That You Might Observe Them | Sunday, July 5, 2020 (Full Service)

Good morning, Cross Connection Church, and welcome once again to Church Online. We're so blessed that you are with us here this morning. Happy belated Fourth of July! We believe that God has a message He wants to speak to us today in the book of Deuteronomy, chapter 4. So make sure you get your Bible, your Bible app, or whatever it is. Get ready to jump into Deuteronomy chapter 4 after a time of worship.

In just a moment, Pastor Anthony and our worship team will be leading us in worship. But before he does, would you consider sending out an invitation to a family member, a friend, or a group of friends? Invite them to watch Church Online with us this morning by sending them the link live.ccchurch.com.

With that, let's go to Pastor Anthony as they lead us in worship. Amen.

Let's pray. Heavenly Father, we thank You, God, for this day. Lord, we are so glad to be here and to be worshiping You this morning. We look to You, the author and finisher of our faith. We ask that You would quiet our hearts, and we pray that all the distractions of the world and of our minds would just be swept away. Help us to keep our eyes on You and to put all our focus on You this morning, to minister to You and to hear from You in Your Word.

So we thank You, we praise You, and we bless You in the name of Jesus. Amen.

I won't forget the wonder of how You brought deliverance, the exodus of my heart. You found me, You freed me, held back the waters for my release. Oh Yahweh, You're the God who fights for me, Lord of every victory. Hallelujah! Hallelujah! You have torn apart the sea; You have led me through the deep.

Hallelujah, hallelujah. The cloud by day is a sign that You are with me. The fire by night is the guiding light to my feet. You found me, You freed me, and held back the waters for my release. Oh Yahweh, You are the God who fights for me, Lord of every victory.

Hallelujah, hallelujah. You have torn apart the sea; You have led me through the deep. Hallelujah, hallelujah. You are the God who fights for me, Lord of every victory. You have torn apart the sea; You have led me through the deep.

Hallelujah, hallelujah. You stepped down to my Egypt; You took me by the hand and marched me out of freedom into Your promised land. Now I will not forget You, God. I will sing of all You've done. Death is swallowed up forever by the fury of Your love. You stepped into my Egypt; You took me by the hand.

You marched me into freedom, into the promised land. Now I will not forget You, God; I'll sing of all You've done. Death is swallowed up forever by the fury of Your love. You're the God who fights for me, Lord of every victory. Hallelujah! Hallelujah! You have torn apart the sea; You have led me through the deep. Hallelujah! Hallelujah! You're the God who fights for me, Lord of every victory. Hallelujah! Hallelujah! You have torn apart the sea; You have led me through the deep. Hallelujah! Hallelujah!

You stepped into my Egypt; You took me by the hand. You marched me out of freedom into Your promised land. Now I will not forget You, God; I'll sing of all You've done. Death is swallowed up forever by the fury of Your love.

Welcome, and thanks for joining us and tuning in to Cross Connection as we bring you church at home.

I'm Pastor Garrett, and here at Cross Connection Church, we're all about living life in connection with God, one another, and the world through Jesus Christ. One of the ways that I want to encourage you today to step into life in connection, aside from listening to the amazing sermons we provide and studying the Word of God, is prayer. Prayer is our direct line of communication between us and God. Every single one of you can be praying, and we strongly encourage you to do that.

Go ahead and visit our website at prayer.lifeinconnection.com, where you can submit your personal prayer requests or those for your friends or family members—anyone who is going through a hard time or needs prayer right now. We would love to be praying with and for them. Know that immediately, people are praying. We have a dedicated prayer team that loves you and prays for you every single week.

Speaking of prayer, Pastor Mark is going to lead our church through a time of prayer and fasting from social media, which we call social distancing from social media. This is going to be a very special time. If you haven't signed up already, it's not too late. Go ahead and subscribe at prayerminder.lifeinconnection.com; we would love for you to join us and pray with us.

Our mission this week is focused on the chaplains. I serve as a chaplain for the Escondido Police Department, and Myles serves as a chaplain for the Fire Department. We ask you to pray for both our local Escondido Police and Fire Departments, as well as for all those serving our communities in uniform. They are going through tough times right now, especially with the challenges posed by COVID-19 and the current protests. Please pray with us for them.

Additionally, be praying for us as chaplains. I know the police department isn't allowing us to do ride-alongs with officers at this time, but we can do station visits. Pray that the doors open back up for the opportunity to ride with the officers, as this is a crucial time for ministering to them.

