Just what does God Expect anyway?
"And now, Israel, what doth the LORD thy God require of thee, but to fear the LORD thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the LORD thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul, To keep the commandments of the LORD, and his statutes, which I command thee this day for thy good?" (Deu 10:12,13)
REFLECTION: Deuteronomy means “Second Law”. The previous generation perished in the wilderness wanderings of Numbers due to their faithlessness. The new Generation was about to enter Canaan and claim their inheritance. It is possible that many of them had misgivings about God how to please him. They were all eye-witnesses of the judgment of God on faithlessness. Faith must have some direction so Moses gave them the bottom line on pleasing God.
1. “Fear the LORD thy God.” This involves our ATTITUDE!
NOTE: Fear (yare or yaw-ray’) means to revere; literally to dread.
A. THIS IS THE BASIS OF WISDOM
1) Wisdom is all about perspective. Particularly understanding God’s perspective.
a) Fear of God is a healthy response to a clear picture of God. Heb. 10:29,31
(Psa 111:10) "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments: "
B. THIS IS THE BASIS OF WORSHIP
1) Our attitude is a reflection of our perspective of God.
a) Powerful: “Fear the LORD…” (Yehovah) self-Existent Holy one. (Used 7836 times)
b) Personal: Thy God…” (Elohiym) supreme creator (Do you recognize Your God?)
2. “Walk in all His Ways…” This involves our ACTIONS!
A. FAITH WITHOUT WORKS IS DEAD. James 2:20,26
1) Impractical “What doth it profit?” James 2:16
1) Impossible. (If God’s Spirit is in you, He will eventually slip out!) (See 1 Jn 3:17)
2) Impersonal (Simply dead dogma without any personal application.)
B. SELECTIVE OBEDIENCE IS ACTUALLY DISOBEDIENCE. James 2:10
1) God’s commandments are not suggestions.
2) Who determines which are negotiable?
3. “To Love Him…” This involves our AFFECTION!
"Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD: And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might." (Deu 6:4,5)
“Master, which is the great commandment in the law? …Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment.” Mt. 22:36-38
A. ACTION AND AFFECTION ARE TWINS.
> "For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments:." (1 Jn 5:3)
> “He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him." (John 14:21)
B. LOVE TURNS LABOR INTO LIBERTY “His commandments are not grievous” 1 Jn 5:3
4. “To Serve Him…” This involves our ABILITIES!
A. GOD UNIQUELY DESIGNED US FOR HIS SERVICE.
(Rom 12:6) "Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, "
(1 Pet 4:10) "As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God."
B. WE ARE ACCOUNTABLE FOR HOW WE USE OUR ABILITIES. (Mt. 25:14-29)
1) It’s tragic that some use God’s talents for their own or even the Devil’s purposes.
5. “To Keep the Commandments of the LORD.” This involves our ALERTNESS!
A. DEFINITION: “To Keep” (shamar) means to hedge about, guard or protect.
"Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard,lest at any time we should let them slip." (Heb 2:1)
B. APPLICATION: Some things that will “keep us” from “Keeping God’s Commands”:
1) Distraction: We get preoccupied with things of secondary importance.
> (Mark 4:19) "And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful."
> (Mt. 13:19) "When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. "
2) Deception: We fail to recognize God’s ways and get lost on other paths.
> (Prov 14:12) "There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death."
> (2 Cor 11:3) "But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtlety, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ."
3) Desertion: We quit before we’re finished. (Heb. 12:1,2)
> 2 Tim 4:10 “Demas hath forsaken me having loved this present world.”
> Heb. 10:36 "For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise."
CONCLUSION: In our selfish world it’s hard to understand God’s love and plan. You see God asks us to love, obey and trust him for our own good. Like a parent might place restrictions or give directions to a child that seem (from the child’s perspective) unreasonable or “unenjoyable”; So God as our “Heavenly Father” asks us to follow him along paths that are safe and will see us to our destination. If we (like many children) decide to brake away and go our own way, then we will experience much of the pain and problems that God desired to spare us from. (Jeremiah 29:11-14)
God is not greater if you reverence him, but you are greater if you serve him.
Saint Augustine of Hippo (354-430)
LOVE
I counted all my dollars while God counted crosses;
I counted gains while he counted losses;
I counted my worth by the things gained in store,
But he sized me up by the scars that I bore.
I coveted honors and sought for degrees;
He wept as He counted the hours on my knees.
I never knew till one day by a grave
How vain are the things that we spend life to save.
I did not know till a friend went above
That richest is he who is rich in God's love.
-- Author unknown, Parables, Etc.
