Take Heed… | Sunday, March 6, 2022

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God is able; He will never fail. He is Almighty God, greater than all we seek and better than all we ask. He has done great things. Lifted up, He defeated the grave and was raised to life. Our God is able. In His name, we overcome, for the Lord our God is with us. God is on our side; He will make a way, far above all we know.

Are above all we hope. He has done great things, lifted up. He defeated the grave and was raised to life. Our God is able.

It's hard to believe that we began studying this book, the Book of Deuteronomy, more than two years ago. We've taken a couple of pauses and breaks in that study, but two years ago, when I began teaching through the Book of Deuteronomy, I shared at that time— and it's worth reminding you now, because maybe you weren't with us then— that this book, the Book of Deuteronomy, the fifth book of the Bible, follows a literary pattern that is very similar to the pattern of a treaty between two different groups of people: a covenantal treaty during the period of time about the middle to end of the second millennium BC, so like 4,000 years ago in the ancient Near East.

These treaties were called suzerain-vassal treaties. They outline the covenantal relationship between a sovereign, a king called the suzerain, and then a subordinate, the vassal. In Deuteronomy, God is the sovereign ruler, and Israel is His covenanted people.

Now, I bring this up because at this point in the Book of Deuteronomy, chapters 12 through 26, which is where we are right now, we are in the section of this treaty document, if you will, between God and His people Israel that is the condition and stipulation section of the covenant. The stipulations of the covenant establish the conditions by which the two covenanted peoples—God and His people, the children of Israel—maintain their relationship. What are the rules or guidelines for their treaty? What is it that is going to build up or bolster the relationship, and what is it that is going to nullify the covenant?

If you are married, then you entered into a covenant relationship with your spouse. You vowed to uphold the conditions and stipulations of that relationship, that covenant of marriage. You probably answered with "I do" when you were asked by the officiant, the priest, or the pastor who was officiating over the marriage. They asked you, "Do you solemnly promise in the presence of God and the witnesses to take this woman as your wife or take this man as your husband?" You agreed to love, honor, and cherish them in sickness and in health, in joy as well as in sorrow, in adversity as well as in prosperity, forsaking all others to be faithful to this person as long as you both shall live. At that moment, you said, "I do."

In responding "I do," you were vowing to uphold the conditions and stipulations of that covenant. The children of Israel vowed themselves to God, and God vowed Himself to Israel to be their God, and they were to be His people. This occurred back when they were at Mount Sinai, when Moses brought the children of Israel out of Egypt. They entered the wilderness and came to Mount Sinai, where they made this vow to keep the covenant with God. It is recorded in the second book of the Bible, the Book of Exodus.

When presented with the covenant of God, the people responded at the base of Mount Sinai. The first time it is recorded is in Exodus chapter 19, where they said, "Everything that God has said, we will do." Then, in Exodus chapter 24, after they received the Ten Commandments and the beginnings of the law from God, we read in Exodus 24:7 that Moses took the Book of the Covenant and read it in the hearing of the people. They affirmed, "All that the Lord has said, we will do and be obedient."

Moses brought the law to the people, and they affirmed their vow to obey everything that the law says. As you look at the Book of Exodus and the other books that follow it, you come to discover that faithfulness to the conditions and stipulations of this covenant is key for all of the benefits and blessings that come from it.

The benefits and blessings of a covenant relationship with God are conditioned upon faithfulness to its stipulations. As I have shared over the last couple of weeks leading up to today, the children of Israel are in this covenant. They are getting ready to enter the Promised Land, where they will maintain that covenant relationship with God. In this passage of Scripture that we have been examining, Moses is telling them that they need to avoid or be cautious of two major pitfalls.

There were two great pitfalls that Israel would face when they entered the Promised Land, and they needed to be prepared to confront these challenges. The two pitfalls were forgetfulness and unfaithfulness. When they were no longer one people gathered together in one place, as they had been during their journey through the wilderness, they would be at risk. During that time, they camped together in one large encampment, like a long camping trip in the wilderness for forty years. The tabernacle of God was centrally located in the camp of Israel, with all the people camping around it.