For all other points of connection here at Cross Connection Church, we encourage you to visit our website, LifeInConnection.com. It contains all the ways you can personally get plugged into our church during the pandemic and be ministered to.

In just a moment, Pastor Anthony will lead us in a special song of worship. This will be a time set aside in our service for those of you who call Cross Connection Church your home church to worship the Lord with your giving. There are a couple of different ways I want to encourage you and invite you to do that. First, you can text the number on the screen, 84321.

Second, you can simply go on our website, give.lifeinconnection.com. Third, you can mail your tithe straight here to the church at 1675 7 Oaks Road. Check it out here, and God bless you guys. Have a great week. I'm praying for you.

When you speak, confusion fades. Just a word, and suddenly I'm not afraid. Cause when you speak, freedom reigns. There is hope in every single word you say. I don't want to miss one word you speak, cause everything you say is life to me. Quiet my heart; I'm listening.

When sorrows roll and troubles rage, you whisper peace. When I don't have the words to say, I won't lose hope. When storms won't break, you keep your word, and your promises will keep me safe. I don't want to miss one word you speak, cause everything you say is life to me. I don't want to miss one word you speak. Quiet my heart; I'm listening. Your ways are higher. You know just what I need.

I trust You, Jesus. You see what I cannot see. Your ways are higher. You know just what I need. I trust You, Jesus. You see what I cannot see. Your ways are higher. You know just what I need. I trust You, Jesus. You see what I cannot see. Your ways are higher. You know just what I need. I trust You, Jesus. You see what I cannot see.

I don't want to miss one word You speak, cause everything You say is life to me. Quiet my heart; I'm listening. I don't want to miss one word You speak, cause everything You say is life to me. I don't want to miss one word You speak. Just quiet my heart; I'm listening.

Yes, Lord God, we thank You, Lord, for the opportunity to just worship You. Lord, we ask for open hearts to receive Your word today. We thank You in Jesus' name. Amen.

As we have now come to Deuteronomy chapter 4, we are in a new section of the book. Last week, we began a new series of teachings that I am calling Statutes and Judgments. Those words come from the opening verse of the chapter, where we read, "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 of Deuteronomy I entitled Bordering Blessing. This was because Israel, at the point that Moses is preaching the messages that make up the book of Deuteronomy, is on the border of blessing, outside of the promised land, preparing to enter in. As Israel enters the promised land, 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, Israel. But to be God's chosen people, it was necessary that they live in covenant with Him. The stipulations of the covenant are His statutes and judgments.

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. I believe that our study in this section is going to be worthwhile. It is important for us, as God's people living under the new covenant, to understand God's statutes and judgments.

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. However, I would suggest to you that living according to God's ordinances does invite His blessing. An individual or society that disregards or rejects these things will, I believe, experience destabilization and ruin. Therefore, the statutes and judgments of God become very important if you desire the blessing of an abundant life over the curse of a life in ruin.

I don't think that 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. Now, O Israel, listen to the statutes and the judgments which I teach you to observe that you may live.

As we shall see, these will be Moses' final words. He has one last message for Israel before he dies and they enter into the Promised Land. When they enter into the Promised Land, they will do so under the leadership of Joshua. God's first commissioning words to Joshua are these, in Joshua 1, verses 6-9: "Be strong and of good courage, for to this people you shall divide as an inheritance the land which I swore to their fathers to give to them. 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 that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage. Do not be afraid nor dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go."

The life of prosperous blessing and success we desire is found in and through the Scriptures. The statutes and judgments of God are essential. If you are going to experience abundant life, these things point to blessing. They orient you in the direction of finding life and rest in Christ.

Now, O Israel, listen to the statutes and the judgments which I teach you to observe, that you may live and go in and 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, that you may keep the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you.

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. They constructed both it and the government it would stand over in such a way that it would change 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, the Scriptures tell us, does not change. In Malachi 3:6, God says, "I am the Lord, I do not change." The Apostle James wrote that with God there is no variation or shadow of turning.

Hebrews 13:8 says, "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever." These and many other verses in Scripture lead us to a theological conclusion on what we refer to as the immutability of God. Since His law is an expression of His character, His law is unamendable. It is not to be changed or adjusted. Moses says, "You shall not add to the word, nor shall you take away from it," so that you may keep the commandments.

