.”
- Acts 20:28: “Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.”
- People say- I’m not where I need to be- Mentor me, hold me accountable. Help me.
- Pastor can do that. Friend. Spouse. Etc. But in the end, its on YOU. No one but YOU
- 1 Corinthians 10:12: “Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.”
- You run your schedule, budget, activities. No one else. Don’t blame no one but you.
- How to fix it-
- One- Realize you have the Holy spirit- Lord, I will make a schedule that honors you help me keep it
- Two- Check yourself. What sins are you letting in. What are you entertaining in your mind, what are you slipping on? Where are you trending? Vacation- 3lbs. Got to my scale. Down in 4 days.
- Three– Be honest with yourself. Don’t tell yourself lies to make yourself feel better
- Four– Create habits and rhythms that are non-negotiables. Read Bible, Go to Church, fellowship. Places you will not go and things you will not do. Things you wont watch listen read etc.
- Five- Don’t beat yourself up. We’re taking heed, but we’re not perfect. You’re going to struggle
- That’s why you need the grace of God. The grace of God is sufficient enough.
- Philippians 2:13 for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.
- Trust that God is doing it. He’s directing your steps, but you have to walk in it
- You do your part and he’ll do his part. Its not 100 percent on you. Its his power in you.
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