Free For The Law
Deut 10:12-22
I. TOMORROW WE WILL BE CELEBRATING OUR NATION’S 229TH YEAR OF FREEDOM FROM THE TYRANNY OF KING GEORGE!
A. Today, we are going to be talking about a greater freedom than the one we will be celebrating tomorrow.
B. We are going to be talking about the Christian’s freedom from the tyranny of the Law of God and our freedom for the blessings of the Law of God.
1. Let me say that again in case you did not catch it!
*We are going to be talking about the Christian’s freedom from the tyranny of the Law of God and our freedom for the blessings of the Law of God.
2. The tyranny of the Law is that bondage that comes when we think we must keep the Law in order to be saved—-accepted by God—righteous—to go to heaven
*That’s a tyranny no one can bear because no one can completely obey the Law
*As Christians, we are free from that
*We are saved by faith— not by keeping the Law
*Jesus’ perfect law-keeping is credited to us by our faith in Him as Lord and Savior
*He kept the Law for us
*This probably did not surprise any of you, you knew this already
*How many times have we heard, “We are free from the law, we are under grace!”
3. But, what might surprise you is the truth that we Christians are also free for the blessings of the Law!
C. The Law of God is a blessing—a good thing
Illus. Think what it would be like if there were no traffic laws
*People went as fast as they wanted
*They would drive up Floyd Rd at 70 miles an hour and there would be no traffic lights or stop signs
*When you left church today to pull out onto Floyd Rd it would be a disaster!
*you would be putting your life in someone else’s hands!!
1. Laws are good
*they help us
*they make life orderly, safe
*they are there to help us
2. You saw what it would be like if there were no traffic laws
*now image what it would be like if there were no laws of God!
*If we did not have God’s law
3. Let me show you first hand what it would be like if you did not have God’s law
*Archeologists have discovered a prayer from a man that dates back to the Old Testament times
*He was from one of the pagan nations that did not know Yahweh
*His prayer is addressed to no particular God, but to all gods in general
*He is praying to ask for relief from suffering which he feels is a result of some sin he has committed but because he has no divine law he does not know what his sin is!
*Listen to his desperation—his foreboding
Prayer to Every God
READ PRAYER
*Did you hear his desperation?
*His bewilderment
*He feels guilty but he does not know what he has done wrong or which god he has offended
II. FREE FOR THE LAW
A. In contrast to this man’s situation look at our text today. Deut 10:12-22
B. Do you see the blessing of the Law?
1. We know what pleases God
2. We know what He wants from us
3. We do not have to grope around in the dark trying to find what our God desires from us
4. He has made it clear
C. The situation in our passage is Moses’ farewell sermons to the nation of Israel before he dies and they go into the Promise Land
1. These are pastoral—loving words
2. He is preaching to them as the covenant people of God
3. He tells them what God requires of them as His special people—those He has graciously redeemed from Egypt
D. Let me be very clear—understand
1. Moses is not saying they must do these things to be God’s special treasure—they already are His special treasure
*God saved them by grace
2. Moses is telling them what they are to do because they already are God’s special treasure!
3. I would add, since we Christians are God’s covenant people—His special treasure—these words apply to us as well!
4. We can know what God requires of us!!
E. Moses ask the question and then he answers it from 3 different angles—one answer from 3 complementary angles
F. Today we will look at the 1st answer
III. WHAT DID GOD REQUIRED OF ISRAEL?
SUPREME LOVE
12 " Now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require from you, but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all His ways and love Him, and to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, 13 and to keep the LORD’S commandments and His statutes which I am commanding you today for your good?
A. This is an explanation of 6:5
You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.
1. What does it mean to love God will all of your heart soul and all of your soul, and all of your might?
2. Here it is:
*Fear Him—have a basic reverence, awe, and respect for God *Walk in all His ways —to live according to His moral standards, His ethics
—to live as God would live if He walked among us
*Love Him—to have and express loyalty and obedience to God from a heart of gratitude
*Serve the Lord with your entire being
—picture of a servant serving his master who has purchased (redeemed) him
—God had redeemed Israel from Egypt and they were now to serve Him
—We are saved to serve not sit!
*Keep His commands —give careful, conscientious, and constant attention to God’s will as expressed through His Word
3. Notice the commandments were for their good (13)
*The law of God is for our benefit not our hardship
Illus. Too many times we are like the teenager who wants to go down to Buckhead and stay out until 2:00 am and their parents say “NO!”
*The teenager get angry, upset and says “You just don’t want me to have any fun!”
*When I was in college and home for the summer my dad wanted my home by 12:00 AM
—His reason
—”Nothing but devilment is gotten into after 12:00!”
— I’m not even sure you could find that word “devilment” in the dictionary
—But as far as he was concerned it was a good word and he did not want his son getting into it!
—so be home by 12:00
*I know now he just had my good in mind
—he was not trying to make my life miserable
—he was speaking out of love not hate
4. So it is with God when He gave Israel His laws
*they were for Israel’s good—benefit
C. These 5 words are like a 5-note musical chord you play on the guitar
*Each note has its own distinct tone
*But, when they are all played at the same time you have a beautiful chord
— fear—walk—love—serve—keep
*But when taken all together they sound forth in harmony and express the whole content of what God requires of us!
*Notice if you leave one out you destroy the chord
*ILLUS.
