That You Might Observe Them | Sunday, July 5, 2020 (Full Service)
July 3, 2020 · Pastor Miles DeBenedictis
In this teaching
Opening a new section of Deuteronomy called "Statutes and Judgments," Pastor Miles teaches from Deuteronomy 4:1-10 that while God's law does not save, living under God's unchangeable ordinances invites His blessing, and a people who reject them invites destabilization and ruin. He calls God's people to hide His word in their hearts, let His blessing shine to provoke the watching world to jealousy, and to faithfully pass the Scriptures on to their children.
- The promised land of blessing required Israel to live in covenant with God under His statutes and judgments—and the same principle of abundant life under God's order applies to believers today.
- These statutes do not bring salvation, which is found only in Jesus Christ, but observing God's ordinances invites His blessing while rejecting them brings ruin.
- God's law is unamendable because it expresses God's unchanging character (the immutability of God); we are not to add to or subtract from His word.
- The seriousness of the law is shown by the swiftness and completeness of judgment, though Miles clarifies he is not advocating modern capital punishment for these sins.
- God's aim is that the blessing on His people's lives would draw the nations—and our neighbors and coworkers—to Him, even provoking them to jealousy.
- God commands His people to teach His word to their children and grandchildren, the burden behind Cross Connection's New City Catechism.
Now O Israel, listen to the statutes and the judgments which I teach you to observe, that you may live and go in to possess the land which the Lord God of your fathers is giving you. You shall not add to the word which I command you, nor take from it... Your eyes have seen what the Lord did at Baal Peor... But you who held fast to the Lord your God are alive today, every one of you. ()
God's unchanging law does not save us, but living under it opens the door to the blessing of abundant life.
A New Section: Statutes and Judgments
As we come to , we are in a new section of the book. Last week we began a new series of teachings I'm calling Statutes and Judgments, words that come from the opening verse: "Now O Israel, listen to the statutes and the judgments which I teach you to observe, that you may live and go in to possess the land which the Lord God of your fathers is giving you."
Our studies through the first three chapters I entitled Bordering Blessing, because at the point Moses is preaching these messages, Israel is on the border of blessing, outside the promised land, preparing to enter. As they enter as the people in covenant relationship with God, they must live under His statutes and judgments. The promised land of blessing was for God's chosen people, but to be His chosen people, it was necessary that they live in covenant with Him. The stipulations of that covenant are His statutes and judgments.
A Lesson for Us
In this there is an important lesson for us. Even though we are not coming into a physical promised land, if we desire to experience the blessing of abundant life as God intends, then we must live under His statutes and judgments. It is important for us, as God's people living under the new covenant, to understand them.
In saying that, it is worth making the point now that these statutes and judgments do not bring God's salvation. Salvation is only found in Jesus Christ. But living according to God's ordinances does invite His blessing. An individual or a society that disregards or rejects these things will experience destabilization and ruin. I don't think it is a coincidence that as our own nation has progressively drifted away from the knowledge and observance of the precepts of Scripture, we have witnessed increased cultural destabilization.
Moses' Final Words and the Charge to Joshua
These will be Moses' final words—one last message for Israel before he dies and they enter the promised land under the leadership of Joshua. God's first commissioning words to Joshua are found in :
Be strong and of good courage... Only be strong and very courageous that you may observe to do according to all the law which Moses my servant commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper wherever you go. This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night... For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.
The life of prosperous blessing and success we desire is found in and through the Scriptures. These things point to blessing; they orient you in the direction of finding life and rest in Christ.
The Unamendable Law of God
When the founders of the United States gathered and wrote the Constitution, they did so with the expectation that the governing document would be amended over time. Not so with God's law. God's law is unamendable. This is because God's law is an expression of God's character, and God does not change.
In , God says, "I am the Lord, I do not change." James wrote that with God there is no variation or shadow of turning. says, "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever." These verses lead us to the theological conclusion we refer to as the immutability of God. Since His law is an expression of His character, His law is not to be changed or adjusted. "You shall not add to the word," Moses says, "nor shall you take away from it."
The Danger of Reinterpretation
There certainly have been ways in which the people of God have adjusted and reinterpreted the Scripture through the lens of their culture and time. But the danger is that in doing so, you may live according to your reinterpretation of the law and not in accordance with God's actual expectation.
This is exactly what happens when an individual attends a church that adds to Scripture and says, "You must be baptized in this church to be saved." They are baptized and think they are saved. They console themselves by their baptism, but may very well never have trusted in Christ. They feel okay because they have followed the ordinances of that church, but they may not be right before God. This is exactly what happened in Israel at the time Christ came—the people made the word of God of no effect through their own tradition. And this is what happens when a society rejects God's word and says prostitution, adultery, divorce, and abortion are permissible. We call evil good and good evil, we put darkness for light and light for darkness, and then we are surprised when our society breaks down.
The Seriousness of the Law
Your eyes have seen what the Lord did at Baal Peor, for the Lord your God has destroyed from among you all of the men who followed Baal of Peor. But you who held fast to the Lord your God are alive today, every one of you.
Note this well: the seriousness of the law was evidenced by the swiftness and completeness of judgment. Moses is reminding Israel of an event chronicled in , when some men of Israel engaged in prostitution and idolatry with the women of Moab. God's response is in : "Then the Lord said to Moses, Take all of the leaders of the people and hang the offenders before the Lord out in the sun, that the fierce anger of the Lord may turn away from Israel."
