[0:00] And take your Bibles, and may these ancient words impart changing truth to us this morning. Deuteronomy chapter 6.
[0:15] Deuteronomy chapter 6. I'll be reading the first nine verses. These are the commands, decrees, and laws the Lord your God directed me to teach you to observe in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess.
[0:37] So that you, your children, and their children after them may fear the Lord your God as long as you live by keeping all his decrees and commands that I give you.
[0:52] And so that you may enjoy long life. Hear, O Israel, and be careful to obey so that it may go well with you and that you may increase greatly in the land flowing with milk and honey, just as the Lord, the God of your fathers, promised you.
[1:15] Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.
[1:29] These commandments I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.
[1:45] Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the door frames of your houses and on your gates.
[1:58] Let us hear God's word. Some things just belong together. Strawberry, vanilla, and chocolate.
[2:11] Larry, Moe, and Curly. Rock, paper, scissors. Add to that list Deuteronomy 9, 10, and 11.
[2:22] Deuteronomy 9, 10, and 11. They are tightly connected together. It is good for us to consider not just what one of those chapters says, but to consider all three.
[2:35] They build on one another. What the previous said, the next touches on. And what that one said, the next touches on as well. So we saw two weeks ago, as we began in Deuteronomy 9, that God had established his relationship with himself and his people Israel.
[2:54] And we saw how we, too, are in a unique covenant now relationship with God. That we are like Israel to be his treasured possession.
[3:05] He's made us his own. And it's not because of our righteousness. No, it is because of the righteousness of Christ that we now belong to God.
[3:16] And then last week, Deuteronomy 10, with the foundation of our relationship to God established, God then calls us to obedience.
[3:26] He says, live in obedience to me. Circumcise your hearts. Cut away sin. Put on righteousness. Walk in obedience.
[3:38] Walk in devotion and allegiance to God. Well, now chapter 11 comes. If you're not there, flip over to chapter 11. And in chapter 11, we now are presented with the motivations to obey.
[3:52] So the relationship has been established. The call to obedience has been made. And now God, in his grace, gives us motivation to walk in obedience.
[4:06] Given to Israel first here in Deuteronomy 11. But just as applicable to us today as God's people. As we now live out the Christian life.
[4:18] So we're going to see four motivations in our text. And as we look at each motivation, we're going to see something of a pattern. We're going to see that Moses, as he's speaking to the people, with each motivation, he's going to first preface it with a reminder.
[4:33] Obey God's commandments. Each time, obey God's commandments. And then following the exhortation or the motivation to obey. So first, the exhortation to obey.
[4:45] And then the motivation to obey. We're going to see that each time. So let's look at the first motivation together. And this is it. Remember the instruction of the Lord.
[4:57] Remember the instruction of the Lord. Follow along in your copy of the word as you're able to verses 1 to 7 of Deuteronomy 11. This is the word of the Lord.
[5:09] You shall therefore love the Lord your God and keep his charge, his statutes, his rules, and his commandments always. And consider today, since I am not speaking to your children who have not known or seen it, consider the discipline of the Lord your God.
[5:26] His greatness, his mighty hand, and his outstretched arm. His signs and his deeds that he did in Egypt to Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, and to all his land.
[5:37] And what he did to the army of Egypt, to their horses and to their chariots. How he made the water of the Red Sea flow over them as they pursued after you. And how the Lord has destroyed them to this day.
[5:48] And what he did to you in the wilderness until you came to this place. And what he did to Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, son of Reuben. How the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up with their households, their tents, and every living thing that followed them.
[6:05] In the midst of all Israel. For your eyes have seen all the great work of the Lord that he did. So Deuteronomy 11 opens with words that should remind us of Deuteronomy 10.
[6:20] Then Moses calls Israel to love God. Moses calls Israel to live in obedience to God. To keep his charge, his statutes, his rules, and his commandments.
[6:34] Then we see the motivation. Because your eyes have seen his great works. Your children haven't.
[6:45] But you, generation, entering the promised land, you have. You have experienced the discipline of the Lord. You could also say the instruction of the Lord.
