Welcome to Delight in Grace. The Teaching Ministry of Rich Powell. pastor of Grace Bible Church in Winston-Salem. Unlock the wisdom of the Old Testament. This sermon series from Deuteronomy brings to light the importance of studying Old Testament law.
revealing the divine inspiration behind all Scripture as highlighted in Second Timothy three, sixteen through seventeen. Dive into the profound teachings that reflect God's character, His purpose. And his heart. offering instruction and formation for his people. From Deuteronomy, you'll understand how Scripture is essential for teaching and training in righteousness.
This series is an opportunity to delve deeper into the timeless truths that shape our faith and guide our lives. You are listening to part four of a message first preached on April 7th, 2024.
So, Deuteronomy is quoted a lot in the New Testament. Also, we will find, we will find, if we're just reading Deuteronomy without the context of the rest of Scripture, there is an unresolved tension between law and grace. But thank God we have the whole counsel of God. the whole canon of scripture. But we see also in Deuteronomy a foretelling of the grace.
that would come through Jesus Christ. And John says it well in John chapter 1, verse 17. For the law was given through Moses, grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
So there is, listen, there is a flow there, okay? There's a flow there. God gave the law. Why? Because He turned on the MRI to show us what's in our hearts.
And then the physician comes, the great physician who can heal our hearts and make them new. That's grace and truth which came through Jesus Christ. Let's just do a quick Overview now, a quick outline of the series that we're going to go through in the book of Deuteronomy. We've got six different sections. Six sections.
Um They're not all the same length. The first one is just the first three chapters, and I've titled it chapters one to three, and I've titled it How We Got Here.
So in other words, Moses is talking to Gen W. All those born in the wilderness. And he says Let me give you a little history lesson. Here's how we got here. This is the history behind this.
This is why I'm telling you these things. Right?
So how we got here. Three points in there, we are God's chosen people. God's chosen people, but Israel has been unfaithful. And so we see there are clearer indicators of God's judgment and. the covenant promises that he has kept.
He is a promise keeper.
So God is faithful. Israel has been unfaithful, but God is faithful. Those are the main things that will be brought out in the first three chapters, in the first section, how we got here. Section number two is chapters four through eleven, and it is. A call to faithfulness.
A call to faithfulness. Moses Imploring the people of God to be faithful to God. In this section, we find. In chapter 5, we find the Ten Commandments. which is a summary of the whole law.
Also in this section In chapter 6, we find the Shema. Hero Israel, the Lord. is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul. and your strength.
I'm going to ask you to memorize that. Write this down. This is your homework class. Deuteronomy 6. Verses four through nine.
There are six verses there.
So the next six Sundays. We're going to be reciting this one verse at a time. Listen. This is not hard, okay? I know.
Back in the Bible days, they used to memorize books at a time. We're lucky to do a verse at a time, right? Because life is just so hard for us.
So, chapter 6, verse 4. Here's the first one you're going to memorize: Hero Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. See, you probably already know it, right?
So, next Sunday, we're going to recite that together. No murmuring, thank you. I would love to have a lot of for us to have the resolve That what is commanded in these six verses? describes us. I think that's a good goal.
Let's not just memorize it. Let's internalize it.
So that it describes us. Because it includes the greatest command. in Scripture, which is to love God. The word Shema is a word that means listen. And the idea of listening is not just opening your ear and hearing words and information.
To listen means to respond to what you've heard, showing that you have actually heard it and you understand it, and therefore you're responding to it.
So here, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. How does that? Truth. impact my life. I hear it, I know it, I respond to it.
That's listening, that's hearing, that's. Shama. And then to love the Lord your God. Love is not speaking of an emotion. How I feel about you.
It's not love. Love is a devotion with all your will. mind and strength. That's what it means to love. in the biblical sense.
So That's section 2, chapters 4 through 11. We're going to memorize chapter 6, verses 4 through 9.
So, verse 4, get working on it for next week. Because we're going to recite it. Together. with no cheat sheets. Section three.
Section three is chapters 12 through 18, and I've titled this A People Who Worship.
So this is God's prescription for worship, and it also includes the worship leaders, including the leaders of Israel, the kings, prophets, things like that. Priests A people who worship. Three points under this, first of all. You must No God. in the way that he has made himself known.
If you do not worship God in the way that He's made himself known, you will be worshiping the God of your imagination. And that is idolatry. There's a lot of that going on in the world today. We must know God in the way that He has made Himself known. Secondly, you must approach God.
on his terms. Not yours. We must approach God on his terms. Third point. It comes clear from this when Moses tells the people that your worship of Jehovah sets you apart from surrounding nations.
That's section three. Section four is chapters nineteen through twenty-six, and that's where we get down into the nitty-gritties. Of many laws, various and specific laws in Deuteronomy. One thing again that is clear from this is Moses is telling the people: your laws set you apart from surrounding nations. Not only your worship, but your laws set you apart.
Because we what we don't want to do is compare the law of Deuteronomy to the laws of today.
Now there could be some parallels, right? But what we need to do is compare them to the laws of ancient times. Nations and empires that were contemporary with the nation of Israel, you will find that there is a remarkable comparison in structure. Because it begins with the prologue, and then it goes into, and it talks about the history, and then it goes into the specific laws themselves. And then, when those laws are done communicating those laws, then it goes into a blessing and a cursing, blessings and curses.
for keeping or not keeping these laws. That was very common. But But One reason why this law, following this law, sets the people apart, is because this law reflects God's goodness and care, not just his demands. These laws are good for the people. and they reflect the character of God.
Section number five is chapters 27 to 30, and I've entitled this The Choice of Life or Death. The choice of life or death. And that truly is the case. Moses says that to the people: I've laid before you life and death, you choose. God made man with a capacity to choose, and He respects that choice.
This is propositional truth. And propositional truth requires human response. The blessings and the curses. But what this definitely points out in this section is. the necessity of a new heart.
the necessity of a new heart. Because unfortunately, Moses makes it very clear. He says, I know. that after my departure You're going to fail. But that's where he says the Lord will circumcise your hearts.
God makes a promise. And then the last section is chapters 31 to 34. which includes a benediction and then the record of succession of leadership. There's significant music and poetry in this section. You've been listening to Delight in Grace, the teaching ministry of Rich Powell, pastor of Grace Bible Church in Winston-Salem.
To hear this message and others, check out WWW dot delight and grace dot com. to discover how to live by grace, Tune in with us on weekdays at 10 a.m.