God provided mightily and miraculously for them. He gave them food, manna, every single day, which they gathered as miraculous sustenance. They also received water, sometimes even from rocks, as they traveled through the wilderness. Every day, God provided for their needs. In addition to the miraculous provisions, they had Moses, their leader, who had a unique connection with God. God spoke to Moses as a man speaks to another man, and he was available to answer their questions and mediate any issues or problems they faced.

However, as they prepared to enter the Promised Land, they would no longer have that direct connection with Moses. He cautioned them that they would be prone to forget and wander. Forgetfulness and unfaithfulness would lead them to turn away from God, as we will see as we continue through the book of Deuteronomy.

Would result in a curse from God. We see this very clearly in Deuteronomy chapter 27. Let me read to you from Deuteronomy chapter 27, beginning at verse 9. It says, "Then Moses and the priests, the Levites, spoke to all Israel, saying, 'Take heed and listen, O Israel. This day you have become the people of the Lord your God. Therefore, you shall obey the voice of the Lord your God and observe His commandments and His statutes which I command you today.'"

Moses commanded the people on the same day, saying, "These shall stand on Mount Gerizim and bless the people when you have crossed over the Jordan: Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Joseph, and Benjamin." These may be new names to you, but Moses is saying that when you come into the Promised Land, you're going to come to this place where there are mountains called Gerizim and Ebal. The heads of the tribes—these are all the names of the twelve tribes of Israel—will stand at the base of Mount Gerizim, while others shall stand on Mount Ebal to curse: Reuben, Gad, Asher, Zebulun, Dan, and Naphtali.

The Levite shall speak with a loud voice and say to all the men of Israel, "Cursed is the one who makes a carved or molded image, an abomination to the Lord, the work of the hands of the craftsman, and sets it up in secret." All the people shall answer and say, "Amen." In verse 16, it says, "Cursed is the one who treats his father or his mother with contempt," and all the people shall say, "Amen."

Verses 17 through 26 list about twelve curses: "Cursed shall be the one who moves his neighbor's landmark. Cursed shall be the one who makes the blind wander off the road." So, all these curses are pronounced: "Cursed is the one that does this; cursed is the one that does that." All the people shall affirm it, saying, "Amen." This is exactly what shall happen to the person who does these things.

We have all these curses that will come upon the person who is forgetful and unfaithful. All the people in the covenant, as they are in this relationship with God, are going to affirm that yes, this is what we are agreeing to. They are saying, "I do; we're on board with this."

Now, it's important to understand that it's not all curses. Deuteronomy 27 has one curse after another for those who are unfaithful to the covenant. All the people were agreeing to that, saying, "All right, we enter into this relationship. We understand that if we don't follow God's rules, His laws, His stipulations, and conditions, we're going to reap the curses of the law." The law was clear about that: "Accursed is everyone who forgets the law."

Unfaithfulness to the Lord brings consequences, but there are also many blessings for those who remember, observe, and obey the conditions and stipulations of the covenant. This truth is evident throughout the book of Deuteronomy. The children of Israel are instructed to take heed to God's law; they are to obey, follow, and observe it.

Deuteronomy chapter 4, verse 9 says, "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. Teach these things to your children and your grandchildren." This emphasizes the importance of remembering and teaching these commandments.

In Deuteronomy chapter 4, verse 19, it continues, "Take heed lest you lift your eyes to heaven, and when you see the sun, the moon, the stars, and all the host of heaven, you feel driven to worship them and serve them, which the Lord your God has given to all peoples under the whole of heaven as a heritage." Therefore, it is crucial to take heed that you do not forget the Lord. Remember Him and teach these things to your children.

Take heed to avoid idolatry. Deuteronomy chapter 4, verse 23 warns, "Take heed to yourselves, lest you forget the covenant of the Lord your God, which He made with you, and make for yourselves carved images in the form of anything which the Lord your God has forbidden you."