[6:57] God has not taught you simply with his words. He has also taught you by his deeds. Consider his instruction. And his instruction is something of a history lesson.
[7:08] Now this is not the first time that we've been given a history lesson in Deuteronomy. But we're going to have another one this morning. He gives us this lesson. Remember what I've done.
[7:20] Not just what I've said. What I've done. And the history lesson is really three lessons. Three brief lessons in those seven verses. And all of these history lessons, the children of Israel should say, We remember that.
[7:34] We remember what you've done. Here's the first lesson. The crossing of the Red Sea. What did God's people learn from that lesson? God's ability to save his people.
[7:48] God's ability to deliver his people. He brought them up out of Egypt. And what could Pharaoh do? What could Pharaoh's land do? What could his armies do?
[7:59] Nothing. They could do nothing to thwart God's saving purposes. They were destroyed in the Red Sea. God's people, they came through unscathed.
[8:12] That's a powerful lesson. Look at what God has done for you, Israel. So? Obey. Obey what he says. Look at what he's done. Then the second lesson.
[8:24] God brings this to mind. The wilderness wanderings. And what is learned from that lesson? Look at how God has sustained you. Look at how God has provided for you.
[8:36] Look at your shoes. They haven't worn out in 40 years. Look at the food that you've had to eat. God has provided for you. Look at the water. He's given to you all that you needed to sustain you for all of these years in the wilderness.
[8:52] Remember his provision. Remember his faithfulness to you. And then what? Obey him. Obey him as you look back.
[9:03] Then the third and the final lesson. Korah's rebellion. What is learned from that lesson? God's wrath against those who rebel against him.
[9:15] Korah isn't actually mentioned here in Deuteronomy 11. But in Numbers 16, he along with Dathan and Abiram, mentioned in Deuteronomy 11, they led that uprising against Moses.
[9:28] And the result of that uprising, it's recorded for us here in our passage. The earth, it opened up and it swallowed them and their households and all that belonged to them. Remember Israel. The anger of the Lord against their sin.
[9:43] And do what? Obey him. Remember in all of these different ways the instruction of the Lord and live in obedience. So too for us.
[9:56] If you are in Christ this morning, then God is instructing you as well from these ancient words ever true. This is the same God that we have come to know.
[10:07] The God who saved you. The God who delivered you out of your sin. The God who preserves you. The God who sustains you on your journey to heaven. The God whose anger was against your sin.
[10:22] And whose son took your place on the cross and bore his wrath that you might be forgiven. The God who instructs Israel also instructs you, Christian.
[10:35] Remember my great works, he says. And may that fuel your obedience. So that's the first motivation that we're given here in Deuteronomy 11. Remember the instruction of the Lord.
[10:48] Here's the second motivation. Remember the inheritance of the Lord. Remember the inheritance of the Lord. Beginning in verse 8.
[11:02] You shall therefore keep the whole commandment that I command you today. That you may be strong and go in and take possession of the land that you are going over to possess. And that you may live long in the land that the Lord swore to your fathers to give to them and to their offspring.
[11:17] A land flowing with milk and honey. For the land that you are entering to take possession of it is not like the land of Egypt from which you have come. Where you sowed your seed and irrigated it like a garden of vegetables.
[11:29] But the land that you are going over to possess is a land of hills and valleys. Which drinks water by the rain from heaven. A land that the Lord your God cares for. The eyes of the Lord your God are always upon it.
[11:43] From the beginning of the year to the end of the year. And if you will indeed obey my commandments that I command you today to love the Lord your God. And to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul.
[11:55] He will give the rain for your land in its season. The early rain and the later rain. That you may gather in your grain and your wine and your oil. And he will give grass in your fields for your livestock.
[12:05] And you shall eat and be full. Take care lest your hearts be deceived. And you turn aside and serve other gods and worship them. Then the anger of the Lord will be kindled against you.
[12:18] And he will shut up the heavens. So that there will be no rain. And the land will yield no fruit. And you will quickly perish off the good land that the Lord is giving you.
[12:30] Here we see the pattern again. What does God first do? He reminds us to walk in obedience to his ways. Obey his commandments. Keep the whole commandment that I command you today.
