Deuteronomy 1-5 Part 2

Deuteronomy

Deuteronomy 1-5 Part 2

Deuteronomy 4:15-19
¹⁵ You saw no form of any kind the day the Lord spoke to you at Horeb out of the fire. Therefore watch yourselves very carefully, ¹⁶ so that you do not become corrupt and make for yourselves an idol, an image of any shape, whether formed like a man or a woman, ^17 18 or like any animal on earth or any bird that flies in the air, or like any creature that moves along the ground or any fish in the waters below. ^{19 Lord your God has apportioned to all the nations under heaven.}And when you look up to the sky and see the sun, the moon and the stars —all the heavenly array —do not be enticed into bowing down to them and worshiping things the

What do you think of when you hear the word America…?  Most people would probably say, “The American Dream…”  The roots of the American Dream steam from freedom to worship God without government interference…

This is quite different from the American Dream we know of today…  Acquire more at all cost seems to be the way we operate today.  We operate on a system of debt so we can live above our means, while we go deeper and deeper into debt.  Why do so many Americans live this way?  One word will sum it up! IDOLATRY

Watch for yourselves so that you do not make any idols for yourselves…  What is our idol?  It’s not an image we worship, not even a statue made of gold.  It’s a lifestyle.  The pursuit of a culture of possessions consumes our hearts.  In essence the new American Dream…

I think Christians today have exchanged God’s dream for their lives for the American Dream…  Instead of pursuing our creator we pursue the created.  We can’t afford to be generous, which is the very nature of God, whom we are created in HIS image.  Instead of what can I give, we say what I can get…   Instead of how I can serve, we ask who will serve me…   

The public schools and the government are not the answer to how we change this.  No amount of taxes or regulations will fix this.  Only a changed heart can fix this.  Only God can change a heart and the Church is God’s plan to tell the world about the life changing power of Christ!  There is no plan B!  We are it!  Let’s get to work!  There is so much to do!

Deuteronomy 1-5

Deuteronomy

Deuteronomy 1-5

Deuteronomy 4:9
⁹ Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them slip from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and to their children after them.

This year I became a father for the first time.  I cannot wait till she is old enough for me to tell her the things I have seen God do in my church.  God’s truth is a sacred trust that we must pass on to our children.  I take it a step further and tell my daughter God is going to do greater things in and through you than He did through me!  I’m praying that over her life now and she is only 4 months old…

Think about all the things the Israelites saw God do?  The plagues that made the Egyptians let them go free.  Parting the Red Sea and watching the sea envelop their enemies as their feet touched the dry land.  The manna fell from the sky each morning to feed them.  God defeated their enemies literally right before their eyes. 

You may not think you have seen God do anything note-worthy to tell your children.  Although the fact that you are a new creation and you are not the man you once were and God has shielded you from His wrath because you are His child is pretty note-worthy.   

·         When God reveals truth to you through His word, He wants you to pass that onto your children…

·         When God shows you His vision for your family, He wants you to pass that onto your children…

·         When God heals, humbles, or helps you, He wants you to pass that onto your children…

·         When God helped you overcome, open doors, or you have an overflow of blessing come into your life, He wants you to pass that on to your children…

Take every opportunity
Share it as often as you can
Never take it for granted
God’s legacy of your life is worth telling your kids about!

Numbers 27-34

Numbers

Numbers 27-34

Numbers 34:1-2
The Lord said to Moses, ² “Command the Israelites and say to them: ‘When you enter Canaan, the land that will be allotted to you as an inheritance is to have these boundaries

The Israelites are about to enter the land God promised to them almost 40 years earlier… I find it very interesting that before they set foot into the promise land.  God explains to them the boundaries of the land… 

All throughout the scriptures, God gives us boundaries not to restrict us, but to protect us…  One area that we tend not to follow God’s boundaries is in our relationships.  There are several areas of relationships I could cover but since marriage and family life are my passion, I’m going to focus on dating and marriage.

2 Corinthians 6:14
Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness?

If you are already married to an unbeliever this verse does not apply to you.  You have already stepped out of God’s designed boundaries.  Getting a divorce would only put you further outside of God’s boundaries

However, if you are a Christian and still dating or considering marriage, this verse definitely does apply to you.  So many times God’s people were led away to worship idols because they were willing to compromise on who they were dating and marrying. 

Case in point: The Midianite women
Numbers 31:16
¹⁶ “They were the ones who followed Balaam’s advice and enticed the Israelites to be unfaithful to the Lord in the Peor incident, so that a plague struck the Lord’s people.

In other words you and the person you are to wed better be on the same page; that includes faith, parenting, and a desire to do marriage God’s way!

If you have already married an unbeliever or someone you are not equally yoked with there are boundaries for you too…

1 Corinthians 7:12 – 14
¹² To the rest I say that if any brother has a wife who is an unbeliever, and she consents to live with him, he should not divorce her. ¹³ If any woman has a husband who is an unbeliever, and he consents to live with her, she should not divorce him.
1 Peter 3:1
¹ Likewise, wives, be subject to your own husbands, so that even if some do not obey the word, they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives,

These boundaries are to protect your marriage.  God’s design for marriage is holiness, not happiness!  Too many marriages end when couples become unhappy with each other…  If they follow the boundaries for married couples in Ephesians chapter 5:22-33

Which can be summed up as husbands love your wives as yourself and wives respect your husbands…

Numbers 20-26

Numbers

Numbers 20-26

Numbers 23:8
How can I curse those whom God has not cursed?  How can I denounce those whom the Lord has not denounced?
Anyone who has ever been a part of a move of God will tell you that you will run into people that will denounce what God is doing at your church!  You may see exponential growth, hundreds of people making decisions for Christ, marriages restored, and prodigal children come home; however an idiot will speak out publically that you are just a show or a cult and God is not a part of that…

In the number Balaam seeks a man named Balak to curse the nation of Isreal.  His response was not to curse but to bless Israel 3 separate times.  This made Balaam furious!  Balak simply responded how can I curse what God has blessed?  Balak realized God was with them because the Israelites had conquered and destroyed the Canaanite army, the Moabites, and the Amorites…  He could not and would not deny God was with them and He would not denounce them…

People will come around regardless of what others say.  A God movement cannot be stopped by disgruntled Christians with an us four and no more mentality…