Disappointed so Deuteronomy chapter 4 and we'll get right into it here. The Bible says in verse 1
Now therefore harken O Israel unto the statutes and of the judgments which I teach you for to do them
They may live and go in and possess the land which the Lord your God the Lord God of your fathers
Giveth you you shall not add
Unto the word which I command you neither shall you diminish ought from it
That you may keep the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you now
It's a great principle right there in verse 2 where it says you shall not add under the words
Which I command you and you shall not diminish hot from it either
You know that tells us a couple of things and one of that your God doesn't you know doesn't take his word lightly
What he says, you know, he says what is sufficient and he doesn't appreciate people tampering with his word
And we see a lot of that today
don't we with all these false versions and things that are out there that people are adding to and
Diminishing ought from the Word of God removing verses
You know whole whole sections of Scripture changing it adding to it
Manipulating the Word of God, you know and God isn't gonna hold those people guiltless
You know their part the Bible says shall be removed out of the book of life
You know, that's that's one thing that God really draws us, you know
He draws a lot of lines and that's a real particular one that he draws pretty deep and says you should not do this
So that's one way you can look at that
But another way that you could look at that is the fact that you know
We should not add unto the word and we should not diminish it front from it in the sense that you know from in our
own teaching
You know those that would preach or get up and teach God's Word, you know
We should make sure that the things that we're teaching and preaching
Commanding of the Word of God are of the Word of God and nothing more
You know
we shouldn't get up and start adding other things to the Word of God or adding the traditions of men and teaching for the
The traditions of men for the doctor teaching the traditions of men for the doctrines of God
We shouldn't get up and teach tradition. Like it's something that God commands. I mean we could all have preferences
We can all have things that we like done a certain way or principles or things that we think are best done
But they're not clearly lined out in Scripture or we could say it's you should or should not do this and there's areas
There's gray areas. There's areas where we can have preferences, but we should never get up and preach our preferences as
Commandments and say it's this way and without a clear scripture everything that we teach and believe
Should be based on clear scripture and if you don't have clear scripture, you know, what do you have to stand on?
You know, it might just be your opinion
It just might be some tradition and just might be something false that you were taught even I mean
Here's the thing. I mean hasn't God given us enough to keep track of as it is
I mean the Bible's got a lot of do's and don'ts in it. I was got a lot of rules
You know
We don't need to sit and sit there and make up new rules and try to add to the Word of God
And try to lay even a more of a burden on on ourselves by adding to God's Word and his commandments
So we shouldn't be adding to the burden, you know
There's plenty there for us to get right and to keep right and and and to work on
But the other hand, you know that then people go to the other extreme don't they then they start excusing people
They might not be adding on to the commandments of God, but they like to diminish off from it
They'd like to say well, you know, I know this is what the Bible says
But you know, you don't really know that's that's Old Testament or you know, we're under great
So they'll have all kinds of different
excuses for whatever
You know particular commandment they have a problem with that. They'll actually start excusing other people from their God-given responsibilities
You know, they'll start diminishing off from the Word of God. So we don't want to do either
You know, we don't want to add to the Word of God
But we also we don't want to diminish from it either you want to make sure that we're you know
We're teaching the whole counsel of God and and not leaving anything off and again not adding anything to it
So a great principle right there in verse 2
He goes on and says in verse 3 your eyes have seen what the Lord had done what the Lord did because of Baal Peor
For all the men that followed Baal Peor the Lord God thy God hath destroyed them from among you
But he that did cleave unto the Lord your God are alive every one of you this day
Behold I have taught you statutes and judgments even as the Lord my God commanded me
Then you should do so in the land whether you go to possess it keep therefore and do them
For this is your wisdom and understanding in the sight of the nations
What shall hear all these statutes and say surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people
But what nation is there so great who hath God so nigh unto them as the Lord our God in all these things that we call
Upon him for and what nation is there so great that hath statutes and judgments
So righteous is all this law, which I set before you this day
And you know that goes to show us and we have to be reminded the fact that God intended Israel in the Old Testament
To be a light unto the Gentiles he intended them to be a testimony of God to the whole world
That the the the Gentile nations would look unto Israel and would become believers and followers in the one true
God that they would they would look and have this same reaction that's described here
They would say what nation is there so great who hath God so nigh unto them
As the Lord our God and what nation is so great that has statutes and judgments so righteous is all this law. I mean
People should be looking at those that teach and represent God and his law and they should be in orbit
They should be in awe of the righteousness of the law of God now. Is that what we see today?
Do we see people looking at the Bible and reading it and saying and being in awe of the book of Leviticus?
Are people in awe of the book of
Deuteronomy are they in awe of the book of you know
The five books of Moses and are they in awe of the whole of Scripture and all the statutes and the judgments and the and the law
That God gives in his word. Do they call it righteous? They say this is good. They say wow
This is really something, you know, what nation is so great
This is so wise and what an understanding people that believe these things. That's not what they do today
They mock and they scoff and they ridicule and they and they they don't exalt the Word of God, you know
And obviously there's no nation that's following and keeping
You know practicing the laws that are given out in God's Word
but that was the intent of Israel in the Old Testament that they would kid they would live by the Word of God and
they would have a
Society based upon the Word of God and that other nations would look on and say that nations got it, right?