*Without fear and love (heart conditions) the walking, serving, and keeping become legalistic efforts seeking to gain favor with God
*At the same time is you have love and fear but you are not walking in His way, serving Him, and keeping His commandments your love and fear are useless and dead
Illus. James in the New Testament says the same thing Jas 2:26
For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.
4. Notice next that love is right in the middle of the five— it’s the central note
*By placing love in the middle Moses is emphasizing the supreme commandant
—You shall love the Lord your God will all your heart, all your soul, and all your might
C.. Moses then gives the reason they were to love God supremely—He chose them to be His own special treasure! Dt 10:14-15
14 "Behold, to the LORD your God belong heaven and the highest heavens, the earth and all that is in it. 15 " Yet on your fathers did the LORD set His affection to love them, and He chose their descendants after them, even you above all peoples, as it is this day.
1. “Behold” is emphatic and Moses wants to seize their attention
2. He says, “Look at who God is!
*To Him belong heaven and the highest heavens
—this phrase is a superlative expression
—everything above the earth no matter how far you go up belongs to God
*to Him belong the earth and all that is in it!
—this phrase cover everything the first one did not
3. Moses is saying “there is noting in creation up there or down here that does not belong to God”
*He is in total control of everything!
*He is absolutely sovereign over all creation!
4. Yet, He set His love on them and chose them above all the peoples of the world to be His special loved ones!
*Can you imagine what a privilege this was?
*There were great and powerful nations God could have chosen
—Egypt—Assyria—Babylon
*He did not chose Israel because of anything deserving in them
Deut 7:7
The LORD did not set His love on you nor choose you because you were more in number than any of the peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples,
5. Yahweh chose them out of all the peoples of the world and placed His special love on them purely because it was His sovereign good pleasure to do so!
C. Because God’s first loved them supremely—they were to now love Him supremely
1. There obedience to the laws of God was to be an expression of their love for Him
2.Their obedience was not to earn His love—He already loved them above all the peoples of the world
3. They were to obey God’s law because they were loved!
*that’s what separates legalism from grace
*legalism seeks to obey to be loved by God
*Grace obeys out of love for God who first loved us
4. God was saying back in the Old Testament
*Its grace not law
*You are free from the tyranny of the law trying to earn my love by perfectly obeying it
*You are free for obeying the law because you love me!
* If you love me you will obey my commands
*It’s an expression of your love for Me
III. NOW, LET’S MOVE FORWARD 3,500 YEARS FROM MOSES’S SERMON TO OUR DAY
A. Is what Moses preached to God’s people on that day any less true today?
1. Has the answer to Moses’ question “What does God require from us” changed?
2. Did Jesus’ death on the cross and resurrection change the answer?
B. To answer those questions lets answer a few more.
1. Is God still the sovereign ruler of the universe as He was then? (14-15)
*Can we still say to Him belong heaven and the highest heavens and the earth and all that is in it? Yes!
2. Of all the people of the world has God LOVINGLY chosen you to be His special treasure?
*In eternity past, did He place His electing love on you and purpose to redeem you from your sins and call you to be His beloved?
*Did He chose you out of His loving grace not based on anything you did are anything you are?
Eph 1:3-7
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, 4 just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love 5 He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, 6 to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.
*Did He out of love send His Son Jesus to accomplish your salvation?
*Did Jesus live in perfect obedience to the law of God earning your salvation for you?
*Did Jesus die in your place on the cross being punished for your sins?
*Did He come alive from the dead, defeating sin and death?
3. Was God’s motivation His supreme love for you?
C. Now let me ask you again, “What does God require from you?”
THAT YOU RESPOND TO HIS SUPREME LOVE FOR YOU BY LOVING HIM SUPREMELY!
1. Is this not the teaching of the New Testament?
*John said in 1 Jn 4:19
We love, because He first loved us
*What did Jesus say was the greatest commandment? Mt 22:37
YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.’
2. Why?
*Because He first loved you and chose you to be His special treasure.
D. How is our love to express itself?
1. Like it did in Moses’ day
2. The 5-note chord of supreme love
**Fear Him—have a basic reverence, awe, and respect for God
Illus. Oswald Chambers wrote, "The remarkable thing about fearing God, is that when you fear God, you fear nothing else; whereas, when you do not fear God you fear everything else.
*Walk in all His ways —to live according to His moral standards, His ethics
—we are free for the law
—Jesus has fulfilled the ceremonial law so we do not offer sacrifices today
—the civil laws were for the nation of Israel
—but the moral laws show us what pleases God,
—they are for our benefit
—obedience to them is an expression of our supreme love for Yahweh.
^we do not get drunk or commit immorality because we love God supremely
^your sin problem is a love problem
^your willful sin shows your unloving heart for the God who supremely loves you
*Love Him—to have and express loyalty and obedience to God from a heart of gratitude
—Jesus said “if you love me you will obey my commandments.”
—Jesus is saying you cannot separate love from obedience!
*Serve the Lord with your entire being
—we are saved to serve not sit!
—love serves
—are you serving the Lord?
*Keep His commands —give careful, conscientious, and constant attention to God’s will as expressed through His Word
E. That’s what it means to love God supremely.
F. The death and resurrection of Jesus has not made a difference in the answer to the question.
1. He still requires our supreme love in response to His supreme love for us.
2. Do you love Him supremely?
BY HIS GRACE, CELEBRATE YOUR FREEDOM IN CHRIST FOR THE BLESSINGS OF THE LAW!
