Sunday, July 7, 2019
am
What Does The Lord
Require of You?
Deuteronomy 10:12-13
Throughout the Bible we find statements that summarize what is expected
of us. Typically, these are
not passages that spell out how to or how not to do something, but
rather they address they heart of the matter.
One such example was when Jesus was asked “What is the greatest
commandment” (Matthew 22:34-40).
Rather than choosing a specific ordinance, Jesus quoted from
Deuteronomy 6:5 and Leviticus 19:18.
He followed this with the statement, “On these two commandments
hang all the Law and the Prophets” (vs. 40).
The point being, if you do these things, ALL the other specific
commandments will fall into place.
This morning I would like to focus on one such statement.
It was another passage that is recorded in Deuteronomy.
That book is Moses reminding Israel of the Law of God to them,
which they had received nearly 40 years earlier.
He retells their journeys and various statutes that were created
for them. Interspersed
between this, we find several of these statements that establish the
heart of serving God. This
morning I would like to address one of these.
It is found in Deuteronomy 10:12-13.
Moses has described the idolatrous behavior of Israel while he
was on Mt. Sinai the first time and the consequences of their actions.
BUT, Moses created a second set of tablets and appeared again
before the LORD who wrote (again) on the tablets, the 10 commandments.
After this, instructions were given to arise and begin their
journey toward the promised land (vs. 11).
Moses then says to them, “And now, Israel, what does the Lord
your God require of you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all
His ways and to love Him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart
and with all your soul, and to keep the commandments of the Lord and His
statutes which I command you today for your good?
This morning, I want to ask the question he also asked, “What does the
Lord require of you?” We
sometimes get caught up in the do’s and don’ts of serving God, to the
neglect of the heart of the matter.
Similar to that of the hypocritical scribes and Pharisees that
Jesus rebuked in Matthew 23:23.
While following God’s law as exact as possible is important, it
must also be done with proper motives.
Let us notice what Moses said to Israel on that occasion and make
some applications for today.
What does the Lord
require of you?
The idea of a requirement is something that is necessary, not
optional. With eternity at
stake, it ought to be important to us.
a.
Fear can mean to be
afraid of, or to show reverence.
Both are necessary when we speak of God.
We have emphasized the importance of reverence.
Even last week, we made reference to this as a quality we need
both as individuals and as the Lord’s body.
b.
But let’s consider
the idea of fearing God. It
is a realization that He is greater than us, He rules and one day He
will hold us into account.
c.
Hebrews 10:31 notes
it is fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
2 Corinthians 5:11 – knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we
persuade men.
d.
Understanding this
ought to cause us to take very seriously what we do and how we react
toward Him.
It ought to cause us to seek His will so that we know what to do.
Consider Psalm 111:10 and Proverbs 1:7 – “the fear of the LORD is
the beginning of wisdom”, “…knowledge”
e.
Proper fear of God
also overcomes other fears -
Luke 12:4-5 – Jesus warned about not fearing man who can only inflict
damage to the soul
Psalm 23:4 – David spoke of walking through the valley of the shadow of
death… I will fear no evil…
Hebrews 13:6, We may boldly say, “The Lord is my helper, I will not
fear. What can man do to
me?”
f.
Understanding fear is
WHY we ought to reverence Him – Hebrews 12:28.
g.
God expects us to
show Him proper fear and reverence.
He REQUIRES it!
a.
When we think of
ways, we think of a path or directions.
We may think of “the way” someone does something – i.e. he gives
us a pattern or example.
b.
The ways of God are
an interesting study. One
reason – because we are LIMITED in our understanding of His ways.
Isaiah 55:8-9, “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are
your ways My ways,” says the Lord. “For as the heavens are higher than
the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than
your thoughts.”
Romans 11:33 notes, Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom
and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways
past finding out!
That is why we ought to be very careful in questioning what He does and
how He does it. Hosea 14:9, “The ways of the LORD are right!”
c.
But that doesn’t mean
we can’t know anything. He
has revealed to us WHAT we need to know.
That is the whole premise of scripture – Romans 1:15-16, 1 Corinthians
2:9-12 – what we know of God has been revealed to us through His Spirit.
d.