And that's the thing if we had a nation that and you know America is loosely based on the Bible a lot of it
You know, there's a lot of principles and things
that we have from the from the Bible that our forefathers, you know tried to put into into our in our you know, our government and
You know for that reason we do to some degree experience, you know greater liberty than a lot of other nations
Even to the little bit that our nation still observes the statutes and the judgments of God we benefit from that
You know not to the degree that God would intend a nation to benefit from his word, but it's there
It does happen and it's showing us here that if a nation would embrace the Word of God if a nation would embrace
The law and the commandments and the statutes and the judgments of the Bible
That it would be such a wonderful thing that nation would be so wise and understanding
That the other nations around it would look at it and say this is amazing
Truly, this this nation has the Lord God is their God. This is the true and living God
That's what God intended for Israel. And it also shows us and if you would
Go ahead and turn over to Psalm 9. Psalm chapter 9, of course keep something there dude around me
That was God's intent
For Israel and it also shows us that
You know, it's God's law that exalts a nation
It's not the nation itself
You know if a nation is exalted and lifted up it becomes mighty, you know, it's it's it's usually directly
Related to how much they observe God's law
Now, you know, we're also living in a time where if you know
Nations are being lifted up for other reasons. They're they're powerful like like the United States
But when God exalts a nation, it's because they're exalting God if that makes sense
And the Bible says that the law of God is perfect. It's the testimony. The Lord is sure the statutes of the Lord are right
You know, we should there should never be anything in the Word of God that we're ashamed of
Then we should back away and say and then someone say well you believe this and turn this to a past
So you believe that?
And try to explain it away, you know diminish ought from it
We're trying to add unto it say well you got to understand back then and try to explain something away
There's no part of the Bible that we should ever back down and be ashamed of
We should be able to brace the whole thing the Bible says happy is the people that is in such a case
Yeah, happy is the people whose God is the Lord
If we had a nation that embraced the Lord that embraced the statutes and the judgments of the Word of God
They would be a happy people Bible says
Bible says righteousness exalted a nation, but sin is our approach to any people and
Let me tell you something
We are living in a country that is putting off the Word of God
To whatever degree we had embraced it in the past. We're we're moving away from that
We're casting off the Word of God. They're banning the Word of God. They've kicked God out of the public schools
They've kicked God out of the public, you know courts. They've kicked God out of the public square every chance they get
they don't want to mention anywhere and
You know what's happened? It's turned this nation into a reproach. I mean look at the things that are going on in our country
The wickedness and the vile disgusting filth that's being exalted in this country right now and
Paraded up and down our streets and promoted out throughout the whole world. You know, that's our approach to this people
We you know, that's our approach to the United States of America
to those that have what you know that have woken up to the truth and are
Brainwashed by the media and it can unsee it for what it is those that
Understand righteousness and truth and holiness. They we look at the filth that's going on this nation and it's a reproach
It's it's it's disgusting, you know, you know brother Fabian
We're out soul winning today and he's telling me about these Halloween direction decorations. He said he sees now
He saw this one in this house where it was clearly something that some kids made, you know, they do that in schools
They'll build certain types of the year. They'll you know Thanksgiving
They put their hand on the paper and they make the turkey in school and they bring it back
You know the turkey decoration they do all these everything well Halloween, you know
Sometimes they have the kids make Halloween director decorations and on this house. There's this hand-drawn little cross upside down
You know the kid probably didn't know what they were doing
But you know, that's where we're at where kids don't even understand that they're just mocking the things of Christ mocking the things of God
It's wicked and it's a reproach to any people when we cast off the Word of God
look there in Psalm 9 where it says in verse 17 the wicked shall be turned into hell and
All nations that forget God every single one of them there are no exceptions here, you know
We're not just because we're in the United States and you know, don't get me wrong. I'm glad to be in this country
There's no other country
I'd rather be in and I'm thankful for the freedoms that we still have and pray that we could still use them and preserve them
But a nation that forgets God no matter who it is, even our own nation will be turned into hell. That's the Bible says
For the needy shall not always be forgotten
The
Expectation of the poor shall not perish forever
Arise o Lord let not man prevail let the heathen be judged in thine sight put them in fear
Oh Lord that the nations may know themselves to be but men
see if people want
To get all excited about you know
rah rah, you know this country that country and
What they forget is that a nation a country, you know
This idea of patriotism all it is in the end of days. It's just men
It's just man. It's just representing mankind and men, you know aren't aren't the greatest thing in the world
you know, they do a lot of wicked things they do a lot of
Terrible things and you know national pride when I read the scripture here in other places as well
You know, I don't see national pride being a concept in Scripture where we should have this nationalistic pride
You know, I just don't see it and and I
You know, I'm welcome to be corrected on that
someone could show me and say this is where we should the Bible says that we should you know be patriotic and
Pledge our allegiance and loyalty to a nation, you know, we should we should pledge our allegiance to Christ in his kingdom
You know and if we live in a nation that exalts God then great
Let's get behind that and that's something that maybe we could
You know take us, you know, if I could say a sense of pride maybe you know
We could be grateful for that. We live in a country that exalts the righteousness
But here's the thing. We're not we're not living in a country that exalts holiness and righteousness and godliness. We're not
So why would I get all excited about the United States? Why would I start waving flags and you know?
