Welcome to Delight in Grace, the teaching ministry of Rich Powell. Pastor of Grace Bible Church in Winston-Salem. Our greatest freedom is found in our surrender to the benevolent sovereign. He is the one who made us, and he knows what helps us to thrive. God's laws in Deuteronomy 25 were given to Israel to promote human flourishing.
by removing the obstructions of cruelty and repression. And in Deuteronomy twenty six, God's graciousness and his generosity are demonstrated in our lives of worship. When we become aware of God's work for human flourishing, our hearts will be drawn to praise. Let's listen to this message titled, You have Declared the Lord is Your God. This is part three of a message first preached on October 6th, 2024.
God's people.
Okay, few in number to a great, and that's the faithfulness of God. And then we continue. His redemption. It's a reminder of his redemption. Because what happened while they were down in Egypt?
Verse 6, and the Egyptians treated us harshly and humiliated us and laid us on hard labor. What is that? cruelty and repression. And what did God do to Egypt? He decimated their religious system.
and he decimated their army. He drowned him. And as they were in labor, under the labor there of the Egyptians, verse 7, then we cried to the Lord, the God of our fathers, and the Lord heard our voice, and saw our affliction, our toil, and our oppression.
So when we come to the Lord to give our offerings, when the Israel comes and brings the tithe of their produce or their flock. They are remembering Number one, the faithfulness of God. Number two, God's redemption of them. We are here making this offering because God redeemed us, He rescued us and brought us here. to be his people, to worship him.
to serve him. Not the Egyptians. But Jehovah And then, thirdly. When we bring our offerings, the third thing that we are remembering is his goodness. Verse 10.
And behold, now I bring the first of the fruit of the ground which you, O Lord, have given me.
Now that's so important to understand that, isn't it? Whatever business you're in. God is the one who gives you the power to do that. And you shall set it down before the Lord your God and worship before the Lord your God. Verse 11, and you shall rejoice in all the good that the Lord your God has given you and to your house.
and to the Levite and the sojourner who is among you. Here the inherent generosity In this worship, generosity.
So Worship before the Lord your God, and you shall rejoice in all the good that the Lord your God has given you. Israel. When you're in the land and you're settled down, In your regular worship, and you bring the tithe of your produce to the Lord to offer it. You're remembering three things. You're remembering God's faithfulness.
You're remembering. God's redemption of you. You're remembering his goodness. Uh Sounds like a good plan for us, doesn't it? That's why we come together.
But that is also why your worship should not be relegated to just this time and this place. If the only time you remember God's faithfulness, His redemption, and His goodness is Sunday morning at 10 o'clock? You're starving. Spiritually. And so he continues with the instruction that he's given them as they bring their tithes.
to the place that the Lord has dedicated to. Keep his name, and that was Jerusalem.
Okay, the temple there. And it would be in Jerusalem. the tabernacle and then the temple that that uh Solomon would build. And he says this, this is so important, you know, as they're preparing, they set their tithe apart. The tithe is the first fruit, the best stuff that comes at the beginning of harvest season.
The tithe is the first fruit. And they set it apart. They're not giving God leftovers. Do I need to say that again? They're not giving God leftovers.
It's off the top. That's a good idea. and they keep it set apart and they don't abuse it. They're not going to be using it for anything else. It belongs to God because His people and those who lead and worship need sustenance, and the tithes will go to part of that.
and you say, I have obeyed. Verse 14 I have not eaten of the tithe while I was in mourning, or removed any of it while I was unclean, or offered any of it to the dead. I have obeyed the voice of the Lord my God. I have done according to all that you have commanded. I have obeyed the voice of the Lord my God.
God has called us to worship in this fashion, so the Israelites will remember: this is God's prescription for worship. We're doing this because this is how God has ordained it to be. But then what is he doing? What are they doing here? They're invoking.
The terms of the covenant. They're invoking the terms of the mosaic. Covenant. which, by the way, was a conditional covenant. Conditional means if, then.
And that's exactly what we find here in verses 14 and 15. When the people can honestly, with integrity, say, I have obeyed the voice of the Lord my God, then look at verse 15. Look, that is the then. There's an implied then there, all right? Look down from your holy habitation from heaven and bless your people, Israel, and the ground that you have given us, as you swore to our fathers, a land flowing with milk and honey.
As long as the people obeyed the voice of the Lord. Then they could invoke the terms of the covenant and say, Lord, bless your people. We have obeyed your voice. Bless your people and your land. That was the Mosaic covenant.
And they were called to even invoke that. But then we get even deeper into it when we get to the next part, beginning at verse 16. This day the Lord your God commands you to do these statutes and rules. You shall, here it is, you shall therefore be careful to do them. Regularly, like a well-oiled machine.
Is that what he says? Do it because that's just what you're supposed to do. Go to church on Sunday because that's what Christians do. Is that what he says? You shall be careful to do them with all your heart.
and with all your soul.
Now that takes it to a whole different category, doesn't it? We do it because we love God. Because he is worthy. Obey with all your heart and all your soul, declares the Lord. And even going down.
To verse 17, you have declared today, this is the title of today's message: you have declared today that the Lord is your God. The Lord is you have declared by your worship By your life of worship, you are declaring that the Lord is your God. Let's do this. As the church, this is what we're called to. By our worship, by our lives of worship, we declare that the Lord is our God.
Meaning he is My highest authority. He is the point of my existence. It is his opinion alone that I seek to please. And that is declared by my life. of worship, not just my act of worship in this room, but my life of worship.
And then, I love where he goes with this. If that's the case. That's the case. To keep his statutes. You will walk in all his ways.
You see, that's not just what happens at an event of worship. It is a life of worship, to walk in all his ways, keep his statutes and his commandments and his rules, and will obey his voice. And then What is God's response to that? And the Lord has declared today that you are a people for his treasured possession.
Now, that sounds like something in 1 Peter, doesn't it? You are his own special people, a people for his own possession. And he's writing that to the church. As he has promised. As he has promised.
You are a people for his treasured possession. You belong to me, the Lord says. You're mine. Yeah. I've called you by name.
You see, God's family, God loves his children. And he wants his children to love him and walk with him. Not perfunctually, not mechanically, not just habitually because that's what Christians do. In fact, remember Isaiah and Jesus quoted it in Matthew. God's not interested in people who go through all the motions.
These people worship me with their mouths, but what? Their heart is far from me. That doesn't impress God. At all. That's not what he wants.
He wants us. He wants our hearts. That's what he's calling for here. He says, because I want you to be a people holy to the Lord. What does it mean, a people holy to the Lord?
You are free and flourishing. Yeah. Holy to the Lord, free and flourishing. And that's what he says as he wraps it up here in verse 19. And this he will say.
And that he will set you in praise and in fame and in honor high above all the nations that he has made, that you shall be a people holy to the Lord your God as he prays. promised. His people. free and flourishing. Let me bring that to today now because we're not under the law of Moses.
We are under the new covenant. And Jesus enacted that new covenant. by his death on the cross. And all of us who are in Christ, having surrendered in faith to Him. All of us who are in Christ are His people.
His family. And God was so interested in that. He foreshadowed that in the people of Israel, and he foretold it by the prophet Isaiah. 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.