[12:45] Then what does he do? He gives us the motivation. Like the previous motivation. There is encouragement in this motivation. There are also warnings. Sobering words that we find.
[12:58] First the encouragement to Israel. He is giving you this bountiful land. He is going to bless you in this land. You won't need those complex irrigation systems like in the land of Egypt.
[13:12] No, God will water it for you just as you need. He will care for your flocks. He will care for your livestock. They will be well fed and so will you.
[13:23] His eyes will always be on the land. You will live in abundance. So continue to obey God that you might be blessed in the land.
[13:35] That's the encouraging aspect of the motivation. Then the warning. The sobering words. Disobey the Lord and you will lose the land.
[13:46] God will rip the land away from you. He will, in essence, send you then into exile. If the people were deceived. If they were led astray to worship and to follow after false gods.
[13:58] They would feel the discipline and the anger of the Lord. And they would feel it in a very concrete way. The heavens would be shut up. The rain would cease.
[14:10] The crops would wither and die. And the people's life in the land would be gone. So Israel was to heed God's warning related to the land as well.
[14:22] Their obedience was to be fueled by those sobering words of potential judgment. So what an inheritance that the Lord had promised to Israel.
[14:33] A land that is flowing with milk and honey. Obey the Lord that you might enjoy your life, your home in the land. You have an even greater eternal inheritance that awaits you if you are in Christ.
[14:52] The new heavens and the new earth. We aren't like Israel in the Old Testament. Eagerly awaiting a piece of real estate in the Middle East. We look forward to the restoration of all creation.
[15:05] A new heavens and a new earth. In many ways, the one true story of the Bible is a story of God bringing us back to the beginning.
[15:17] The Garden of Eden. And yet, it's going to be even better. You see, in the Garden of Eden, God dwelled with his people. In the new heavens and the new earth, God will dwell with his people again.
[15:29] But not just in a garden, but in a garden city. The new Jerusalem. The city of God coming down out of heaven, clothed like a bride.
[15:42] And God will dwell with his people there. To take from the words of Isaiah 33, Your eyes will behold the king in his beauty. They will see a land that stretches afar.
[15:56] That is our great joy that awaits us. That is our inheritance that awaits us. The restoration of all of creation.
[16:08] The glory of God filling the earth. And God will once again make his home with us. We will see him face to face.
[16:19] And he will be our delight. How much more then should be our unwavering devotion and allegiance to our king?
[16:32] How much more then should we obey him in our lives now as we look to our great inheritance? Now for Israel, their enjoyment of their home.
[16:46] The promised land. It was conditioned on their obedience to God. Living in the land, it depended on them following God's laws.
[16:59] Obey, you'll enjoy the land. Disobey, you'll be removed from the land. And so the emphasis here in Deuteronomy is on Israel's own obedience.
[17:12] But for the Christian, when it comes to our eternal home, the emphasis is on the obedience of another. Now don't misunderstand.
[17:24] Obedience is a mark of the Christian life. The Christian cannot say, Well, I'm in Christ. I can live however I please. No one will see the Lord without what? Holiness.
[17:36] And yet, it is not conditioned on your obedience that you might have eternal life. It doesn't depend on your obedience.
[17:47] It depends on the obedience of another who actually did obey in every way that we have not. Not because of your righteousness do you gain an eternal home.
[17:58] Not because of your righteousness is your eternal home kept secure. The sure hope of our eternal home doesn't depend on our obedience, but the sure hope of our eternal home should fuel our obedience.
[18:16] And something is terribly wrong if it doesn't. So do you delight in obeying your King? Because one day you will live with Him for all of eternity.
[18:31] Are you so filled with wonder and with awe, simply at the thought of one day entering into the city of your God, that you can think of no greater pleasure in this life than obeying His ways?
[18:43] Or have you lost sight of this grand, glorious future? Has the hope of your eternal home become stale?
[18:56] See it afresh, even this morning. For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come. And because we look to that city, we live in obedience to the King, who will live in that city with us.