Putting the stickers on my car and pounding my chest about the United States
This country's got a lot of blood on its hands people a lot
And it's a wicked country and it's casting off God and it's moving away from the scripture and it's moving away from the things
of God and
The Bible says that sometimes nations they just need to be judged and put in fear so that they understand something that they're just men
That the end of the day were just men
And that's why I don't you know, I'm not a big proponent of
You know and people again, I'm not that this is preference
This is not trying to say you shouldn't vote but I'm not a big proponent of it
You know, I don't think that God's blessing is going to be found through a ballot box. I just don't I
Don't think you're gonna go and vote this country into inter righteous living. You're not gonna vote this country into embracing the Bible
You know, it's gonna be kept that that's gonna happen when God's people keep God's Commandments
And we go out and we win souls and teach others these things and you know, we perfectly honest
I hate being pessimistic, but sometimes I wonder if we're just a little bit past the tipping point
Where it's kind of maybe too late where all we can do now is just kind of hang on and we're about to go for
a ride
with this country and just you know, and we do what we can along the way so
If you came to be uplifted tonight
Yes, I don't know but you know, this is the reality that we're living in this is where we're at in this country
We're in a country. That's I mean
Do I have to get up here and rehearse them and remind everybody what's going on out there? I
Mean, it's the same what's going on out there just in the short time that I've been alive
You know when I was growing up in junior high and things like that today till today, you know the course of 20-some years
All right, maybe 30 years, but you know, it's it's it's just taken off this country's it's gone mad
it's because people have cast off God and
You know, we shouldn't be afraid we shouldn't fear that we should just understand that that's the way it's going to be in the end
You know perilous times shall come the Bible says and that's where we're at
so let's just you know, let's do our part to
Exalt our families and exalt our own lives by lifting up the Word of God
Let's go ahead and move on here look at verse 9 it says only take heed to thyself and keep thy soul diligently
Lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen and lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life
But teach them thy sons and thy son sons
Especially the day that thou stoodest before the Lord thy God in horror. So God begins here Moses here is beginning to
Draw special attention to this particular day, you know, he's telling them it look you need to you know
Don't forget the things that you've seen and heard you know teach them of thy sons and thy son sons
Especially the day that thou stoodest before the Lord thy God in horror
You know when you go on you read it, of course
He's referring to the fact that God came down in a pillar of fire upon Mount Sinai and gave the law
He says there and he says when the Lord said unto me gather the people together and I will make them hear my words
That they may learn to fear me all the days that they shall live upon the earth and they may teach their children
I mean when God came down he was trying to make a very strong impression on them
And
And I think he did that and even to this time and we were reading about the story
I mean, that's one of my favorite stories in the Bible
is reading about God coming down upon Sinai and the trumpets and the and the voice and the
Quakings and the thunders and the lightning. I mean, it's it's a magnificent story
I mean, I sometimes I read it. I just try to imagine myself just being there, you know in that camp
Maybe maybe some way, you know, you get a big crowd
You know, maybe not be right up close to the action, but just seeing that from afar in this crowd
Just a pillar of fire coming down in this mountain the ground shaking on your feet the thick black clouds and the lightning
That really happened, you know, some people saw that these people saw that happen
and he said in verse 11 and
He came here and stood under the mountain and the mountain burned with fire into the midst of heaven with darkness clouds and thick
Darkness, I mean under the midst of heaven
So here's this fire just coming down and I sent and going up into these clouds of where they just disappears in the sky
I mean, it's God coming down out of heaven in this pillar of fire upon this mountain. What an amazing sight this must have been
And he goes on in verse 12 and the Lord spake unto you out of the midst of the fire
You know, so it's not just that they saw this they actually heard God speak
You know, this is a really this is a very special thing God doesn't do this often
In fact, you know, this is one of the few times you ever see it
I was trying to think about the only other time I can think about God speaking from heaven to man
was upon the mountain transfiguration
Where Peter piped up when Jesus was, you know, transfigured he saw Moses and Elijah
And he said let us prepare here three tabernacles one for thee and one for Moses with Elijah the cloud overshadowed them
And they heard a voice from heaven saying this is my beloved son hear him and what was Peter what was their reaction
you know, they fell down and they quake and they were afraid and Jesus had to come and touch them and
Not to fear not and then they woke up. They saw no man, but Jesus
So, I mean, this is a special thing when you hear God speaking from heaven
I mean they're hearing God speak out in the midst of the fire
Remember and he's talking to you know millions of people so to make himself heard. He's got to really be speaking very loud
I mean, it must have been to some deafening to hear God speak
Have you ever been to any kind of like a public like a concert or any kind of a you know?
Public gathering where there's someone speaking over a PA system or something like that. I mean sometimes that gets really loud
But I don't think anyone's ever heard it as loud as God God that day. I mean God is just booming his voice
He says he heard the voice of the words, but saw no similitude
Only he heard a voice
You know and there was a reason for that, you know
We're gonna see that here that God really emphasizes this like look you didn't see anything that day
You didn't see God. You don't know what he looks like
You know, all you heard was a voice
Yeah, you saw all these other things the fire the clouds the lightning all these other things
That you know made a strong impression that that that God was present
But the only thing that you were that happened the only thing about God is that you heard him you didn't see him
You didn't see any similitude. It says there
And he declared unto you as covenant
Which he commanded you to perform even ten commandments and he wrote them upon two tables of stone
And the Lord commanded me at that time to teach you statutes and judgments that you may do them the land whether you go over
To possess it take ye therefore good heed unto yourselves for he saw no manner of similitude
So again, he's bringing us up. He's being repetitive here is being redundant
You know, he's saying look you didn't see anything. You didn't see anything. You didn't see God
Then you didn't see any manner of similitude in the day the Lord spake unto you in horror out of the midst of the fire
So Moses is drawing real special attention here in the fact, you know, not only to what they did see, you know
He's reminding them remember everything. You didn't see all of that magnificent sight of the fire and everything
So yeah
He's bringing that he's drawing their attention to what they did see but he's also drawing their attention to what the fact that they didn't
See something that they didn't see God that they didn't see his actual similitude
And what he's doing here the reason why he's emphasizing this point is
Because he's trying to curb idolatry among the children of Israel
Because this is something I was very prevalent in the land where they're going over to possess
They were idolaters the Canaanites, you know, they were making you know, even Egypt that they came out of idolaters
You remember Aaron he made the golden calf. This is something that they're used to
You know making things that they call God these these statues these images that they craft they mold that they make
And saying well, this is God this be your gods. Oh Israel, and he's here saying look you didn't see God
You didn't see God you saw no similitude. He's driving it home because he wants to curb that
He doesn't want them going into that. I mean imagine being God and then you know, nobody knows, you know
You know you have your children and then they make an image they say well
This is this is an image of my dad and it just looks nothing like you
This is me and my dad, you know, it's a picture of them with some stranger. It's my dad
Look dad. It's a picture of me and you
You're like, who is that?