This is really important. There certainly have been ways in which the people of God have adjusted and reinterpreted things in Scripture through the lens of their culture and their time. The danger in this is that, in doing so, one may live according to their reinterpretation of the law, but they will not be living in accordance with God's actual expectation.

This is exactly what happens when an individual attends a church that adds to the expectation of Scripture and says, "You must be baptized in this church to be saved." They are baptized in that church and think that they are saved. They console themselves by their baptism, but they may very well not have ever trusted in Christ for salvation. They feel okay because they have followed the ordinances of that specific church, but they may not be right before God because they have not followed the precept of Scripture.

This is exactly what happened in Israel at the time that Christ came. The people had made the word of God of no effect through their own tradition. This is what happens when we live in a society that rejects God's word and says that prostitution, adultery, divorce, and abortion are permissible. We call evil good and good evil. We put darkness for light and light for darkness. Then we are surprised when our society breaks down.

So how do you promote adherence to the precepts of God? Deuteronomy 4:1-4 states, "Now, O Israel, listen to the statutes and the judgments which I teach you to observe, that you may live and go in and 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 away from it, that you may keep the commandments of the Lord your God, which I command you. 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.

In verse 3, Moses is reminding Israel of an event in Israel's history chronicled in the book of Numbers, chapter 25. There we read of a time in which some of the men of Israel engaged in prostitution, which also involved idolatry, with the women of the nation of Moab. God's response to this idolatry and immorality is found in Numbers 25, verse 4. 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." The seriousness of the law was evidenced by the swiftness and completeness of judgment.

Now, you may be wondering at this point, Miles, are you saying that idolatry and immorality should be capitally punished? Do I think that prostitution and adultery should result in capital punishment? No. In the same way that I don't think that 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 understand and maintain the seriousness of sin.

There is a way in which we can read the scriptures too literally. Some in the early church, some of the early church fathers did this. Some of the early Christian mystics, called the Desert Fathers, did insane things out of an overly literal reading of the scripture. Somewhere between a casual reading of the Bible and a literal reading of the Bible is probably a nice balance. If you're wondering what I'm talking about with an overly literal reading of the scriptures, just go and Google the early church father Origen of Alexandria.

But a more serious reading and understanding of the scriptures is no doubt in order in our day. Moses said, "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. Deuteronomy 4, verse 5 states, "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 and judgments may seem too restrictive and strict to you.

That's perfectly fine. You're free to live apart from these laws. The law of God was for the people of God living in the kingdom of God in the promised land. You can choose to live outside of that. Many people have done that, and many people do that. Those who don't want to submit to God as Lord don't have to, but they can't also enjoy the kingdom of God without the King.

Our nation has been incrementally rejecting the King, yet we still want the blessings of His kingdom. However, 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 that we celebrated yesterday on July 4th is a downstream result of the blessing of the statutes and judgments of God. In Deuteronomy 4, verse 6, we read, "You will hear these statutes and say, 'Surely this great nation is a 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 God's aims for His people in the New Covenant. God's desire is that the people we interact with on a daily basis would see the evidence of God's grace and Spirit at work in us and be drawn to Him through our witness. Would to God that our lives, as His people, would be attractive to the people we work with, live next door to, and interact with daily. Would to God that the love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control of our lives would shine through so 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 our lives. For what great nation is there, says Deuteronomy 4, verse 7?

What great nation is there that has God so near to it as the Lord our God is to us? For whatever reason we may call upon Him, we are reminded of the unique relationship we have with Him. What great nation has such statutes and righteous judgments as are in all this law which I set before you this day?

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 them to your children and to your grandchildren, especially concerning the day you stood before the Lord God in Horeb, when the Lord said to me, "Gather the people to me, and I will let them hear my words, that they may learn to fear me all the days they live on the earth, and that they may teach their children."

Then you came near and stood at the foot of the mountain, which burned with fire in the midst of heaven, with darkness, cloud, and thick darkness. The Lord spoke to you out of the midst of the fire. You heard the sound of the words but saw no form; you only heard a voice. So He declared to you His covenant, which He commanded you to perform: the Ten Commandments. 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, statutes, and ordinances in their hearts, and that they would seek to live after these things. They would daily meditate upon them, and as they did, they would begin to transform their lives. This is exactly what God wants to do in my life as well as in your life. He wants us to hide His word in our hearts so that we might be transformed by the renewing of our minds, enabling us to show the world what is the good and perfect will of God.