[19:12] So that's the second motivation. Remember the inheritance of the Lord. Here's the third.
[19:24] Remember the sure defeat of the enemies of the Lord. Remember the sure defeat of the enemies of the Lord. Beginning in verse 13, let's read on.
[19:37] Or 18, my fault. You shall therefore lay up these words of mine in your heart and in your soul, and you shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes.
[19:51] You shall teach them to your children, talking of them when you are sitting in your house, and when you are walking by the way, and when you lie down and when you rise. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates, that your days and the days of your children may be multiplied in the land that the Lord swore to your fathers to give them, as long as the heavens are above the earth.
[20:13] For if you will be careful to do all this commandment that I command you to do, loving the Lord your God, walking in all his ways, and holding fast to him, then the Lord will drive out all these nations before you, and you will dispossess nations greater and mightier than you.
[20:30] Every place on which the sole of your foot treads shall be yours. Your territory shall be from the wilderness to the Lebanon, and from the river, the river Euphrates, to the western sea.
[20:41] No one shall be able to stand against you. The Lord your God will lay the fear of you, and the dread of you on all the land that you shall tread, as he promised you. Now before we unpack the motivation here, we need to spend a little bit more time on the commandment.
[20:58] Why? Because Moses does. Moses unpacks the commandment more fully here in these verses. He says in the first part, lay up these words of mine in your heart and in your soul.
[21:13] It's like saying, take God's word to heart. And then Moses talks in a very concrete way. He says, bind them as a sign on your hand, and as a frontlet between your eyes.
[21:27] Put the commandments on your head, on your hand, and put the commandments between your eyes. Why? Because God is talking about both knowing his commandments, and doing his commandments.
[21:42] We know with our mind what God says, and we do with our hands what God commands. Now the Israelites, they took God's words very literally here, and they actually put passages of scripture into little boxes, and they attach those boxes to their wrists.
[22:01] They attach those boxes to their foreheads. They still do in some settings for Orthodox Jews. These boxes are called phylacteries, and they are visible reminders to the people, you know God's word.
[22:17] Obey God's word. Now we might not be putting little boxes of scripture on our own arms and on our foreheads, but we too must lay up God's words in our heart and in our soul.
[22:33] There's no shortcut for this. There is no three-step process that you can follow to getting God's word in your heart in a short time.
[22:44] Everybody has a pitch in our world today. That is how everything is promoted. I have this secret method for learning how to play the piano in just two weeks if you take my class.
[22:56] Or I know how to expand and grow your business if you'll just follow these three things that I'll tell you after five seminars with me. Everyone's got the pitch.
[23:07] Everyone's got the method. They've got the secret recipe for whatever it may be. There's no secret recipe for laying up God's word. There is no espresso shot that you can take of scripture to get God's word in you.
[23:22] It is a daily, steady routine of taking in what God says to us. You may recall from Sunday school a few months ago, so I know I'm testing our memory here, but we did a short series on figures in history.
[23:41] And we considered the life of John Bunyan. Remember, John Bunyan was a preacher in England, faithfully proclaiming the truth of God's word despite persecution that he faced, prison that he faced.
[23:54] And John Bunyan was somebody that Charles Spurgeon greatly looked up to. Listen to what Charles Spurgeon said of Bunyan. He said it in Sunday school. It's worth saying again. He has studied the Bible till his whole being was saturated with scripture.
[24:11] And through his writings, he continually makes us feel and say why this man is a living Bible. Prick him anywhere and you will find that his blood is Bibline.
[24:24] The very essence of the Bible flows through him. Do you want to be saturated with scripture? Do you want the Bible to flow through you? Do you want to bleed the Bible, spiritually speaking?
[24:39] Read it. Meditate on it. Memorize it. Daily. That you might lay up God's word in your heart and in your soul like Deuteronomy 11 says.
[24:52] And then, what should naturally follow? We teach our children those very words that we have laid up in our hearts. Young people.
[25:08] Teenagers. Children. That's you. Those of you who are here this morning with your parents, with your grandparents, we want you to know what God says.