That's not me. Oh, no, it's you. That's you dad. That's how God me
I mean God actually I'm trying to put it down on a human level but think about that with God
You know, you're we're over the people Aaron's over there making a golden calf. This is God
You know and God has never even been seen. I mean what an insult what a smack in the face
And it just you know makes you scratch it why it's why this man have to have something tangible like that to call God
It's just it's it's very odd buddy so here he is he's trying to curb this idolatry
He doesn't want them going back into this idolatry and that's exactly what happens, isn't it?
When they stray when they forget God when they leave off God if they go right into it
They just go right into idolatry like that
and
God's trying to curb that you know, and that's why you know, we have no accurate
Depictions of Christ today, you know that long-haired blue-eyed hippie that they try to pass off as Jesus that fed me looking clear
I'd like to say this is what Jesus looked like. That's not what Jesus looked like
One how do you know? Well one he's got long hair
And the Bible says it's a shame for a man to have long hair
so that'd be pretty hypocritical wouldn't it and Jesus wasn't hypocrite and
You know, the Bible says that he hath no form of comeliness that we should desire and there was nothing special about his physical appearance
When he walked around on this earth that and I believe God made sure that nobody there might have been people who tried to draw
It or something or have some depiction of Jesus if they did I'm sure God made sure it got destroyed some way
You know some guys following Jesus around, you know, like those courtroom drawings or something like that
He's trying to make a portrait of Jesus
And gets it all done and then just burst in the flames or something
Wind comes and just takes it away and blows into some lake or something. I mean God there are no accurate depictions
All those depictions that we see those came hundreds of years later is after Christ hundreds of years
All the people that see Jesus first hand were dead and gone
So, how do they know what he looked like they don't you know, and it's just funny because they always depict him
You know as some you know, if the European everyone every nationality depicts Jesus in their own in their own
To reflect them, you know, the Europeans have a white Jesus
You know the black you have a black Jesus, you know, everyone tries to do it make him look like him
You know if you had to guess what color he had, I mean the Bible doesn't tell us
But I don't think he was blond hair blue eyed and white as a snow, you know, he's from the Middle East
So
But you know, this just goes shows us that God doesn't want us making depictions of him
I'm saying oh, this is what God looks like and
Moses here is just driving this in saying you saw no similar to don't make any graven images. He's trying to curb this
Because of verse 16 because he knows what happens when man starts to
Make these images
He says lest you corrupt yourselves and make you a graven image
The smell dude of any figure the likeness of male or female
The likeness of any beast that is on the earth the likeness of any we could follow that flies in the air
the likeness of anything that creepeth on the ground the likeness of any fish that is in the waters beneath them the earth and
now listed
Lift up thine eyes unto heaven and without seeing us the Sun the moon and the stars and all the hosts of heaven
Should just be driven to worship them and to serve them
Which the Lord thy God hath divided unto all nations under heaven
But the Lord hath taken you and brought you forth out of the iron first even unto
Egypt to be unto him a people of inheritance as ye are this day
It's God saying look don't make any of these things because Pete they just go overboard
When they start making everything they make start making images of everything
You know that every saint has to have a statue now in the Catholic Church
You know, you got to have Mary's got to have a statue, you know gonna have a statue for Jesus
You got to have all these images now and it corrupts people, you know
They it takes them away from the true and living God. They start to worship an actual image a porcelain
you know model of
Whoever it might be they bow down they worship them and go go
Go over to India go over to these Buddhist countries and watch where they practice
You know Buddhism and watch them bow down and bring offerings and you know, I remember
Going up in North Phoenix, you know, we had the location up in North Phoenix on 35th Avenue
you know, I stopped by on Sundays and we would go to rainbow donuts and
We'd walk in and over next to the donut case behind the counter
They had their little Buddha with a little tiny thing around it and they were I'm not kidding
You post cup of coffee and a donut in front of this
Apparently Buddha likes likes sprinkled
And black coffee and it's been there a while
You know what coffee sits in the cup for a while starts evaporating get that brown stain around the edge
I'm like, it's yeah, then she made a clue folks. I'm not drinking it
Evaporating the donut still whole
You know say well should you give you about those donuts? Well, you know, we understand that an idol is nothing, you know
Let every man, you know
Eating this donut offer to an idol cause my brother defender shall eat no donuts and you know the world standards
But I didn't have a problem that I said as long as you didn't sacrifice that donut
You're gonna give me you know, cuz I see how long you let them stay out there
But it's perfect example, you know, and I'm not one to turn down a day. We'll go
But it just goes to show you people they get carried away
There they'll say I leave let me bring a donut to my little statue set it down to worship. This is my god
You know sitting there next to the broom. I
Mean how are you bringing God down to such a low level you're the concept and idea of of God the Creator
Like you get a capsule God in this tiny little statue and and you can serve him
By giving him dough now you're providing for this little thing
It's it's insulting to the true living God to worship the stars and the heavens and the moon that you know
That God created. Oh, let me worship the Sun. Why don't you worship the woman made that?
We worship the stars. Well, why don't you worship the one who put every star in its place?
It knows every single one of them by name
Now in verse 20
He says but the Lord hath taken you and brought you forth out of the iron furnace
Even out of Egypt to be unto him a people of inheritance as you are this day
And I love that phrase and I've wanted to preach a sermon about this for so long
This sprays out of the iron furnace, you know guys that might be wanting to write a sermon. There you go
I just gave you one right out of the iron furnace
Go and steal my thunder
But you know for and for the longest time I couldn't understand what he meant by that and then I figured it out
And I thought well that's you ever you ever have something if I will you can't get in and then later it clicks
You're like, how did I not understand that? That's so simple
So he says he brought him out of the iron furnace even out of Egypt. So what's the iron furnace?