And THAT is what He
REQUIRES of us. His
(reveled) ways need to direct our paths OR establish the direction we
go. Let HIM be the
influence of your life
e.
The text also notes
that we walk in ALL His ways.
We cannot pick and choose what commands we want to follow and
reject the rest.
f.
Are we walking in His
ways? OR are we walking in
the ways of another?
a.
Love for God is a
fundamental attitude that we need.
Recall, it was the “first” commandment, and the one upon which all
others hang (Matthew 22:37-40). 1
John 4:19, “We love Him because He first loved us.”
b.
When we love Him, we
will not need to be afraid of Him – perfect love casts out fear – 1 John
4:18-19
c.
We will walk in all
His ways – 1 John 2:5, Matthew 6:24 – no one can serve two masters…;
1 John 2:15 – if anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not
in him;
1 John 5:2-3 – we love Him by keeping His commandments.
d.
When we walk in His
ways by lovie, He is with us – consider Deuteronomy 7:7-9, The Lord
did not set His love on you nor choose you because you were more in
number than any other people, for you were the least of all peoples; but
because the Lord loves you, and because He would keep the oath which He
swore to your fathers, the Lord has brought you out with a mighty hand,
and redeemed you from the house of bondage, from the hand of Pharaoh
king of Egypt. “Therefore know that the Lord your God, He is God, the
faithful God who keeps covenant and mercy for a thousand generations
with those who love Him and keep His commandments;
e.
Exactly how we love
God may not be fully understood, but we know it is demonstrated as we
obey His will for us. And
it is something He requires of us.
a.
The idea of serving
is to wait on or wait for someone.
Like all of these qualities, we have emphasized the importance of
each of them over and over.
As I read this text, I see how they are truly related to each other.
b.
We need to serve each
other (Galatians 5:13, etc.), but we must never forget that we are also
to serve God. And that
means, like a faithful steward (1 Corinthians 4:2), we do whatever He
bids – whether He is near, or “on a journey” (cf. Matthew 25:14-15).
c.
In all that we do, we
must never forget that we are serving God and our Lord, Jesus.
Hebrews 12:28 says that we “serve God acceptably with reverence
and godly fear.”
Romans 12:1 speaks of us presenting our bodies living sacrifices – which
is our reasonable service (to Him).
John 12:26 Jesus spoke of those who serve and follow Him notating that
in serving Him, the Father will honor that one.
d.
It is to be with your
heart and soul – unpretentious and deep seated.
e.
This too is a
requirement of God.
a.
All that we have
addressed boils down to this point.
We have seen in our fear & reverence, our walking in His ways,
our love for Him and our service to Him – that we WILL keep His
commandments.
b.
Remember how at the
beginning of this lesson, we noted how we caught up in the “do’s and
don’ts” of His word. When
God has the place He desires in our lives, those will be accepted
without question. I
believe that is why attitude is so emphasized in our service to God.
As we have noted on many occasions – if you only serve God because you
“have to” or are afraid of Him: 1) You will likely not do such things
with the greatest of efforts (e.g. you do just enough to get by), and 2)
You WILL be miserable because you are only doing what you “have to” do.
That is not the way to live the Christian life, OR serve God in ANY
dispensation of time.
c.
Finally, It is
“for your good”. Realize
that God has our best in mind.
He is not giving us ridiculous commandments that will not make
our lives (AND society) better, if they are faithfully followed.
While there may be some things
we don’t fully understand, we MUST accept that He knows what is
best and He knows what he is doing in ALL things.
NOTE: What is “for you good” is not always the most fun thing or easiest
to do. But in the end, like
discipline, it yields “the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those
trained by it” (Hebrews 12:9)
Read Deuteronomy 6:20-25, which precedes our text. Children are to
explain why they keep the statutes – it is “for our good always, that
He might preserve us alive, as it is this day.
Then it will be righteousness for us, IF…”
d.
So let us realize in
all these things, that God REQUIES us to obey Him.
Matthew 7:21-23
While the above passage was part of the Law of Moses, its teachings are
reflected in the Law of Christ, as we have seen, and have bearing on the
heart of our service to Him.
What about you?
Ecclesiastes 12:12-14 – the conclusion of the whole matter.
God has given us many requirement!
Will you follow them?