[25:20] We want you to know what he says. We want you to know his good commandments. Kids, do you like to ask questions? I know you do because my kids love to ask questions.
[25:32] We have to turn off the question asking sometimes. Kids, we love asking questions. Do you want to know a really good question that you could ask that the Bible teaches you?
[25:45] Well, listen to Deuteronomy chapter 6. We've already read a little bit from Deuteronomy 6. Listen to Deuteronomy 6 starting in verse 20. When your son asks you in time to come, what is the meaning of the testimonies and the statutes and the rules that the Lord our God has commanded you?
[26:04] Then you, parent, shall say to your son, we were Pharaoh's slaves in Egypt. And the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand. And the Lord showed signs and wonders, great and grievous against Egypt and against Pharaoh and all his household before our eyes.
[26:23] And he brought us out from there that he might bring us in and give us the land that he swore to give our fathers. And the Lord commanded us to do all these statutes, to fear the Lord our God for our good always, that he might preserve us alive as we are to this day.
[26:40] And it will be righteousness for us if we are careful to do all this commandment before the Lord our God as he has commanded us. So kids, do you ever wonder, why do mom and dad follow God's rules?
[26:57] Why do mom and dad follow God's rules? And why do mom and dad teach me about those same rules? Like, why do we go to church? We may or may not have had someone who will be unnamed ask that question this morning.
[27:11] Or why do we forgive our little sister when she hurts us? Or why do I need to be patient with my brother when he's irritating me? What's the meaning of these rules?
[27:23] Mom and dad, why are they so important to you? Well, kids, here's the answer from Deuteronomy 6. We obey what God says because we have seen what God does.
[27:36] We obey what God says because we have seen what God has done. So we follow his commandments. Commandments like forgiving one another. Commandments like being patient towards one another.
[27:48] We follow his commandments because he has saved us from sin and made us our own, his own. So we want to obey this great God.
[28:00] We want to obey this God who has saved us in his mercy and in his grace. We do what he says because of what he has done. Now, Christian parents, it is our duty, it is our great privilege that we can teach our kids the commandments of God and that we can tell our kids what God has done in us.
[28:29] Now, there are many of us here this morning who may not have children in the home. I hope you haven't been taking a nap. Stay with us because though, yes, it absolutely is true that the first job of parents would be to teach the children the things of the Lord, all of us have a responsibility in a secondary way to be godly influences in the lives of young people.
[28:56] Who are you pointing to Christ? Who are you seeking to be a model for? Who are you in essence saying, imitate me as I imitate Christ?
[29:08] What kind of an example are you setting for the children in our church? Are you telling the next generation the great things that God has done in your life? Are you teaching the next generation the great commandments that God has given to us?
[29:26] So like the people of Israel, we must be careful to obey all of God's commandments and then to teach our children those same commandments. Now, I know that was a lot of the introduction to the motivation.
[29:39] What was the motivation? You said it a long time ago. Let me say it again. The third motivation then to do all of that is remember the sure defeat of the enemies of the Lord.
[29:52] Look at how God is going to defeat His enemies. Now, for Israel, they had very physical, tangible enemies who were in the promised land.
[30:05] And God had said, I'm going to defeat these enemies, nations that had profaned His name, nations that worshipped false gods, nations who called good evil and who called evil good.
[30:22] God said, I'm going to put the fear of dread in them. They will shake with fear when they hear that you, Israel, are coming. And that is exactly what happens in Joshua chapter 2.
[30:35] When the Israelite spies come to Jericho, the first city that would fall in the promised land, they come to this woman Rahab's house. This is what she says to them. I know that the Lord has given you the land and that the fear of you has fallen upon us and that all the inhabitants of the land melt away before you.
[30:54] Then she lists some enemies that God had already defeated. And she said, As soon as we heard it, our hearts melted and there was no spirit left in any man because of you.
[31:06] For the Lord your God, He is God in the heavens above and on the earth below. So why did the people in the land fear the Israelites? Why was the dread of the Israelites upon the people of the land?
[31:20] Because of their God who went before them. Because their God was mighty to save them and people in the land heard of it. Because their God was also mighty to defeat His enemies.