It's Egypt. All right, that's what he's calling Egypt here. He's saying Egypt is the iron furnace and
You know, he's he eludes Egypt in the same way. I'll read him first Kings
He said for they be thy people. This is Solomon, you know dedicating a
temple thy inheritance
Which thou brought us forth out of Egypt from the midst of the furnace of iron. So this is something that
Yeah, that is a phrase that's used to describe Egypt
He calls it an iron furnace the furnace of iron
So, what does he mean by that again you see that same thing in Jeremiah verse 11
Which I commanded your fathers in the day that I brought them forth out of the land Egypt from the iron furnace
So again again again iron furnace Egypt these things that's what he's calling Egypt. It's the iron furnace
now I
Try to kind of understand what he meant by that
I'm thinking okay
The iron part kind of confusing furnace, you know, well, we could cut I could kind of see that, you know
Egypt's a hot place. We were familiar with that
You know, we could we could say well, you know Tucson has a bit of a furnace, you know
We've been brought out of the furnace of Tucson, you know
So I thought well, maybe that's it but that isn't really gel right because it's the iron furnace
so and really when you when you get this it's a perfect description of Egypt because
What he's what he's reminding us is is that there was no escape for them in Egypt
It was an iron furnace like iron there's there's no way out
They're they're in iron. They couldn't penetrate through and escape on their own. There was no way out of this iron furnace
They were stuck there
There's no escape and he calls it a furnace because of the fact that Egypt was going to consume them
Remember before God delivered them. They there was a rose of Pharaoh who knew not Joseph and
And decided to start, you know, he doubled their tasks, you know
He made them make double their tale of bricks and gave them no straw and said you're idle
You know
He was looking he was worried that the Pharaoh then was worried that they were going to
The Israelites would side with their enemies and turn on him. You know, he was he was uh, he was a wicked man
He was commanding them to throw their children in the river every male child
Trying to breed them out. He was trying to destroy God's people
So that's why God calls Egypt an iron furnace. There was no escape and sure enough eventually
It was going to destroy them. You know, you put a metal in a furnace and you turn it up hot enough
No matter what element it is. It gets hot enough that thing's gonna melt
That thing's gonna get broken down and destroyed and consumed. So that's why he's
Describing it that way
To remind them of what God delivered them out of
That he didn't just they weren't just you know, hanging out in some park somewhere when God came along Egypt wasn't just
You know a dance through the lilies that they were they were on their way out. They were gonna be snuffed out
They were gonna be destroyed in this iron furnace and God comes along and delivers them does the impossible
Snatches them out of the flame reaches into the furnace and pulls them out by a strong and mighty hand
And you know that should serve a reminder for us too, because I'll tell you something the same thing happened for me and you
You know we as sinners without Christ were on our way to a furnace a literal furnace called hell
Of which there is no escape
Bible says that those that are there the smoke of their torment ascendeth up day and night and they have no rest forever
Once you're there you're there
You're stuck like you are an iron furnace
So just as God miraculously reached it and pulls them out of the iron furnace of Egypt. God has done the same thing for us
You know if we're saved
the Bible says in Colossians
chapter 1 giving thanks in the Father which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints and light
Who have delivered us from the power of darkness and have translated us into the kingdom of his dear son?
In whom we have redemption through his blood even the forgiveness of sins now you got saved
You know you got delivered from the power of darkness
That's that's powerful
You got delivered to the power of darkness. You've been translated into God's kingdom
God took you from that kingdom and put you in his through the blood of Christ
Bible says is Jude
Jude 1 keep yourselves in love God looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life and
If some have compassion making a difference and others saved with fear pulling them out of the fire
You know we can do the same thing for other people now
We can go out and help other people escape the iron furnace
We can go out help other people be delivered from the kingdom of darkness
We can go out help other people be translated in the kingdom of his dear son
Through the through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus
You know that's what God has given us
And I believe you know that's why God is bringing up Egypt here and describing this manner of the children of Israel
to remind them of where they came from and to remind them just how close they were to utter destruction and
We can look back at that and be reminded to us as well
That we by nature were children of wrath, and we were this close one breath
From just slipping off into eternity in a place called hell
so
He goes down there in verse 21
Furthermore the Lord was angry with me for your sakes and swear that I should not go over Jordan
And then I should not go in under that good land which the Lord thy God giveth thee for inheritance of course we covered this
Last week when he's referring the fact that you know Moses disobeyed at the rock or have been smote it twice rather than speaking to
It and God said for that reason and we talked about how God makes a leadership accountable even more so
He said, but I must die in this land if you recall last week
Moses recounting the story of how he had pleaded with God that he would allow it that he would show a mercy
That he would have allowed that he would you know retract that judgment and let him go over in the promised land now
We're reading in this next chapter. It sounds like Moses is resolved
You know God said at that time. He said speak to me no more of this matter
And now it seems like Moses kind of got it settled. You said you know what that's now. I must die in this land
You know he's not gonna change God's mind on it, and you know that's a good lesson
And you know that's a good lesson. You know that when when God has determined something. You know it
We shouldn't fight it. You should just say okay, Lord and make the best of the situation
He says I must die in this land I must not go over Jordan
But ye shall go ever and plus possess the good land take heed unto yourselves
Lest you forget the covenant the Lord your God which he made with you and make you a graven image
So he's making it up again. He's graven images. I mean that's what this whole chapter
Just is about great. Don't make images don't make images. You didn't see a similitude. He just keeps bringing this up
Which he made with you and make a graven image or the likeness of anything which the Lord thy God had forbidden me for the
Lord thy God is a consuming fire even a jealous God
So he's saying you know what don't make these images because you know it hurts God's feelings
You know makes God sad
That's not what he said. He said because God is a consuming fire
Even a jealous God
And you say well, how is God a consuming fire? Well what it's showing us. Is that God is a God who destroys?