Moving forward into Deuteronomy chapter 11, verse 16, it states, "Take heed to yourselves, lest your heart be deceived and you turn aside and serve other gods and worship them." Last week, when we were in Deuteronomy chapter 12, we encountered the phrase "take heed" three times. This repetition throughout the book of Deuteronomy serves as a reminder from God to the people that the conditions and stipulations of the covenant are clear. If they do not obey, they will face the consequences of the curse that will come upon them. However, if they do obey, they will reap great blessings.

Because of this, God continually emphasizes the need to take heed to these commandments. Teach them to your children, hide them in your heart, keep them on the doorposts of your house, and bind them on your hands. Remember them always. Each time this command is given to the children of Israel by Moses, it is interesting to note that it is addressed to the individual rather than in the plural form.

To each individual that is there, take heed to these things. It is as if Moses is addressing all the people who are gathered there individually, and he is saying to them that this is not a corporate charge; this is to every single one of you. You must be cautious, be aware, and be on guard. This is really important because I believe it teaches us that I must beware that I do not forget and wander from the Lord, my God.

This again is really key, and it is important for two reasons. First, this is a charge to me personally. What that means is that it is not my job to police you. A lot of times, we think that we have to keep an eye out for all the other people and point out all the areas where they are falling short. But really, I need to make sure that I am walking in alignment with God's Word.

The Apostle Paul, in the New Testament book of Romans, says in Romans 14:4, "Who are you to judge another servant? To his own master he stands or falls. Indeed, he will be made to stand, for God is able to make him stand." We are often very good at policing others and keeping our eyes open to see that everybody else is doing all the things they ought to be doing. We have been doing this since about the time that we could talk. In fact, there isn't a day that goes by that one of my four kids is not informing on their siblings about some indiscretion of their sister or brother.

We do the same thing incessantly; we are constantly having our eyes open to see that everybody else is keeping all the rules. But what God tells us, both in the Old Testament book of Deuteronomy, where Moses is speaking to all the people individually, and also through Paul in Romans 14:4, is that I need to really keep my focus upon myself. I need to take God's Word and see if I am aligned with His Word, rather than constantly trying to point the finger at everybody else.

So, you must take heed to yourself, lest you forget and wander. That is the first thing: this is me personally looking at myself through the lens of God's Word. Secondly, this point that I must beware that I do not forget and wander from the Lord, my God, is a challenge and a charge.

For my humility to keep me in a place of being humble, I recognize that a lot of times we can have a pretty high view of ourselves. When questioned about our morality, we are very quick to say, "Well, I'm a really good person," and we tend to judge ourselves by other people. The Bible says it is unwise to judge myself by others because I can always find someone who is worse off than I am, someone who is not keeping the law as well as I do. Normally, I focus on the things that I do really well while pointing out where others fail. This serves as a charge to me for my humility.

In the New Testament book of First Corinthians, the Apostle Paul says in chapter 10, verse 12, "Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall." In the Old Testament book of Proverbs, the great wise King Solomon states in Proverbs 16:18, "Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall." I must beware that I do not forget and wander from the Lord my God. I need to ensure that I am not arrogantly thinking that I have everything going perfectly while constantly policing other people.

As we come back to Deuteronomy, specifically chapter 13, we continue with the idea of neglecting God, forgetting God and His law, and wandering from His ways. We want to make sure that we follow these cautions. However, the caution here shifts from being forgetful and wandering to actually being deceived and led away from faithfulness to the Lord.

You see, I am prone to forget, and I am prone to drift, and so are you. We can easily find ourselves out of the way through neglect and by forgetting God's word. However, it is equally easy—and perhaps more dangerous—for us to be seduced and deceived away from faithfulness to God and His way by someone else.

In the book of Numbers, one of the kings of the enemies of Israel, the Moabite king named Balak, sought to hire a prophet named Balaam to come and curse the children of Israel. Balak did not like the children of Israel; he did not want them to succeed and enter the Promised Land. Therefore, he tried to find a prophet for hire, a man named Balaam. Perhaps you have read the story of Balaam before; it is found in the Old Testament book of Numbers, chapter 22.