That's God's desire for us as a church here at Cross Connection Church: that we would grow in God's word so that He would be able to shine brightly through our lives. It is my prayer that even though we are not gathered together here on Sunday mornings in our sanctuary, God has scattered us throughout the community, among our next-door neighbors, with the families we are a part of, and with the co-workers we work with. He has scattered us around to share the good news of the glory and grace of God in Christ Jesus.

And it's my prayer that that light would only begin to shine more brightly, as we are living in a time where we are seeing more and more people in our nation reject and stand against the good news of the Word of God. As that happens, even though 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 is my prayer: that God would shine through us and bring people to the grace of the gospel through our witness.

Father, we pray as we see these truths in Scripture, and as we even see in this passage the importance of teaching these things to our children. For the parents in our church, I pray that You would give us a deep desire to impart the truth of Your Word to the kids that are a part of our families. Lord, may we raise them up to know You, to serve You, and to honor You. By the witness of us and our children, we would see the continued transformation of our culture. God, work in Your church, we pray. We ask this in Jesus' name. Amen.

Before we cut to one last song of worship, I want to encourage you with something very important from this text. We'll be looking at this a lot more over the next weeks and months, but it's very important what we see there at the end of verse 10: these words were to be taught to the children of the children of Israel. It was the moms and dads, the grandmas and grandpas, the great grandmas and grandpas who were to teach the kids the truths of the principles and the ordinances of Scripture. That is the calling that God has for you. If you're a mom or a dad, a grandma or a grandpa, or even if you're an aunt or an uncle, God wants you to be ministering the truth of Scripture to your kids.

Starting today, July 5th, we are beginning a new program here at Cross Connection Church called the New City Catechism. This is for the parents of our church to begin to disciple their kids. This is really an answer to a problem that we've been faced with, as we are not gathering together here on Sunday mornings and do not have our children's ministry going on. This has been a real burden for me as the pastor of the church and for our leadership. We have been praying about how to deal with this problem going forward, but also to equip you, moms and dads, even after we are gathered together here again on Sunday mornings.

To begin to be involved in the discipleship of your children as they grow is essential. This is exactly what the Bible says, both in the Old Testament and the New Testament. We will see it very clearly when we get to Deuteronomy 6. We will see it again as we talk about Ephesians 6, where we are told that parents are to train up their children, as the Psalms and the Proverbs instruct us, in the nurture and admonition of the Lord from the Scriptures.

We want to invite you, moms and dads, to register for the New City Catechism. It's completely free. You can go to our website, newcity.lifeinconnection.com, and register there. We are starting this program today, and we hope and pray that this will be a great blessing to you and your family. So please take a moment and check it out.

You were the Word at the beginning, one with God, the Lord most high. Your hidden glory in creation is now revealed in You, our Christ. What a beautiful name it is, the name of Jesus Christ, my King. What a beautiful name it is; nothing compares to this. What a beautiful name it is, the name of Jesus. You didn't want heaven without us, so Jesus, You brought heaven down. My sin was great, Your love was greater. What could separate us now? What a wonderful name it is, the name of Jesus Christ, my King. What a wonderful name it is.

Nothing compares to this. What a wonderful name it is, the name of Jesus. Death cannot hold You; the veil tore before You. You silenced the boast of sin and grave. The heavens are roaring the praise of Your glory, for You were raised to life again.

You have no rival; You have no equal. Now and forever, God, You reign. Yours is the kingdom, Yours is the glory, Yours is the name above all names. What a powerful name it is, the name of Jesus Christ, my King. Nothing can stand against it. What a powerful name it is, the name of Jesus. You have no rival; You have no equal.

Now and forever, God, You reign. Yours is the kingdom, Yours is the glory, Yours is the name above all names. What a powerful name it is, the name of Jesus Christ, my King. What a powerful name it is; nothing can stand against. What a powerful name it is, the name of Jesus.

As we consider Deuteronomy today, we pray that You would shine brightly through Your church in a way that provokes people to jealousy. Although that may sound strange to us, it is exactly what the Scriptures say in Deuteronomy, and Paul quotes it again in Romans. You want to use our lives to stir other people to come to You, so do that work in and through Your church, we pray.

Enable Your church by Your Spirit to be witnesses of You in our Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the uttermost parts of the earth. We pray in Jesus' name.

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.