God destroys things. I mean that's what fire does
Fire absolutely goes in and just as I mean look at the wildfires you see all the time over in, California
People don't go back and repair that house that burned to the ground they have to start all over because the old one is gone
It's destroyed ashes
And the Bible says God is a consuming fire
And he's saying look don't don't make God angry don't make these images
You're gonna upset him and God's a fire. You know we should take word
It could take you to that as God's people
That you know if we just start living flippantly if we just cast off the things of God
And we just say all the Bible that's but it's just a bunch of rules. You know God's not gonna judge me
Better check yourself because God is a consuming fire
And God will burn you up
Maybe not literally, but he'll light a flame under you one way or another in your life
He'll put you in the hot seat to bring you back around
God God doesn't play games. You know God wants you know God wants to bless his children
God wants to bless his people, but God is not stupid either and God knows that man
This has a proclivity to go into sin. You know in this instance. We're reading about making graven images and
That's why he's just trying to hammer this in and say look don't make these images
You're gonna make God God's a consuming fire. He'll destroy you because he's a jealous God
Well, why does God get so mad because he's jealous?
Because this is his people. He's the one that went delivered them out of the fire
He's the one that went and brought them out of Egypt
He's the one that's gonna bring them into this great wonderful land and bless them
And that's how they're gonna reach that's how they're gonna show their their gratitude
Making some stupid image and say it's God
Wouldn't that make you angry?
You know going back to that illustration as a dad
You're the one providing for this family
You're the one taking care of these kids putting food on the table house over the head clothes on their back
And then they're gonna go call some other guy dad
And say you're not oh, that's not really my dad
And that would make me mad isn't it we'd figure that one out real quick
We'd find out who dad is and who dad isn't in a heartbeat
Because I'd be jealous. You know I want my kids to love me
I want them to show me that affection. I would be jealous and
Bible says God is a consuming fire
Yeah, if you know we won't we're kind of getting ahead ourselves, but in Deuteronomy 9 it repeats this it says
Understand therefore this day that the Lord thy God
Is he which goeth over before thee as a consuming fire?
He shall destroy them, and that's why it's liking God unto a consuming fire because he destroys
And
People you know they don't like that aspect of God, but that's who God is God is a creator God gives life
But he also takes away
He also builds up, but he also destroys. You know he's a complex person. He's not just this one-dimensional character
And and we're warned in the New Testament you say well, that's the Old Testament God
well, we're warned the same thing about God in the New Testament in Hebrews chapter 12 a
Chapter that's all about God chasing his children as a man doth his son
And he closes in verse 28 and says wherefore we receiving a kingdom right just like the Israel to receiving a land a
Physical end we also are receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved
Not a temporal dwelling on this earth, but an eternal home in heaven we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved
Let us have grace whereby we may serve God acceptably
You don't do the things that are right live a righteous and holy life for God with reverence and godly fear
We should be afraid of God
And why is it because in verse 29 of Hebrews 12 in the New Testament it says for our God is a consuming fire
describes God in the same way in the New Testament says look we ought to serve God with fear for the same reason because he's
a consuming fire he destroys
And we can't get this idea that just because we're in the New Testament
That we can just be flippant and play games with God and not obey God and just disregard his commandments
And think that nothing bad is gonna happen
You'll get burned
God will burn you because he's jealous
and you have to kind of stop and
Define this word jealous because people have had this idea today that jealousy is a bad thing jealousy is not a bad thing
If jealousy is a bad thing then why does God call himself jealous in fact if you would turn over to Exodus since you're so
Close in chapter 34, we'll see where God
That's his name
God calls himself jealous. He says hey, I'm a jealous God then he goes you know what you can call me. Hey jealous I
Praise thee. Oh jealous
Look here verse 34 chapter 34 verse 14 for thou shalt worship
No other God for the Lord whose name is jealous is a jealous God
Well that seems pretty appropriate if you're a jealous if you're jealous
You know why do they call you jealous because I'm jealous
And people today they think all you shouldn't be jealous what you mean is you shouldn't be envious
You know there's a difference between envying. What is it yours and then being jealous for what is yours?
Saying hey, this is mine, and you can't have it. I'm jealous for this why because it's mine. You can't have it
We should and that you know what we should be jealous for what is rightfully ours
We should be jealous and not let people take things that aren't there near and dear to us
You know in one particular area we can reapply this it is in our marriage
Because some people have this misconstrued notion that if a husband or wife is jealous for their spouse that somehow that's wrong
Look, it's wrong to not be jealous
You know like I should just let my wife hang out with other guys
And just be okay with that. There's people. This is the philosophy that's out there
Like she should have some other friends that are men and she should go bowling
Actually we fell in love bowling so
That's the only reason she likes bowling because I was there right or whatever if she joins a chess club
You know I don't know
Whatever whatever area. She just starts. You know having some some boyfriends some man friends around
I'm just supposed to sit back and have a nice night, honey. I'll be here when you get back
You think that's gonna happen no way man. I'm gonna be jealous, and there's nothing wrong with it
There'd be something wrong doesn't that just seem completely out of place
If I wasn't jealous and said oh go have a nice time
You know where's that gonna lead?