Balak hires Balaam and says to him, "I want you to curse the people of Israel." As this story plays out over several chapters in Numbers, beginning at Numbers chapter 2, Balaam realizes that he is unable to curse the children of Israel. He cannot curse them because they are God's blessed people. Balaam informs Balak, the Moabite king, that he cannot curse God's people, as they are chosen to be blessed by Him. However, he suggests that Balak can seduce the children of Israel into bringing God's curse upon themselves.

Balaam explains that he cannot curse them from above, but they can bring God's curse upon themselves by turning away from Him. So, what does Balaam tell Balak to do? The New Testament book of Revelation, the very last book of the Bible, in Revelation chapter 2, verse 14, tells us that Balaam taught Balak how to put a stumbling block before the children of Israel.

What was the stumbling block that Balaam advised Balak to place before the children of Israel? Instead of amassing an army of soldiers against Israel, Balaam told Balak to send an army of prostitutes from the temples of the idols of Moab to hang out near the camp of Israel. We read these words in Numbers chapter 25, beginning at verse 1: "Now Israel remained in this acacia grove, and the people began to commit harlotry with the women of Moab. They invited the people to sacrifice to their gods, and the people ate and bowed down to their gods." As a result, Israel was joined to Baal Peor, which is the name of a god of the Moabites, and the anger of the Lord was aroused against Israel.

So, what on earth is going on here? Balak, the king of Moab, wanted to bring a curse upon the children of Israel, so he hires this prophet Balaam to speak a curse upon them. However, Balaam realizes he cannot do that because these are God's blessed people. He suggests that Balak can seduce the children of Israel into idolatry and sexual immorality. If they do, then God's curse will be against them, and they will bring God's curse upon themselves. That's exactly what Balak did; he sent in these prostitutes who were around the camp of Israel, and they seduced the people. As a result, there was great sin among them.

The children of Israel experienced the curse of God. It is entirely possible that we can forget the Lord and follow after other things that are not God. This could definitely happen, and we are being challenged in Deuteronomy chapters 11 and 12 to make sure that we do not forget and become unfaithful. However, it is more likely that we will not forget; instead, we could be seduced to walk away from the Lord and begin to worship and serve other things that are not God.

This is exactly what the Apostle Paul in the New Testament book of Second Corinthians was concerned about for the people he was leading. In Second Corinthians chapter 11, he says in verse 3, "But I fear lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupt from the simplicity that is in Christ." It is clear that there is a danger that I could forget God's Word and God's ways, and therefore I could fall into unfaithfulness to the Lord.

However, it is almost more likely that I could be seduced by the things of this world, by the ways of this world, and be drawn into a place of carnality, immorality, or even idolatry. This is what we see in Deuteronomy. Back in Deuteronomy chapters 11 and 12, we saw the danger of forgetting God and falling into unfaithfulness. But here in Deuteronomy chapter 13, we see the problem that we could be seduced and brought into a place of bondage once again.

If I were to summarize the simple point of Deuteronomy chapter 13, I might say it this way: I must beware of the seductive deception of the world and its ways. This is so important, whether you are living 3,400 years ago with the children of Israel and Moses as they are coming into the Promised Land, or you are living here in 2022. I must beware of the seductive deception of the world and its ways.

Now, the point here is not that we become fearful of all the things of this world. Yes, we can be seduced into the deceptive things of this world, but we do not want to be fearful. Fearful individuals can become separatists, cutting themselves off from everything and everybody in the world.

A cloistered monastic community of isolationists is not the point, although there have been Christians who have done that throughout history. They say the world is dangerous and that there are all kinds of things that could seduce us and bring us into bondage—sinful things. Therefore, we need to separate ourselves and become this cloistered monastic community. I don't think that's what God wants us to do, but we should be aware and cautious that those things could happen.

So, what should we be aware and cautious of? Well, Moses tells us in Deuteronomy chapter 13 that we need to guard against and deal decisively with three distinct seductive snares. We need to guard against false prophets, deceptive dreamers, and corruptive or corrosive relationships.