[31:33] And the people in the land had heard of that too. Today, God's enemies remain. Nations still rage against God.
[31:44] Spiritual forces are at work in this world. Satan and his demons, they want to foil God's plans. They want to see the destruction of God's people.
[31:54] Paul says in Ephesians 6.12, For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over the present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.
[32:11] So we are threatened on every side. Christians all over the world face persecution for their faith. We experience perhaps even a measure of that in our lives.
[32:22] As Jesus said, if the world hates you, know that it hated me before it hated you. So darkness surrounds us. Evil seems to have the upper hand.
[32:34] And in the midst of all of this, it can be difficult to do what? To obey. It can be difficult to continue to live in obedience to God.
[32:46] It can be difficult to continue in your devotion to your allegiance to Him. It can be difficult to live in obedience, like even praying for your enemies, praying for God's enemies that they might be saved.
[33:03] So when evil seems to be prevailing, when it is pressing in all around us, there is a temptation to despair. There is a temptation to respond in sinful anger.
[33:16] There is a temptation to give in and say, I'll give myself over to the sin around me. But like God's people in the Old Testament, we can have a sure confidence that God's enemies will be defeated.
[33:33] That their future, final defeat is sure. How can we be so sure of that? By looking to the cross of Christ. We look to the cross and we see that Christ has triumphed over His enemies.
[33:50] Sin and death have been dealt their death blow. We look to the cross and we see that evil will not have the final word. We see that the cross is proof of this.
[34:03] God will prevail over all of His enemies. So that is our motivation to continue in allegiance to Him. To continue in obedience to Him.
[34:14] Let's consider the fourth and the last motivation from our passage. Remember who became a curse for you. Remember who became a curse for you.
[34:27] Beginning in verse 26. See, I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse. The blessing if you obey the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you today.
[34:40] And the curse if you do not obey the commandments of the Lord your God but turn aside from the way that I am commanding you today to go after other gods that you have not known. And when the Lord your God brings you into the land that you are entering to take possession of it, you shall set the blessing on Mount Gerizim and the curse on Mount Ebal.
[34:59] Are they not beyond the Jordan west of the road toward the going down of the sun and the land of the Canaanites who live in the Ereba opposite Gilgal beside the oak of Moreh? For you are to cross over the Jordan to go in to take possession of the land that the Lord your God is giving you.
[35:15] and when you possess it and live in it you shall be careful to do all the statutes and the rules that I am setting before you today. This is not just the end of the passage.
[35:29] This is the end of Moses' second sermon. And like a skilled preacher he is bringing it to a climactic finish. Moses is presenting us here with this is what happens if you obey.
[35:43] Blessing. This is what happens if you disobey. Curse. And he sets that before Israel. He sets it before them with his words here in this passage.
[35:57] And then he says I need to drive it home to you with an object lesson. So I am going to set it before you with my words and then he says we need to set it before your eyes as well.
[36:11] We see that in verse 29. And when you enter the land that the Lord is giving you you shall set the blessing on Mount Gerizim and the curse on Mount Ebal. Those were physical mountains.
[36:24] Those were mountains that faced each other. And on these mountains Israel was to set the blessing and Israel was to set the curse. How exactly were they to do that?
[36:38] We got to read on in the story. Moses explains in Deuteronomy 27. And beginning in verse 2 I'm going to kind of jump around in here but beginning in verse 2 this is what he says.
[36:50] And on the day that you cross over the Jordan to the land that the Lord your God is giving you you shall set up large stones and plaster them with plaster and you shall write on them all the words of this law.
[37:03] Then jumping down to verse 11. That day Moses charged the people saying when you have crossed over the Jordan these shall stand on Mount Gerizim to bless the people Simeon Levi Judah Issachar Joseph and Benjamin and these shall stand on Mount Ebal for the curse Reuben Gad Asher Zebulun Dan and Naphtali.
[37:28] So what were the people to do once they entered the promised land? They were to set up the blessing and the curse and they were to do it with these large stones. They would plaster them.