You know well God understood where it took his people into into spiritual adultery
Worshipping other gods loving other gods having affections for false gods
Now the same thing happened with your spouse
you know yeah, go ahead honey go chat on the phone look up your old high school sweetheart on Facebook and
And strike up a conversation you don't know where that's gonna lead rekindle some old claim or something like that
Don't even go there be jealous for your spouse
And there's nothing wrong with it
You know make that your name if you need to hey, I'm jealous you start calling me jealous around the house
You know
You might maybe we need to do that a little bit with our with our kids
You know keep them out of this dad snacks, and I'm jealous for those snacks. You know my pringles
There's nothing wrong with that you know being jealous for what's rightfully yours
You know we should be jealous for our God. We should be jealous not let other people try to
you know put God down or tell us we can't worship God the way he we ought to and
You know God's a jealous God, and he's and you know what here's the thing God's jealous for you
If you're his child God is jealous for you tonight
So why does God get angry and become a consuming fire?
Why would God rain now caught up and rain on you if you start wandering off in the world because God's jealous for you
Because if you're born again, he shed his blood for you. You are not your own the Bible says you're bought with a price
therefore glorify God in your members
And God you know he gets jealous over what's rightfully his and if you're saved
By the Bible's clear me or not your own your gods
And you think he's just gonna you're just gonna let you just take take your members and wander off and do whatever
Wicked city wine God's just gonna not be jealous about it. You got another thing coming
Because this is the same God all the way through the Bible all the way from Deuteronomy to the Hebrews
Jealous
Let's move on here. We got a little bit more to get through in verse 25
He says when thou shalt beget children and children's children
You shall remain long in the land and shall corrupt yourselves
he's talking about like it's gonna happen because it is and shall corrupt yourselves and
Make a graven image or the likeness of anything that and shall do evil in the sight of Lord thy God to provoke him to
anger I
Call heaven and earth to witness against you this day that you shall soon utterly perish from off the land
Where until you go over to the George possess it you shall not prolong your days upon it
But shall utterly be destroyed and the Lord shall scatter you among the nations
And you shall be left few a number among the heathen whether the Lord shall lead you and there you shall serve
gods of work of men's hands wood and stone which neither see nor hear nor eat nor smell I
Need to read that those people up there in me both donuts
But if doubt if now I want you to paint all the ifs that are coming up here, okay?
But if from fence thou shalt seek the Lord thy God thou shalt find him if thou seek him with all thy heart and with
all thy soul when thou art in tribulation all these things are come upon thee and in the latter days if
Thou turn to the Lord thy God and shall be obedient unto his voice for the Lord God is a merciful God
God is very jealous, but that is also very merciful
He will not forsake thee neither destroy thee nor forget the covenant of thy father's which he swear unto them
You know what this tells me is that God's covenant with Israel was conditional upon their obedience to him
That they didn't just have a license to do whatever they want
I mean
It's just clear as day in the scripture
And we see this play out in the history of the children of Israel
They go into idolatry and God takes them out of the land
Destroys them and they're few a number and scatters them among the heathen and then they get right in Babylon right they get right
They call upon the name of Lord. They want to obey God and God brings them back into the land
But it was all conditional upon their obedience
If thou shalt seek the Lord thy God if thou seek him with all thy heart if thou turn the Lord thy God
Not just you know God's gonna destroy you and then just one day
You know in your heathen backslidden wicked state God's just gonna miraculously bring you back in the land
And you and there you will continue to blaspheme Christ and deny the Lord God of the Bible and God's gonna bless you
the Bible doesn't teach that and
And you know these Zionist Christians need to get this through their heads
This is a conditional promise
And God does it because of the Covenant with he made with thy fathers, which he sware unto them
But it's conditional upon their obedience and again. That's a big topic whole sermons can be preached on that
Let's go into verse 32 for ask now the days that are past which went before thee since the day that
The day that God created man upon the earth and asked for the one side of heaven into the other
Whether there hath been any such thing as this great thing is where I've been hurt like it
So he's saying look you need to stop and consider
How unique this is what God is doing here with you. There's nothing this has never happened before
Did ever people hear the voice of God speaking out of the midst of fire as thou has heard and live?
He's saying that's never happened before what you saw at Horeb. That's never happened before
Where the God is saved to go and take him a nation from out of the midst of another nation by
Temptations by signs by wonders and by war and a mighty hand and by a stretched-out arm
About great terrors according all that Lord your God did for you in Egypt before your eyes
So that's never happened before it's unprecedented
and it's never happened since where God just goes in and
Plucks them out of that iron furnace like he did and just brings him out with miracles and temptations and great signs
And then speaks to them out of the voice out of the fire
Under thee it was showed that thou mightest know that the Lord he is God
He's he know why God did all that that you would know who God is
There is none else beside him out of heaven. He made me to hear his voice that he might instruct thee
And upon earth he showed thee this great for his great fire and thou heardest his words out of the midst of fire
You know God. This is a very unique thing
Now now this is now he's saying look
This has never happened to go he says look for what happened to the end of earth to the other
Under the whole of heaven has this ever happened before and the answer is no, and it's never happened since
But you know as I was reading this I was thinking it's gonna happen again one day
One day God is going to deliver his people again by a mighty stretched-out hand. You know what's gonna be it's gonna be us
If we live under the coming of the Lord the God is going to do the same thing
He's gonna deliver us
You know in the rapture out of the midst of an iron furnace out of another nation
that is seeking to destroy us in the Great Tribulation God is going to deliver his people and
That you know, that's that's that that what else has that ever happened. I mean, that's a very unique and special thing and
And the reason why he did that
Was to make them hear his voice, you know and God wasn't just speaking because he likes to hear himself talk
God it says he made it here in his voice that he might instruct thee
You got piped up it had something to say and you had some directions. He had some Commandments. He had some do's and don'ts
God wanted to instruct them
and wanted them to know who it was that was speaking and
What this does, you know, this this is an amazing thing that they did, but you know, and truly it was
We know what it did. It made them more accountable
It made them more accountable
Because of the fact that they saw all these things
Unprecedented things that have never happened before
They witnessed all of them and that so that now they're even more accountable because there's no denying. This is the word God
This has never happened before
None of these other, you know, these these these these false gods which can't hear speak
They can't do any of the things that God did they're dead. They're not even alive
God did all these things for and they made them accountable now look there in verse 37 and because he loved thy fathers
Who's referring to ice, you know Abraham Isaac and Jacob?
