Sermons on Deuteronomy

Sermons on Deuteronomy

At a Crossroads: Deuteronomy Wrap Up – Be Careful and Watch Your Heart

Although Christians do not participate in the covenant that God made with Israel, there is much we can learn from that covenant. God rescued Israel from cruel bondage in Egypt, cared for them in the wilderness, and gave them the ten commandments and many other personal and societal laws. His purpose was to develop and instill faith and obedience in their hearts. We also can turn our hearts toward God and His blessing by loving His Word, sticking with the Church, remembering His works, and cultivating an honest, open heart.

At a Crossroads: He will not leave or forsake you

We are now coming to the end of Moses’ sermon to the nation of Israel before they enter the promised land at last. Moses prophesies the success of their entry into the land, and also their eventual failure to live up to the law of God. Moses teaches them a song that will remind them of who they are and call them to repentance and hope in God generations later. We can take heart today that God sees us, his people, and has compassion on us, even in our worst rebellion.

At a Crossroads: Life and Death

In late September, we were in Raleigh, North Carolina, for my daughter’s wedding. The day before the wedding, my sister and brother-in-law were with us in the car, and we were leaving downtown Raleigh. They were in the back seat and volunteered to navigate us back to where we were staying. So they whip out their iPhones, and plug in our destination. Directions on iPhone said, “Go northeast,” but we knew we needed to go southwest. We knew southwest because…

At a Crossroads: Blessed or Cursed?

In His covenant with Israel, God promised amazing blessings to the nation if they remained loyal and obedient to Him and horrific curses if they forsook Him and turned to other gods. Christians are not under Israel’s covenant, but are under the New Covenant—which also contains promises and warnings, but with significant differences. Yet, Christians, too, must love and honor God in order to be blessed.

At a Crossroads: Love the Word of God

Download Study Notes Deuteronomy 12-26  Week 10 Love the Word of God If you’ve ever read the OT, you’ve come across some commands that you simply don’t know what to do with. Deuteronomy 14:21 ESV “You shall not boil a young goat in its mother’s milk.” What?  Why?  Has anyone here ever disobeyed this command?  No one?  Surely someone has sinned.  🙂 Deuteronomy 15:7 ESV “If among you, one of your brothers should become poor, in any of your towns…

At a Crossroads: Living for the Glorious

Israel was confronted with the truth of God and about God: would they consider who he is? Then they were called to respond to God and his will for them: would they follow him? They were at a crossroads, choosing between the glorious and the inglorious, good and bad, blessings and curses. Like Israel was, so we today are confronted with the truth of God and the calling of his will. Which will we choose?

At a Crossroads: Remember Who You Are

Wrapping up the first section of his sermon to the new generation of Israelites, who are about to at last enter the promised land, Moses reminds the nation who they are: stubborn, rebellious, and undeserving, yet loved, chosen, and cherished nation. He exhorts them to never forget this fact, as they are about to enter the promised land. He reminds us today to keep in view who we are without him: stubborn and rebellious, yet loved and chosen. This reminder will keep our hearts in the right posture of humility, gratefulness, joy, and confidence in God’s love for us as His children.

At a Crossroads: The Key to Blessing

As Israel is at the doorway of entering the promised land, God pauses to give them the key to enjoying those blessings.  He reveals that for the last 40 years he has been teaching them the all important lesson that life comes from listening to Him.  The material world alone cannot bring us life and if we begin to think that it does even the good things that God longs to gives us will become a curse.

At a Crossroads: Completely Destroy the Canaanites

Israel was commanded by God to drive the Canaanites out of the land and completely destroy those who remain. Although appalling to modern sensibilities, this command can be harmonized with the Bible’s portrayal of a God of perfect love and justice. God has a duty to judge the world and sometimes judges people and nations in the course of history, not always waiting until the final judgment day. We should respect and appreciate God’s judgments, flee from anything that defiles…

At a Crossroads: The Lord is One

The statement of Deuteronomy 6:4 is profoundly simply yet magnificently grand, laying out before the people of Israel the most foundational statement of faith. The people were to reject all the so-called gods of the nations and instead look to the one, true, incomparable, mighty God. From this center point of faith in him spring forth all commands and promises. If one verse can summarize the essence of faith in him, this is it. And so it is even for us, for Jesus tells us that this call to faith and the response of obedience to love the Lord wholeheartedly is our greatest calling today.

At a Crossroads: The Ten Commandments

Along with thunder, lighting, earthquake, fire and smoke, the voice of God boomed out the Ten Commandments from the mountain as over three million Israelites trembled in fear. These commandments are the center of God’s covenant with Israel and a clear call to love God and our neighbor. They show us practically what love looks like. Although we are under a different covenant, nine of the ten commandments are repeated in the new covenant and we can learn much about how to live and please God through them.

At a Crossroads: Listen and Live

As God’s covenant people, Israel was called to “listen and live,” for the Lord wanted to bring them good, not evil. To walk in that goodness, Israel was charged to watch diligently over their souls, not forgetting the great deeds of the Lord, and to remain true to him. Over the next 1000 years of Old Testament history, Israel largely failed at this. While such stubbornness may surprise us, we will actually find many lessons for us today from their story.

Our Fear & God’s Faithfulness

In the opening chapters of Deuteronomy, Moses begins his sermon to Israel by reminding them of where they came from. Highlighting a few episodes from the 40-year exodus journey, Moses points out how, in spite of Israel’s fear, stubbornness, and rebellion, God led them victoriously to the land He promised to give them, while simultaneously dealing with their disobedience. God’s faithfulness, justice, and mercy are beautifully highlighted in this brief summary to encourage, warn, and instruct us today.

Our Fear & God's Faithfulness

In the opening chapters of Deuteronomy, Moses begins his sermon to Israel by reminding them of where they came from. Highlighting a few episodes from the 40-year exodus journey, Moses points out how, in spite of Israel’s fear, stubbornness, and rebellion, God led them victoriously to the land He promised to give them, while simultaneously dealing with their disobedience. God’s faithfulness, justice, and mercy are beautifully highlighted in this brief summary to encourage, warn, and instruct us today.

At A Crossroads – Choose Life

In Deuteronomy, Israel was a crossroads, being called by God to choose life over death and wholeheartedly keep the covenant of God. So Moses exhorts them throughout this book to choose life and reject their past rebellion. Now even today we will find ourselves at a crossroads, where God is calling us to choose life, the life found in Jesus, the Messiah of Israel and the world.