First, we need to guard against false prophets and deceptive dreamers. Look at Deuteronomy chapter 13, verse 1: "If there arises among you a prophet or a dreamer of dreams and he gives you a sign or a wonder, and the sign or the wonder comes to pass of which he spoke to you, saying, 'Let us go after other gods which 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 is testing you to know whether you love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul."

Moses charges the children of Israel in Deuteronomy chapter 13, verses 1 through 3, that they need to guard against false prophets and also against these deceptive dreamers. This may seem really simple, especially in 2022. You might think, "Well, we don't really have false prophets and dreamers of dreams telling us to go after other gods." But I would say, not so fast. Don't throw this away too quickly as if it doesn't have an application for you today.

You do not need to look very far back in history to see that many have been led astray by charismatic dreamers and visionaries. In every generation, there are dozens of such deceivers who lead people away from faithfulness to God and faithfulness to His Word. They may not explicitly say, "Come, let us go after other gods and serve them," but they will lead you to become lukewarm in your commitment.

Faithfulness to the Lord may cause you to value the values of this world more than the values of the Kingdom of God. They may entice you away from devotion to God to be devoted to something that might even seem good but isn't really from God or of God. It is easier than you might think to be seduced and to become a do-gooder, committed to a cause over a God-honoring disciple who is committed to Christ and His Kingdom.

There are many great causes, and those causes may, in fact, be things that ought to be addressed. However, those things are not God, and they are not to be valued or exalted over God. Some causes seem so right and so good, but we can be sucked into a place of bondage where those things become our idols.

Moses says to the children of Israel in Deuteronomy 13:3, "You shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams, for the Lord your God is testing you to know whether you will love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul." This is a test of our faith and our devotion, our faith and our faithfulness.

The greatest commandment in the law, according to Jesus, and the very first commandment that every Jewish child would remember in times past and even still today, is what we find in Deuteronomy chapter six. It's called the Shema. Deuteronomy 6:4-5 states, "Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength."

Moses says not to listen to the false prophet or the dreamer of dreams who says, "Come, let's follow after other gods." He emphasizes that you need to devote yourself to loving God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. Hear, O Israel, remember this is what God is calling you to.

What does that love look like practically? What does it look like to love God? It is love that is expressed in six actions, six different verbs. In Deuteronomy 13:4, right after he says that you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, he...

Describes what that love will look like. How do we know that we love God? Verse 13 of Deuteronomy states, "You shall walk after the Lord your God." This is the first verb: you shall walk after the Lord your God and fear Him. The second command is to keep His commandments. The third is to obey His voice. The fourth is to serve Him, and the fifth is to hold fast to Him.

So, Moses teaches us here that my love for God should be evident in the way that I act. My life should prove that my love for God is real. If I am not walking after the Lord, fearing Him, keeping His commandments, obeying His voice, serving Him, and holding fast to Him, then you can question my devotion.

If your spouse says the words "I love you," but is also unkind, rude, or talks cruelly behind your back, or in the worst-case scenario, is unfaithful to you, you are going to question whether or not their words are true. They can say "I love you" all day long, but if they are cruel and unkind, and they are unfaithful, then you have to guess that this person does not really love you.

We are commanded to love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, and strength. This is a command to love God with all of our being. How will you display that you love God? What is the evidence that you love God? You will walk after the Lord, fear the Lord, keep His commandments, obey His voice, serve Him, and hold fast to His word.

Each of these activities and actions could be a message that I could give here at Cross Connection Church, but that's not really my focus today, so I won't zero in on these things. However, I will say this: we are to love God actively, not just passively. Loving passively is like receiving His love. Yes, we receive God's love; He has loved us, saved us, and rescued us because of His love. He redeemed Israel because of His love.

But because of His love, we are to love God actively. We are the recipients of His love, but we should love Him in return. We read in the New Testament, in the book of First John, chapter 4, verse 19: "We love Him because He first loved us." And one chapter before that, in First John, chapter 3, verse 18, John says...