It wasn't it wasn't because he loved you so much
It's because he made a covenant with your father's any love
Therefore he chose their seed after them and brought thee out and brought thee out in a sight with mighty power out of Egypt
To drive out nations from before thee greater and mightier than thou art
To bring thee in to give thee their land as inherent for inheritance as it is this day. I
Love verse 39. I've loved this verse
One of the first verses I've memorized know therefore this day consider it thine heart that the Lord
He is God in heaven above and upon the earth beneath there is none else
You know if you know the true and living God, you know, the only God there is
You know if you know the Lord God in heaven above, you know, the only God there is there's nobody else
There is no other option. He is the only God
What a blessing that we know him he goes on to verse 40 and he says
Thou shalt keep therefore his statutes and his commandments which I keep thee this day that it may go well with thee
So does God just have rules because he just likes making up make like making like difficult
This guy's just an old fuddy-duddy doesn't want anybody have any fun
No, it's before our own good
Because you know what? There is pleasure and sin for a season
But there's also the consequences that come with sin and you have to pay the piper, you know
You have to pay the price like I was saying about you know
Jonah when he went when he started to backslide from God he had to pay the toll thereof, right?
There's a price to pay for sin. You don't just get away with it
And the reason why God gave statutes and commandments and which can commanded them that it may go well with thee
You know if we keep God's commandments and we keep God's statutes. It's gonna go well for us
You know and I could testify to that, you know and
I never want to get up and try to glorify the past and say that you know
I'm something special because I lived a sinful life in the past because we've all had sin in our lives
But here's the thing like I know what it's like to live without God
I know what it's like to live a contrary to his commandments. I know what it's like to live contrary to God's statutes, and it's not fun
It's not what it's not the picture the world paints for you and says oh just come in
you know be a fornicator and be a drunk and and covet and just chase money and
Life will be great. Life will be miserable
And what you see on TV the movies fake. It's not real. It's a lie
And the happiest I'll tell you what
Even at the worst points in my Christian life are still better than some of my highest points in my own saved life
As even in the lowest points in my unsafe of my saved life as a Christian. They've never been as low
as when I wasn't saved
Because we have high and low points. I'm not saying that you know just because you got saved all of a sudden
You know life is just going to be you know
The sky's the limit. It's just this rocket ship ride to heaven
You know there's ups and downs in the Christian life, but I'll tell you what the lows in the Christian life
They're not nowhere near as bad as the lows in the unsaved life or a worldly life
And I've never had to you know
Suffer the consequences of sin like I did when I was living in it purposely as an unsafe person
So again, you know God doesn't just make up these rules to just be a buck and be a downer
It'll go well with thee and who doesn't want that for their life who doesn't want their life to go well I
Mean who doesn't want to get to the inner life me. I'll say life went well for me
No one wants to get in their life and say life was was hard
Life was difficult, and there was no pleasure in it, and it was miserable
You know and I failed at it
No one says that they want to get to the inner life to say you know what life went well for me
Yeah, I had something down. I had difficulties, but by and large it went well for me
Well, why because I got kept God's commandments because I kept his statutes
God you look at God's commandments in the statutes. They're there to protect you
They're there to keep and keep us right with one another
And you know love the work of no ill to his neighbor
You know that one of the greatest commandment of all you know is love the Lord thy God with all that whole heart soul mind and
Strength the second is like unto it love thy neighbor as thyself
And if we do that you know we're gonna have a good life
And the purpose of God's commandments is to benefit us you should always remember that it's for our own good
Just like the rules that parents lay down in the house
It's not so they can just because they they want to be tyrants
Then they may take out the trash oh
You poor thing you know maybe it's because they're teaching you that hey you know life isn't all fun and games
They got to work, and you got to pull your weight in this world
They're doing it for to benefit you
And plus you know we've taken out the trash
It's your turn now
But then you know it goes on in verse 41. He says then Moses Moses severed
Three cities on this side Jordan for the Sun rising that the Slayer might flee thither
So this is getting him the cities of refuge
You don't really have a lot of time to get into this, but God's rule was you know that if a man accidentally killed somebody
It wasn't intentional murder. It wasn't like first-degree murder where he plotted to kill somebody it was an accident was manslaughter
Rather than that man dying
He was to flee into one of these cities into the death of the high priest
Lest the avenger of blood should slay him and it was really it was just like a cool off
It was allowing that person have a bit of a cool off period
And it wasn't he would that guy was not allowed to go in and avenge that blood that man was allowed to live in that city
in these cities
and he says
That the Slayer might flee thither which would kill his neighbor unawares and hated him not in times past
And that fleeing into one of these cities
he might live namely Bezer in the wilderness in the plain country in the Rubenites and Ramoth and Gilead and the Gadites and
Golan and Bashan of the Manassehites, and this is a law which Moses set before the children of Israel
So this is referring to what we just read this is the law which Moses set before the children of Israel
After they came forth out of Egypt on this side Jordan in the valley over against Beth Peor in the land of Sion King the
Amorites who they who dwelt at Heshbon whom Moses and the children Israel smote after they came forth out of Egypt
So this isn't all the law, right?
Because Deuteronomy is just getting started. There's a whole lot more to come on the law
You know
But this is the portion of the law that God taught that Moses taught the children Israel on this side Jordan before they passed over
So stick with us, you know because again you say Deuteronomy. Oh, come on the statutes and the commandments and the law
Yeah
You know why we should learn them and take and and and listen to what God has to say the book of Deuteronomy
That it might go well with thee
That's why we should understand not just this portion of the law, but all of that which is to come
Let's go ahead and pray