Welcome to Delight in Grace. The Teaching Ministry of Rich Powell. pastor of Grace Bible Church in Winston-Salem. The Bible is God's self-disclosure to us. It's how we can know who God really is.
Deuteronomy 17 is really a window to four things that God cares about deeply when it comes to his people. Not surprisingly, these are four things that lead to human flourishing. Let's listen to this message, titled You Shall Purge the Evil. This is part two of a message first preached on August 25th, 2024. We're givers.
We give to the Lord and to His ministry. You know, if I have money left over at the end of the month, I'll give it to the church. God's not interested in that. He doesn't want your leftovers. If he's preeminent, He deserves it from the top because when that happens, you recognize that.
Ultimately, it all belongs to him anyway. It's all his. He's not interested in half-hearted worship. In half-hearted worship, we worship and it's all about form. It's all about form.
And there are so many people today that, well, you know, if it's not this particular form, I really don't feel like I'm worshiping. It's not about the form. God looks at the heart. Are you worshiping from the heart? Are you worshiping the Lord with your whole heart?
That really is the point. He says as he indicts the people, these people worship me with their lips, their mouths, but their hearts are far from me. And it makes God lament. God cares very deeply, very deeply about this. Because how we worship The condition of our heart when we worship.
speaks of what we think of God. Is he indeed Lord? Of my life? Have I acknowledged? Have I surrendered myself to Him as Lord of my life?
These are things that God cares about and he knows our hearts. Here's a third thing, and it's idolatry from verses two through seven. He says there's no room for idolatry. in the worship of Jehovah God. You see, Israel was a Theistic nation.
God was the God of Israel. They were a people, a chosen people, a chosen ethnicity. A nation. chosen by God. And he was their ruler and their king.
And he says, if you introduce, if somebody introduces the worship of another God. another faith system. then that is to the demise. of this people. God cares about that very deeply.
So, no idolatry. In others, you abandon following Jehovah to follow a different. object of worship. for your security and your satisfaction. This was a capital offense.
Where we need to understand the necessary discontinuity between the Old Testament and the New Testament. We are under the new covenant.
So Don't think this gives us license to go out and stone somebody who believes differently than we do.
Okay. We are not an ethnic. religious system.
Okay? We are the people of God. And we are called to the gospel of grace. But let this challenge us in our hearts. Because if you are honest this morning, if every one of us is honest, the heart is an idle thing.
factory. There are any idols in there that need to get. Cut off. God cares about this very deeply. How deeply to him, for this people Israel, it was a capital offense.
to worship an idol. It's pretty serious, isn't it? Here's another thing that God cares about very deeply, and that is that we are a people of humble accountability. Humble accountability. We see this in chapter 17, verses 8 to 13.
There were some people, you know, because people are different, right? And people have different priorities.
Sometimes people's desires and ambitions clash, right? Or sometimes there's a lack of understanding. Or sometimes people make mistakes, right? And in these cases, sometimes there's a hard case that can't be handled in the local civil authorities. And so he says, the hard cases, take them to the temple, take them to the temple, the hard cases, to the priests and the judges.
And this hard case goes and you make the appeal and they make a decision, then they make a decision, the priests and the judges, and then you are called to abide by that decision that they make. Whether you have to pay restitution or receive a punishment, whatever that decision is. You have to abide by that decision. It's abide by the decision of God-ordained authority. Because he says, if you don't, look with me down to verse 12, the man who acts presumptuously by not obeying the priest, who stands to minister there before the Lord your God or the judge, that man shall die.
Another capital offense. If a decision is handed down, now remember, this is the people of Israel. The law of Moses was a specific law for a specific people. for a specific time. But it shows the heart of God.
what matters to him. And we're learning from this. And he is not interested in people who act presumptuously. What does it mean that they would act presumptuously? It's pride manifested in insolence.
Let me get that right there. Pride manifested in innocence. That does j just doesn't compute, does it? Pride manifested in insolence. This was a capital offense.
He says you need to purge the evil. What is this insolence? It is the declaration that I am my own authority. You are not. But no one is.
Every one of us is under authority, even the highest position in the land. is under authority. Get a kick out of nations that still have kings and queens that are little more than figureheads anymore. You know, they call them sovereigns. They're anything but sovereign.
They're absolutely bound. to the laws of the land. They're not sovereign. God cares about this deeply. You are not your own authority.
We are in community accountable to a higher authority. As the people of Israel were, they needed to understand themselves as a people in a community accountable to a higher authority. But it's also true for us as a church, we are a community. And we, all of us, are accountable to a higher authority, and that authority is the self-disclosure of God himself. And we must see ourselves that way.
And the insolent person would be the person who say, you can't tell me what to do. It's very common, isn't it? But it calls us to be humble. and it it produces peace and joy. This produces this humble disposition.
Of humble obedience, humble accountability. Produces peace and joy. 2 Corinthians 1, verse 24, Paul says, Not that we lord it over your faith. Paul is speaking as an apostle here. Commissioned with the authority of Jesus, not that we lord it over your faith, but we work with you for your joy, for you stand firm in your faith.
Isn't that a beautiful thought? Work together with you for your joy. As pastors of the church, we look at you and say, we work together with you for your joy. And sometimes that includes putting an arm around you like a hook and saying, come walk. Come back this way and walk with me in a Godward direction.
For your joy. Peter says it. That the bishop is in 1 Peter 5:3, the bishop is not to be domineering. Not lording it over your faith, but as examples. And then Hebrews 13:17, we know this verse well: obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls as those who will have to give an account.
Let them do this with joy and not with groaning. for that would be of no advantage to you.
So what is this? It's a disposition. Of the worshiper of God. The disposition of the worshipper of God is that of humble accountability. You are a person under authority.
We are all under authority. And that is the appropriate disposition of one who is a worshipper of God. And God cares about this very deeply. Lastly, God cares very deeply about godly leadership. And that would make sense, wouldn't it?
If he's calling us to humble accountability, but godly leadership. He begins in verse 14: when you go into the land, listen, the people are going to ask for a king. And you know what? You can have a king. But it needs to be one that I choose.
And sure enough, we go ahead to 1 Samuel chapter 8 after the period of the Judges. Right? Those of you watching online are figuring out what on earth did Rich just do? After the period of the judges, Samuel was the last judge. And he and the people says first People demanded 1 Samuel chapter 8, we demand a king.
Why? Because we want to be like the other nations. And Sam says, you're rejecting the Lord. No, we want a king. And the Lord said to Samuel, let him have a king.
And they chose a popular choice, and it didn't work out so well. But that's, you know, that's. More on that in these coming Sunday nights.
Alright. And he says this, and here's what he says about godly leadership. A king needs to be it's two things two things very important a king A godly leader is one who is undistracted. undistracted. What things can distract.
A person in a position of leadership. Three things. Power Women. and wealth. Thanks for joining us here at Delight in Grace.
You've been listening to Rich Powell, the lead pastor at Grace Bible Church in Winston-Salem. The Delight in Grace mission Is to help you know that God designed you to realize your highest good. and your deepest satisfaction in him. the one who is infinitely good. We hope you'll join us again on weekdays at 10 a.m.