Little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth. We love the Lord because He first loved us, and we love Him not just in our words, but in deed and truth. To love God in this manner, we need to guard against false prophets and deceptive dreamers that might divide our affections and our devotion.

Jesus said in Matthew chapter 24, verse 4, "Take heed that no one deceives you, for many will come in My name, saying, 'I am the Christ,' and will deceive many." This is not a danger only from false prophets and deceptive dreamers, though it is that. Deuteronomy chapter 13, verses 1 through 3, warns us to guard against false prophets and deceptive dreamers. Moses also cautions in this passage against caustic, corrosive, or corrupting relationships, which might actually be more dangerous than false prophets and deceptive dreamers.

A lot of times, I hope the deceptive dreamers and the false prophets are kind of clear who they are. However, Moses even says in Deuteronomy chapter 13, verses 1 through 3, that these people might actually perform works or predict things that come to pass. He warns us to be careful because if they call you to follow after false gods, you should not follow after them.

More dangerous than the deceptive dreamer and the false prophet is the person with whom we have a close relationship who becomes corrosive or corrupting. Look at Deuteronomy 13, verse 6: "If your brother, the son of your mother, the son of your daughter, the wife of your bosom, or your friend who is as your own soul secretly entices you, saying, 'Let us go and serve other gods,' which you have not known, neither you nor your fathers, of the gods of the people which are all around you, near to you or far off from one end of the earth to the other end of the earth, you shall not consent to him or listen to him. Nor shall your eye pity him, nor shall you spare him or conceal him. But you shall surely kill him; your hand shall be first against him to put him to death, and afterward the hand of all the people. You shall stone him with stones until he dies because he sought to entice you away from the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage.

So all Israel shall hear and fear and not again do such wickedness as this among you. The language of this passage is a challenge to many, especially for us.

Living in 2022, I do not believe that God wants us to capitally punish those who might lead us astray. The hard language in Deuteronomy, as I mentioned earlier in the message, is synonymous with the writings of this period of time in these suzerain-vassal treaties. They had strong language like this, and it was intended to be heavy and weighty because these are the conditions and stipulations of the covenant.

So, all that to say, we are not to capitally punish those that might lead us astray. We do not kill people who might lead us astray, but we must deal decisively with anything or anyone that might lead us astray, even if that something or someone is someone that you are close to and love. Such things or individuals are often the most dangerous because they are much more difficult to deal with decisively.

One of the things you observe when you serve within a church, as I have for the last 23 years, is the danger of caustic and corrosive relationships. Too many times to count, I have seen people led astray or become toxic because of a corrupting or caustic connection or relationship they have with someone.

So, what is a caustic connection or corrupting relationship? It is a friend, just like it says in this passage, someone close to you—a friend or a family member—who begins to come between you and the Lord or leads you away from devotion to Him. This effect is often very subtle, so much so that sometimes it goes unnoticed until the corrupting work is so pervasive that it is almost unfixable.

On December 15, 1967, the U.S. Highway 35 bridge that connected West Virginia and Ohio suddenly collapsed into the Ohio River, killing 46 people and severely injuring nine others. Ultimately, it was determined that small cracks and corrosion, rust in the suspension chain of the bridge, caused the collapse. Those cracks and that corrosion went unnoticed for many years until it was too late.

This huge collapse can happen in my life, and it can happen in your life as well. There can be cracks in our character because we are broken and fallen individuals. We have cracks in our lives that make us susceptible to certain things. Those cracks can sometimes allow the slow drip of a toxic or corrosive relationship to seep in, leading to a collapse of our faith and our faithfulness.

Sometimes, that corroding influence is the gossip of another individual. At other times, it is the influence of false teaching from a friend or a family member. It can also be the pull of someone towards something immoral or something that can bring us into bondage, like alcohol or drugs. Just like the draw of Baal and the Moabites, we can find ourselves in places we never thought we would be—far from God and deep in idolatry and immorality—because of the corrosive nature of someone close to us. They have influence in our lives, and they can lead us into bondage or astray.