You may be wondering, "Miles, are you saying idolatry and immorality should be capitally punished?" No—in the same way I don't think you should cut off your hand or pluck out your eye, as Jesus taught in the Sermon on the Mount, if they cause you to sin. But we should maintain the seriousness of sin. There is a way we can read the Scriptures too literally; some of the early church fathers and the Desert Fathers did insane things out of an overly literal reading. (If you wonder what I mean, Google the early church father Origen of Alexandria.) Somewhere between a casual reading and an overly literal reading is a nice balance—but a more serious reading of the Scriptures is no doubt in order in our day. "You who held fast to the Lord your God are alive today." Life and blessing are found in the hearing and heeding of God's word.
The Kingdom Without the King
Surely I have taught you statutes and judgments as the Lord my God commanded me, that you should act according to them in the land which you go to possess.
These statutes may seem too restrictive to you—that's fine. You're free to live apart from these laws. Many people do. Those who don't want to submit to God as Lord don't have to. But they can't enjoy the kingdom of God without the King. Our nation has been incrementally rejecting the King, but we still want the blessings of His kingdom. If you reject the King and His rule, don't be surprised if you end up losing the blessings of His kingdom. We want the kingdom without the King, and that's impossible. When you reject God as King, invariably you will end up ruled by harsh taskmasters. This is the cycle of the Old Testament. The independence we celebrated yesterday on July 4th is a downline result of the blessing of the statutes and judgments of God.
Wisdom That Draws the Nations
You will hear these statutes and say, Surely this great nation is wise and understanding people.
The wisdom of God's law is seen in the blessings that result from keeping it. This is one of God's aims under the Old Covenant: that the peoples of the nations would see the blessings of the people of God and be drawn to Him. This remains one of His aims under the New Covenant. God's desire is that the people we interact with daily would see the evidence of His grace and Spirit at work in us and be drawn to Him through our witness.
Would to God that our lives would be attractive to the people we work with and live next door to. Would to God that the love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control of our lives would so shine through that people would see our good works and glorify our Father in heaven. Would to God that the blessing of God overflowing from our lives would provoke to jealousy those who observe us.
For what great nation is there that has God so near to it as the Lord our God is to us... And what great nation is there that has such statutes and righteous judgments as are in all this law which I set before you this day?
Teach Them to Your Children
Only take heed to yourself, and diligently keep yourself, lest you forget the things your eyes have seen... And teach them to your children and to your grandchildren, especially concerning the day you stood before the Lord God in Horeb... So he declared to you his covenant, which he commanded you to perform, the ten commandments. And he wrote them on two tablets of stone, and the Lord commanded me at that time to teach you the statutes and judgments, that you might observe them in the land which you cross over to possess.
God desired that His people would know His word—that they would hide His commandments in their hearts, seek to live after these things, and daily meditate upon them. As they meditated, these things would begin to transform their lives. This is exactly what God wants to do in your life and mine. He wants us to hide His word in our hearts, so that we might be transformed by the renewing of our minds, and be able to show this world what is the good and perfect will of God.
That's God's desire for us as a church here at Cross Connection, that we would so grow in God's word that He would shine brightly through our lives. Even though we're not gathered together in our sanctuary, God has scattered us throughout the community—among our neighbors, our families, our coworkers—to share the good news of the glory and grace of God in Christ Jesus. As we live in a time where more and more people of our nation reject and stand against the good news of the word of God, and we may see the continued destabilization of our culture, the light of Christ will burn so much more brightly. May it be that God would bring a great awakening once again, that He would shine through us and bring people to the grace of the gospel through our witness.
Discipling the Next Generation
It is very important what we see at the end of verse 10: these words were to be taught to the children of Israel. It was the moms and dads, grandmas and grandpas, great-grandmas and grandpas who were to teach the kids the principles and ordinances of Scripture. That's the calling God has for you. If you're a mom, dad, grandparent, aunt, or uncle, God wants you ministering the truth of Scripture to your kids.
Starting today, July 5th, we are beginning a new program called the New City Catechism, for the parents of our church to begin to disciple their kids. This is an answer to a real problem—with our children's ministry not gathering, this has been a burden for me and our leadership. We want to equip you, moms and dads, even after we gather together again, to be involved in the discipleship of your children. This is exactly what the Bible says, both Old Testament and New Testament—we'll see it clearly in , and again in , where parents are to train up their children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. It's completely free; you can register at newcity.lifeinconnection.com. We hope and pray it will be a great blessing to you and your family.
Closing Prayer
Father, we pray, as we see these truths in the Scripture, and as we even see in this passage the importance of teaching these things to our children, that you would give the parents in our church a deep desire to impart the truth of your word to the kids in our families. That we would raise them up to know you, to serve you, to honor you, and that by the witness of us and our children, we would see the continued transformation of our culture.
And Lord, shine brightly through your church, that we would provoke people to jealousy—even though that may sound strange to us, it is exactly what the Scriptures say in Deuteronomy, and what Paul quotes again in Romans—that you would use our lives to stir other people to come to you. Enable your church by your Spirit to be witnesses of you in our Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the uttermost parts of the earth.
Now may the Lord bless and keep you; may He make His face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; may He lift up His countenance upon you and give you His peace. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God the Father, and the fellowship of His Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen.
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