[37:38] It was a white plaster. Why did they do that? So that the words would jump off the page. The words would be emblazoned on these stones.
[37:49] Look at God's words. Read them. See them with your eyes. And that's exactly what the people did. In Joshua 8 they set up those stones.
[38:00] They wrote the words on those stones. Joshua had half the people stand before Mount Gerizim representing the blessing. Joshua had the other half of the people standing before Mount Ebal representing the curse.
[38:14] And then he had the Ark of the Covenant in between. Between the people with the blessings and the curses here was the Ark. The very presence of God brought now to the people inside of the Ark the Ten Commandments representing His laws.
[38:29] They are the central focus of this ceremony. Now it's one thing to hold a ceremony. It's one thing to say we will do what God has said.
[38:42] It is another matter to do it. So did the people obey all of God's words? Did the people of Israel enjoy all of God's blessing?
[38:54] No. They didn't. You read on in the true story of the Bible and you will see that the people fell into the very thing that God said they would.
[39:05] They fell into idol worship. Not the first generation but not long after. And what happened many centuries later but the curses that God spoke of came down upon the people.
[39:20] They failed and they were cursed. And God in faithfulness to His word just as He promised in Deuteronomy He sent them into exile.
[39:34] Now here's the reality for all of us here today. At one time or another all of us were also under the curse.
[39:47] All of us were under it. We had failed to live in obedience to all that God had said. James 2.10 says for whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become accountable for all of it.
[40:05] So we were lawbreakers every single one of us without exception. On the basis of our own obedience our own keeping of God's commandments we had no standing before God.
[40:19] We had failed to keep His laws. And so as Deuteronomy 27.26 says cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the book of the law and do them.
[40:36] We were cursed. We were cut off from God. But then Christ became a curse for us.
[40:48] Galatians 3.13 says Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us. For it is written cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree.
[41:03] Jesus Christ hung upon that tree at Calvary. It was a cross of wood and on that cross He bore the wrath of God in the place of hell deserving sinners such as us.
[41:16] And it wasn't just so that we would no longer be cursed. As wonderful as that is it was so that we might enjoy the blessing of God.
[41:29] How does Galatians continue? Verse 14 So that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles.
[41:40] We are now blessed in the heavenly places because Christ became a curse upon that cross. If you are here this morning and you have not put your faith in Jesus Christ you are still under that curse.
[41:58] The wrath of God the Bible says remains on you. John 3 36 couldn't say it any more plainly. Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life.
[42:11] Whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life but the wrath of God remains on him. Turn to Christ even today that the wrath of God may no longer remain on you.
[42:26] Turn away from your life of sin cry out to God for mercy and you will find forgiveness in Christ Jesus. Your sins may be many but you will find good news his mercy is more.
[42:41] There's good news to believe. The good news that Christ came into this world to save sinners. Believe that good news. Believe on the Son even today.
[42:52] Perhaps it's your first time sitting in a service. Perhaps it's your 100th time sitting in a service. Believe on the Son today because he died on the cross accursed and you will find life in him.
[43:10] And if you are in Christ this morning then what motivation that we have been given by God to live in humble obedience to him. Remember the instruction of the Lord.
[43:22] Remember the inheritance of the Lord. Remember the sure defeat of the Lord's enemies and remember the one who became a curse for you.
[43:34] Let's pray together. Indeed Father what a gracious merciful kind deed you have done in giving us your word.
[43:47] That we might learn of you. That we might learn of your ways and also that we might see how far short we fall. And that you have provided salvation.
[44:01] We pray Father that those of us who are in Christ would be all the more strengthened and encouraged by your spirit even this morning that we would live in obedience to you.
[44:14] And Father we pray for the lost in our midst that they would be found in your grace that you would seek them out and that you would make them your own that you would open their eyes to see what a beautiful savior has been set before them in your word that he died upon the cross that he rose again and there is good news for those who trust in him we thank you father that you have not left us to our own devices to go our own way that we all like sheep were going astray but for many of us here you indeed have come and you sought us out you made us your own we pray father now that by your spirit in the strength that he provides that we would live in obedience to you we pray all these things in Christ's name amen