Therefore, as I said, we must deal decisively with anything or anyone that might lead us astray. But how do you deal decisively with this? Look at what Moses says in Deuteronomy chapter 13, verse 12: "If you hear someone in one of your cities, which the Lord your God gives you to dwell in, saying, 'Corrupt men have gone out from among you and enticed the inhabitants of their cities, saying, 'Let us go and serve other gods which you have not known,' then you shall inquire, search out, and ask diligently. If it is indeed true and certain that such an abomination was committed among you, you shall surely strike the inhabitants of that city with the edge of the sword, utterly destroying it, all that is in it and its livestock with the edge of the sword.

You shall gather all of its plunder into the middle of the street and completely burn with fire the city and all of its plunder. For the Lord your God, it shall be a heap forever, and it shall not be built again. So none of the accursed things shall remain in your hand, that the Lord may turn from the fierceness of His anger and show you mercy, and have compassion on you, and multiply you just as He swore to your fathers, because you have listened to the voice of the Lord your God to keep all His commandments which I command you today, to do what is right in the eyes of the Lord your God.

That is a powerful command that Moses gives to the children of Israel. This is what it looks like to deal decisively with those who are leading people astray, and this is a challenging thing. So, that's dealing decisively for sure.

But are we going to strike with the edge of the sword and burn the caustic thing or relationship as a burnt offering to the Lord? Are we going to do this? Is this what you do as a Christian in the New Testament? Are you going to take the edge of the sword physically? No, but spiritually, maybe.

In the New Testament, in the book of Hebrews, chapter 4, verse 12, we read, "For the word of God is living and powerful, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, joints and marrow, and it is a discerner of the thoughts and the intents of the heart."

We are not going to strike with the edge of a physical sword against those people, maybe within the church, who are leading others astray. However, I must strike to destroy anything that will distract and deceive with the sword of the Spirit, and the sword of the Spirit is the word of God.

If there is someone within the body of Christ who is leading people astray, or someone in your life who is pulling you towards things that are not honoring to God, or removing you from your commitment and devotion to God, you need to use the sword. You need to cut with the sword of the Spirit to deal decisively with that situation, that thing, or that person.

If I find that there is a relationship with someone or something that is distracting or deceiving me, I have to be willing to cut it off decisively using the word of God. Maybe that someone or something is a person, or perhaps it's Fox News, CNN, Facebook, TikTok, Twitter, or Instagram. It might be talk radio or a podcast.

Paul, in the New Testament book of Colossians, says in chapter 2, verse 8, "Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ."

There is probably an absolute direct correlation or corollary to this passage in Deuteronomy chapter 13 that we are looking at. The Apostle Paul wrote to the church at Galatia when they were being seduced and pulled away towards things that were not faithful to the Lord. He said this in Deuteronomy...

Galatians chapter 1, verse 6 states, "I marvel that you are turning away so quickly from Him who called you in the grace of Christ to a different gospel, which is not another gospel. But there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ. Even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than that which we have preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone preaches any other gospel to you than that you have received, let him be accursed."

That is about the strongest language you could find in the New Testament. If you identify that there's a person in your life or someone in the church who is deceiving or pulling you away from commitment to and devotion to the Lord, then that person needs to be cut off. They become a curse. The word "accursed" in the original language from Galatians chapter 1 is the Greek word "anathema." That person is effectively damned, which is heavy language, but that person needs to be cut off with the word of God until they repent. The desire is that the person would repent and turn to the Lord.

Another passage that drives this home is found in Paul's letter to the Corinthians in the New Testament. In 1 Corinthians chapter 5, verse 11, he says, "But now I have written to you not to keep company with anyone named a brother." Note that this refers to someone who says they're a Christian. He continues, "Do not keep company with anyone named a brother who is sexually immoral, or covetous, or an idolater, or reviler, or a drunkard, or an extortioner—not even to eat with such a person."

Those are heavy and strong words, and they are hard for us to apply because we think it would be unloving to do so. However, you need to recognize that the influence of a person in your life who is not walking with the Lord will likely pull you away from your devotion to Him. It has been said that it is much easier to pull someone down than to pull someone up.

