Welcome to Delight in Grace. The Teaching Ministry of Rich Powell. pastor of Grace Bible Church in Winston-Salem. Deuteronomy 11 is a pep talk for the people of Israel. It's a call for them to remember all that God has done.
and all that he has called them to.
so that they can move forward boldly in faith.
Now, as we look at God's message to the people of Israel, we can also be challenged. to hold tight to God's word, His self-disclosure. to see his faithfulness through the ages, Let His Word be the stable place from which we launch out in confident faith. Let's listen to this message titled, Lay Up These Words in Your Heart. This is part three of a message first preached on July 7th, 2024 at Grace Bible Church in Winston-Salem.
Now, as prosperous Americans, the first place we go when we hear the word prosper is where? Big house. Five cars in the garage, yada yada yada right? No. We're not under the Mosaic law.
Walk with God and you will prosper. For Israel, they were under this specific covenant. And God said, if you walk with me, you will prosper in the land. This is a land I love. And you know what?
It rains there. Why was that a big deal? Because it didn't do that in Egypt. How did they have to water their fields in Egypt? They had to irrigate them.
They had to build paths, channels for the water to get to the plants. He says, guess what? In the land that you're going to, it's going to rain. Water will fall from the sky on your plants. That's a blessing.
Don't ever. complain about rain. Not to me, you don't. You complain about rain to me, I'll say, oh no, you didn't. Unless you'd rather live in the Sahara Desert.
Walk with God, and you will prosper. What do I mean by this? New covenant. Walk with God and your soul will prosper. And when I say walk with God, I'm not talking about, okay, these are all the things I need to be doing for God.
Is that what I mean? No, it's not. Walk with, hear, as we said last time, hear the heart of God. calling to the hearts of his people. Walk with God in your soul.
will prosper. That doesn't mean there's not hardship. That doesn't mean there's no sorrow. Because in Christ there can be joy even in sorrow. This is a whole nother sermon.
So, you know, come back another time. Right? Your soul will prosper. Walk with God and your soul will prosper. Because follow him into blessing.
This is what he's telling them, verse 13, 14, and 15 here. And what is the prosperity that we will have? in Christ as we walk with God. It's called the fruit. of the spirit.
And what is that? Love? Joy, peace, patience, guidance. goodness, self control, You know what that is? That is a soul prospering.
It doesn't mean you will arrive. And it doesn't mean that you will have the height of satisfaction. You can't achieve that on this side of the sun. One day you will. But we're called to walk with God into this blessing.
It is a settled satisfaction in the goodness of God and reflection of His goodness and character. the prosperous soul. This is the closest I'm ever going to come to a commercial in the middle of a sermon. There's little books out on the kiosks. And they're entitled, How Can I Grow in Hospitality?
Let me read this to you. This is just a portion here. Hospitality is an act. of worship. Let me pause there for a minute.
This is Rich Powell saying this. Hospitality is a lost virtue in today's society. I'm not talking about hotels. Hospitality is a virtue that must be resurrected. among God's people.
if we are to be the church. There's a lot of it going on here.
Some of you are masters at this, so, this book isn't for you. You know who you are. And I can point to some of you right now, okay?
So if you're a master at this, you don't need this book, but if you're like, Hospitality. What do I do, you know, get this book? It's for you. It's out there. On the kiosks, both sides.
Hospitality is an act of worship, is an expression of love. to God and to others. Hospitality is pointing another image bearer God word. By welcoming that person into our lives and hearts for the sake of Christ. True hospitality is the open-handed acknowledgement of God's.
Goodness. Towards us. that overflows to others. Hospitality comes from a soul that prospers. And I really screwed up.
strongly want to encourage you to develop contemplate, develop, practice hospitality. Why? Because it's an overflow. Of the goodness and the bounty of God. Paul tells the Romans, welcome one another as God has welcomed you.
Let's practice hospitality. And for those of you who are masters at it, plan on teaching a class or something. We've got some real masters of hospitality in this congregation. But all of us, and it's a gift, it's a gift, but it is also a command for all believers.
So, all right, back to the text. Walk with God and your soul will prosper. None of this that I spoke of before. The reflection of the goodness and character of God. The fruit of the Spirit, the subtle satisfaction, none of this eliminates or excludes brokenness.
or hardship, but it can be realized in the midst of that brokenness and hardship.
Okay, we don't deny brokenness and hardship. But the joy of Christ can be experienced. in that brokenness and hardship. And then he continues in the same theme, verses 16 and 17: don't squander your privilege by distraction and earthbound thinking. Because you know what?
You're going to be faced with distraction and earthbound thinking. Keep your gaze fixed on the one who alone is worthy of your trust and your devotion. Beware of earthbound thinking. All right, so number three: follow him into blessing. How to take God at his word?
Contemplate, consider what he has done. Number two, walk forward in trust and obedience. Number three, Follow him. into blessing. Number four.
Beginning at verse 18. And this is key. Look at verse 18 with me. You shall therefore lay up these words of mine in your heart. And in your soul.
That's taking God at His Word. This is a key part of it. Number four, anchor your heart. And mind in his word. Thank you, Carly, for correcting that typo in my notes.
I left out a letter in here that changed the meaning entirely.
Okay, anchor your heart and mind. In God's Word. What we have here is like a repeat of the Shema back in chapter 6. You remember that? Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one.
You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your might. And he talks about binding them on your hand, the frontlets between your eyes, putting them on your door posts. What is that? It's anchoring your heart and mind in His Word. And I want you to look at a word with me here, verse 18.
You shall therefore lay up these words of mine in your heart and in your soul. That word lay up means to fix something, to affix. In other words, to to mount it. Here it is. Your mind mount.
Your mind. in the words of God. That's a good picture, isn't it? Fix your mind in the word of God. Set it.
Install it. Install it. Build your life upon the Word of God. Here's part of your homework. You ready for this?
Proverbs 2, read it. Read it. What's commanded was promised. For the Lord gives wisdom, from his mouth come knowledge and understanding. Another promise of Paul here, Colossians 3:16.
Let the word of Christ do what? dwell in you in all of its richness. Mount Take your mind and mount it. on the Word of God.
So that the Word of God becomes the foundation. of everything you do with your affections and your attitudes. How else are you going to take God at his word? Practicing the preeminence of Christ happens this way. If you take the wheel of your life and in the center is the hub.
And then the spokes represent all the different areas of your life. There's work, there's finances, there's intellect, there's relationships, there's leisure, all of those. And preeminence is that place right in the center. Everything is vitally connected to that center right there. And there is not a single area of my life that is not directly connected to Jesus Christ.
you How do I glorify Christ in my leisure? How do I glorify Christ? in my family. How do I glorify Christ? in my work.
How do I glorify Christ? with my finances. Anchoring your heart and mind in His Word is practicing the preeminence of Christ. Let me give you an Old Testament example of this. It's probably one of the best known stories in the Old Testament.
David and Goliath. There are words in here. That David said in his self-talk, he said, I'm going to take God at his word. Two places. You remember what was going on?
The Philistines. And they had a champion, Goliath, he was massive. They say, send out a man. If I win, we take over. If he wins, you take over, right?
And what were the armies of Israel doing? Cowering.