If you are seeking to walk in devotion and commitment to the Lord, and you have connections to people within the body of Christ—people who say they are Christians but are gossips, covetous, seditious, or unkind—remember that you become the average of the five people you spend the most time with. If you are spending time with people who are caustic and corrosive, they will probably turn you toxic and pull you away from your devotion to the Lord.

Listen, if you are the person who is distracting someone from being devoted to God and committed to His kingdom, the Scriptures are very clear: you need to beware.

Are that person Jesus said in the Gospel of Mark, chapter 9: "But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for that person to have a millstone hung around his neck and for him to be thrown into the sea."

So, if your hand causes you to sin, cut it off, for it is better for you to enter eternal life maimed rather than having two hands and go to hell, into the fire that shall never be quenched, where the worm dies not and the fire is not quenched. If your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life lame rather than having two feet and to be cast into hell, into the fire that shall never be quenched, where the worm dies not and the fire is not quenched. If your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the Kingdom of God with one eye rather than having two eyes to be cast into hell, where the worm dies not and the fire is not quenched.

These are incredibly heavy words from Jesus, heavy words from the Apostle Paul, and heavy words from Moses. Here in this passage, beware that you do not forget and wander, forget the Lord and His Word, and wander into idolatry. That's what we saw in Deuteronomy chapters 11 and 12.

But also, beware of the seductive and deceptive world and the ways of this world that might lead you astray from the Lord. Strike decisively to cut off anything that might corrode or distract, and put away the evil from your midst. Do what is right in the eyes of the Lord your God, and when you do, as we will see as we continue through Deuteronomy, you will experience God's blessing.

So, Father God, I pray that You would work in our lives, because there are very clearly all kinds of influences in this world that can seduce us. We are in a battle against the world, our own flesh, and the enemy, the devil. In that battle, I pray that You'd help us to stand strong, and having done all, to stand.

Help us to put on the helmet of salvation, the breastplate of righteousness, and the belt of truth, and to shod our feet with the preparation of the Gospel of peace. May we take up the shield of faith and the sword of the Spirit. Lord, help us to be ready to deal decisively with anything that would distract or remove our focus from You.

May we cut those things off and be a people who are wholly committed to You. As we are wholly committed to You, cause us to shine brightly with Your glory and Your grace to a world that is in such desperate need of Your goodness.

For we ask this in Jesus' name. Amen.

He will go before us; He will never leave us. God is for us. He has open arms and will never fail us. No, He will never fail us. God is with us. He will go before us; He will never leave us. God is for us. He has open arms and will never fail us.

Raised to life, our God is able. In His name, we overcome. For the Lord our God is able. Lift Him up! He defeated the grave. In His name, we overcome, for the Lord our God is able.

Thanks for joining us for our online service today. As we close, we would love to invite you to our on-campus service here at Cross Connection Church at 8:30 and 10:30 a.m. every Sunday. Also, if you'd like more information about Cross Connection Church, make sure you check it out at lifeinconnection.com.

Hey, church family! Do you have a desire?

To reach the lost and fire up your faith, join us Saturday, March 12th, for our Cross Connection Evangelism Training. We will have a time of worship, a message, and training from my friend Pastor Dennis Mascardo from Calvary Chapel South Bay. Then we'll go out to Kit Carson Park and share the good news with our community. Sign up today; you don't want to miss it!

Thanks, Pastor Anthony. If you are looking for a way to really live life in connection with God, one another, and the world through Jesus Christ, here at Cross Connection Church, I want to encourage you to serve. We have a lot of opportunities here at Cross Connection Church to serve the body of Christ and the community.

Right now, we have an opportunity in our preschool classrooms on Sunday mornings. If you would like to teach some preschool kids and have a great time teaching them the gospel and laying the foundation they will grow up with in Jesus Christ, it’s such an awesome opportunity. We would love to encourage you to apply on the website; the link will be below. We would love to have you serving in our children's ministry this year.